‘Am I wrong to cover my nose next to a smelly uncle?’ — Singaporean on MRT asks after an elderly passenger told him, ‘That’s very offensive!’
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SINGAPORE: A Singaporean Redditor turned to r/askSingapore to ask a pressing, nose-pinching question: “Am I wrong to cover my nose next to a smelly uncle?” The post quickly went viral, sparking a passionate debate about hygiene that has divided noses across the nation.
The drama unfolded on an MRT ride. “There was an uncle who came and sat beside me,” the young passenger wrote. “The odour was bad, like really BAD, and it really messed my nose up quite a bit,” he expressed his disgust.
Being tired and stuck on a long ride with no other seats available, he did what many might do in that situation as well — he used his shirt to discreetly cover his nose. “I did NOT look at him [the uncle] or anything… I didn’t even KNOW what he looked like,” the young passenger insisted. But the “uncle” caught on. “He suddenly turned to me and asked, ‘Am I stinky?’ in a very displeased tone.”
AITA for covering my nose next to a smelly person?
byu/drapedape inaskSingapore
Trying to keep it civil, the young passenger replied, “Yes, I smell something, I don’t know where.” Unfortunately, the uncle “auto assumed it was himself [that smelled bad]” and scolded the young passenger for being “very offensive!”
“I was quite tilted,” the young one said. “I CAN’T deny it… It’s not to offend you, it’s for my sake!” he explained his position further.
🤧 “It’s offensive to smell bad in a shared space!”
Redditors backed the young passenger with full olfactory support.
One member declared, “No, you’re not wrong. I have done the same in similar situations. It’s offensive to smell bad in a shared space.”
Another took it up a notch: “BO (body odour) is offensive, not the preventative actions people take to protect themselves… If spitting on someone is a crime, so is unleashing your stink molecules down my nasal passages.”
Another shared a traumatic lift encounter with a delivery guy who wore “a sweaty T-shirt from the day before.” The stench lingered in the lift for half a day even after he left. “It was like a biochemical weapon,” he wrote.
Some tried to mediate: “Maybe next time you can soften it with ‘Sorry, I’m sensitive to smells, it’s giving me a headache.’” Others were less forgiving: “If you dare to come into an enclosed space smelling like crap, don’t be offended when people show they don’t want to smell you.”
😷 “How can I be offensive when covering my nose is just being defensive?”
The young passenger concluded he’s now carrying a mask wherever he goes. “I understand some of us get smelly after a long day… but is it really my fault if I just want to have a comfortable train ride?”
Public consensus seems clear: If you can emit it, others can block it. Personal hygiene is a personal choice — but so is self-defence against nasal assault.
As in the words of one Redditor: “How can I be offensive when covering my nose is just being defensive?”