It’s a great time to be alive. Technology has done many great things, and one such feat is having pushed carpooling into the mainstream. In the lead-up to UberPool’s first anniversary this month, they released a solid, very relatable “slice-of-life” ad depicting passengers in an UberPool ride.
It starts off with a couple of scenarios, each one showing a new passenger boarding to join the other passenger. As usual, it’s usually pretty awkward, and then they engage in small talk (or not, as seen in the case of mistaken identity by a Chinese woman who assumed the other passenger is a tourist) before learning something new about each other. Sure, it may seem unlikely in any real life situation that people would engage in a conversation with each other (as you can see from the comments below), but we’ve had our fair share of pleasant conversations ourselves.
But one character in the ad stood out, more so than the rest. A man who seems to be in his mid-to-late twenties donned in a pink t-shirt is joined by an elderly man, who asks if he’s on his way to study somewhere after seeing him jotting down some notes. But in a swift blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment, the younger man says he’s visiting his boyfriend in the most casual manner. And in return, the elderly man continues the conversation without any prejudice or malice, despite thinking he misheard the young man’s words.
This comes at a great time. More than 20,000 may have turned up at Pink Dot this year, but there’s still a lot more to be done. It’s with initiatives and small gestures like these, which may seem insignificant to some, that will go a long way. There are still many who oppose the freedom to love and to afford the LGBTQ community equal rights.
As we mentioned earlier, technology has its many ups and downs; and this is definitely one of its higher points. This ad wouldn’t have made it past the censorship board if it were to be aired on TV. So kudos to the Uber Singapore team for creating this very timely video, and have a great first birthday!
