A local comic artist recently expressed his disappointment after witnessing a heartbreaking encounter involving a young fan being criticised by a family member.
“I have never, in my 15 years of book signings, ever witnessed this,” comic book author Cheeming Boey wrote in an Instagram post.
Boey illustrated the incident in his signature comic style, depicting the young boy and his family attending a book signing event.
As the boy approached the artist’s table, Boey asked him about his ambitions. However, instead of the child answering, his aunt allegedly responded on his behalf, saying he wanted to be a “loser”.
“Tell him you want to be a loser. Tell him how lazy you are. Always so lazy!” the aunt allegedly told the author.
Boey then addressed the aunt, telling her not to call the boy a “loser”. She reportedly replied that it was her way of “motivating” him, adding that he always stayed at home doing “nothing”.
Boey defended the boy, suggesting that the aunt could use more positive means to motivate him. He added that the child probably had “a lot going on in his head”. The aunt then allegedly turned to the boy and demanded he share his thoughts with the author.
The boy remained silent.
“I was so angry – my hands started to tremble. I was furious that his mother didn’t even say anything to the aunt,” Boey wrote, adding that the mother appeared “unfazed” and simply told her son to pose for a photo with the author.
The interaction left Boey deeply unsettled, and he said he needed a moment to compose himself before continuing with the book signing.
At the end of the post, Boey revealed that he had written a personal message to the young boy, reassuring him that he is not a loser.
“I just hope that boy turns out alright,” he concluded.
The post sparked an outpouring of emotion online. Netizens expressed anger on behalf of the young boy and voiced concern over his home environment. Some shared similar experiences of being verbally discouraged by relatives.
“The real loser is the mother and aunt, causing the child to behave that way. I’m guessing he was nagged so much he just gave up,” one user wrote.
“He stayed quiet because anything he said would probably trigger a negative reaction from that aunt,” another speculated.
“I was always told I was lazy too. They probably thought it would motivate me. But if you hear it enough, you start to believe it,” one commenter shared.
Others, meanwhile, praised Boey for his kind words and encouragement, hoping that his small gesture would help uplift the boy amid the negativity.
