SINGAPORE EXPATS FORUM
Singapore Expat Forum and Message Board for Expats in Singapore & Expatriates Relocating to Singapore
Singaporeans and Caucasians
-
GCY
-
t3
:-
frustrated
Simple minded Singaporeans
I have to add to this thread and say that I have also experienced this childish behaviour. Do not get fooled by this "Country's" aparent progress. It is only an economical progress. For me progress starts in the mentality, the culture, the personality, not in having skycrapers 90 storey high. The problem with Singapore is their lack of identity in a complex and historical World where they cannot compete either professionally or intellectually and they know it. That is why they laugh resented at caucasians who have the intelligence and the guts to come to this country and do the jobs that singaporeans can't do. They also know that if they left their own country for Europe or America they couldn't stand a chance. They live in a village-sized country in a villagers' mentality. Don't get fooled just because they are carrying a high tech mobile, they might not even know how to talk. It is also to do with arrogance and a sense of superiority that comes with living in a tiny place thinking they have it better than the rest, specially in Asia. Just think about this next time you take your next Confort taxi: How many times would the driver had failed his driving test in a 5 minute journey, somewhere else in the World ? Shameful.
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/ ... 6,00.html?
Th url above contains an article about the Singapore government's new move to attract freigners to be entrepreneurs here.
So what's the fuss about not welcoming them because they are taking jobs from Singaporeans?
Singaporeans must remember that being a largely migrant society that every one was once a foreigner either directly or indirectly via ancestral ties. If the indigenous people of the land stood in the way of Sir Stamford Raffles and said no to the Brits landing and making Singapore an entirely different place to what the locals of the time knew it to be at that time, then what we see of the place today will not have eventuated. We will be no different from the city of Bencoolen situated on the western side of Sumatra, which at one point of time during Raffles's governorship ( He was first Governor of Bencoolen) was the leading city of its time but has now degenerated to a fishing backwater that Singapore once was and is now known no longer by its high sounding English name of Bencoolen but
by its Indonesian rendition as Bengkulus, in keeping with the backwater that it currently is. Applying the same reasoning, Singapore would still be rendered Temasek or something else along the same lines.
"We must never let our raw unchecked feelings run the better of our more level headed thinking selves or we stand the risk of being no more civilised than the natives that we supposedly came to eduacte." sic
source unknown :!:
Th url above contains an article about the Singapore government's new move to attract freigners to be entrepreneurs here.
So what's the fuss about not welcoming them because they are taking jobs from Singaporeans?
Singaporeans must remember that being a largely migrant society that every one was once a foreigner either directly or indirectly via ancestral ties. If the indigenous people of the land stood in the way of Sir Stamford Raffles and said no to the Brits landing and making Singapore an entirely different place to what the locals of the time knew it to be at that time, then what we see of the place today will not have eventuated. We will be no different from the city of Bencoolen situated on the western side of Sumatra, which at one point of time during Raffles's governorship ( He was first Governor of Bencoolen) was the leading city of its time but has now degenerated to a fishing backwater that Singapore once was and is now known no longer by its high sounding English name of Bencoolen but
by its Indonesian rendition as Bengkulus, in keeping with the backwater that it currently is. Applying the same reasoning, Singapore would still be rendered Temasek or something else along the same lines.
"We must never let our raw unchecked feelings run the better of our more level headed thinking selves or we stand the risk of being no more civilised than the natives that we supposedly came to eduacte." sic
source unknown :!:
-
frustrated
You are an idealistic Phantom. The civilization you are refering to in your comment is long gone and lost in a sea of mindless capitalism and race for being someone in the big mindless economic race. I am well aware of these entrepeneural schemes the gobernment is organizing every couple of weeks. But you missed the point. This was the Singaporean gobernment=An economical machine only interested in attracting foreing investment for the only purpose of continuing their growth. What would Singapore be without foreign investment?? I laugh at this. They bite the hand that feeds them! Breed vultures and they will eat your eyes out!
-
Guest
Don't need to be frustrated
Dear Frsutratd
That you are frustrated speaks volumes in itself
There is no need to be
If you are cool calm and collected that is
Point is anyone visiting another country is more intimidated by the differences than the similarities. The fact that you are here is that you have accepted this place to some extent, unless the intent is to "rape and pillage", in which case I rest my case about whose behaviour is superior.
And yes Singaporeans are not as cultured a lot ( in your western definition of it )is you would have it back home. But then Singaporeans are not caucasian and therefore cannot be expected to be. They are more in their element in eastern/Chinese culture. The fact that they wear the accoutrements of technology comfortably is not a point that one should use as an argument against their being awkward with western culture and customs. Technology is not solely the province of westerners, and thank goodness for that. And I can think of a whole lot of techie jobs that Asians, Singaporeans included can do as well or better than others. As for the more "cultrually oriented jobs of high finance etc, that has to do more with history than anything else and has nothing to do with superiority or otherwise.
The point remains that cultural differences have nothing to do with superiority or inferiority. Ask Hitler about that. You know what happened to him.Cultural differences have to do with localised practices that the locals as opposed to the foreigners are more comfortable with. Any argument about their inferiority or otherwise appeals more to the emotions than level headed thinking.
So don't be frustrated. Instead indulge in some level headed thinking. It will cure your headache :!:
That you are frustrated speaks volumes in itself
There is no need to be
If you are cool calm and collected that is
Point is anyone visiting another country is more intimidated by the differences than the similarities. The fact that you are here is that you have accepted this place to some extent, unless the intent is to "rape and pillage", in which case I rest my case about whose behaviour is superior.
And yes Singaporeans are not as cultured a lot ( in your western definition of it )is you would have it back home. But then Singaporeans are not caucasian and therefore cannot be expected to be. They are more in their element in eastern/Chinese culture. The fact that they wear the accoutrements of technology comfortably is not a point that one should use as an argument against their being awkward with western culture and customs. Technology is not solely the province of westerners, and thank goodness for that. And I can think of a whole lot of techie jobs that Asians, Singaporeans included can do as well or better than others. As for the more "cultrually oriented jobs of high finance etc, that has to do more with history than anything else and has nothing to do with superiority or otherwise.
The point remains that cultural differences have nothing to do with superiority or inferiority. Ask Hitler about that. You know what happened to him.Cultural differences have to do with localised practices that the locals as opposed to the foreigners are more comfortable with. Any argument about their inferiority or otherwise appeals more to the emotions than level headed thinking.
So don't be frustrated. Instead indulge in some level headed thinking. It will cure your headache :!:
-
Guest
Dear Frustrated
The previous entry under the nick of Guess was mine. I forgot to logon
But I read with greater amusement your last entry
Guess who is biting the hand that feeds it?
And if not why are you in this country?
For love and fresh air?
Fact of the matter is that the world of economics is defined by interdependecy. You are here because you need a job to pay your way in life. Fact of the matter is that you might even be employed by some local company.
If you were employed by a foreign outfit they would have done so because of the opportunities that this place affords them and not because of love and fresh air.
Heard of the saying that those who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones? Try getting off your high horse. The air up there might be getting too rarefied for your head, which accounts for your frustration
But I read with greater amusement your last entry
Guess who is biting the hand that feeds it?
And if not why are you in this country?
For love and fresh air?
Fact of the matter is that the world of economics is defined by interdependecy. You are here because you need a job to pay your way in life. Fact of the matter is that you might even be employed by some local company.
If you were employed by a foreign outfit they would have done so because of the opportunities that this place affords them and not because of love and fresh air.
Heard of the saying that those who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones? Try getting off your high horse. The air up there might be getting too rarefied for your head, which accounts for your frustration
-
frustrated (still)
Thanks for your views Guest. You are right, I am frustrated, and I didn't want to hide it. I am glad you got the point.
Just wanted to clarify some points that you seem to have miss/read/interpreted.
I wasn't using the example of the mobiles as an argument against being awkward against caucasians (???) How could I do that ? I was only illustrating with another example that people who tend to work at a very simplistic and superficial way tend to acquire the form (example: the usage of western ways such as the way to dress, talk, eat) to fit in or become westernized at least in the look. There is a dycotomy in every Singaporean in the sense that they die to be Western, but on the other side they also resent they can't be really western no matter how much they try because it is not about the ways but about the mentality and culture. This is only due to a lack of cultural heritage and identity. We have sold them the myth that being western is "cooler" and a society so confused in their identity like Singapore can only be a vistim in these circumstances..
I have never infered that westerners were superior to Singaporeans, all I said was that they cannot compete. This is only to say that they live in a plastic bubble and that live is much tougher out there than in cosy SG.
What really frustrates me, (here it comes) is the mindless necesity of Singaporeans to be or try to be western when they should be themselves, try and study their culture and bring it to life. That way we wouldn't have any frustrated Singaporeans laughing at angmohs because they can't be them.
Just wanted to clarify some points that you seem to have miss/read/interpreted.
I wasn't using the example of the mobiles as an argument against being awkward against caucasians (???) How could I do that ? I was only illustrating with another example that people who tend to work at a very simplistic and superficial way tend to acquire the form (example: the usage of western ways such as the way to dress, talk, eat) to fit in or become westernized at least in the look. There is a dycotomy in every Singaporean in the sense that they die to be Western, but on the other side they also resent they can't be really western no matter how much they try because it is not about the ways but about the mentality and culture. This is only due to a lack of cultural heritage and identity. We have sold them the myth that being western is "cooler" and a society so confused in their identity like Singapore can only be a vistim in these circumstances..
I have never infered that westerners were superior to Singaporeans, all I said was that they cannot compete. This is only to say that they live in a plastic bubble and that live is much tougher out there than in cosy SG.
What really frustrates me, (here it comes) is the mindless necesity of Singaporeans to be or try to be western when they should be themselves, try and study their culture and bring it to life. That way we wouldn't have any frustrated Singaporeans laughing at angmohs because they can't be them.
-
frustrated
Well Guest clone number 2. No, I didn't come to this country for work like you assume everybody like you does. First assumption. I did came for love believe it or not, because I live my life diametrally opossed to most people in this tiny island. I don't run from shopping mall to shopping mall either. I am counting the days to the moment me and my partner leave Singapore. If you think that a country that sold their freedom for a big shiny shopping mall is a place worth checking out, then you must be as superficial and simple as not seeing the reality you are in. Sweet dreams...
Some People Never Learn
Dear Frustrated
If you came to this fair island for love and are showing such intolerant attitudes, it won't be long if you fall out of love. This island is a cacophany of many sounds from many languages from many races, and if intolerance rules then guess where we all end up.....like you...absolutely frustrated. Singapore does not have the luxury of having a countryside where all can easily escape the strictures of urban life without leaving the island. That you have to pass judgment on the "cultural inferiority" having to patronise shopping malls and not having the "culture" that a "small"place like us should have than you obviously have not visited the US of A. It's big, its got many races, and it is not particulalry rooted deeply in any culture but deeply commercial in its attitudes. Many complain about facile American culture, and wonder if the place has any. And yet, it is the cultural icon of many a young person regardless of race.
So stop casting your cultural preferences on others and making judgments on people of a different race. And as to making it, don't worry, Singaporeans will learn from their deficiencies, including those you infer and more than make it. The difference is that with our short history we realsie our deficiencies and grumble as we may, we learn. But for the likes of you... well that's another matter... they usually end up as historical cast offs. Its just as well you are leaving.
If you came to this fair island for love and are showing such intolerant attitudes, it won't be long if you fall out of love. This island is a cacophany of many sounds from many languages from many races, and if intolerance rules then guess where we all end up.....like you...absolutely frustrated. Singapore does not have the luxury of having a countryside where all can easily escape the strictures of urban life without leaving the island. That you have to pass judgment on the "cultural inferiority" having to patronise shopping malls and not having the "culture" that a "small"place like us should have than you obviously have not visited the US of A. It's big, its got many races, and it is not particulalry rooted deeply in any culture but deeply commercial in its attitudes. Many complain about facile American culture, and wonder if the place has any. And yet, it is the cultural icon of many a young person regardless of race.
So stop casting your cultural preferences on others and making judgments on people of a different race. And as to making it, don't worry, Singaporeans will learn from their deficiencies, including those you infer and more than make it. The difference is that with our short history we realsie our deficiencies and grumble as we may, we learn. But for the likes of you... well that's another matter... they usually end up as historical cast offs. Its just as well you are leaving.
-
eric
problem to post new replies
no more replies cant be posted...could you please fix the problem!!!!!!!!
Thank you in advance to the admin crew.
Thank you in advance to the admin crew.
-
Not so frustrated
Ok, now I am the intolerant. I am sure Singapore excells in being one of the most free-thinking, free-behaving, free-sexually tolerant places in the World...You don't have draconian laws against the citizens, censorship, sexual discrimination etc...Just like in the USA (yes I have been). And that is the problem, this place resembles more and more to The USA, that is the cancer. All I am saying is that I wouldn't be so frustrated if had found a more welcoming Country, with more authentic people loyal to themselves and their traditions and less americanization.
Dear Not So Frustrated,
It is good to notice that you are now less frustrated. It invariably pays to be less emotive about issues like this. Point to note is that Singapore is a society in transition and that it is in many ways establishing its identity as it goes along We are a melting pot of cultures of the east with English as the unifying language. That we appear facile as people like yourself are sensitive too is not entirely a revelation of epic proportions. We are not western in our values although we have been heavily influenced by the west as you seem to suggest. Our values are essentially eastern and naturally so given the historical backgrounds of the different races of the place. The fact that we appear 'inauthentic' has nothing to do with the pretences that 'some' like you suggest we so artificially put up, but rather with the confluence of so many cross currents of the west on an essentially eastern society that has had a very brief and recent history. We are a society of peoples working its way in making up our mind as to what and who we are, and we seek the understanding and accomodation of all those we come across. Your accusation would stand valid if some 100 years from now we still appear apes of the west. But then we will never been entirely western nor eastern. I guess we will retain our core eastern identity but with hopefully a greater facility and ease of dealing with the west.
So it is pointless to expect a replica of China or India or whatever country here. We will be uniquely... well Singaporeans...warts and all, and hopefully overtime with less warts.
It is good to notice that you are now less frustrated. It invariably pays to be less emotive about issues like this. Point to note is that Singapore is a society in transition and that it is in many ways establishing its identity as it goes along We are a melting pot of cultures of the east with English as the unifying language. That we appear facile as people like yourself are sensitive too is not entirely a revelation of epic proportions. We are not western in our values although we have been heavily influenced by the west as you seem to suggest. Our values are essentially eastern and naturally so given the historical backgrounds of the different races of the place. The fact that we appear 'inauthentic' has nothing to do with the pretences that 'some' like you suggest we so artificially put up, but rather with the confluence of so many cross currents of the west on an essentially eastern society that has had a very brief and recent history. We are a society of peoples working its way in making up our mind as to what and who we are, and we seek the understanding and accomodation of all those we come across. Your accusation would stand valid if some 100 years from now we still appear apes of the west. But then we will never been entirely western nor eastern. I guess we will retain our core eastern identity but with hopefully a greater facility and ease of dealing with the west.
So it is pointless to expect a replica of China or India or whatever country here. We will be uniquely... well Singaporeans...warts and all, and hopefully overtime with less warts.
-
ringo
I am an expat from scandinavia. My son is disabled. On a daily basis he is humiliated by Sinaporeanfrom ranging from giggling, laughing, bursting into laughter as well as aping him. The extent and the frequency of these attacks are beyond what I could have ever imagined. And the motivation seems to be the fact that he is a caucasian. Disgusting...to do that to disabled people...
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
18 Singaporeans injured as Batam's Montigo resort bridge collasped
by abbby » Fri, 08 Nov 2019 10:54 am » in Travel & Holidays - 0 Replies
- 2139 Views
-
Last post by abbby
Fri, 08 Nov 2019 10:54 am
-
-
- 37 Replies
- 13305 Views
-
Last post by Lisafuller
Sat, 23 Sep 2023 1:41 pm
-
-
More and more sms and emails from banks and other companies
by abbby » Fri, 04 Feb 2022 6:36 pm » in Business in Singapore - 3 Replies
- 3647 Views
-
Last post by abbby
Sat, 05 Feb 2022 7:32 pm
-
-
-
My friend Completed Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery at IMU and she's in Singapore looking for a job
by georgemohan » Mon, 17 Jun 2019 4:44 pm » in Careers & Jobs in Singapore - 5 Replies
- 4205 Views
-
Last post by PNGMK
Tue, 18 Jun 2019 9:12 pm
-
-
-
STVP after EP Cancelation and moving in and out of Singapore on STVP
by garudaa » Thu, 17 Oct 2019 11:53 pm » in PR, Citizenship, Passes & Visas for Foreigners - 9 Replies
- 7866 Views
-
Last post by garudaa
Sat, 19 Oct 2019 11:10 am
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests