Singaporeans and Caucasians

Seringa · Post by **Seringa** » Sat, 22 Oct 2005 9:44 pm

Hey, if you don't like expats so much what are you doing speaking English at the EXPAT forum?

Bafana · Post by **Bafana** » Sun, 23 Oct 2005 6:36 pm

Seringa wrote:Hey, if you don't like expats so much what are you doing speaking English at the EXPAT forum?

LOL must be a love hate relationship - Don't be to hard on Singaporeans leh. The only things thay are allowed to complain about is the weather and Ang Mo's mah

jksg · Post by **jksg** » Wed, 14 Dec 2005 9:49 pm

Morticia wrote:From my standpoint...its Is getting worse..been here over three years and these occurances are becoming MORe frequent. Its irritating and disrespectful. Recenlty if I catch myself even considering being offended I simply walk over and ask what all the hype is about... Of course more hillarity ensues...and I find it therepuetic to laugh at myself once and a while. More than the "mystery laughs", the "Welcome to Singapore"s from young locals tends to grate on me. I mean, where wer they when I was all alone and new here??? I could have used the warm welcome then!!!

Hi everybody,
Im so sorry to hear that. I cant believe that. As a local I always felt that Singaporean are extremely polite towards foreigners. Are you sure?
I cant imagine Singaporeans doing something like that. If there is only the slightest truth to that which I dont believe then it would be shameful.
No I dont believe that. you are treated with so much respect from all locals arent you???

Wham · Post by **Wham** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 1:48 pm

thinkster wrote:I have to post here, not as a Californian, but as someone who watches where he is going. Singaporeans, by and large, have a serious problem watching where they are going. Two people walking towards each other will normally adjust course, but if one person isn't watching they will walk into the other. If Singaporeans aren't too busy smsing or watching some window display or video advert, they simply just don't notice that other people are sharing the road.
I've had people walk towards me and I've stopped in one spot when they don't notice me... and twice they walked right into me... and this was while walking in a straight line in the open!
Furthermore, Singaporeans (of all cultures I might add) tend to be clueless about when they are blocking others... be it in the MRT or the shops. They will almost never stop to let you pass, and will push right ahead of anyone, including pregnant mothers and those carrying a heavy load. I watched one lady so eager to avoid a tout passing out flyers she walked into the path of a moving car and was hit!
This is in sharp contrast to Thailand, where even though its more crowded, people pay more attention to where they are walking, as in Thai Buddism they believe bad karma can rub off on you, so if there is accidental contact, there is always an apology... here in Singapore, I seem to be the only one who ever apologises.
It's even worse here if you ride a bike (and I'm not talking about recklessly), where people will spin around at any moment without the least regard for what may be there. Once, after a rain, I was coasting my bike behind the bus shelter on in front of the Thai embassy, when a lady on the mobile fone coming from the opposite direction turned suddenly right, into my path, and there was nowhere for her to go except into the fence of the embassy! After a near miss and a crash, I asked her where in the heck she was going and she stammered... "I, I, I have an sms..." as if that justifies the lack of foresight.
So the next time you walk into someone's path and they say EXCUSE ME, they might, just maybe, be trying to wake you up... because its not a matter of one person having to move out of the other's path, but BOTH correcting their trajectory to avoid the other. This is common courtesy and good sense...

Thinkster - this is one of the funniest things i have read on the forum in a long time - and painfully - it is so accurate. I sometimes feel a little schitzo in that 1/2 of me says "easy... let it go... it is just a cultural difference..." and the other 1/2 of me says "NO, its ^%$&^%^&ING rude - run them over if they don't move!" I have heard a slew of excuses for this behavior (deep in thought, come from china, just the way it is,) but at the end of the day, I don't beleive the excuses. There is NO PLACE i have ever been where people will see you standing there and walk right into you. IMHO, it reflects an ugly side of the Singaporean culture that is very self absorbed to the poing of being self-centered.

I have noticed a lot of Singaporeans writing on this thread - can any Singaporeans PLEASE offer us an explanation for the common inability to walk properly?

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 2:31 pm

Wham wrote:tThere is NO PLACE i have ever been where people will see you standing there and walk right into you. IMHO, it reflects an ugly side of the Singaporean culture that is very self absorbed to the poing of being self-centered.

Good Lord Wham! You do like to stir things up don't you?

Even if I agreed with you and Thinkster, I'm not sure I would put so fine a point on it when it's sure to enrage our Singaporean friends and end in a messy morass a la 'Mistreatment of Maids.'

I will however continue to watch just like one can't resist the morbid facination of watching a car wreck.

Make my popcorn, large, no butter.

sapphire · Post by **sapphire** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 2:55 pm

Where do you all walk? Honestly, its not that bad. And, I'm talking about walking on Orchard Road on weekends, it isn't as bad as some of you say it is. What'll be next in Singapore bashing? And, if Singaporeans and Singapore are not to your liking why are you still here??? Obviously, some things do work out for you here. Concentrate on those positives. Sheesh!

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 3:14 pm

sapphire wrote:Where do you all walk?

Hey! Don't lump me in there with 'all'!! I think I showed considerable constraint...

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 3:57 pm

Mary Hatch Bailey wrote:
sapphire wrote:Where do you all walk?
Hey! Don't lump me in there with 'all'!! I think I showed considerable constraint...

Not half as much as I'm showing!

Can't believe that this whole thread keeps being dug up. Think it's been going since I've been registered on this forum.

sapphire · Post by **sapphire** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 4:20 pm

No, nyet, never, Ma'am Viceroy, you can never be 'them'. You know who I was addressing.

SMS, I know what you mean. Its beyond tiresome.

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 4:47 pm

sapphire wrote: Concentrate on those positives. quote]

You've got to:

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

(To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark)

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me, hmm?

(Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive) And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'

Looooove this song!!! First heard it on the Singing Detective . . . brilliant!

Oh, can I join the discussion on spatial awareness?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 4:52 pm

Vaucluse wrote:Oh, can I join the discussion on spatial awareness?

OOOHH, that sounds hauntingly familiar!

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 4:58 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
Vaucluse wrote:Oh, can I join the discussion on spatial awareness?
OOOHH, that sounds hauntingly familiar!

As Eric would say:

Let's debate

jksg · Post by **jksg** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 4:59 pm

jksg wrote:
Morticia wrote:From my standpoint...its Is getting worse..been here over three years and these occurances are becoming MORe frequent. Its irritating and disrespectful. Recenlty if I catch myself even considering being offended I simply walk over and ask what all the hype is about... Of course more hillarity ensues...and I find it therepuetic to laugh at myself once and a while. More than the "mystery laughs", the "Welcome to Singapore"s from young locals tends to grate on me. I mean, where wer they when I was all alone and new here??? I could have used the warm welcome then!!!
Hi everybody,
Im so sorry to hear that. I cant believe that. As a local I always felt that Singaporean are extremely polite towards foreigners. Are you sure?
I cant imagine Singaporeans doing something like that. If there is only the slightest truth to that which I dont believe then it would be shameful.
No I dont believe that. you are treated with so much respect from all locals arent you???

No response so far.so I guess this will underline my claim that there are no locals giggling and laughing at caucs to humiliate them

. caucs are treated respectfully here in singapore. I am relieved coz how to attract foreign talent when we make fools out of caucs???

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 6:10 pm

sapphire wrote:No, nyet, never, Ma'am Viceroy, you can never be 'them'. You know who I was addressing.

SMS, I know what you mean. Its beyond tiresome.

OK then, carry on...

sapphire · Post by **sapphire** » Fri, 16 Dec 2005 6:16 pm

Mary Hatch Bailey wrote:
sapphire wrote:No, nyet, never, Ma'am Viceroy, you can never be 'them'. You know who I was addressing.

SMS, I know what you mean. Its beyond tiresome.
OK then, carry on...

Have a great vacation Ma'am. We'll miss ya.

SINGAPORE EXPATS FORUM
Singapore Expat Forum and Message Board for Expats in Singapore & Expatriates Relocating to Singapore

Singaporeans and Caucasians

Re: Singaporeans can't walk...

Re: Singaporeans can't walk...

Who is online