Why all the 'hatred' towards us 'foreigners'?

[ecureilx]

what amazes me is that a country with such high system of education would produce people with these mentality.

Someone told me that people here are not highly educated, but highly trained.

you mean drones ? I still remember the day, when in my former place of work, being small, the new top-dog said we must do budgeting, and the accountant - who was an accounts clerk who grew up through the ranks, asked how does a basic budget work (I am not kidding) .. and then I blurted out that a budget is simply what you expect to receive, and what you expect to spend.

Next minute, I get an email from her "please provide a template / sample of a budget" ..

Same as one of the many guys who have asked in this forum to "do you have a template of an appeal letter .. " et al .. so all that need to be done is to insert the "from" "to" "subject" and then the rest .. 'template'

I have, except in two of my former places of work, been asked to provide templates of reference letters too, and always the letter was exactly word-for-word as I provided .. without even a full-stop changed ..

Oh, on the other hand, there exists a minority, like my volunteer group coordinator, who doesn't ask for any template as well as a few more, who just need to be told that you need a letter for x purpose and they do the letter and provide .. it ..

Yah, highly trained .. and can't think out of the box .. or is it "simply following processes ??? "

[JR8]

This is why I laughed when I read the new budget arm of SIA, 'Scoot', are going to be quirky.

Yeah, so the marketing dept are going to give the staff a tick-box list on how to do that each day...

[nakatago]

This is why I laughed when I read the new budget arm of SIA, 'Scoot', are going to be quirky.

Yeah, so the marketing dept are going to give the staff a tick-box list on how to do that each day...

They can never match Cebu Pacific's Safety Procedures Dance, Air New Zealand's Bare Essentials Safety Video or Kulula's...general quirkiness.

[richie303]

You know what?

I have no idea what people say about me in lifts etc etc etc and really? I couldn't care less.

What people think of you is their problem, not yours! If it's true, you probably know about it anyway and if it's not true, why get upset?

If people want to express their hatred openly in another language (or even quietly behind their hands) then that's up to them... I've frankly got better things to do, like going to Orchard Towers, eat at Botak Jones and spending my wads and wads and wads of cash at the Casino that I get in for free at!

Billy, I can imagine nothing anywhere gets past your lady, doesn't she speak about 30 languages She must be fun to be around.


Anyway, I'm off to buy a yacht!

[ScoobyDoes]

This is why I laughed when I read the new budget arm of SIA, 'Scoot', are going to be quirky.

Yeah, so the marketing dept are going to give the staff a tick-box list on how to do that each day...

Okay, but that's why they hire a Kiwi for the top job!

[poodlek]

What people think of you is their problem, not yours! If it's true, you probably know about it anyway and if it's not true, why get upset?

+1 Exacto!

[BillyB]

You know what?

I have no idea what people say about me in lifts etc etc etc and really? I couldn't care less.

What people think of you is their problem, not yours! If it's true, you probably know about it anyway and if it's not true, why get upset?

If people want to express their hatred openly in another language (or even quietly behind their hands) then that's up to them... I've frankly got better things to do, like going to Orchard Towers, eat at Botak Jones and spending my wads and wads and wads of cash at the Casino that I get in for free at!

Billy, I can imagine nothing anywhere gets past your lady, doesn't she speak about 30 languages She must be fun to be around.


Anyway, I'm off to buy a yacht!

I think it's 31 as I've heard her talking to our cats recently in some bizarre baby like language.....

[soccerist]

haha...u havent seen the worst in S.Africa..when u are there...when Asian complexion..means bruce lee,jackie chan...fighting.

[linushammarstrand]

Very interesting thread and interesting discussion about something me and my girlfriend have discussed as well. I am a Swede and have been living and working all over Asia for the past 6 years and my girlfriend since two years is a local Singaporean Chinese. I recently moved to Singapore and decided to give it a go here, but the amount of racial slurs I face here on a daily basis is astounding. Most of it come from the youngsters, but also from the aunties and uncles. I speak Chinese myself and am thus able to understand what they are saying, and as pointed out above, it is not very pleasant...It is rather ironic, as Singapore seem to try to market itself as a racially tolerant society....

[AlexGreen]

Very interesting thread and interesting discussion about something me and my girlfriend have discussed as well. I am a Swede and have been living and working all over Asia for the past 6 years and my girlfriend since two years is a local Singaporean Chinese. I recently moved to Singapore and decided to give it a go here, but the amount of racial slurs I face here on a daily basis is astounding. Most of it come from the youngsters, but also from the aunties and uncles. I speak Chinese myself and am thus able to understand what they are saying, and as pointed out above, it is not very pleasant...It is rather ironic, as Singapore seem to try to market itself as a racially tolerant society....

Very interesting Linus... this thread is very sad for me to read, because I have a generally good impression of Singapore (from afar), but I sure wouldn't want to live in a place where I felt hated/discriminated against (maybe inevitable in Asia? I felt it in Japan and especially Korea, but less so in China... so maybe China is relatively good?)

a few questions?

What other countries (and what cities.. may make a difference?) do you have experience in?

How much did you understand of the local languages in those countries?

Is it possible that racism was just as bad in the other countries but you're just more aware of it in Singapore?

How would you rank all the countries (including Singapore) you have experience of in terms of racism/unfriendliness?

Would also love to hear your girlfriend's opinions... how did your discussions with her on this topic go?

regards,
Alex

[ScoobyDoes]

Very interesting Linus... this thread is very sad for me to read, because I have a generally good impression of Singapore (from afar), but I sure wouldn't want to live in a place where I felt hated/discriminated against (maybe inevitable in Asia? I felt it in Japan and especially Korea, but less so in China... so maybe China is relatively good?)

Without jumping over the journalistic tone of the second part of your post you've brought up an interesting comparison, China.

China's people in Ningo have a certain hatred for those from Shanghai, and those in Shanghai for those from Tianjin, for example, but really not so much against foreigners. I have never really experienced racisim there, albeit they jack up the prices for anything i need to buy that doesn't have a tag on it and some taxi drivers have been a PITA.

Actually last time I was in Shanghai with two colleagues we were trying to get a taxi, waited in the queue and did everything right. We got into one and he refused to budge. After a couple of minutes of not moving and holding up the queue the guy that was next asked where we were going. He let rip at the driver for not taking us and was genuinely embarassed at the treatment being meated out to us. Half of the queue ended up rounding on the driver at our defence, which was nice. Okay, so they maybe wanted us to leave so the queue would start moving again, but I really think it was more genuine than that.

It may be early in their developmental cycle yet but the Chinese still view foreigners as coming to help, not take their job. A lot still eagerly want to talk and learn about what's outside China and what our feelings are of the country etc. and on the back of that I've had some great days there.

[ksl]

I'll second that scooby! though I did have a problem once in Taiwan, with construction worker, while standing at a bus stop! Though the bulldog stood his ground and said nothing and he the guy wasn't quite in range to meet rock on Tommy, though others just stood around looking amused, that i wasn't walking anywhere and the guy throwing the verbal refused my hand signal to approach Though commonsense in a foreign country says ignore it and take it on the chin, it's a minority in most cases or the low end of the environment like chav estates,

[ksl]

Very interesting thread and interesting discussion about something me and my girlfriend have discussed as well. I am a Swede and have been living and working all over Asia for the past 6 years and my girlfriend since two years is a local Singaporean Chinese. I recently moved to Singapore and decided to give it a go here, but the amount of racial slurs I face here on a daily basis is astounding. Most of it come from the youngsters, but also from the aunties and uncles. I speak Chinese myself and am thus able to understand what they are saying, and as pointed out above, it is not very pleasant...It is rather ironic, as Singapore seem to try to market itself as a racially tolerant society....

You will find the same anywhere else too, even in Scandinavia there are people, grps, that hate foreigners including those from the UK. I had a taste of nazi youth in Denmark, they are so brazen and stupid! The same would happen to foreigners in my own area of UK, check out Mal Hussain and the Chavs of Lancaster. The problem is with one's own naivety that it doesn't exist in a competitive world..

Singapore has harsh laws to keep the problems in check it's a fine balance and the duty of those with any normal IQ to open the eyes of the offenders, after all we are all human and those that condone it, are normally too afraid to do anything about it. Singapore is a tolerant society in the sense that if you don't understand the other languages you willn't have a problem! Though I get your point 大鼻 hehe! I also hear many remarks on myself and others

[Strong Eagle]

Very interesting thread and interesting discussion about something me and my girlfriend have discussed as well. I am a Swede and have been living and working all over Asia for the past 6 years and my girlfriend since two years is a local Singaporean Chinese. I recently moved to Singapore and decided to give it a go here, but the amount of racial slurs I face here on a daily basis is astounding. Most of it come from the youngsters, but also from the aunties and uncles. I speak Chinese myself and am thus able to understand what they are saying, and as pointed out above, it is not very pleasant...It is rather ironic, as Singapore seem to try to market itself as a racially tolerant society....

I think this entire post is crap... a windup. I've lived here seven years... and the "racial slurs I face here on a daily basis" is non-existent. I've always been treated fairly, and when up against the occasional asshole, no worries... just the offhand asshole.

Linus, if you are subjected to "racial slurs I face here on a daily basis", I suggest you look in the mirror... they might be well deserved.

[sundaymorningstaple]

SE, I beg to differ. But the scenario is much different. You Missus is caucasian. Try it with an Tamil wife. Believe it. The racial slurs are there. In our case it was funny as when my daughter was young she looked caucasian (or latina) and while my wife often hear the crap from other Indians, my daughter (who took Mandarin as her second language) would spill the beans on the chinese aunties talking about the "maid" and the Sir getting friendly on the bus/mrt, and how can they do that in public with the Sir's children with them. etc., etc. Some not so nice at all.