SINGAPORE EXPATS FORUM
Singapore Expat Forum and Message Board for Expats in Singapore & Expatriates Relocating to Singapore
Why all the 'hatred' towards us 'foreigners'?
OMG. I've never voiced this before, but since we're on the topic: why do people here think gigantic wads of toilet paper are an appropriate way to dry your hands after washing?? Toilet paper is designed to disintegrate when it gets wet, WTF would you want to pick pieces of wet TP off your hands...? Frig. And then they throw it in the toilet, leaving it to float there until there's a big enough wad that it can't possibly be flushed. Cripes. Use a blowdryer for pete's sake.
for the public toilet issue, I'm not saying singaporean are without fault. I'm just saying it's unfair to push it all to the locals. with a ratio of 2:3, how could you justify these mess are created mainly by the locals? or are you saying foreigners doesn't visit the public toilets at all?
I'm not sure about guy's toilet, but generally, gal's toilet is still quite clean in most of the public places imo.
Anyway, I'm only here to provide some explainations on why locals hate FT/FW. I'm not here to declare war on FT/FW or anything like that. Like i've said before, you're entitled to your opinion. If you disagree to what i've explained, it's fine by me as well.
I'm not sure about guy's toilet, but generally, gal's toilet is still quite clean in most of the public places imo.
Anyway, I'm only here to provide some explainations on why locals hate FT/FW. I'm not here to declare war on FT/FW or anything like that. Like i've said before, you're entitled to your opinion. If you disagree to what i've explained, it's fine by me as well.

- sundaymorningstaple
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poodlek, you are asking them to use the one thing that they are born without.
Common Sense. But to the local, they have the answer that is hard to knock. All their anti-social/rude/inconsiderate habits are them just being pragmatic. At least in their eyes.
Common Sense. But to the local, they have the answer that is hard to knock. All their anti-social/rude/inconsiderate habits are them just being pragmatic. At least in their eyes.

SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
- sundaymorningstaple
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IMO? If in your opinion the women's toilets are "quite clean", that doesn't say too much for your idea of cleanliness.ankle wrote:for the public toilet issue, I'm not saying singaporean are without fault. I'm just saying it's unfair to push it all to the locals. with a ratio of 2:3, how could you justify these mess are created mainly by the locals? or are you saying foreigners doesn't visit the public toilets at all?
I'm not sure about guy's toilet, but generally, gal's toilet is still quite clean in most of the public places imo.
Anyway, I'm only here to provide some explainations on why locals hate FT/FW. I'm not here to declare war on FT/FW or anything like that. Like i've said before, you're entitled to your opinion. If you disagree to what i've explained, it's fine by me as well.
The ratio here is 1:3 e.g., 1 foreigner to 3 locals. The toilets have been this way since I came here and that was 30 years ago the ratio was only 1:4.5 then. My wife would not use one then and still won't because the women's toilets are even worse than the men's. At least you don't have men leaving used tampons & kotex along with the rest of the crap & pee. Oh, I've been told they don't bother to flush either. Why do you think most places now have auto flush mechanisms. Of course, it helps if you manage to keep it in the bowl. For that matter, if they are so clean, why is it that they keep having toilet cleanliness campaigns. Hmmmm?
My suggestion. Accept that not all locals are clean individuals and well as not all FT/FW are. There is probably equal guilt on both sides, but with you in a state of denial, that is where the problem starts. Singapore is only clean because of street cleaners and estate cleaners (FT's all of them) and fines. Go look at the main Clementi Bus stop opposite the MRT station early on a Saturday morning around 6 am before the FW's clean it up. It's local papers and garbage from fast food restaurants. It's not FW types of newspapers or hawker centers containers. And it's not an Expat type of area either. It's pure Singaporean Heartlands. And it's a pigsty.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
I can't say for certain, but I can't imagine the men's toilets being worse than some of the women's toilets here. In fact the only reasonably clean toilets I see here are the ones with a cleaning lady or two on call at all times, going behind each person and mopping, wiping, picking up, etc. constantly. Women's public toilets are disgusting world wide, but only in Asia have I seen certain problems like FOOTPRINTS on the toilet seats and pee ALL OVER the seat and back of the toilet.sundaymorningstaple wrote:IMO? If in your opinion the women's toilets are "quite clean", that doesn't say too much for your idea of cleanliness.ankle wrote:for the public toilet issue, I'm not saying singaporean are without fault. I'm just saying it's unfair to push it all to the locals. with a ratio of 2:3, how could you justify these mess are created mainly by the locals? or are you saying foreigners doesn't visit the public toilets at all?
I'm not sure about guy's toilet, but generally, gal's toilet is still quite clean in most of the public places imo.
Anyway, I'm only here to provide some explainations on why locals hate FT/FW. I'm not here to declare war on FT/FW or anything like that. Like i've said before, you're entitled to your opinion. If you disagree to what i've explained, it's fine by me as well.
The ratio here is 1:3 e.g., 1 foreigner to 3 locals. The toilets have been this way since I came here and that was 30 years ago the ratio was only 1:4.5 then. My wife would not use one then and still won't because the women's toilets are even worse than the men's. At least you don't have men leaving used tampons & kotex along with the rest of the crap & pee. Oh, I've been told they don't bother to flush either. Why do you think most places now have auto flush mechanisms. Of course, it helps if you manage to keep it in the bowl. For that matter, if they are so clean, why is it that they keep having toilet cleanliness campaigns. Hmmmm?
hahaha , that would have made me laugh, regardless of whether I was on the giving or receiving end of it.ankle wrote: I remembered I was in one of those day tour in a foreign land. While the whole bus was waiting for this singaporean family, the ang moh driver told us to clap when they board the bus which we did. This did not really goes well with that family. They became angry and sulk for the rest of the day.
Had it been me entering the bus, I would have paused and taken a bow, or something else just as silly for the moment..
oh, snap.. you said it before mepoodlek wrote:Women's public toilets are disgusting world wide, but only in Asia have I seen certain problems like FOOTPRINTS on the toilet seats and pee ALL OVER the seat and back of the toilet.
edit: but I will add this. My wife has notice HIGH HEEL footprints on toilets.. like, how do they manage that?
that reminds me an episode with an aunt of mine, who migrated to Australia like ages ago .. and when she was visiting me in Singapore, pre "reserved seats" days, she got into the train, walked straight to the seat next to the door (where the current reserved stickers are) and asked a malay kid to get up - mind you, the whole train was empty .. and he did get confused but got up and moved .. and when I asked my aunt why she did it she was like "the seats near the door is for old folks like us, okay ? Somebody has to teach these kids that ..boffenl wrote:I was absolutely stunned the other day when an older white lady used her paper to knock some Chinese young guy on the head to get him to give up his "reserved" seat on the mrt for a much older singaporean lady. The Chinese guy did give up his seat--and the older lady took it--no-one said a word. Like a Mime play--scary I didn't notice anything beforehand 'cause I've gotten used to the MRT "face" I wear every afternoon, minding my own damned business.
Well, now we have the reserved stickers and the related photos in the sites where 'abusers' are photo'd

BillyB wrote:I partly agree, but I think what people don't understand is that the 'hello and smiles' you get in shops, lifts, bars, etc. are quite false.
I believe this is still nothing really SG unique.
Then there'll be a well disguised 'ang moh, or Inidian, or non-Singaporean slur', whilst keeping a perfect smile'. The language barrier is the first problem. If you don't speak a Chinese dialect you'll have no idea it happens as it is THAT discreet.
In other Countires, there isn't necessarily the fakeness and you can feel the sentiment - in France they don't talk to you or are openly rude, they aren't fake - and it makes it much easier to detect and handle it how youthat choose.
I am not sure. All the English native speakers are in a pretty specific position: they can not afford behaving like this as the likelihood of somebody understanding them in the immediate surrounding is rather high. Same goes IMHO with French (at least to some extent). What I would think could be here different is the public acceptance of such comments. But then is it really the acceptance or just social inertion they show in many cases of the anti-social behaviour (littering, queue jumping etc.)?
I might sound like I'm exaggerating but the type of comments you get in Mandarin, Hokkien and Canton are absolutely disgusting, and usually always linked to money and status - 'Why is she shopping in here she can't afford it she is Malay', 'Wow, that filipina maid must be shagging the husband', 'the ang moh's are wrecking this Country'.
Comments typical of one generation away from the kampong and of the generation that did very well (or better say their leaders did) to increase their wealth but the development of emotional and social maturity lingered behind. Again, methink every country with a rapid wealth development encounters this.
And in every single occurance when they get pulled up on it, they never once defend their actions - they become sheepish, red faced, walk off and completely lose their bottle, just like a typical coward.
And this would be Asian specific. They are not confrontational and simply don't know how to handle this especially when their face is already half lost.
You wonder where it all stems from.....
seems like you've chosen to skip-read part of my post and decided that i'm accusing all foreigners are responsible for dirty toilets. pls re-read my earlier post (especially first 2 lines) before accusing me of anything else. thanks.sundaymorningstaple wrote:IMO? If in your opinion the women's toilets are "quite clean", that doesn't say too much for your idea of cleanliness.ankle wrote:for the public toilet issue, I'm not saying singaporean are without fault. I'm just saying it's unfair to push it all to the locals. with a ratio of 2:3, how could you justify these mess are created mainly by the locals? or are you saying foreigners doesn't visit the public toilets at all?
I'm not sure about guy's toilet, but generally, gal's toilet is still quite clean in most of the public places imo.
Anyway, I'm only here to provide some explainations on why locals hate FT/FW. I'm not here to declare war on FT/FW or anything like that. Like i've said before, you're entitled to your opinion. If you disagree to what i've explained, it's fine by me as well.
The ratio here is 1:3 e.g., 1 foreigner to 3 locals. The toilets have been this way since I came here and that was 30 years ago the ratio was only 1:4.5 then. My wife would not use one then and still won't because the women's toilets are even worse than the men's. At least you don't have men leaving used tampons & kotex along with the rest of the crap & pee. Oh, I've been told they don't bother to flush either. Why do you think most places now have auto flush mechanisms. Of course, it helps if you manage to keep it in the bowl. For that matter, if they are so clean, why is it that they keep having toilet cleanliness campaigns. Hmmmm?
My suggestion. Accept that not all locals are clean individuals and well as not all FT/FW are. There is probably equal guilt on both sides, but with you in a state of denial, that is where the problem starts. Singapore is only clean because of street cleaners and estate cleaners (FT's all of them) and fines. Go look at the main Clementi Bus stop opposite the MRT station early on a Saturday morning around 6 am before the FW's clean it up. It's local papers and garbage from fast food restaurants. It's not FW types of newspapers or hawker centers containers. And it's not an Expat type of area either. It's pure Singaporean Heartlands. And it's a pigsty.

we are having different views in this probably because we have different standard on hygiene. you could call me dirty singaporean or whatever, doesn't really matters. At least I could said I'm more accomodating in terms of toilets wherever I've travelled.

btw, this has gone ot already. I've never mentioned in my first post that locals are blaming FT/FW for "dirty" public toilets.

anyway, seems like the vibes here is not really that friendly especially the mod. Therefore, this will be my last post in this forum. Peace out.

There are friendly, you just seem to take it a bit too much ad personam. This is just a discussion so different means of expressing the arguments are put in placeankle wrote:anyway, seems like the vibes here is not really that friendly especially the mod. Therefore, this will be my last post in this forum. Peace out.

- sundaymorningstaple
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Ankle,
Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.....
http://bit.ly/rO0ZqM just follow the first listing.
Yeah, it's getting better. Now they get to post their lack of moral online for the whole world to see.
You see, what the problem is....... While this crap happens around the world in every country, they at least take ownership of the problem instead of doing like Singaporeans tend to do. In their denial they try to blame everybody else rather than accept the facts that are staring them in the face.
Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.....
http://bit.ly/rO0ZqM just follow the first listing.
Yeah, it's getting better. Now they get to post their lack of moral online for the whole world to see.
You see, what the problem is....... While this crap happens around the world in every country, they at least take ownership of the problem instead of doing like Singaporeans tend to do. In their denial they try to blame everybody else rather than accept the facts that are staring them in the face.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
- Superglide
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