Manners campaign required??

[sundaymorningstaple]

Frankly I have also encountered a lot of rude westerners here as well. When asked on several occasions the reply I normally get is "when in Rome...." so while I can sympathize with you, after 30 years here, I doesn't surprise me that locals are now getting a taste of their own instead of visitors to this country suffering in silence as they have done for so long, only to rant about it to friends and acquaintances once they leave the country. What to do? What goes around eventually comes around I guess.

[carteki]

SMS - where is your pot stirring picture?

Anyways to comment on the Frenchies - they're not known by another western country to be the most courteous people ever. Having experienced some of it myself (completely uncalled for and completely within the stereotype) I tend to agree in general (but also am aware that there are always exceptions)

[JR8]

[sundaymorningstaple]

Carteki, we missed you last night!

Which one did you want?

or this one?

[BigSis]

As a westerner living here, I think the longer you live here the worse you get because you get fed up of people shoving and pushing you all the time.

I'm a lot more vocal here now than I used to be if someone shoves me out of the way I'll say "oh don't mind me, just barge me about"........and I would never have said this 5 or 10 years ago here. I'm quite shocked really at how I have become living in Singapore. I'm quite relieved in some ways that I'm going home again. I might be able to regain some decorum

[thismyvoice]

When you are always in a rush, I guess good manners gets pushed aside.

Singaporeans generally work very long hours. They have very little time for leisure and other activities such as send/collect their kids from tuition centers, buy grocery, etc. The current transportation problem makes things worse. When you are here long enough, you will notice the hectic nature.

Besides, half the people you meet in the streets are likely to be foreigners/new citizens.

[sundaymorningstaple]

It's easy to tell them apart though, the foreigners are the ones who are quietly going about their business getting the work done to make their Singapore supervisors/bosses look good. They are the quiet ones and generally polite ones. They aren't the ones who lean on the doors either. '-)

[JR8]

When you are always in a rush, I guess good manners gets pushed aside.

I don't agree, there is no need for them to be.

Singaporeans generally work very long hours.

I'd like to see a global average working hours comparison as I don't believe - on the face of it - that SGns work longer hours than most other advanced nations.

They have very little time for leisure and other activities such as send/collect their kids from tuition centers, buy grocery, etc.

Most of them have domestic staff to do all of that. Very few other countries have. I'd suggest that SGns live pampered rather than busy lifestyles.

The current transportation problem makes things worse. When you are here long enough, you will notice the hectic nature.

Besides, half the people you meet in the streets are likely to be foreigners/new citizens.

New/old citizens, same same ah. They're all SGns. They all seem to behave like new SGns to me, except perhaps the original 'bumi-poreans' who seem to be pretty chilled out about things

[Splatted]

With regards the MRT....... it is breaking down far too often these days (even the new line and new stations) as management pushed for profits at the expense of maintaining a proper system and doing due diligence. Now it comes to bite them on the ass.

Drivers are partly to blame.

There's a section of the line (Somerset to City hall?) they're supposed to 'go slow' because of the known issue with line... and after the last huge disruption, they did this...... briefly....

Within a week they were back to full speed, despite the problem with the line not resolved as yet.

[Splatted]

I did not state Western People....if you read correctly I stated the Western World....different....of course some Western People are picking up the habits here...it goes without saying right...when you live in Rome

And you HAVE to.... I tried the polite thing once on the trains...

Waited till everyone alighted first, and politely waited till others got on the train before me...

Door shut in front of me! At peak hour, they simply don't give enough time for people to get off an on in an orderly manner.

[nakatago]

Singaporeans generally work very long hours. They have very little time for leisure and other activities such as send/collect their kids from tuition centers, buy grocery, etc.

The Japanese seem to be doing a pretty good job of staying polite, in spite of the corporate culture is over there, even in Tokyo.

Heck; even a drunk-ass salary man who could barely stand up straight would try to stop staggering and let someone else go through first a narrow passageway, just to be courteous (true story).

[BillyB]

New T-shirt slogan:

'I love Singapore..........................I just hate Singaporeans'

[nakatago]

New T-shirt slogan:

'I love Singapore..........................I just hate Singaporeans'

In the same vein as the graffiti I saw once in a public toilet (not here obviously):

"I hate my government because I love my country."

[sweetgazebo]

As a westerner living here, I think the longer you live here the worse you get because you get fed up of people shoving and pushing you all the time.

I got shoved and pushed a lot back in London than in Singapore. I still remember the day when I was climbing up the stairs (just out from the tube) and this english lady (who had stress written all over her face) pulled me by my sleeves (to push me down) so that she can get ahead of me. My then boyfriend and I were shocked at what she did and he approached her and both had an argument which lasted like 10 minutes (after all that sleeve pulling and pushing) in the end she apologised and walked off.

[NorrinRadd]

As have I, more than I really expected and it surprises me every time.

I've had westerners jump the taxi queue at my condo, not give way on the side walk, talking loudly on buses and trains as some locals do, and other things which I'd be surprised to see happen at home.

I too wondered if was from living here and it rubbing off on them. And I try not to let it rub off on me. I think there is a limit to how much you can avoid that from happening, though.

Sadly I have to agree. I've seen my share of rude westerners here as well, though, truth be known. How many of these are "retaliation" or "throwbacks" I don't know.