On the receiving end of a racist Tirade...

[JR8]

Some of the abusive back-chat you get here is seriously shocking. This is something that the STB don't seem to publicise, that many locals despise you and your presence.

However, amusing when they assume you don't understand it, and then turn around and dish it right back at them - especially in front of others.

But they'll never do it in your face, or in your language - always muttered behind you in some dialect.

There are a-holes everywhere. But here, at times, 'Whitey' or 'Darkey' seem like sanctioned targets...

[local lad]

....mind boggling. Sorry to hear that. Usually locals are not that vocal. Probably that @#*$ got replaced by a foreigner,which unfortunately, turned out to be a white folk.

Or, it could be a nutcase

[ScoobyDoes]

....mind boggling. Sorry to hear that. Usually locals are not that vocal. Probably that @#*$ got replaced by a foreigner,which unfortunately, turned out to be a white folk.

For good reason by the sounds of it but.......

'...not that vocal' only means it is there, in full force under the surface and you've at least acknowledged that.

One thing, and thanks for the heads-up Barnsley, we all must do is make preparations. Not 'end-of-the-world' type stuff but certainly confrontational and yes, end-of-the-world stuff when we all have no choice but to relocate.

[x9200]

I am thinking whether we all are not spoiled by apparent amicable behaviour of majority of the Singaporeans and we are shocked by them not meeting our expectations. Is this the case or we compare it all to some Western countries?

[sundaymorningstaple]

....mind boggling. Sorry to hear that. Usually locals are not that vocal. Probably that @#*$ got replaced by a foreigner,which unfortunately, turned out to be a white folk.

Or, it could be a nutcase

Not true. I've been here 30+ years. Locals are MUCH more vocal than they were 20 years ago. Even 10 years ago. They've gotten more vocal since the advent of Social Media and STOMP. Problem is they are naive and in some cases just ignorance with good test scores.

[Barnsley]

....mind boggling. Sorry to hear that. Usually locals are not that vocal. Probably that @#*$ got replaced by a foreigner,which unfortunately, turned out to be a white folk.

Or, it could be a nutcase

It was old guy out with his grand-daughter ...... It was the ferocity of it. Must have brewing for the old fella, I hate to imagine what the topics of conversation are like in his household.

Trying to forget about it in someways, but in reality this kind of shit needs to be confronted head on.

[JR8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PJzMHObabo
Monty Pythons - How to contradict people

In a similar vein

[morenangpinay]

been biting my tongue to show appreciation for their government's help in the typhoon...but its so harrrrrrrrrd argh lol.

[bloodhound123]

been biting my tongue to show appreciation for their government's help in the typhoon...but its so harrrrrrrrrd argh lol.

What can the govt do to infuse a dose of sanity into its individual citizens? At the best they could make the laws stringent against such racial abuse ( against expats ) but I bet such an act currently would burn the hole further with regards to the vote bank.
My experiences her have not been too acerbic* except for a few stray incidents here and there , but Barnsley's incident is to be heavily condemned.

* by saying acerbic I am discounting the abuses made by local Chinese against PRCs and by local Indians against "India Indians" which have become socially acceptable by now.

[Wd40]

....mind boggling. Sorry to hear that. Usually locals are not that vocal. Probably that @#*$ got replaced by a foreigner,which unfortunately, turned out to be a white folk.

Or, it could be a nutcase

More likely he has a problem specifically with Ang Mohs. May be his boss is an Ang Moh who screwed him properly

[Mi Amigo]

Realizing my mistake I apologized to her only to get this response "Stop ! You have no right to say sorry"

This doesn't even make sense. People here are so stupid.

That's one thing I find surprising here - despite the supposed 'world class' education system, many people (young and old) seem to have real trouble expressing themselves in clear, correct English. A while ago, Mrs. Mi Amigo was falsely accused of queue-jumping at the checkouts in Fair Price. A gentlemen (who had not seen properly what had happened, but formed his own opinion nevertheless) approached her and said, "We all have the right to queue up!" To which my good lady replied, "Yes, we do, don't we?"

It seems that the fear people previously had about speaking out in public is now rapidly vanishing, probably due to them 'getting away with it' online. Now I wonder how many of the people who have smiled and been nice to me over the years have only done that in the expectation of extracting some money or other benefit from me, and actually despised me underneath all the pleasant comments and gestures. I really want to give people the benefit of the doubt and maintain my faith in human nature generally, but at times like this it becomes harder.

IMO this place is heading for serious problems if the bigoted vitriol and anti-foreigner sentiment / policies continue to grow.

Barnsley, sorry to hear of your experience mate. We'll help you put this behind you on Friday night.

[AngMoG]

One thing, and thanks for the heads-up Barnsley, we all must do is make preparations. Not 'end-of-the-world' type stuff but certainly confrontational and yes, end-of-the-world stuff when we all have no choice but to relocate.

Well, my preparations are almost complete at least. Leaving Singapore early next year after 7 years here, to head to Manila with a job secured. A long time, and I will certainly miss some things such as food, while being glad to leave for other things such as the sky-high rents and alcohol prices. One thing that really drives me nuts here though is the uncertainty for the future; as a non-PR on PEP without a P1 salary (expiring end 2014), it is difficult to plan, as you never know which EP renewal/issuance will be your last. And even getting PR has now become a 12-24 months process. I foresee that PRs will also not be safe for long, especially those in the lower income categories.

I just realized over the last 2+ years or so that things were starting to go downhill. The online vitriol is crazy these days, and as I said - only a matter of time before it would also appear offline. On some level, I cannot even blame them that much - 40% of the people here are foreigners by now, which is a large number for any country to stomach. Luckily, I do not speak Chinese, otherwise I would probably hear much more in person.

I just saw that they are trying to legislate online comments as well... which I fear may well force these feelings offline more.

I fully agree with ScoobyDoes - it will be good for everyone to be prepared for having to leave the country. It is difficult to predict what would happen in the next 5-10 years - it could be anything between "nothing at all" and political upheaval.

[Mi Amigo]

I fully agree with ScoobyDoes - it will be good for everyone to be prepared for having to leave the country. It is difficult to predict what would happen in the next 5-10 years - it could be anything between "nothing at all" and political upheaval.

^^^ +1

Rule 1 - ALWAYS have a plan B ready (or as near to 'ready' as you can make it).

Rule 2 - NEVER assume that your circumstances will definitely be the same tomorrow as they are today. Don't take on a rental contract, credit card debt, mobile phone contracts, etc. if you don't have the means to exit them cleanly and fairly if/when the unexpected occurs.

[Barnsley]

....mind boggling. Sorry to hear that. Usually locals are not that vocal. Probably that @#*$ got replaced by a foreigner,which unfortunately, turned out to be a white folk.

Or, it could be a nutcase

More likely he has a problem specifically with Ang Mohs. May be his boss is an Ang Moh who screwed him properly

He did mumble something me being Australian and him having lived in Australia.
Maybe he did have an unhappy experience there however two wrongs dont make a right.
I didnt catch it clearly as he soon reverted to Caucasian this and Caucasian that.
Like I said he was an old guy 70+....
The guy must have looking for an opportunity to unload on someone..... I was in the right place for him.

[bloodhound123]

That's one thing I find surprising here - despite the supposed 'world class' education system, many people (young and old) seem to have real trouble expressing themselves in clear, correct English.

What is the correlation between a "world class education" system and "correct English"? Japan, Germany too have world class education systems, but one wouldnt expect them to speak in "correct English". Agreed, English is the first language in Singapore, but most Singaporeans are not native speakers of English. As a non native speaker you tend to think or express yourself more in terms of your native language. Linguistic constructs in a language have a huge bearing on one's culture and thought process. And given the pervasive effect of Singlish right from Childhood, I would not be surprised even if the best educated folks here ( or any country for that matter where English is not the native language but is taught in schools as the first language ) struggle with "correct English".