Unsure of this country

last SG · 2006-09-01T17:34:19+00:00

the flip-side of this argument, of course, is that people direct their ire in ways they could not, due to a lack of channels that allow for visible influence...

JackOT SG

Ya, you are FREE to go.

I am in Australia, Sydney almost 2 years. I do not think you will be treated better as a minority in Australia. I mean if you are just unhappy about an incident or what and you came up here just post something stupid to vent your anger. I think it's ptless. Really, now Gahmen want to attract more foreign talents. And we still have a fella Singaporean complaining about unfair treatment. Wrong timing I say.

So leave Singapore if you want. Who knows who will come and take your place. <-- As in foreigner.

Hellraiza SG

singaporean enough liao…no need singaporean chinese, english, malay, indian whatsoever…

LazerLordz SG

Precisely. One of the few professors that I respect, told me once, when I was in my first semester of Uni, that race is an artificial cage built by the govt. We are all human beings and we should learn to move away from always looking and fighting over racial identity.

Some nations practise this racial profiling because they fear a grassroots national identity forming, without their "guidance and engineering", thus something out of their control. Think about it..

I rather we drop the race on our NRIC.

Thailand_Hero SG

Race is important. It signifies out roots. Chinese have a long and proud history once being the major superpower in Asia. The blood of a thousand battles rages in our vein. Chinese people have gone through great times and also severe hardship and yet everywhere in the world we are found in places where the economies are the strongest. Chinese are great market leaders and we always work for great prosperity. We Chinese have came a long way and as long as we continue to work hard...we can be prosperous anywhere.

I am proud to be Chinese. Even prouder to be Chinese Singaporean.

I dont see why we should renounce our race thats on our NRIC. My race distinctly puts me in acceptance to do business with fellow chinese worldwide. We speak the same language and we follow the same customs. Regardless of whichever part of the world us Chinese are from.

Your university professor is merely citing his own opinions which i dont deem recognisable as a fact. Race is not a cage created by the government. Your uni lecturer isnt a Chinese rite? The 'cage' is his own psychological barrier created by himself.

Chinese worldwide will continue to prosper and the world will see China emerge as a superpower to contend with even the United States. As a Chinese Singaporean. I can travel freely to China whenever i want and will always be accepted there as one of their own to do business or live.

pinkish purple papayas SG

Well said.

The Peacemaker SG

i am a singaporean.

and so say we all.

if you are unsure, initiate the changes which will bring about reassurance. every singaporean can make a difference, be it elite or peasant. as a peasant, i look forward to initiating the changes a few years down the road. it won't be for myself, but i hope it will benefit singaporeans like myself. yes, talk is cheap, i know. but still, people need reassurance.

sourketchup SG

Great nickname.

Still remember my days in Crescendo. It was tough then, but it built up a bond between buddies in my platoon.

Wind6 SG

U r the champion thailand hero

PhilGoodNurse SG

Race does not matter.
Why else does the Gahmen stress on racial harmony in the form of One people, One nation, One Singapore?

In a small country like Singapore where our economy is largely dependent on Foreign investing it is vital to upkeep peace within the people of the nation wherever they may once hail from.

When you move to another country, you have to accept it's laws and it's way of life. IN Rome, Do as the Romans do.

For Singapore born and bred citizens. Jus like me, I count my blessings whenever I think of how my life can be much worse off if I had not been blessed to grow up in a peaceful multi racial society where there is little fear for personal safety. I attibute the bulk of the success of Singapore to it's people. Not the Gahmen. To be fair, I give the Gahmen credit for uniting the peoples' spirit as one. But It is the people that made it happen.

Thanks to our individual tolerance between the various ethnic groups. We have come thus far in peace that contributes to our overall prosperity.

True, it is unfortunate that we, especially the non elites, do not get enough chance to shine in our own special way. But hey, We could try to change the situation for the benefit for our later generations. We could explore other possibilities elsewhere like I did. Now that I'm in Aussie, I feel a greater sense of personal empowerment. With my renewed sense of perspective, I hope I will be able to bring my gained experience back into my own country. But if my country refuses to appreciate my labour and fail to acknowledge my contributions, I can still choose to go down a different path, away from my original homeland.

It is sad, but it is real. Reality is such and we will have to bear with it while trying to work on it. Give it a shot, but if all else fails, at least we have tried.
Every small contribution goes a long way, that is what the Gahmen fails to realize.

Until then. At least I am at peace with myself, and happy in Aussie.

If you can't find what you need, go someplace else and try harder.
Success awaits theose who seek.
Razz

Thailand_Hero SG

Race Matters. Totally and absolutely.

In Australia, you're an asian face amoungst the whites. No matter where you go, people will view you differently. And no matter how hard you try to be like them, you will always stick out like a sore thumb. The image of Asians in Australia are being tarnished by the vietnamese.

In Singapore, our government teaches us to learn our mother tongue. We practise our cultures freely. We have integrated traditional chinese family values into modern living. Malays continue to worship at their respective mosque and the indians have their temples and congregate in their own racial circles.

We learn to respect if not at least tolerate each others religions. Now in a multi cultural society like ours, and we deny the fact that race matter...it becomes lying to ourselves. every race is unique in their own ways and it all have pros and cons as i'd later point out.

Well sometimes people like to generalise things. I wont put any names in order but readers can fill in the blanks yourselves. It may not be necessarily true but it will show you how races have developed reputations for themselves for those who think races have no identities.

1. (fill in the blank) works hard and smart but loves gambling.

2. (fill in the blank) make good buddies but likes to take drugs and are lazy.

3. (fill in the blank) good at verbal intellect but like to con money...borrow money don't return. smelly. wife beater and drinkers.

as i've mentioned above, the characteristics i illustrated may not be necessarily true but the reason why you are able to associate them to the descriptions indicates your ability to identify the unique characteristics of each race. well if you know the answer to the above comprehension questions, you will understand the reputations that various races have. If you do not know the answers to the compre questions...don't ask me...coz i have no idea either.

LazerLordz SG

We can remain Chinese, but as an ethnic group. For the reasons of national identity, I do not think it is wise to persist in racial identification at the expense of a common identity.

The dilution has started, and it will continue.

oxford mushroom SG

Then we should start by prohibiting employers from demanding proficiency in a particular language unless they can show reasonable cause why the job requires it. If employers can turn away Malays and Indians who speak Mandarin because their satff and customers 'are not comfortable' or because Muslims have to take time off on Fridays to go to the mosques, what common identity are we talking about?

LazerLordz SG

This is unacceptable. Very unacceptable, and I seriously am quite insulted by the fact that there are fellow idiots who never have the brains, nor the time taken to really understand what it means to run a business.

if you cannot afford the margins to operate a neutral business, don't fcuking open one. Trying to claim that hiring Chinese only is so much eaiser.. please lah. if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the way.

Racial inclusiveness, has to be moved up on the priority list.More so, policies encouraging a melting pot rather than pluralism have to be enacted.

Thailand_Hero SG

As a business owner...he must hire the best man for the job. May they be Chinese, malay or even indians.

By selectively shutting our other races and hiring only Chinese, he may be losing out on men of greater talents.

An example. A Chinese coffeeshop owner is looking for a toilet cleaner/plate washer. He hires only a chinese coz he speaks the same language and does not go mosque. He turns away another indian applicant. In the end, actually the indian has more experience in cleaning toilets and washing bowls. the chinese he hired just lost his job and is treating this as a part time job while waiting for his application to work at a bank to be approved. 2 mths down the road...the employer puts up another helper needed sign board outside his shop. And he regrets not hiring the indian right from the start especially once he sees that the same indian he turned away is now happily working opposite the road at muthu's prata as a plate washer. hardworking somemore.

PhilGoodNurse SG

Well sometimes people like to generalise things. I wont put any names in order but readers can fill in the blanks yourselves. It may not be necessarily true but it will show you how races have developed reputations for themselves for those who think races have no identities.

1. (fill in the blank) works hard and smart but loves gambling.

2. (fill in the blank) make good buddies but likes to take drugs and are lazy.

3. (fill in the blank) good at verbal intellect but like to con money...borrow money don't return. smelly. wife beater and drinkers.

as i've mentioned above, the characteristics i illustrated may not be necessarily true but the reason why you are able to associate them to the descriptions indicates your ability to identify the unique characteristics of each race. well if you know the answer to the above comprehension questions, you will understand the reputations that various races have. If you do not know the answers to the compre questions...don't ask me...coz i have no idea either.
[/b]

These are not reputations.
Reputations are personal opinion that people hold of an individual as a result of the way an individual behaves.

What you have stated above are just ethnic sterotypes.

People can generalize as and how they wish, that, you have no control over. but you have the power to prove them wrong and transform their personal sterotype by setting a good example on behalf of your ethnic group for others to see for themselves because actions speak louder than words.

Blaming will get us nowhere, action is far more practical.

If you say I stick out like a sore thumb in Aussie,
yet I don't feel any pressure to conform and feel so much more at ease around here,

Whose words carry more truth for what the real situation is like for a Singaporean to be living in Aussie?

The onlooker or the Singaporean who is living the Aussie life? Wink

Thailand_Hero SG

Originally posted by PhilGoodNurse:

These are not reputations.
Reputations are personal opinion that people hold of an[b] individual as a result of the way an individual behaves.

What you have stated above are just ethnic sterotypes.

People can generalize as and how they wish, that, you have no control over. but you have the power to prove them wrong and transform their personal sterotype by setting a good example on behalf of your ethnic group for others to see for themselves because actions speak louder than words.

Blaming will get us nowhere, action is far more practical.

If you say I stick out like a sore thumb in Aussie,
yet I don't feel any pressure to conform and feel so much more at ease around here,

Whose words carry more truth for what the real situation is like for a Singaporean to be living in Aussie?

The onlooker or the Singaporean who is living the Aussie life? Wink

[/b]

Having spoken about the way of life in Aussie, i was studying myself in australia for 4 years. I know first hand what i am talking about. You know and i know.

Underlying racial tensions are more severe than that in Singapore. If you dont know what i am talking about, you haven't been there long enough yet. The Aussie people hate asians coming to take their jobs and compete against them for their property prices and pushing up day to day cost of living. Especially in the big cities. Not every aussie is a racist, but if you start rubbing shoulders in terms of Jobs or even chasing a girl...you will the racial 'treatment'.

Do you even read the australian newspapers? Racial attacks on asians are common. u'd probably have had waiters or cooks spit in your steak and you're none the wiser. Pauling Hanson won votes simply coz she spoke out against immigrants. They dont want you there. You get people banging rite into you coz you're taking up the air they grew up with. You find yourself keeping to asian circles. If you went out with a white girl...you better be six feet tall and 175 pounds. Else you're gonna get a nice suprise.

Having studied and gotton my degree, i am well intergrated back in Singapore. My studying there was a pleasant experience but choosing between Singapore and Australia...i'd choose my Singapore anytime. How ang mohs view you in Australia is the same as how Singaporeans will view blangahs.

To them you're just asian trash...you can't change their mindset. But thanks to the vietnamese gangs...that hatred and misunderstanding against asians are growing slowly but surely. Well have fun there. Having grown up in Singapore yourself, if you haven't made enough friends in SIngapore to miss home...i doubt you'd develope very serious friendships in Australia.

aiyah...now dinner time liao...i going enjoy my chili crabs and satay bee hoon...you go enjoy your fish and chips...nitey

#$%^&* SG

Well, I have always found Singapore's social system to be unique. Due to its condition, Singapore was mainly a young nation with immigrants. Perhaps many people can still trace their grandparents births from the origin country. I think with this condition, the young nation is unsure to shed it's ancestral links yet. Actually it's got to do with bilingualism too. You can almost see it as a manifestation of that fundamental subconcious wanting of keeping both feet a little here and holding a little there. I think with bilingualism in place, it will always have an effect of withholding greater integration.

I agree with your idea, more progressive melting pot should take place naturally in society. I think PAP has some old archaic policies, and they like to keep bringing up some 1960s riot incident. I dont know, they seem to be living in the past. The times have moved. Singapore is actually blessed with a small size. The people is quite compact actually. The economy is progressing, people are living in a different era than 1960s. Yet there is a feeling that race or interracial relations is hanging on a balance. If you think about it, it's because it's a feeling PAP likes to continue to reinforce or remind. Is that really healthy? Perhaps it will have the opposite effect.

To be fair, because of Singapore's unique condition, the question of metling pot/ pluralism, I think the nation is also unsure of itself at this stage. Like a mixed race person who started this thread so aptly noted 'unsure of this country'.

The Peacemaker SG

personally, i have my doubts about singapore now, my generation and future ones are sure going to have deep trouble. will our streets be too dangerous to walk on even in broad daylight? will we be reduced to total oppression while aliens rob us of our rights? can we fight back?

i only have the answer to the last question. yes, we can and must fight back. how? i only have one proposed solution so far. join the civil service or opposition and make a difference. the peasants await daylight. or rather, singaporeans await daylight.

and so say we all. Cool

BillyBong SG

One could also claim that racial 'harmony' was forced upon us. Not only do we have to respect various ethnic cultures, we have the law to back us up.

Perhaps having such an important aspect of our ethnicity dictated by national policy rather than natural evolution has created this murky blankness underneath all that polished exterior.

But while the truth hurts, especially about hiring the 'right' employee for the job, i can understand the stereotype of companies with preference for chinese over malays and indians.

ShutterBug SG

Originally posted by BillyBong:

One could also claim that racial 'harmony' was forced upon us. Not only do we [b]have to respect various ethnic cultures, we have the law to back us up.

Perhaps having such an important aspect of our ethnicity dictated by national policy rather than natural evolution has created this murky blankness underneath all that polished exterior.

But while the truth hurts, especially about hiring the 'right' employee for the job, i can understand the stereotype of companies with preference for chinese over malays and indians. [/b]

Precisely how I feel about "Racial Harmony" in Singapore.

Will not an always tethered dog run amock whence the leash is broken?

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