Hi,
I would like to talk about xenophobia and whether it is existing in Singapore today. First and foremost, it is of utmost importance to clarify the meaning of the word xenophobia. There are many different meanings of xenophobia; 1)some say it is the hatred of foreigners, 2)another group says that it is an unreasonable fear of foreigners, while still 3)others say that is is discrimination of foreigners. I will hence try to approach this issue using all these different meanings and decide whether Singaporeans encouter this problem.
1) I think it would be a bit exaggerating to say that Singaporeans hate foreigners; disgust would be a more appropriate term. This attitude applies to both "foreign talent" and "foreign workers". Many Singaporeans feel that foreign talents have come in to Singapore only to deprive them of jobs, hence affecting their income. Singaporeans have also complained that foreigners do not conform to the lifestyles of Singaporeans but instead treat Singapore like their own homeland and do whatever they like. On the other hand, "foreign workers" are disliked because they are deemed by Singaporeans as "dirty", probably owing to their lack of hygienic practices. Therefore, according to this meaning, Singapore is suffering from early stages of xenophobia.
2) I think that fear is definitely out of the question in Singapore's context. It is true that Singaporeans fear the prospect of losing jobs and becoming bankrupt, but fearing foreigners, no. Therefore, if one uses this meaning to define xenophobia, Singapore will definitely not be victims of this "illness".
3) I have to admit, sadly, that Singaporeans do discriminate foreigners, especially "foreign workers". Even acts like not allowing these workers to sit right beside you on public transportation is considered discrimination. Big-scale discrimination acts are also prevalent in Singapore's society. Many teenagers take advantage of the advanced technology we enjoy by flaming these "foreign workers" on their blogs, Facebook, etc., by calling them "dirty" and other rude names. Many domestic helpers have also been abused by their employers. Thus, Singapore is a severe victim of xenophobia.
On a personal level, I think that I have a bit of xenophobia too. For example, I distant myself from my grandmother's domestic helper when sitting in the car. I also witnessed a foreign worker sitting in front of me in the bus and saw the disgusting sight of ants crawling all over his hair. However, I have a sense of respect for these foreigners; I respect the hard work foreign talent put in to help Singapore's economy to develop and I respect the amount of effort put in by the foreign workers in constructing the Singapore we have today.
I think that the influx of foreigners should be curbed so that Singaporeans can remain happy in this country. However, it is inevitable that there will always be a number of foreigners in Singapore. All we need to do is to look at things from their perspective. They must have a reason to come to Singapore. They are humans, like us. They, too, need a living.
Nathanael
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This is simply a issue of Singaporeans unable to accept foreigners and the fact that they were not in close contact to them in their childhood. The sudden appearance of these people would obviously represent hostility to them and make them in such a defensive mode, to bash these foreigners at whatever cost.
ReplyDeleteIf this goes on, we'll never have peace. People should just learn to accept and move on.
Dear Nathanael,
ReplyDeleteI find this post very informative and indeed offers an insightful view into xenophobia in Singapore. I am glad to see that you have defined xenophobia and categorised its different meanings, distinguishing fear and discrimination. This is because some people relate fear and prejudice, seeing fear of as a form of discrimination, which might not be the case for other people.
However, the rationale as to why the influx of foreigners should be curbed is not appropriate when one says it is to keep Singaporeans happy. As we all know, Singapore faces the problem of an aged population as a result of its low fertility rate. The problems this causes to our economy, a declining labour force as well as the strains on resources, are urgent challenges that we need to solve. The government has introduced various measures to counter this problem and we can say that the most successful one is the introduction of foreign talents and workers into Singapore. “We can’t have one’s cake and eat it too,” and this applies to most scenarios, including this issue. There might be alternative solutions to this problem but we have not seen any substantial, effective and long-term solution to this problem so far and it remains open for the government and the citizens to solve this problem.
Regards,
Ivan
Hi Nathanael,
ReplyDeleteQuite an all rounded post you have there. Your post is clear and concise. It also covers the issue which Singaporeans have been debating for quite some time already. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you.
Personally, I did not find it exaggerating when it says that some people do hate foreigners. There are actually a group of people in Singapore who are against these foreigners whether they are talent of labour. They just despised them and do not even like their presence in our society. These can be seen from the number of rude complaints that are all over the internet about foreigners stealing our jobs and robbing our assets. This is definitely not fear or disgust but plain hatred. However, I would say it is already mid-stage xenophobia if you look at it from this perspective.
I do agree with you that fear is out of the question as I have not seen any cases of such fear. Perhaps there are but we are unsure of?
Your third point is vividly described and well phrased. I really liked it. I myself do have some discriminations as well :c.
If we would just put down our selfish thoughts that they would steal our jobs and just allow them to stay in our society to build a community of trust and friendship, I think we would definitely have a better Singapore as compared to what it is now. We live in a multi-racial community and we need to learn how to respect one another. If we do not do so, a racial riot could be an unnecessary mess.
With regards,
Leonard
Hi Nathanael,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you organized your post, it presents your points very clearly.
However, I disagree with your point that Singaporeans do not fear foreigners. I think that there is definitely an element of fear. On a dark night, would you walk next to a group of foreign workers? Probably not. Why, if you are not afraid of them?
I enjoyed your personal experience because I felt that it made your post much more relatable.
However, I do not think your last point is very realistic. It would be difficult for Singapore to curb the number of foreign workers/talent, simply because there are not enough Singaporeans to fill in the gaps.
I think xenophobia exists in us all, whether we like it or not. The difference is in how people express xenophobia. A fear of strangers and differences is always there, no matter how we try to conceal it.
Anyway, nice post :)
Kenneth