Singapore Expats

Well, we have the Overcharging thread, an incident today made me think of that and that it is too specific, maybe we need a new sticky, given what is no longer new in the News, about other forms of discrimination and backlash.

For example, your experiences with the Ang Moh Tax.

I'll list mine separate from this post.

Wow - 190 views and no posts.

So here's my recent experience.

Riding the escalator up from the MRT, just past rush hour so it's full, 2 people all the way up. After reaching the top and walking out to the street, a mid-30s Chinese Singaporean woman edges into me, even though I am already moving fast, faster than her.

To my left is a barrier, so when she cuts in, there is no where to move. As I am already moving briskly, I simply don't let her in, causing us to brush shoulders. I guess she expected I would let her trounce over me. I didn't.

Soon as it happened, I hear from just behind me "Go back your country!".

So there it is. Yet again.

Now I'm taking stock of these events.

I believe that's the sotong syndrome. Or the total lack of spatial awareness that they are famous for. But, as you say it was a 30ish Singaporean woman, it's probably the passive aggressiveness they are famous for.

happened to me today, I'm walking along a footpath, keeping left while most oncoming people traffic is on the right, A texting zombie appears out of nowhere walks towards me keeping left instead of right and then bumps into me and gives me a rude glare " can't you see where you are going? "

me =

My post of 3rd Feb 8.17pm here...

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic88638-150.html


... refers to precisely this situation, and an experiment I did, that you might care to imitate.

Brah wrote:Wow - 190 views and no posts.

So here's my recent experience.

Riding the escalator up from the MRT, just past rush hour so it's full, 2 people all the way up. After reaching the top and walking out to the street, a mid-30s Chinese Singaporean woman edges into me, even though I am already moving fast, faster than her.

To my left is a barrier, so when she cuts in, there is no where to move. As I am already moving briskly, I simply don't let her in, causing us to brush shoulders. I guess she expected I would let her trounce over me. I didn't.

Soon as it happened, I hear from just behind me "Go back your country!".

So there it is. Yet again.

Now I'm taking stock of these events.

Stirring SHIT again? Peeps like u give TRASH A bad name.

rajagainstthemachine wrote:happened to me today, I'm walking along a footpath, keeping left while most oncoming people traffic is on the right, A texting zombie appears out of nowhere walks towards me keeping left instead of right and then bumps into me and gives me a rude glare " can't you see where you are going? "

me =

It also happens even if you're standing somewhere, out of the way of people.

I guess you have to interact with people in somehow overlapping spaces on daily basis as nothing of this magnitude has ever happened to me. Admittedly I don't use public transportation. For the Raj's example, I would'ev eaten this guy alive. What probably also helps is that I am not exactly in XXS.

x9200 wrote:His time just ran out. He's been already warned and his only contribution is insulting people.

Moderator

Oh, pity - I was looking forward to some Friday fun!

Where's vinky?

JR8 wrote:My post of 3rd Feb 8.17pm here...

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic88638-150.html


... refers to precisely this situation, and an experiment I did, that you might care to imitate.

I guess it's interesting to differentiate between the general 'blur like sotong' / no spacial awareness issue and specific anti-foreigner actions. Sometimes it's hard to know, unless the person actually makes a specific comment.

Mi Amigo wrote:

x9200 wrote:His time just ran out. He's been already warned and his only contribution is insulting people.

Moderator

Oh, pity - I was looking forward to some Friday fun!

Not with this one (non-interactive type).

I had a Chinese woman chasing me all along train car in MRT (I was walking at that moment) only to tell me that my bag is a part of me and I should be careful moving around with it (I had a pretty big backpack with gym accessories). My ears were stuffed with earpieces and the music was pretty loud, so it took me some time to free my ears and to realize what a hell is going on. When she was sure I got the point, she rushed to the open door since the train was about to move already. I had no time say a word. Weird... risking to miss her station in order to tell me something that I do not even know I did... So what now? I will not stop going to gym anyway, and I will use MRT for that if needed!

Or I am suffering from poor spacial awareness as well?

Sergei82 wrote:Or I am suffering from poor spacial awareness as well?

Er. Yes. A personal hate of mine is the way many people who wear backpacks seem to forget that it protudes quite a distance from their back. I use a backpack for my gym wear too but I always take it off my back when I get onto a crowded bus or MRT to avoid possible collisions.

Getting back to Brah's point. His posting is not so much about the seeming lack of spatial awareness of Singaporeans (which I think it's safe to say we've done to death on this forum) as it is about the "Go home!" comment that accompanied his recent encounter.

I personally can't recall experiencing any recent negative comments from Singaporeans. I did however have one unpleasant incident a few years ago when I was escorting an attractive local female colleague to the taxi stand after finishing a very late evening at the office. As we were walking along, chatting and laughing and generally de-stressing after a really busy day, this drunken local guy in his twenties deliberately walked into us and in doing so copped a feel of my companion. I grabbed him by the shoulder and he turned very aggressive, screaming that 'chow ang mohs' should all 'go home'. He then tried to get me in a headlock and punch me and... well let's just say that it didn't end well for him. As I said, this incident happened a few years ago, well before the infamous White Paper that nobody who's complaining has actually read.