So Yahoo! Singapore posted an article about ex-Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian’s insensitive comment on Facebook:
But the comments from fellow Singaporeans have left us baffled:
It is interesting that in this day and age, where “ordinary” people who make racist comments get fired from their work, opinions like this still get aired without consequence.
Is this the immunity that opposing and dissenting brings you?
Must reads
» No pets allowed?» Why does PM Lee wear pink all the time? And other stories.
» Sylvia Lim: “Police will benefit from real-life practice with peaceful protests”
» A Singaporean environment activist speaks from Peru
» Why is the NTUC involved in the running of businesses?
I know it sounds strange initially, but consider this:
If I happen to be in a bus which happens to have a lot of Japanese, it would not be racist to say that it felt as if I was in Japan. At least this is what I feel and think how other people would react.
When does the association with any country feels as racist? It happens when the association of the country/race is connected to a negative perception, like cleanliness, rudeness, etc …
I would go further to suggest that those who felt that his simple remark was racist, could in fact be racist themselves, since they have unconsciously tagged negative perceptions to Mumbai on their own accord, not through Tan Kin Lian’s words.