Do we really have racial harmony in Singapore?
Posters all around the country show people of different races holding hands with wide smiles, but believe or not, this may be an exaggeration.
Speaking as an Indian, I can tell you that Singapore isn’t the racially harmonious country we purport to be.
And if you don’t believe me, well, just have a look at this conversation on Carousell.
S’pore Carouseller Didn’t Turn Up For Transaction & Made Racist Remarks Against Buyer
As you all know, Carousell is known for its gracious and polite buyers and sellers. So, when a buyer named Vishnu purchased an E-Scooter on the app, he certainly wasn’t expecting what happened next.
Not only did the seller not turn up, but she even made racist remarks over the app’s messaging platform.
In case you can’t see it, Vishnu first sends the seller a picture, presumably to show where he is. In response, the seller asks Vishnu to go back.
Vishnu, as any person would be, is confused as to what she meant. So, she clarified, saying “Go back India”.
Then, after he asked her to stop wasting his time, the seller called him an “Angry Indian Man” and said, “Don’t go home beat your wife pls”.
You might be wondering, why the hell did she do this? What’s the point of putting up something for sale only to pull a no-show and racially abuse the buyer? She has to be a troll, surely.
No one knows why she did it, but whatever he reason was, I think we can all agree that she’s a pathetic excuse for a human being.
Netizen response
Vishnu shared his experience in a Twitter post on Christmas Day.
Netizens, understandably, were outraged.
Even Carousell responded to Vishnu’s tweet. They apologized for the incident and said that they have suspended the troll’s account.
People are rightly upset about the incident, but the thing that most people aren’t aware of is that this happens all the time.
In school and even some workplaces, minorities – Malays and Indians – frequently experience casual racism, where people make racist ‘jokes’ and claim that they’re doing it in good humour.
Essentially, they’re using the guise of humour to be racist.
If you see a friend being racist or getting racially abused, even if it’s a ‘joke’, you should call them out on it.
Also, if you’re not aware, people can be sent to jail for making racist remarks. Remember that awful man who abused a worker in a lift, calling him “smelly”? Well, he was jailed for “wounding racial feelings”, among other charges.
So, you could and should report any racists you encounter, whether it’s online or offline. Racism exists everywhere, unfortunately. Instead of pretending it doesn’t exist in Singapore, let’s acknowledge it and make an effort to stamp it out.
