An overwhelming number of Singaporeans wouldn’t admit it, but it’s a sad truth — most of us have expressed xenophobic sentiments from time to time. Most of these strong proponents against foreigners have never stopped to think: what’s their side of the story?
YouTube channel AnOther Angle recently produced a video that does exactly that and more. As a follow up to their collage of Singaporean views on low wage migrant workers — unsurprisingly, most have been negative — the channel’s latest video set out to explore the reactions and feelings of foreign workers after being shown what locals thought of them.
The migrant workers interviewed felt a predictable sadness to what Singaporeans had to say about them, but most expressed a sense of indifference — borne out of repeated exposure to xenophobia here. One even related an incident where a young Singaporean woman had cut in front of her while queuing for the taxi. When asked why she had done that, the local lady said “So what if you’re next? You’re foreigner, I’m Singaporean”.
Others were more distraught, rendering them at a loss for words for Singaporean anti-foreign sentiments. However they do acknowledge the fact that some of their fellow migrant workers have not always shown exemplary behaviour, thus eliciting the negativity against them.
Photo: YouTube screengrab
An overwhelming number of Singaporeans wouldn’t admit it, but it’s a sad truth — most of us have expressed xenophobic sentiments from time to time. Most of these strong proponents against foreigners have never stopped to think: what’s their side of the story?
YouTube channel AnOther Angle recently produced a video that does exactly that and more. As a follow up to their collage of Singaporean views on low wage migrant workers — unsurprisingly, most have been negative — the channel’s latest video set out to explore the reactions and feelings of foreign workers after being shown what locals thought of them.
The migrant workers interviewed felt a predictable sadness to what Singaporeans had to say about them, but most expressed a sense of indifference — borne out of repeated exposure to xenophobia here. One even related an incident where a young Singaporean woman had cut in front of her while queuing for the taxi. When asked why she had done that, the local lady said “So what if you’re next? You’re foreigner, I’m Singaporean”.
Others were more distraught, rendering them at a loss for words for Singaporean anti-foreign sentiments. However they do acknowledge the fact that some of their fellow migrant workers have not always shown exemplary behaviour, thus eliciting the negativity against them.
Photo: YouTube screengrab