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My main turnoff in Singapore after living there is the explicit racism that is a part of its social hierarchy. A fresh college grad who is Singaporean will earn
by jb1991 5y ago
My main turnoff in Singapore after living there is the explicit racism that is a part of its social hierarchy. A fresh college grad who is Singaporean will earn more than a much more experienced veteran doing the same work, if that veteran is, for example, from the Philippines. There is a lot of what other countries would consider slave labor disguised as "opportunity" for those from more disadvantageous surrounding economies. This lack of equality runs deep through all the different social constructs of its culture.
- beaunative 5y agoI feel that would be the case for most countries and places though. That's not so obvious, a local college degree will almost always work better than an non-local one.
- jb1991 5y agoI've worked in cities around the world and never seen elsewhere this particular kind of gap in opportunity based on where you are from as demonstrated in Singapore. But my example was just one example of this inequality. It can really weigh you down to live in it for some time if you are from a country with much more general freedom and attempts at social equality (i.e. much of europe or even the U.S.).
- beaunative 5y agoI can sort of understand where it might come from, but with that one example it is difficult to comprehend exactly what it's like.
- pydry 5y agoIt's across the whole social hierarchy. Some mainland Chinese bus drivers went on strike because the official pay scale dictated that they be paid less than Malays for the same job. They even said "look we understand why locals get paid more for the same job but why Malays? This is unfair" For their troubles they were arrested, imprisoned, had the shit kicked out of them before being deported. That's still better than how Bangladeshi migrant workers are treated. The racism is not as bad as it is in, say, Saudi Arabia or Israel but it's still pretty bad.
- rayiner 5y agoThat’s not racism it’s nationalism.
- jb1991 5y agoIt was just one example.
- reiichiroh 5y agoIs there such thing as ethnic Philippine Singaporean?
- jb1991 5y agoNot really. The main ethnicities are Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Malay.
- random314 5y agoThat's not nationalism it's racism.
- bserge 5y agoThat's the case with most nationalist countries, tbf. Many countries in the EU discriminate against "lesser races". Works great for the nation, but I wish immigrants wouldn't put up with it. Why pay taxes in a country where you're barely tolerated? Hell, the Nazis/racists are right, "why don't you improve your country instead of coming here"?
- seoulmetro 5y agoThis is true for all countries which import labour. So nearly all, barring a few.