In this first entry, I decided to write a personal reflection, as I felt that the content regarding perception and communication that was covered last week is very relevant to countless of my personal experiences. I will also be looking at stereotypes in Singapore from a social constructionist perspective. I realized that in Singapore, we are extremely judgemental and stereotypical, which is ironic, considering the fact that we represent an amalgamation of cultures, influences, languages and views. With such diversity, you would expect less stereotypical perceptions and categorization. However, with the country working by the second, time is precious. This is reflected by the people who shove on the trains, and are constantly on the look-out for a seat, and by those who are constantly running for buses, taxis, etc.
In Singapore, the mass media, our society and our education system contributes to our influences of selection. All these form our social network, and thus contributes to our preferences, beliefs, value systems, and stereotypes. As a result, the conversations I have had with people have given me insights to their perceptions and stereotypes, and in many instances, even I was the subject of controversy:
A: Your name is Steve Andre? Are you Catholic?
S: Hmmmm, no.
A: But you have a middle name?
S: You can have a middle name and not be Catholic or Christian right?
J: Are you Singaporean?
S: Yes.
J: But you don't sound like one...?
S: Ermmm... how is a Singaporean supposed to sound?
J: I don't know... you have an accent..
S: Oh... you mean, I don't speak in Singlish!
R: What are you?
S: Erm.. human?
R: No, what's your race?
S: Human race?
R: Seriously la.. are you Malay, Chinese or Indian?
S: Oh.. you mean ethnic group or heritage? Well, I have Indian and Chinese heritage..
R: Oh... Do you have a Chinese name?
S: No....
D: Oh, are you fasting?
S: No. Why would I?
D: I don't know.. all my other Muslim friends are fasting..
S: I'm not Muslim..
D: Oh.. I thought you are Malay...
Those are just snippets of conversations I have had with people in Singapore. I realized that we have become so accustomed to categorizing people into the categories of Malay, Chinese, Indian or Others, that we immediately associate people to a particular ethnic group if we see any resemblance, in terms of outward appearance or behaviour in reference to our preconceived notion of the individual ethnic groups. From a name, people like to see what ethnic group you belong to, and from there, religion, and then; economic background. From the way you talk, people here also draw conclusions on whether you are a Singaporean, or judge your level of Singaporean-ness. If you speak proper English, chances are; you are not a Singaporean. I find that absurd, that we think so little of ourselves, that we assume that our people can only be Singaporean, when they stutter in Singlish. Not like I have any objection towards Singlish, I myself switch from proper English to Singlish time to time, but people tend to view speaking proper English as a foreign 'thing'. Let's give our schools and English teachers more credit, please?
With a population of approximately 4.84 million people, at least 1 million people in Singapore are non-Singaporean born residents. These 1 million people constitute of immigrants, PR-status holders and new citizens. Thus, how would we classify them? We have thousands of Japanese, Indonesian, Thai and Filipino expatriates working and living in Singapore. Additionally, 9 million tourists visit Singapore annually. At such crossroads of cultural fusion and interaction, I would think Singaporeans would try to keep an open mind and move with the changing times. Not only is Singapore getting smaller, the whole world itself is shrinking, kudos to new communication technologies and globalization. Singapore is reminiscent of any other cosmopolitan city such as, New York, London, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.
(At my best friend, Adrianna's 21st birthday bash - multi-cultural/ethnic Singapore)
Looking at this issue from a social constructionist perspective, I feel that Singaporeans use the tools provided by their culture to create collective representations of their reality. That is why, they tend to have the perception that if you're Malay, you're supposed to think a certain way, and if you're Indian, you're supposed to look a particular way. Plus, Singaporeans are guilty of not experiencing the world directly, and constructing their world of communication by what they learn in school, experience around them, and hear from other people.
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15 comments:
Yup, I do agree with some of your points. Its just like I have friends who don't have the patience to wait for the next MRT train when they miss one, but they would rather waste time doing nothing at home. Perhaps that is why people may also judge based on first impressions. Afterall, first impressions saves time in your interpretation of someone new.
Interesting quotings from the daily conversations too. I think that it shows how common misconceptions can lead to misunderstandings, so effective communication is still essential in bridging the gaps.
indeed, i agree that most people are judgemental. we judge people by the way they talk, the way they dress etc etc. different people have different ways of judging others. however, i thought that, the best way to NOT judge a person is to get to know the person better.
perhaps, its our perception. a malay MUST be a muslim. someone speaking with a slang MUST be a foreigner.
anyway, great sharing!
I like how you linked our time-obsessed society with the stereotypes that follow. Most people never take the time to analyze things and just assume that the first thing that pops in their mind when they see something is the truth. It's an irony like you say since our society is becoming more and more culturally diverse by the day, especially with the influx of expats and PRs in recent times. As Singapore becomes more and more cosmopolitan, we must break our mindsets that govern these stereotypical thoughts.
People are so quick and snappy nowadays, having been bred as a generation accustomed to instant gratification in a constantly changing and buzzing world. Everything is assumed on the spot, especially in Singapore, because it is a modernised country like what you mentioned.
But actually, that really is no excuse as far as how stereotypical and judgemental Singaporeans are. It seems like we always have to place and catagorise people- and it's always into one of our preconcieved ideas that are so rigid and unchangeable. For example, you can only either be Chinese, Malay, Indian, or a Foreigner/Eurasian. For a cosmopolitan city, this is a sad mindset to have. We actually have an abundance of other nationalities that make up a significant part of our population (Africans, Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, Indonesians, etc) but we all place them under one catagory : the OTHERS. Only in Singapore will people ask me where I'm from (because I look partially mixed and I speak with an American accent). It's so frustrating sometimes, because they never fathom that I can be a Singaporean just like them.
Tolerance and acceptance for true diversity has to start from birth. Closed-mindedness should not be a way to lead your life. It's akin to ignorance and a clouded view of the world.
Well , I guess it has something to do with our education system in singapore which made us rather stereotypical of people ?
Its like in primary or secondary school I cant remember which , teachers have been telling us that there is 4 main races in Singapore - the Chinese , the Malays , the Indians and the Eurasions . Over time we just assume that these are the only races we have in Singapore . Which probably explains why people today just cannot seem to accept certain special traits that the minorities have .
Hi steve, was pointed here by dharmendra. Interesting post which could have been more focussed and point driven but i fully understand how the need to get your many perspectives across can be an overpowering urge.
I think the ability to make judgements and fast is a crucial skill for all living things. We need to be able to cut though all the buzz and form decisive opinions based on the criteria that matters to us. This extends far beyond the scenario of hustle and bustle which you've based your post on.
Personally i feel the ability to know and undertsand you are making a snap judgement and be open to adapting to someone or something outside your comfort zone is the more important issue.
Keep writing:)
Ethnocentrism is a very good thing to note on this topic. Its one of the reasons why communications (specifically cultural communications, but most [not you Steve] have yet to go through it).
The idea of first impressions to fit into certain schemas that we have certainly saves us a lot of time, as well as create misconceptions. However, with schemas, we're able to build on it, or remove certain levels of it to be replaced with other aspects that we learn after. Depending on how things go, and your definition of effective communications, this is one effective method of communication that cannot be undermined even with its high level of error.
Well, it is strange. Whenever I travel, rarely people ever ask about my nationality. It's only in Singapore, where people are so concerned with where you're from, etc.
Speaking of stereotypes, as I was promoting my blog, a friend of mine said that my blog looked gay. And I was curious. Why? His reply: You have a glam pic.
Me: Hmmm, it's just a picture? A glam pic, would be me, in something extremely tight, a hat and I don't know, a lot of other stuff?
Him: Well, the blog looks gay and doesn't come across as an academic one.
Me: Just because I have a postcard? That's because I am analyzing AIDS in Singapore! And I did modeling before, so that picture is just a random picture from my portfolio. Well, tell them to read my first entry, Stereotypes. I think they might find it enlightening!
Him: But I guess people are entitled to their own views.
Me: It's an academic blog!
Him: Well, according to the audience's reaction, it's not coming across as one.
Me: That’s just so weird!
Him: Well, get rid of the glam pic.
Me: That's glam?
Him: It's like you're showcasing yourself!
Me: It's my blog! Of course I'm gonna showcase myself! A lot of my classmates have pictures of themselves on their blogs too. And if I had all theories, it would be boring. So, I thought a picture or two here and there would be fun.
Now, well, here's a good example of stereotypes! Just because I have sharp features or have a picture of myself on my blog doesn't make me gay. That's just... stereotypical (please refer to blog entry #1).
hey, btw i don't think the blog looks gay.
anyways, i like how your anecdotes of everyday life bring across the point of segregation that's quite insidiously done by the government i think.
we are so stuck in the CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others) model of ethnic separation that we *have* to fit people into the mold, otherwise it doesn't seem to make sense to us.
that said, stereotypes provide a quick access to information that is vital to snap decision making. of course the key i think here is not to let stereotypes and preconceived notions cloud our rational judgments that may come in later.
:)
Well..looks might not matter that much as what most of us may claim to be..however, it is the first impression that draws you to knowing more about the person or stuff isnt it? for eg..between a muddy person with dirty and curly hair, and a person who is well dressed and have an excellent fragance, who do you prefer to know more? i guess the answer is quite obvious..
I like to tell my friends why Singaporeans like to stereotype.
Most of the time, Singaporeans are busy making all the money in the world. They have very little time to interact with their own family members, let alone friends or people from different races and religious background. The result? They have ideas of the society influenced by the media, their own experiences or they adopted them from their close friends.
When they interact with people who they do not understand, they quickly go back to what they learnt about the race, boxed the person in front of them and react accordingly. It is cut down on the time to understand people so that they can move on to make their very important money.
I used to date a indian and when my indian classmates got to know about it, they first react was "Why? You have so many other people to choose from".
stereotyping people is actually not only a Singaporean disease, but the whole world. it is easier for people to sort of connect with others when they have a certain amount of "understanding" about other cultures, or rather their own misconceptions of other races. but i do agree that people just like to categorize things.
the most common type of stereotypical comment i've gotten is about my race and religion. since i am of mix ethnic group people who just got to know me will ask what my religion is. then when they know i'm a muslim, the next most famous question of all time would be "why aren't u wearing a head scarf?"
so does this question implies that you can only be a muslim lady if you wear a head scarf? hah!
What I feel is that time is indeed a perception. There are times when you feel time is really dragging and at other times, it passes by in a flash.
From my own experience, I'm sure that this perception is connected to attention.
Notice how time passes fast when we're attentive (i.e doing something we love like playing tennis or surfing the internet) but passes extremely slow when we are not (i.e doing something we loathe like studying a subject you hate etc).
Moving on the stereotypes. It is very much alive in the world. The most recent would be the US voting. I've heard countless exclamations of: "Oh please, Obama's a black man, McCain will probably win this."
or
"The Americans are not ready for a black president yet"
More examples of stereotypes from the west are:
If you live in a trailer, you're a red-neck.
If you wear thick glasses and drinks mountain dew, you're a nerd/geek.
If you wear low waist jeans and dress flashy, you're a hippy.
Aiyo, "stereotypes" by definition is a perception.
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