This story that you are about to read is something I witnessed two years ago. You might have had such experiences before or you might be able to relate. These incidences can be avoided if everyone paid a little more attention and respect to other cultures within our society.
Instead of stating the characters involved, I have decided to name them for easy reference. Tim is the young punk involved, who looked no more than 18 years old. Amy is his girlfriend. Encik Rizal is the uncle from the Halal Mee Goreng stall and Mr. Chan is the uncle from the drinks stall.After a busy morning of grocery shopping, my parents and I decided to head over to the hawker centre at Bukit Merah Central for lunch. Two tables to my right, Tim and Amy were also having their lunch. Amy had ordered Hainanese Chicken Rice while Tim was still waiting for his food.
A short while later, Encik Rizal came with two plates of Mee Goreng. One plate belonged to Tim and the other belonged to a man at the table next to his. Encik Rizal delivered Tim’s order to him first before heading over to the next table. When he turned around, he saw Amy who was about to dig her fork into Tim’s plate of Mee Goreng. Encik Rizal walked over to tell the youths to be careful to not use the utensils from non-halal food stalls to eat the halal food.
Instead of taking things calmly, Tim got annoyed by what Encik Rizal said and brushed him off. Encik Rizal tried to re-emphasize his point that by doing so they are not respecting the Muslims. Tim then started yelling at the poor Encik.
“What I do is my business! My girlfriend wants to eat with her fork, so she eats with her fork! Go away!”
“What I do is my business! My girlfriend wants to eat with her fork, so she eats with her fork! Go away!”
Encik Rizal replied, “But Boy, the chicken rice is not halal. If you do that, you are contaminating my utensils. Show some respect for my religion please!”
Tim got up from his seat and started insulting Encik Rizal in Mandarin. Amy tried to stop Tim from causing the commotion but to no avail. Encik Rizal was patient with Tim until this was said, “You terrorist! Go back to your own country and don’t come back!”
Encik Rizal was furious and was so close to slapping Tim on the face but he was stopped by Mr. Chan from the drinks stall. Mr. Chan reprimanded Tim for his lack of respect for other cultures and asked him to leave. Tim showed no remorse. He glared at the two older men, slammed his hand on the table and walked off. Poor Amy was apologetic and rushed to join her boyfriend.
This whole incident was appalling. I never knew there were such people in Singapore who would behave as Tim did, rude and disrespectful. Tim does not represent how the rest of the population might react, but it does show of a general lack of understanding towards other cultures and their customs among some individuals in our society.
Singapore is a multi-racial society and there is a need to be more conscious of the cultural difference present. Greater respect and understanding towards the different cultural groups in Singapore can be instilled into the young through education. And a heightened level of awareness can be advocated among the youths. This might help to avoid cultural conflicts. It doesn’t take too much effort to do so, and it causes us no harm. This would help to create a peaceful and harmonious multicultural society. So, why not?
Dear Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think among us there are indeed a handful of insensitive and blunt youths. I was taking the train the other day and at the cabin I was in there were also two youngsters only a few years younger than me. To my astonishment, they were scolding the government very loudly in the crowded cabin and they continued despite weird stares from the people around them. The worse part came when they started pinpointing specific ministers and hurling vulgarities at them. I was so offended that I wanted to go up to them and tell them that if they were that great, take over the ministers' roles then.
Your post make me ponder about the reason behind such behaviour seen in a handful of Singaporean youths we have today. Is it a loophole in the education system? Or is it the family which is not imparting sound values? A question came to my mind - what exactly shapes culture? It is something so intangible, so multifaceted and so complex.
Dear Nicole,
ReplyDeleteIt's disheartening to know that such people exists. But then again, they are still young and ignorant. Hopefully, they will grow up someday and understand the importance of cultural tolerance and respect.
Overall, I felt that you have described the conflict beautifully and you left me wanting for more. It has always been a joy to read your posts!
Dear Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI loved the detailed description of the story. I also loved your take on the incident reflecting the sentiment of a concerned Singaporean.
As for the incident itself, it is sad that the incident occurs and reminds us that we must always tread with care when we have people from various backgrounds. You never know when you cross the line.. (let alone do it so blatantly and disrespectfully).
Cheers
Rohan
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI am seriously appalled and disgusted by the words and act of Tim too. Not only did he show that he did not respect Encik Rizal’s culture by expressing his indifference towards using a utensil from a non-halal stall to eat something from a halal stall, his stereotype of Muslims was demeaning and insulting. The fact that Tim continued being so rude, despite already being in the wrong, shows his ignorance about the importance of being sensitive to other cultures, and probably also about the impact of his words and actions. Encik Rizal must have felt extremely hurt and insulted.
Sometimes, I think that Singaporeans tend to take for granted the fact that we are a multi-racial society. With the last racial riots having occurred over 40 years ago, many of us have forgotten the amount of effort and understanding that has to be put in to maintain our current state of racial harmony. This incident can serve as a sobering reminder to us.
ReplyDelete@Goh Chern Diana: Ah I have encountered that sort of political “discussions” on public transport before. I was just shocked that they were having that conversation on the bus and I guess my body language have signaled to them my displeasure. Instead of stopping, this girl in the group loudly voiced her opinion, “It is what I want to say so I will just say it. I don’t care about what other people think.” I was so close to losing my temper. But no, I didn’t take action. They were shushed up by this middle-aged lady who was standing next to me. Things need to be done to correct these youths and education might be a good place to start. It is then onto you, as a teacher, to change these students, one student at a time! Good luck!
ReplyDelete@Kun Lin: Taking too long a time would cause more harm. But yes indeed, we can only hope they grow up sooner, better than later.
@ALL: Yes, let us take this as a sobering reminder as Jie Ren has mentioned. I really find it upsetting. Thinking about it, even till this day, I am annoyed by the fact that we have such individuals in our society. Thank you all for your valuable comments and feedback!
Wow! What a way to start your lunch!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicole. This is an excellent telling of what is definitely a disturbing incident. Like you and your readers, I'm shocked that a guy like Tim even exist in Singapore. Certainly he knew what he was doing and saying was wrong.
Very astutely, you avoid making any generalizations based on Tim's singular actions. You also correctly suggest that what he has done might reflect a general lack of understanding of other cultures among people. Education, as you mention, is the key to a more effective promotion of higher ideals.
Thank you all for your comments and sharing in response to this post! It makes me feel ever so happy to put in an effort to properly word and share such experiences with all of you!
ReplyDelete