Do Singaporeans Still Have Silent Racial Prejudices? | Street Confessions Ep 14

[00:00:00]Your friend said, "We never shower."

[00:00:01]>> [laughter] >> Feel like we do shower.

[00:00:04]>> Okay, it's not never shower. It's never shower when you wake up in the morning.

[00:00:07]>> Mhm, okay. I don't shower in the morning.

[00:00:11]>> [laughter] >> We We have a problem.

[00:00:18]Yo, what is up, guys? I'm Billy Mayu and since Racial Harmony Day is around the corner, we're going to be asking Singaporeans on their thoughts on racial harmony. Let's go.

[00:00:31]>> [music] [music] >> What's the nicest thing someone from another race has done for you?

[00:00:45]>> He's my best friend.

[00:00:46]>> Uh he's Chinese.

[00:00:47]>> Okay.

[00:00:47]>> And I'm Indonesian. And at school, one day I ran out of money >> Okay.

[00:00:52]>> to buy food. He bought my food. And I I consider that really like really nice for him.

[00:00:56]>> Wow, he's rich, huh?

[00:00:58]>> [laughter] >> No, he's uh middle class.

[00:01:01]>> Aw, and he still helps you for your food.

[00:01:03]Okay. Did it change how you view that community?

[00:01:05]>> Uh yes, very much. In my school, there's a lot of Chinese Indonesian. And then all of them are really nice, so I really see Chinese people in like a positive way.

[00:01:13]>> Before that, have you seen them in a negative way? Like maybe they did something wrong before.

[00:01:17]>> Not really. I've I've heard negative things about them, like how they're like very strict and like they're focused on money. But after interacting with the let's say Chinese community, it really changed my perspective.

[00:01:29]>> Can I talk about my friend?

[00:01:31]>> Sure.

[00:01:31]>> We're both from Chinese dance together.

[00:01:33]She's always helping me with my dance moves, like making sure that we get it right together. You know, cuz Chinese dance is pretty tough. And our teacher is pretty tough on us, so we're just all in this together. So it's really nice to see that everyone's just like helping each other out. What's her race? Um Malay.

[00:01:51]>> Aw, and she's in Chinese dance.

[00:01:52]>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's really nice to see different people like coming together.

[00:01:57]>> You're going to >> go and learn Malay dance or what?

[00:01:58]>> No.

[00:02:00]>> Did it change how you view that community?

[00:02:01]>> I generally think like nothing much has changed in a sense like everyone that I've met like the Malay community, they're really sweet, really nice. So, I don't think anything has really changed about it.

[00:02:13]>> I have Indian friend and he always always offers to bring me to his house to eat just to eat.

[00:02:19]>> Eat. I knew it, bro.

[00:02:23]>> Correct. Correct. Correct. It's the parents that always cook like the mom or the grandma. It's always delicious, bro. It's always that kind of thing.

[00:02:30]Like you can't beat homemade food, right?

[00:02:31]>> Yeah.

[00:02:32]>> Correct. And the Indian homemade food.

[00:02:34]>> There's never a time where I went to my Indian friend's house, right? Or Indian friends, their houses, [music] right?

[00:02:39]And got no food on it.

[00:02:40]>> Correct.

[00:02:40]>> So, did this experience change your view on their community?

[00:02:43]>> Through that, right? I get to like learn more about their culture. The door is open to everyone kind of culture. If let's say you have no way no where else to go, right? They will always be the first one to like, "Hey, bro. Come to my house." like >> They're very welcoming.

[00:02:54]>> Very welcoming. And I think that there's a lot of stereotypes, like for example, you know, they always say like, "Oh, Indian like smelly or what?" But it's definitely not true. All the Indian friends I've met, they smell good, bro.

[00:03:01]Sometimes they smell better than me.

[00:03:02]>> Yeah, bro. The one that they shower is the Chinese one, okay?

[00:03:05]>> Yeah, it's their words, not mine, huh?

[00:03:06]Their words, not mine.

[00:03:07]>> I have a friend, her name is Priyanka. I feel like she's a very caring person and a very caring friend. Yeah.

[00:03:13]I can't really pinpoint a certain moment, but just truly being there for me.

[00:03:18]>> [music] >> Did it change how you view that community?

[00:03:20]>> I was always neutral about the way I viewed them in this from the start.

[00:03:23][music] >> One time this old fella, some hawker center, he wasn't being very nice to me. So, there's this group of guys, Malay guys, they stood up for me. I'd say that's that's a good thing.

[00:03:34]>> How did they stand up for you?

[00:03:35]>> They came and confronted him. They said, "I I'll you leave him alone."

[00:03:40]>> Did it change how you view that community?

[00:03:42]>> Growing up in Singapore, I've been around many communities and I've learned that there's no good or bad communities.

[00:03:50]There are just good and bad people.

[00:03:51]Being an Indian, I did have silent prejudice. It's something that we don't really like to talk about, but I think all of us can acknowledge that it is a thing.

[00:03:59]>> There is still the underlying stereotype.

[00:04:02]>> And even if it's like small things, like you know, about how your lunch box is stinky or whatever, whatever. Even like these primary school jokes. When you grow up, you would think it's not really that deep, but once you learn that that behavior is learned and taught at a young age to other people, it's it's a bit different, you know.

[00:04:16]>> What's one culture that is different from yours that you really admire?

[00:04:20]>> Ooh, that's a lot. I would that's really a lot. From my Chinese friend, they're really I would say they're very disciplined. That's one. They really study a lot. I really admire that.

[00:04:29]>> The one is about generational trauma.

[00:04:31]>> [laughter] >> If I don't study, my mom like you don't study?

[00:04:35]>> Relatable, too, but I feel like the Chinese one are they're more strict with that.

[00:04:38]>> Do you admire that?

[00:04:39]>> Oh, yes. I really admire that. They're really hard working. My parents are like really lenient, so I'm not really affected by their discipline.

[00:04:46]>> What else? Anything else that you think about?

[00:04:48]>> Uh, I guess the Japanese.

[00:04:51]>> Japanese?

[00:04:51]>> The Japanese, yes. Their work ethics is very proper, you know, they're very polite to everyone, so I really admire that from them.

[00:04:58]>> Wow. Okay. Have you been to Japan?

[00:05:00]>> Oh, yes. For holiday. And I I really love my time there.

[00:05:03]>> So, you love the culture there?

[00:05:04]>> Very much, yes.

[00:05:05]>> Is it okay if I say the Malay community again? My culture cuz like how they always gather together. It's such [music] a homey, like cozy environment where like everyone gets together and it's just a familiar space where everyone just like gets together and eat, talk, and everything. So, I quite like that a lot.

[00:05:26]>> Oh, okay. As compared to >> Your Chinese, right?

[00:05:29]>> Yeah, Chinese. As compared to the Chinese culture?

[00:05:31]>> I don't know if this is a stereotype. I feel like we're quite like in our comfortable bubble sometimes. I think for my family, we're just quite in our comfortable space and yeah, it's just different, I guess.

[00:05:43]>> So, like we don't really socialize with others.

[00:05:46]>> Yeah, I don't feel that we're that open.

[00:05:48]>> So, one culture that I really admire, right, is the the Chinese culture.

[00:05:52]>> Okay.

[00:05:52]>> When they are you know like Chinese New Year.

[00:05:54]>> Okay.

[00:05:54]>> Like every year they celebrate and stuff, right? They also always open up their house to everybody, right? And then so I go to my friend's house and then we will like we'll eat hot like hot pot. Parents will cook like, you know, some home cooked Chinese dishes. I feel like that's one thing that my community can learn more from it, like be more open to everyone.

[00:06:11]>> You basically like anyone that open their house to you.

[00:06:13]>> I'm open to it. I mean you can see my size, huh?

[00:06:15]>> I think Filipino culture.

[00:06:17]>> Filipino culture? Okay. Why?

[00:06:19]>> I feel like they're very warm people and they're very friendly and outgoing.

[00:06:24]>> Mhm.

[00:06:25]>> And it just feels like a really like warm community to be a part of.

[00:06:30]>> You know, I love Filipinos, man. I love my I love my Filipinos, man.

[00:06:34]>> [laughter] >> They are literally the friendliest and like They're just just so warm and loving.

[00:06:40]And accepting of you.

[00:06:41]>> I went to the US about few years ago and I noticed that they're more individualistic. Their family values aren't really that strong, you know? So, being surrounded in that a lifestyle it was a unique experience for me.

[00:06:53]>> What's a stereotype about your race?

[00:06:55]>> Ooh.

[00:06:56]>> That you wish it would have disappeared.

[00:06:57]>> There's a stereotype that our IQ is kind of low due to poverty and stuff.

[00:07:02]>> Oh. Wow, that's a stereotype.

[00:07:05]>> Yeah, that's a that's a stereotype.

[00:07:07]>> Damn. I've actually never heard of a Indonesian stereotype. Except for ML.

[00:07:11]Except for Mobile Legends.

[00:07:12]>> Yeah, Mobile Legends that one. They're very toxic community.

[00:07:14]>> That's the only stereotype that I personally experienced from Indonesian community. But other than that I thought like they were really nice people. They were so >> Oh, they're they're nice. A lot of Indonesians are nice, but it's unfortunate due to a lot of communities they they are are like unfortunate and underdeveloped.

[00:07:29]>> stereotype is that they're dumb. Like they have lower IQ.

[00:07:32]>> Yes.

[00:07:33]>> Because of the product of the environment, man. That's not their fault, man.

[00:07:36]>> Yeah, it's not their fault. Yeah, it's very it's really unfortunate.

[00:07:39]>> That we're rude, I guess.

[00:07:41]>> That we're rude?

[00:07:42]>> Okay.

[00:07:43]>> Going back to like being close-minded, I feel like it can seem like we're pretty rude and pretty like when we think it's just one straight path. Yeah.

[00:07:52]>> Oh, like we're in our hive.

[00:07:54]>> Yeah.

[00:07:56]Yeah, just in our bubble, I guess. Yeah.

[00:07:58][music] >> Yeah, they only want you to be a lawyer or doctor or dentist.

[00:08:02]Don't ask you to not take a different route, is it?

[00:08:04]>> Yeah.

[00:08:04]>> Yeah, Chinese people are like that.

[00:08:06]>> Yeah, I think so.

[00:08:07]>> [laughter] >> And then you want money, yeah? Oh, it's about money, yeah? Happy New Year is gong xi fa cai.

[00:08:12]Hope we get rich.

[00:08:14]>> Like I said again, I'm Indonesian, right? And we are very closely related to our Malaysian counterparts. The stereotype is like Indonesians and Malaysian just like Malays.

[00:08:25]>> The stereotype is Indonesians and Malays are the same.

[00:08:27]>> Yeah, that's what I I encountered like most of my life, lah. Maybe it's my skin color also. That's why and maybe it's the look that I have. People be like, "Oh, you Malayu, ah?" Then when I say no, I'm I'm Javanese.

[00:08:38]>> Okay.

[00:08:38]>> Then they're like, "But Javanese is Malayu, Malayu, ah?" Then like I'll ask to correct them, lah, like, "Yes, it it is to some extent. For sure that there are some Javanese people that went down to Malaysia, some that stay in Indonesia. They become Malaysia Malaysian Malays and then Indonesian Javanese people." So, it gets a little bit it gets very mixed up, lah, from my experience.

[00:08:56]>> People should be more educated, bro.

[00:08:58]Cannot be You're saying that what?

[00:08:59]Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are the same, ah?

[00:09:01]>> Yes, please.

[00:09:02]>> That's so wrong, what?

[00:09:03]>> Yeah, you're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right.

[00:09:04]>> So, I'm like Chinese-Indonesian.

[00:09:07]There's a lot where like we don't shower in the morning.

[00:09:10]>> [laughter] >> Like the Chinese people.

[00:09:13]>> Yeah.

[00:09:15]I mean, look at you. Is it true, though?

[00:09:16]>> I'm not guilty of it. Definitely not. I can't function if I don't shower in the morning. But I don't know about you don't shower in the morning.

[00:09:24]If the stereotype is true, then people should start showering in the morning, like you said.

[00:09:29]>> Do it.

[00:09:31]Just do it.

[00:09:32]>> Do you think that's true, though?

[00:09:33]>> Maybe. I I have a lot of friends who don't shower in the morning, but I feel like it doesn't really make them smelly.

[00:09:38]You know what I mean?

[00:09:39]>> Yeah, I I I mean it's true.

[00:09:41]>> Yeah. Some people shower once a day. I feel like if you shower once a day, it should be like before you go to bed.

[00:09:45]>> Yeah.

[00:09:46]>> to pick between the two.

[00:09:47]>> No, but in Singapore, yeah, how do we only shower once a day? Oh my god.

[00:09:50]>> Yeah, well, I mean if you had to pick one, you know what I mean?

[00:09:53]>> Yeah, that's true. I I I I shower three times a day sometimes, yeah.

[00:09:57]>> Oh.

[00:09:57]>> Maybe I'm single-handedly breaking the stereotype, you know. I think the reason they get me about like, you know, how Indians, you know, keep smelling, you know. Nobody really like said that to me directly, but something I've noticed that's floating around, and I don't really like it. It's really like unfair, you know, and it's very prejudiced. You can't just say that about someone before even meeting them.

[00:10:17]>> Yeah, they just have this prejudice against the entire race, right?

[00:10:21]>> Yep, and even when you try to ignore it, it lingers in the back of their head, you know.

[00:10:25]>> What's a stereotype about your race that you think it is true?

[00:10:28]>> Going back to ML, they're very toxic.

[00:10:30]The gaming community in Indonesia is very very toxic is toxic.

[00:10:35]>> In my personal experience, Valorant, ML, even Roblox.

[00:10:38]>> Even Roblox?

[00:10:39]>> Roblox, some games.

[00:10:41]>> I I can't lie. I learned a lot of Bahasa Indonesia >> Yeah?

[00:10:44]>> from ML, especially vulgarities.

[00:10:47]>> [laughter] >> I get called a po a million times, man.

[00:10:52]>> Me too. I also learned a lot of a lot of new words as a kid that I should not learn from video games.

[00:10:58]>> [laughter] >> Cultural experience, man. It's something that I I still like it, though.

[00:11:02]>> Yeah.

[00:11:02]>> I wouldn't mind.

[00:11:03]>> I'm not so sure about that.

[00:11:04]>> My friends say that we never shower.

[00:11:06]>> Oh, no.

[00:11:06]>> [laughter] >> Feel like we do shower.

[00:11:09]>> Okay, it's not never shower. It's never shower when you wake up in the morning.

[00:11:12]>> Mhm, okay. I don't shower in the morning.

[00:11:16]>> We We have [laughter] a problem.

[00:11:18]>> Oh, no.

[00:11:18]>> No, but I'm clean. I'm clean. I'm very hygienic.

[00:11:21]>> Okay. Okay.

[00:11:21]>> Like Indonesian people, they are very like like food wise, right? Like food wise, it's very similar to Malaysian Malay food, nasi padang.

[00:11:28]>> Ah, okay, nasi padang.

[00:11:29]>> and they want to admit, yeah, it's very similar. The spices and everything, right? Yes, there are small differences, but let's say if you are if you are not Indonesian or not Malay, right? You wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[00:11:39]>> Honestly, that seems like a good stereotype.

[00:11:42]>> It's a good stereotype. It's a good stereotype. Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:43]>> It's a good stereotype.

[00:11:44]>> I can't really think of anything bad at the moment.

[00:11:46]>> Previously, the guy was Indonesian and we were talking about ML.

[00:11:49]>> Oh my goodness, ML. Okay, sorry, I don't play ML. My friends that play ML, right?

[00:11:53]They'll be like they'll pick up words and they'll say like, "Why you Indonesians like to use a lot of >> Oh, you have no idea how many words I pick up.

[00:11:58]>> Yeah, bro. Just from the chat itself, right?

[00:12:00]>> From ML yourself, bro. The amount of those that I've been called, huh?

[00:12:04]Have you ever been judged because of your race?

[00:12:06]>> In other country, like yeah, definitely.

[00:12:08]But like in Singapore, no.

[00:12:09]>> In Singapore, no.

[00:12:10]>> Yeah, because like it's pretty much a fact that Chinese is like the majority, but I do feel judged.

[00:12:16]>> Like how?

[00:12:16]>> Cuz I study in Australia and sometimes I do get that feeling. But it's not so overwhelming. It doesn't really impact me that much.

[00:12:25]>> What do they say, though?

[00:12:26]>> Okay, this is not my experience. This is actually my friend's experience.

[00:12:29]>> Uh-huh.

[00:12:29]>> But like she got I was like, "Oh my god, you're from Singapore? You speak really [laughter] good English."

[00:12:35]>> Oh.

[00:12:36]>> really good English and she was like Asian herself.

[00:12:38]>> Oh.

[00:12:39]>> She's like, "Oh, we're we're Singapore, China."

[00:12:42]>> What?

[00:12:44]Where's Singapore in China?

[00:12:45]>> What?

[00:12:46]>> Some people like have that perception of Singapore. Like >> just fail their geography, you know?

[00:12:50]>> Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?

[00:12:53]>> Senator, I'm Singaporean. No.

[00:12:55]>> No, so far, if I go out traveling the world and in my school communities, meeting international people, no one has like commented negatively or affect or treat me in a negative way just because of my race. And I find it very fortunate, especially due to other people also having inequalities and being treated unfairly due to their race, yeah.

[00:13:14]>> Wow, the world is healing, I guess.

[00:13:16]>> I wouldn't say here because I study in Australia, so especially like when you're not in the environment you're used to, like a lot of people would judge you.

[00:13:25]>> a the right?

[00:13:26]>> Yeah, I'm like the minority there. So, [music] like I get racist remarks sometimes. Like >> Like what?

[00:13:31]>> Like they'll call ching chong.

[00:13:33]>> They call you ching chong?

[00:13:34]>> Yeah, and like do the eyes.

[00:13:35]>> the thing.

[00:13:36]>> Yeah, literally. And I'm just like, "Okay."

[00:13:38]>> What do you do?

[00:13:39]>> I just like laugh and and and leave.

[00:13:42]>> You call them kangaroos or something?

[00:13:43]>> No.

[00:13:44]I don't stoop to that level.

[00:13:45]>> Okay, that's good. That's good. Do not stoop to their level.

[00:13:47]>> Yeah.

[00:13:47]>> I'd say no, not really. That's like one good thing. Like I'd give [music] Singapore credit for this one factor, right? They don't see your race.

[00:13:54]Institutionally, we we try to be color blind and I really appreciate that.

[00:13:57]>> It's not blatant judgment, but it's kind of like you can see that people treat you differently. In a situation where let's say I'm the only like Indonesian guy or the only like brown skin guy in the let's say our office or school setting, right? I can see that the way that they treat me and the way that they treat the ma- majority race, right? Is very different.

[00:14:13]>> So, you can feel the segregation.

[00:14:15]>> feel it. I can feel it. Correct. But it's not it's not the people that I'm surrounded with, you know, that are doing it. It's like usually the superiors or the higher-ups. That's uh has happened to me, lah. Yeah, correct.

[00:14:22]>> Then how do you speak up or anything?

[00:14:24]>> For me, it's like at the end of the day, right? Your work will show, lah. Like how hard you work and the results that you put out, right? Automatically will show. So, it's like yeah, if you want to segregate me cuz just of my race and my skin color, then I so be it, lah. If I find it toxic at the end of the day, then I'll just leave, lah. I'll find another like workplace that will appreciate me for my work ethic and not my skin color.

[00:14:41]>> Yes. Perfect, bro. If you could make every Singaporean experience one cultural tradition from your community, what would it be and why?

[00:14:48]>> Maybe um what's it called? Mid-Autumn Festival.

[00:14:50]>> Okay. So, you want every Singaporean to experience Mid-Autumn Festival.

[00:14:53]>> But I feel like they already do, so.

[00:14:54]>> They seldom experience it in our country, so.

[00:14:57]>> I know. I feel like it's so fun. Like super fun.

[00:14:59]>> to lie. I only went to hold the lanterns, ah, but maybe someone should bring [laughter] me out and try it, you know.

[00:15:03]>> Ooh, that's there's a lot. There's really a lot that I want everyone to experience. Indonesia is a country where it has lots of islands, so naturally there's a lot of cultures and tradition.

[00:15:12]But number one, the dance in Bali. Like this traditional >> Ooh, yes.

[00:15:16]>> dance in Bali.

[00:15:17]>> Yes, I've been to Bali. Actually, I've been thinking about it, too.

[00:15:19]>> Yeah. Even though I'm not Balinese, uh part of Bali culture, I'm like Sundanese culture which is part of the Java island, Java- Javadese culture. I really think uh that Bali culture is also really beautiful and I I want everyone to experience that.

[00:15:33]>> Okay, have you experienced it before?

[00:15:34]>> Yes.

[00:15:35]>> First time in Bali when I was like a kid, I was mesmerized by the dance and like I I really loved it.

[00:15:40]>> I'm a big foodie, so anything to do with cooking together, even making dumplings together. I did that when I was little >> Yeah.

[00:15:50]>> like coming together with the whole family and like even like with distant relatives. I feel like that just brings everyone together. Food always brings everyone together.

[00:15:58]>> Divided by race, united by food.

[00:16:00]>> Exactly.

[00:16:02]>> Nice.

[00:16:03]>> Okay, for me right, we also open our house. We will purposely like want you to like keep coming every time, every single time. Like I say, "Hey bro, you today come then hey tomorrow come again ah, you know?" Can just sit down we have coffee and everything. I feel like forcing up like Singapore right cuz everybody is busy right? Okay, today I come up then I come again next month ah.

[00:16:19]Yeah, next month.

[00:16:20]>> I feel like they should be more consistent.

[00:16:21]>> Yes, everyday come and lepak lah.

[00:16:22]>> Everyday come and lepak, yeah correct.

[00:16:23]At least that's what my for my community like Indonesians we do that ah.

[00:16:25]>> Yeah lah, you guys take life more relaxed, more chill.

[00:16:28]No need to be like bloody Singaporeans rush rush there everyday living life like times two speed bro.

[00:16:32]>> [music] >> You're right.

[00:16:33]>> And that's it for this week's episode.

[00:16:35]Thank you guys so much for watching. Do comment down below what other topics you want us to ask our fellow Singaporeans.

[00:16:39]Don't forget to like, share and subscribe and we'll see you on the next episode.