When Expats Come and They Think They Know Singapore...

Was reading Notes from an Even Smaller Island by Neil Humphreys yesterday. Although the first few pages were engaging, but as I read further on I realise there were many times he would just make assumptions about certain phenomenon in Singapore.

What is so sad about the older population working in fastfood joints, or as toilet cleaners? Not every elderly working in their old age are working because their children are not providing for them. For some like my mom, she would like to work (she was politely turned away because she cannot speak english) even if the pay is low simply because she is bored at home. With her many years of being a housewife, she's the grandmaster of efficient housekeeping and that leaves her with plenty of time to kill. And toilet cleaning, please ask yourself (the younger generation) if you want to clean toilets and if you even clean the toilets in your own house. Singapore is full of "drunk" people who will just pee anywhere except into the urinals, and I am sure I would be even more frustrated as a toilet cleaner than as a pharmacist.

And come on, propping your legs on the seat facing you when the bus is crowded is being rude and inconsiderate. Even if you are some old auntie who can only speak dialect there is no way to explain out of it. Just come right out to say the aunties are rude and inconsiderate. I'm most certainly not going to practise 愚孝 and give some old sod the respect just because they've eaten more salt than I have eaten rice. Want respect? Earn it. Humphreys gave me the feeling he's just dancing round the topic of rude Singaporeans; it's like he wanted to say Singaporean elderly can be really rude, and yet did not dare do it for fear of incurring the wrath maybe the people living TPY?