[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-the-different-perspectives-and-contexts-of-racism-in-singapore-at-odds\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-the-different-perspectives-and-contexts-of-racism-in-singapore-at-odds\/","headline":"Are the different perspectives and contexts of racism in Singapore at odds?","name":"Are the different perspectives and contexts of racism in Singapore at odds?","description":"Cultural racism, unlike biological racism which is the discrimination on the basis of biological differences, is the discrimination against cultures \u2013 which includes norms, beliefs and attitudes. So while a multiracial society causes tension between races, a multicultural society causes tension between cultures. That is why intra-race racism can exist. Singapore, fortunately or unfortunately, is […]","datePublished":"2021-07-21","dateModified":"2022-04-16","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Atalia%20Chua\/#Person","name":"Atalia Chua","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Atalia%20Chua\/","identifier":339,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a83f1814f9ae936340d5c9530df0dcd78295c85ee63b72b84945716f843d62d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a83f1814f9ae936340d5c9530df0dcd78295c85ee63b72b84945716f843d62d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1626861163878_Racism_Part_2_S3_Feature_Image.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1626861163878_Racism_Part_2_S3_Feature_Image.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-the-different-perspectives-and-contexts-of-racism-in-singapore-at-odds\/","commentCount":"2","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-the-different-perspectives-and-contexts-of-racism-in-singapore-at-odds\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-06-16 15:49:13","description":"Can you be more specific about the content of your article? 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So while a multiracial society causes tension between races, a multicultural society causes tension between cultures. That is why intra-race racism can exist. Singapore, fortunately or unfortunately, is both.\u00a0Cultural racism, unlike biological racism which is the discrimination on the basis of biological differences, is the discrimination against cultures \u2013 which includes norms, beliefs and attitudes.\u00a0 (Photo source: Freepik)Under this branch of racism, which is also known as \u2018neo-racism\u2019 or \u2018differentialist racism\u2019, there is a particular cultural-psychology framework: People inhabit cultural worlds that afford or promote particular racialised ways of processing and seeing the world; and people shape, produce, and maintain racialised contexts through their selected preferences, practices, and actions.\u00a0Perceived or unintentional racism can arise from different views and understanding of what is considered offensive. Therefore, is understanding the different contexts and views of racism among different groups of people, or the conformity to a societal standard, the effective and right approach to managing racial harmony and tolerance?\u00a0General vs targeted racism: Do they carry the same weight of offence?\u00a0\u201cAcknowledging the presence of certain stereotypes, or even making certain jokes need not be racist, as long as the intention is not to exclude or deride others,\u201d says Steve Teo, a 25-year-old PhD Biological Sciences student at the National University of Singapore (NUS).\u00a0When asked why he does not find this definition problematic, he argues that recognising the \u201cexistence of stereotypes\u201d is \u201cacknowledging differences among races\u201d, and not constituted as racism.\u00a0\u201cFor example, I think that there is some truth to the stereotype that Chinese are greedy and stingy,\u201d Mr Teo elaborates. \u201cI would probably not mind someone from another race pointing that out, although it is generally safer to make fun of your own race.\u201dSeeing the humour in stereotypes in a sense undermines them and prevents people from taking stereotypes seriously. (Photo source: Freepik)He then explains two reasons why an open and flexible perspective on stereotypes, and in a broader sense racism, can ironically be the practical way to manage racism.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe should not be afraid to discuss our differences and make fun of ourselves and each other,\u201d he opines. \u201cSeeing the humour in [stereotypes] in a sense undermines them, and prevents us from taking stereotypes seriously.\u201dThis begs the question of whether Mr Teo\u2019s argument is an example of casual racism, or about the casual recognition of racial and cultural differences. Is the embrace of one another\u2019s learned cultural norms and lived experiences the key to unlock misunderstandings, and open the door to deeper acceptance of differences, or is it shutting people out from true multiracialism and multiculturalism?\u201cSome people seem to think that any acknowledgement of differences is discrimination \u2013 it shouldn’t be,\u201d he says. \u201cIndeed, the very tenet of our CMIO system (even if we think many aspects can and should be overhauled) sees certain differences among races as mostly fundamental, and tries to arrange our socio-political structures around it, rather than try to eliminate all differences.\u201d\u00a0The Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others model is \u2018the basis of a racialised mode of ethnic governance, which is based on the notion that separate management of racial groups ensures optimal functioning of society.\u2019\u00a0Oversensitivity about identity, itself a defensive reaction in the face of standardisation, is aggravating insular attitudes based on the notion of nation and race. (Photo source: Scientific American)In a publication titled Dimensions of Racism by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, it states that \u201coversensitivity about identity, itself a defensive reaction in the face of standardisation, is aggravating insular attitudes based on the notion of nation, community, group, race, religion, way of life and lifestyle.\u201d The problem of how this gives rise to new forms of racism is by refusing to recognise the \u2018negative images of the \u201cother\u201d and that will \u2018evolve in the cultural domain\u2019. This causes a more severe repression of expression in people, which will in turn be manifested in \u201cself-justification and their most radical forms of expression\u201d.\u00a0Acknowledging stereotypes, however, is conditional and \u201chighly situational,\u201d Mr Teo cautions. Localised contexts and personal intentions are the determining factors.\u00a0Firstly, \u201camong Singaporeans, our understanding of what constitutes a ‘racist remark’ could be different from that of a liberal Western context\u201d. In other words, he thinks that these could be instances when people mention something related to race, without the nuances of pregnant racism. Different cultural understandings does not excuse targeted racism though: \u201cThe intention and effect should not be to exclude or discriminate.\u201d Mr Teo asserts. \u201cIf that stereotype is used to suggest that I am greedy and stingy, because I am Chinese, or if that stereotype is used to exclude me in some way, [then to me] that is racism.\u201dAssociate Professor Tan Ern Ser, a sociologist at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, agrees with this and puts it in perspective: \u201cCultural stereotypes [are different] from nuances. The latter comes across as objective characteristics peculiar to an \u2018outgroup\u2019; but in practice, it is our subjective perception of \u2018other groups\u2019 that could lead to racism,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0All forms of casual racism should not be acceptedCasual racism has been a tricky branch of racism to diagnose. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), \u201ccasual racism refers to conduct involving negative stereotypes or prejudices about people on the basis of race, colour or ethnicity, [such as in] jokes, off-handed comments, and exclusion of people from social situations on the basis of race.\u201d\u00a0The fine line between that and traditional racism is the \u201cintention to cause offence or harm\u201d.\u00a0Casual racism is still racism. (Photo source: Redbubble)Jose Raymond, 50, and Chief Strategy Officer at strategy and communications advisory firm SW Strategies agrees: \u201cRacism in all forms is unacceptable,\u201d he states.\u00a0He was also the ex-Chairman of opposition political party Singapore People\u2019s Party before retiring from politics, last December.\u00a0\u201cCasual racism has always existed in many forms, from racial slurs [to] stereotypes [about Indians], such as \u2018Indians coming to catch naughty children\u2019, among other instances,\u201d Mr Raymond continues. He feels that a line needs to be drawn to say that even as a \u2018joke\u2019, or in \u2018casual settings\u2019, racism is not tolerated.\u00a0Eurasian Tau Kaijun Bowyer, 19, who is pursuing a Diploma in Audio Engineering at LASALLE, shares these sentiments: \u201c[I get] called \u2018angmoh\u2019 all the time. We live with [casual racism] now, but in the long run\u2026I hope younger parents can teach their children better,\u201d he shares. \u201cRacism is not natural, it is learned; it’s not alright but it will take time to fix.\u201dAlthough it may not be intended racism, the AHRC writes that \u2018racism is as much about impact as it is about intention\u2019. \u201c[We] shouldn\u2019t forget about those who are on the receiving end of discrimination.\u201dAwareness of differences includes deliberate effort in showing respectUnderstanding the importance of a cultural tradition or religious practice of various ethnicities is one of the key ways to show respect, suggests Siti Ismail, a 38-year-old marketing manager.\u00a0\u201cOne example will be offering dishes which are non-halal or contain pork to me,\u201d she shares. \u201cMost of the time, this happens because the other person forgets that I don’t consume [these]. It may seem harmless but I do get affected by it at times.”Understanding the importance of a cultural tradition or religious practice to a race is one of the key ways to show respect. (Photo source: The Wall Street Journal)Making a conscious effort to be aware that there are other races around is another way to prevent disrespect, unhappiness and misunderstanding. Hence, speaking in one\u2019s mother\u2019s tongue is a common thorn in every race\u2019s side. \u201cAs a Malay, I do take offence when other races [speak] in their native language in front of me,\u201d Ms Ismail says. \u201cWhen they do that, I often feel that either they were trying to exclude me from their discussion, or they were keeping something from me.\u201dMr Teo expresses the same sentiments and warns people against it: \u201c[That is a] commonly cited example [that seems discriminatory]. Sometimes, people are not seeking to exclude, but are just being careless, or are simply more proficient in their own language,\u201d he explains.\u00a0To minimise such misunderstandings, he says that making an effort to switch to English when someone of another race is around, and making sure they can be included in the conversation, is \u201cbasic politeness\u201d. He recognises that many Singaporeans do practise that and are \u201cby and large gracious\u201d.\u00a0Since Singapore is a multiracial and multicultural society, cross-ethnic understanding can truly foster a greater appreciation of various cultural values and practices. But besides that, \u201cadherence to a common [national] set of values [is] essential [in] producing inter-ethnic acceptance and harmony,\u201d says Associate Professor Tan. He thinks that this is effective in curbing racism, because it \u201cmeans subscribing to a set of superordinate [national] values, practices, and purpose.\u201d\u00a0According to Dr Tan, it is worthwhile to note that a cosmopolitan and multiracial society does not cause racism, and does not automatically promote prejudice.\u00a0He argues, \u201cIt is only when diversity is somehow perceived as a threat [that] it could exacerbate racism, intolerance and conflict.\u201d He advises instead that the key to a \u201chigh degree of social integration and harmony\u201d is the \u201corientation towards embracing diversity.\u201d\u00a0In the last part of TheHomeGround Asia\u2019s series on racism, we examine the differences among racism, cultural insensitivity and cultural appropriation. The interchangeable or conflated nature of these issues have become dangerous with irreversible consequences.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Are the different perspectives and contexts of racism in Singapore at odds?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-the-different-perspectives-and-contexts-of-racism-in-singapore-at-odds\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]