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http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC121012-0000037/Ethnic-labels-divide-us
Ethnic labels divide us
From Cherie Lim Ball
04:45 AM Oct 12, 2012
While Ms Amy Cheong's racially insensitive posts on Facebook are unacceptable, one wonders why there is so much stereotyping in Singapore in the first place.
We have become a more divisive society of late, with people being categorised by their race, residency status, type of Singaporean (local born or newly converted) and religion.
We cannot have a truly harmonious society if we continue to label people according to these identities.
In May, I wrote to Voices on the subject of National Service for permanent residents and subsequently received expletive-laden comments on social media about being a "Caucasian" who should "leave and go back to your home country". Another forum user described me as a "Caucasian PR", when my race and residency status have nothing to do with the subject.
I am now Singaporean, I am ethnically Chinese and this is now my home. I found it offensive that I was seen as a "lesser" resident when assumed to be a Caucasian, in spite of my commitment and contributions to this country.
There is a fine line between being too politically correct by banning questions about one's ethnic origin, as they do in other developed countries, and continuing to have "Race" as a standard question on application forms.
It may be important, for census purposes, to ask for one's race and religion in official government forms, especially in a highly multiracial country like ours, but we should stop using ethnicity or religion as a measure of one's worth, rights or place here.
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