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http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?p=361860
I read this letter from the Straits Times this morning, about forum users:
New ugly S’porean
INTOLERANT AND MEAN...
There is a new breed of Ugly Singaporean more sinister than the ones who cut queues, pile up the buffet plate or rush onto the bus before other passengers can alight.
Those belonging to this new breed fancy themselves as keyboard warriors and deface Internet sites with postings that are plainly worrying.
Hiding behind the anonymity of the Net, they post comments that reek of
prejudice, racism and envy.
For instance, it is virtually unavoidable these days to read anti-migrant comments online. These netizens flood message boards with anti-foreign worker vitriol that degenerates into childish name calling and personal attacks on those who are courageous enough to defend foreign workers.
These ugly warriors use labels like “traitor” frequently. The irony is that these same anonymous posters say they want to leave Singapore because they feel they are being forced out by foreigners taking their jobs.
Another example: The Eric How controversy, in which an inflammatory Facebook diatribe by an unidentified individual who called himself Eric How and claimed to be a member of Young PAP triggered a witch hunt.
As a result, two other people named Eric How were caught in the crossfire of postings about the issue.
Those in this new breed of Ugly Singaporean worry me because they suggest a sense that beneath a placid exterior lurks a collective subconscious that is intolerant, mean and narrow-minded.
Keith Gerard Tan
I've always had the same thoughts about Singaporean forum users and what's frightening is the amount of racism and anger from these people. And instead of debating intelligently, they resort to name calling.
This increasing number of users who 'condemn' others for standing up for foreigners, are instead being called names by their own people.
It's a sad sight to see/read.
Why can't we be more open-minded? Why treat others as second-class citizens when you would most likely be treated as one in another country as well?
I read this letter from the Straits Times this morning, about forum users:
New ugly S’porean
INTOLERANT AND MEAN...
There is a new breed of Ugly Singaporean more sinister than the ones who cut queues, pile up the buffet plate or rush onto the bus before other passengers can alight.
Those belonging to this new breed fancy themselves as keyboard warriors and deface Internet sites with postings that are plainly worrying.
Hiding behind the anonymity of the Net, they post comments that reek of
prejudice, racism and envy.
For instance, it is virtually unavoidable these days to read anti-migrant comments online. These netizens flood message boards with anti-foreign worker vitriol that degenerates into childish name calling and personal attacks on those who are courageous enough to defend foreign workers.
These ugly warriors use labels like “traitor” frequently. The irony is that these same anonymous posters say they want to leave Singapore because they feel they are being forced out by foreigners taking their jobs.
Another example: The Eric How controversy, in which an inflammatory Facebook diatribe by an unidentified individual who called himself Eric How and claimed to be a member of Young PAP triggered a witch hunt.
As a result, two other people named Eric How were caught in the crossfire of postings about the issue.
Those in this new breed of Ugly Singaporean worry me because they suggest a sense that beneath a placid exterior lurks a collective subconscious that is intolerant, mean and narrow-minded.
Keith Gerard Tan
I've always had the same thoughts about Singaporean forum users and what's frightening is the amount of racism and anger from these people. And instead of debating intelligently, they resort to name calling.
This increasing number of users who 'condemn' others for standing up for foreigners, are instead being called names by their own people.
It's a sad sight to see/read.
Why can't we be more open-minded? Why treat others as second-class citizens when you would most likely be treated as one in another country as well?
