http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Asian+Opinions/Story/A1Story20090710-153959.html
Fri, Jul 10, 2009
my paper
The day I wronged a foreign worker
By Joy Fang
IT WAS a simple, unspoken act that lasted only a few seconds, but which has left me guilt-ridden till today.
I had an encounter with a foreign worker last week that got me thinking about the sometimes tenuous relationship Singaporeans have with foreign workers.
Last year, there was a furore among Serangoon Garden residents after the Government proposed building a foreign workers' dormitory in the area.
Some 1,000 agitated residents petitioned against it - in vain - citing reasons such as security issues and a potential dip in the value of their property.
As someone who lives nearby, I was also apprehensive, but felt it was insensitive of some residents to reject the workers.
I had always thought I was sensible and open-minded - that is, until one morning last week, when I did something on reflex which exposed my own prejudices.
I was walking towards the usual spot where I park my car for my drive to work. To my surprise, I saw a construction worker in his 20s sitting cross-legged on the pavement beside it.
Dressed in work overalls, the young man was reading the newspapers.
I froze. Then, without thinking, I quickly got into my car and locked all the doors - all the while keeping a close eye on him to see if he would make a move.
Not once did he look up. As I drove away, my brief sense of relief gave way to guilt and dismay.
Why did I do something so utterly baseless? The poor man certainly didn't deserve such treatment.
During my undergraduate days, while studying for a social-psychology course, I came across a research experiment done in the United States.
The findings were a revelation: They showed that even though one believes that he does not have any prejudices, he still has certain ideas "programmed" in him because of socialisation.
Also, how many of you have raised a hue and cry over some form of hostility you experienced from locals when overseas?
I know I have, and so have my friends.
For example, a friend studying in Sydney recounted how someone drove by in a car and yelled "go back where you came from" at her, while she was walking in the street.
So, was my behaviour any less forgivable than this overt display of xenophobia? No. It is time to reflect on our own actions and to take responsibility for them.
We all have biases based on a fear of the unknown.
And so we respond in a knee-jerk way (yes, guilty as charged), which often seems rather silly in retrospect.
Next time, before we allow our prejudices to prevail over our good sense, we should ponder about whether our actions might hurt another human being.
In the case of foreign workers, instead of avoiding them or pretending that they don't exist, a little smile or a casual hello might go a long way towards making them feel accepted.
So, to the man who I unintentionally wronged, I'm sorry. I'll be sure to smile the next time I see you.
For more my paper stories click here.
Fri, Jul 10, 2009
my paper
The day I wronged a foreign worker
By Joy Fang
IT WAS a simple, unspoken act that lasted only a few seconds, but which has left me guilt-ridden till today.
I had an encounter with a foreign worker last week that got me thinking about the sometimes tenuous relationship Singaporeans have with foreign workers.
Last year, there was a furore among Serangoon Garden residents after the Government proposed building a foreign workers' dormitory in the area.
Some 1,000 agitated residents petitioned against it - in vain - citing reasons such as security issues and a potential dip in the value of their property.
As someone who lives nearby, I was also apprehensive, but felt it was insensitive of some residents to reject the workers.
I had always thought I was sensible and open-minded - that is, until one morning last week, when I did something on reflex which exposed my own prejudices.
I was walking towards the usual spot where I park my car for my drive to work. To my surprise, I saw a construction worker in his 20s sitting cross-legged on the pavement beside it.
Dressed in work overalls, the young man was reading the newspapers.
I froze. Then, without thinking, I quickly got into my car and locked all the doors - all the while keeping a close eye on him to see if he would make a move.
Not once did he look up. As I drove away, my brief sense of relief gave way to guilt and dismay.
Why did I do something so utterly baseless? The poor man certainly didn't deserve such treatment.
During my undergraduate days, while studying for a social-psychology course, I came across a research experiment done in the United States.
The findings were a revelation: They showed that even though one believes that he does not have any prejudices, he still has certain ideas "programmed" in him because of socialisation.
Also, how many of you have raised a hue and cry over some form of hostility you experienced from locals when overseas?
I know I have, and so have my friends.
For example, a friend studying in Sydney recounted how someone drove by in a car and yelled "go back where you came from" at her, while she was walking in the street.
So, was my behaviour any less forgivable than this overt display of xenophobia? No. It is time to reflect on our own actions and to take responsibility for them.
We all have biases based on a fear of the unknown.
And so we respond in a knee-jerk way (yes, guilty as charged), which often seems rather silly in retrospect.
Next time, before we allow our prejudices to prevail over our good sense, we should ponder about whether our actions might hurt another human being.
In the case of foreign workers, instead of avoiding them or pretending that they don't exist, a little smile or a casual hello might go a long way towards making them feel accepted.
So, to the man who I unintentionally wronged, I'm sorry. I'll be sure to smile the next time I see you.
For more my paper stories click here.
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Official figures estimate that 27.5%[14] of Indians lived below the national poverty line in 2004-2005.[15] A 2007 report by the state-run National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) found that 77% of Indians, or 836 million people, lived on less than 20 rupees (approximately USD $0.41) per day[16] with most working in "informal labour sector with no job or social security, living in abject proverty"
