SINGAPORE: Caitanya Tan, an actress, presenter, and voice-over artist, recently publicly called out a male commenter on one of her videos who deigned to explain her own ethnicity to her.
Ms Tan, who goes by @caitofalltraits on Instagram and TikTok, said on a post on Sunday (Sep 7), “I can see how race and nationality can be confusing to some people, but this is next level.”
@caitofalltraits Replying to @Francisco Rosales691 I don’t know if maybe you made a typo, but… #singapore is multiracial like the rest of the world. #malaysia
She further explained that because she travels a lot in her line of work, she fields a lot of questions from people who ask her where she’s from and why she speaks English in the way she does.
“But this is the first time anyone has ever mansplained to me my own country and my own heritage,” she added.
In an exchange in a comment section, a TikTok user asked if she’s Malay. When Ms Tan responded that she’s Singaporean Chinese, that’s when the mansplaining began.
“Nay, you’re Malay descendant. 1-2 descendants. Singapore achieved independence on August 9, 1965, after seceding from the Federation of Malaysia. Approximately 15% to 15.4% of Singapore’s resident population are of Malay descent.”
Ms Tan asked, “Did you ChatGPT all of that just to tell me where I’m from?” before launching an explanation of where all humankind originated, and adding that clusters of humanity are not the same as ethnicity, which is marked by identity and culture.
She also underlined how multi-racial Singapore is and ended by saying, “Nationality is where you hold citizenship, and ethnicity is the culture and ancestry you come from.”
And so, while she is Singaporean by nationality, Ms Tan is ethnically Chinese.
Ms Tan even apologised to the mansplainer for outing him, but added, “Maybe next time you can trust people when they tell you about their own heritage.”
On Instagram, she clarified the topic further by writing: “Do YOU know the difference between Nationality and Ethnicity, or we still struggling? In this particular situation, let me just say… Malaysian is the nationality just as Singaporean is the nationality. ANYONE of ANY ‘COLOUR’ can be either Singaporean or Malaysian. Does this now clarify?”
Commenters on her posts agreed with her that the mansplainer had been a bit much.
“Can someone tell me where he bought his audacity in such abundance?” an Instagram user asked tartly.
“Some people should not have a keyboard eh,” wrote another.
“Perfect. Personally, the only thing you missed was ‘Now get back in your box!’” a TikTok user added.
“I’m just struggling over here, trying to figure out why anyone would argue and explain and correct you … about who you are!” another chimed in.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Ms Tan for further comments or updates. /TISG
Read also: SG woman explains why “we are really lucky to be born Singaporean”
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