SINGAPORE: A local has drawn ire online after stating that his fellow countrymen, or “Sinkies,” make some of the “worst colleagues and neighbours.”
On Monday (Jun 22), he posted on the r/SingaporeR forum, writing that as a “true blue Sinkie” who is approaching middle age, he has generally found foreigners to be “kinder, more polite and easier to get along with” than many Singaporeans, both at work and in HDB estates.
He argued that many locals tend to be “petty, form exclusive cliques, constantly compare themselves” with others and struggle to simply relax.
He also claimed that some Singaporeans enjoy pulling others down and lack even the most basic social niceties.
The man added that this was not always his experience. Growing up, most of his friends were Singaporeans, and he got along well with them.
However, he felt things changed once they entered the workforce, though he admitted he was “not entirely sure why.”
He did make one exception, saying that “ang moh pai” Sinkies are usually friendlier.
“[They’re] quite nice. It’s those typical beng lian type are the worst!” he continued. “And when they grow older, needless to say, they become those toxic Karens and Kens always appearing on the headlines for the wrong reasons!”
“You’ve got issues”
His remarks did not sit well with many commenters, who felt he was unfairly stereotyping Singaporeans and making sweeping generalisations.
One commenter wrote, “Are you high?? Lol. I’ve lived in six different countries and among 15-20 other nationalities in the communities. Singaporeans are so used to dense living spaces and have social awareness; Sinkies are probably up there in the top 5, if not top 10, best neighbours.”
Another commented, “Sweeping statements like this, without data to back them up, are never going to be convincing. Personally, I have met both nice and bad locals and foreigners as neighbours and as colleagues.”
A third remarked, “Bro, you got issues.”
A fourth added, “I don’t know about them, but I wouldn’t want to be friends with you. Sounds like those negative and keep complaining types, which is perfectly what you describe as people you wanna stay away from.”
A few others, however, said they could understand why the post author would think this way.
One commented, “People who grow up in a high-stress environment tend to become very bitter, nothing surprising.”
Another explained, “Neighbours, I agree. Singaporeans tend to be less open and less proactive in socialising and take a while to warm up. Some just want to be left alone after a stressful day and treat their home as a quiet place, rather than having to socialise with outsiders again. Foreigners, well, many are new and of course will be friendly as they want to build relationships in a new place.”
In other news, one Singaporean woman says fitting into her workplace has been tougher than expected, claiming that the office “queen bee” has been subtly shutting her out of group conversations.
In a post on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, she shared that while she understands work is not necessarily the place to make friends, the situation has started to take a toll on her morale.
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