SINGAPORE: Locals have advised that Singapore needs to be “thick-skinned” and take criticism with a pinch of salt, in response to the question of why some people from other Southeast Asian countries dislike Singapore.
The question was posed by u/nincompoopzzzh in an r/askSingapore post earlier this week, referring to an X post that talked about how different ASEAN countries co-exist despite their differences.
The comment section, however, was filled with replies with hostility directed toward Singapore, saying how the Little Red Dot does not belong in the same group as other countries in the region.
While acknowledging the differences between ASEAN countries, the post author said they were curious as to where the hatred was coming from. “Is there something Singapore is genuinely doing wrong right now that warrants us being detested as a country?” they added.
They were likely to be referring to this post from @burnerphoneuser that isn’t even about Singapore but merely showed the flags of ASEAN countries. Nevertheless, it blew up last weekend, getting over 26 million views, thousands of retweets, and hundreds of comments. And yes, many of the commenters were certainly negative toward Singapore.
“Singapore getting cooked in the comments,” one X user wrote.
But many commenters also sprung to Singapore’s defense, including former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng, who wrote, “Singapore is the only developed, rich nation in ASEAN. Probably explains the occasional envy and hate. But it’s mostly admiration.”
Commenters on the Reddit post, meanwhile, urged u/nincompoopzzzh not to worry, with one saying that Singaporeans need not care so much about what others say instead of getting easily provoked and reacting to every insult that comes along.
“We should know our good points and our shortcomings and just ignore the noise,” they added.
While one commenter said that Singapore should not remind its neighbors so much that it is the richest and most developed country in the region, another chimed in that there are entitled Singaporeans both at home and overseas.
A Reddit user pointed out that Singaporeans can be perceived as “too Western” in the region, speaking too frankly and pointing out mistakes directly, unlike people in other Asian countries who tend to be more subtle and tactful.
Another said that they’ve met Malaysians who think Singaporeans are kiasu and selfish, adding that they believe it’s because they’ve “lost their kampung spirit.”
However, as one commenter wisely pointed out that “Everybody hates everybody on social media,” which is why comments online should be taken with not just a pinch but indeed a huge grain of salt. /TISG
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