SINGAPORE: On Oct 7, Condé Nast Traveller named Singapore the fourth friendliest city in the world, awarding it a score of 95. Among Asian cities, it ranked first, followed by Kyoto, Japan, which scored 92.73.
Despite this glowing recognition, however, one tourist who recently visited Singapore said his experience suggested otherwise.
Posting on Reddit’s Singapore Travel forum, the visitor claimed that Singapore was “by far the most unwelcoming country” he had ever set foot in, as the locals were very unfriendly towards him.
He then proceeded to recount two of the unpleasant encounters he had with locals on his first day in the city-state.
Elderly man on the bus
The tourist recalled that during his first public bus ride in Singapore, he had to stand as all the seats were already taken. Then, while checking Google Maps, he said he leaned on an object he described as a “stall-type thing” near the door.
Moments later, however, an elderly man sitting nearby told him in a rather “aggressive tone” to “get away!” from his belongings.
“I was unknowingly leaning onto his belongings,” he said. “[But] I found his tone really rude and unwelcoming.”
Grocery worker
Later that same day, he stopped by a grocery store to buy cigarettes but couldn’t find any. When he asked a worker for help, the man mumbled a response while continuing his task, which the tourist couldn’t hear clearly.
After asking him to repeat it, the worker suddenly turned and said sharply that there were no cigarettes in the store and told him to “check somewhere else.”
“In a very aggressive tone, he asked me, ‘If there are no cigarettes here, go check in a different store.’ I was like, what the?” he said, stunned by the worker’s response.
“This made me think Singaporeans are not the most friendly people. I don’t know, maybe it’s the Singaporean culture, or I’m being really hyper about things. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m just jotting down my honest opinion at the moment. I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Are Singaporeans really mean?” he asked the online community.
“Stressed people are naturally rude.”
In the comments section of the post, many agreed that most Singaporeans can indeed be rude or unfriendly.
One commenter admitted, “Yep, Singaporean here, and I head to work to the office every day. Tons of rude people around. I’d only ever found young adults to be friendly, to be honest.”
Another wrote, “Yeah, it’s true. Often see people walking side by side hogging the entire path, then when you come in the opposite direction and they have to shift aside a little, you can hear sarcastic remarks even though they are the ones being inconsiderate and not leaving any space for others to pass.”
“Tons of selfish people around. You’re lucky that you’re just travelling and not living here. The amount of rude behaviour will get to you after a while.”
A third chimed in, “Of course, Singaporeans are rude. Stressed people are naturally rude. The nation has prioritised the economy above all else. Culture and arts inevitably lag behind.”
Others, however, argued that not all locals are like that, saying it really depends on the individual.
One user said, “My wife and I spent seven days there a few weeks ago and never had a problem. I suppose it’s just the law of averages; not every single person in one country will be having a great day. Hopefully, the good experiences you had outweighed the two negatives.”
Another told him, “You just got unlucky with those two people.”
In other news, a 26-year-old woman shared on social media that her parents have been persistently guilt-tripping her over her new relationship and are upset that she plans to travel overseas with her boyfriend.
In a post on r/sgdatingscene, the woman said this is apparently because they “still love her ex”, whom she dated for five years.
