SINGAPORE: A European woman took to social media to share that, out of all the places she and her partner visited in Asia, Singapore stood out to her as the rudest.
“Singapore was, hands down, the rudest place we visited in Asia,” she wrote on the r/SingaporeTravel subreddit on Sunday (Feb 15). “And before anyone jumps in: No, this wasn’t just us being difficult, clueless, rude tourists. We travelled through China, Japan, and Malaysia with zero issues. Singapore was the outlier.”
In her post, the woman claimed that many of the staff members they encountered were “disrespectful and, honestly, sexist as hell,” as they would talk over her and only address her partner.
“I’d ask a question, and they’d answer him instead, or just cut me off completely. Female staff, especially, would be all smiles and friendly toward him while acting like I didn’t exist.”
Basic manners, she added, also seemed surprisingly scarce. Greetings such as “hi,” “thank you,” or “bye” were often met with blank stares or silence. On several occasions, she said they were even waved off with a curt “yeah, yeah” hand gesture, leaving her with the impression that they were somehow being a nuisance.
“It’s like we were being annoying just for existing. Being polite almost seemed to make people feel more comfortable treating us poorly.”
She also alleged that locals treated people differently depending on gender and ethnicity.
“We noticed this not only in daily interactions but even on our flight back with Singapore Airlines, with staff clearly prioritising white passengers and men. We were treated kindly, but seeing it while others were spoken to more abruptly or ignored, it made us uncomfortable.”
“Before anyone says, ‘Not everyone is like that,’ yes, we met some nice people, but the pattern was frequent enough to feel real, especially when compared to neighbouring countries where people were consistently respectful and welcoming.”
Concluding her post, she wrote, “So yeah. Singapore was a shock—rude, dismissive, and with some very weird gender and race dynamics that we didn’t expect at all.”
“They are simply too busy with their own lives to notice you.”
In the comments section, quite a few users said they understood where the tourist was coming from.
One wrote, “Yeah. Singaporeans aren’t the nicest even to their fellow Singaporeans, haha. The service crew I hate most are the student interns. Hot-headed, service is bad, and when they get overwhelmed, they talk back.”
Another remarked, “Welcome to stress island. All that you’ve seen before, it’s all marketing.”
A third commented, “I just moved from Japan to Singapore, and yes, I’ve experienced the rudest change ever. It’s like a heavy environment and general rudeness in the air. I’ve met some nice people, but overall, rude answers, rude looks, and angry faces.”
Some users, however, pushed back and said their own experiences had been completely different.
One shared, “I’m a Caucasian USA guy and have been to Singapore a few times. I have always been treated very well. I found Singapore to be warm and welcoming.”
Another added, “Singaporeans don’t act like other subservient Asians whose livelihood depends on tourism. Some might find it rude or unfriendly, but I find it totally understandable; they are simply too busy with their own lives to notice you and give you special attention.”
“Once you get to know them better, though, they are the most down-to-earth, endearing kind of people. I also strongly disagree that Singaporeans are sexist. That’s probably induced from your prejudice about what Asians are like.”
In other news, a husband took to social media to share that he feels “disrespected” by his wife, as she frequently belittles him in front of her friends and family.
In a post on the r/SingaporeR forum, he said that during group conversations, his wife often shuts him down with remarks such as “what are you talking about?”, “are you sure?”, or “how can this be?”, which he feels reflects a lack of respect toward him.
