SINGAPORE: What began as an ordinary walk through a neighbourhood mall quickly turned awkward for one local after an “entitled mainland tourist got upset at him for not speaking Chinese.”
Sharing the incident on the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit on Sunday (Jan 11), the man said the episode took place at Northpoint City.
According to his post, he was strolling through the area when he was suddenly approached by a middle-aged woman whom he immediately identified as a tourist based on her attire.
“The lady was wearing the most tourist-looking outfit,” he wrote. “She asked me something in Chinese, which I couldn’t understand.”
He said he then informed her that he was not Chinese and politely asked if she could speak in English instead.
However, rather than responding calmly, the woman reportedly frowned, gave him “the most obvious eye roll, and said something in a harsh tone.”
Taken aback by her reaction, the man said he responded by pointing out that not everyone in Singapore speaks Chinese. At that point, the woman reportedly walked away without another word.
Reflecting on the encounter, the man expressed confusion over why the tourist became upset after he had clearly explained that he did not understand the language.
“I don’t understand why she felt the need to get upset that I couldn’t understand her language when I told her I wasn’t Chinese,” he wrote. “Do they realise that Singapore is not a Chinese country, and that Mandarin is not our national language, but Malay?”
“Don’t let them ever gaslight us into thinking we ever need to know Mandarin.”
The post drew plenty of reactions, with many netizens saying they had faced similar situations themselves.
One commenter, who identified as Chinese, said: “I hate these kinds of tiongs. Almost always, they will just approach you and start asking/demanding.”
“Not even a ‘hello’ or ‘excuse me.’ Bloody rude. And even though I understand, I NEVER reply to them in Mandarin. Stand your ground, people. Don’t let them ever gaslight us into thinking we ever need to know Mandarin.”
Another shared their experience working in retail, saying they are often judged for “not being able to speak fluent Chinese despite being Chinese.”
They said, “I get looked down on…but nothing bothers me anymore; I don’t even try, I just converse with them in English.”
“The irony was when I once went to China and spoke broken Chinese, I was applauded because they think Singaporeans don’t speak Chinese.”
A third remarked, “Bro, that’s why I really dislike PRC, they seem to have a policy that claim all Chinese descendants belong to them, wtf.”
Not everyone, however, sided with the post author.
One explained, “Mandarin is one of the official languages of Singapore. Malay being the so-called ‘national language’ is largely symbolic.”
“If I have to guess, the Chinese auntie was not being upset at you for not being able to speak Chinese but more likely frustrated for not being able to communicate, therefore not getting the help she needed. Try to be kind, as we all need the kindness of strangers at some point in our lives.”
In other news, a young woman has found herself stuck in a painful dilemma after discovering that her boyfriend’s mother strongly disapproves of her because “she’s poor and doesn’t go to a Big 3 university.”
Taking to the r/SGexams subreddit to seek advice, the woman shared that while her boyfriend comes from a well-to-do family and attended “elite name-brand” schools, her own upbringing was the complete opposite.
