From more casual racism to a porridge fight and a typical day in Yishun, here’s what made us go WTF last week.
Racing away
Just as we were about to celebrate a month without any major incidents related to race, our news feeds exploded with Shrey Bhargava’s tale of his audition for Ah Boys to Men 4. We were shocked—why are they making a fourth Ah Boys to Men movie? But seriously, Bhargava’s story is one that’s all too familiar; one of minorities being reduced to caricatures of themselves. After reading for a role with his own Singaporean accent, he was allegedly asked by the casting directors to reread his lines as a “full blown Indian man”. He did, but felt disgusted by the incident and took to social media to express his frustrations. The divisive debate over his post escalated quickly, with valid points and disconcerting comments being thrown about by both sides in equal measure. The venom in some exchanges makes it clear that a civilized conversation is necessary to bridge a growing divide, but hey, Singapore’s angriest mannequin thinks he’s just being “hypersensitive and uptight”. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
Into fin air
Singapore isn’t always the most progressive country on the planet (ahem, understatement), but there are certain things we tend to assume we’re pretty good at. While eating endangered species might be a popular pastime elsewhere, we like to take pride in our move towards more responsible dining—we’re “Finished with Fins” after all. Well, maybe not. According to a new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature and international wildlife trade watchdog Traffic, Singapore ranks third in the world for the import and export of shark fins. From 2005 to 2013, Singapore imported 14,134 tonnes of fins while exporting 11,535 tonnes. That adds up to a lot of dead sharks. To be fair, the anti-fin campaign has only gained pace in Singapore in more recent years, so the numbers may not reflect the current state of affairs. Still, a wake-up call.
Food fight!
Meals at 3:44am are never classy, but if your worst late-night food story stops at spilling curry on yourself, congratulations! You’re much better off than the four customers who brought drunken carnage to Heng Long Teochew Porridge on Upper Serangoon Road. Apparently irate that their bill amounted to a princely sum of $28, the three men and one woman trashed the eatery, breaking the marble top of a table and shattering glass around the serving area with wooden chairs. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the restaurant resumed normal operations later that day. Even more fortunately, the incident gave The Straits Times an opportunity to continue their run of pun-tastic Facebook posts.
Wedded diss
Singapore has taken big steps in improving its treatment of single and unwed mothers, but it appears that unmarried parents will still face inequality in some areas for the foreseeable future. Following a story in The Straits Times about an unwed mother who hoped to gain certain benefits by legally adopting her biological child, the Ministry of Social and Family Development wrote a letter to the daily to establish the realities of the situation. While all Singaporean children will receive a number of benefits, the Baby Bonus scheme and housing benefits will only apply to children born to married couples. “The benefits will not be extended even if an unwed mother adopts her own child, as they are meant to encourage parenthood within marriage,” read the statement. How’s that fertility rate looking, guys?
Meanwhile in Yishun…
Alright, we know the Yishun joke is getting old, but it is truly a neighborhood that keeps on giving when it comes to bewildering and unnerving headlines. Last week, it was a double-decker bus crashing into a bus stop with the roof of the structure breaking through the upper deck windshield. Scary stuff, but all passengers escaped unharmed.
