sad

was on the train this morning and involuntarily witnessed a tirade of verbal abuse from a chinese singaporean to someone who was ostensibly an indian national. the foul language hurled had me cringing and i felt so very embarrassed to be singaporean. what sparked the attack is inconsequential, from where i was standing, it seemed like the abuser had been accidentally jostled amidst the morning rush hour.

strangely enough, no one said anything. the victim didn't respond and none of the bystanders reacted. it was almost surreal, that this lone bitter man was ranting in public, venting his frustration on someone who'd done nothing to deserve it.

and that's when it hit me that this is the immediate result of candidates inciting hatred and xenophobia in an attempt to garner support. it's easy to be a mouthpiece, amplifying the disgruntlement on the ground level. but if candidates are not responsible for what they say, this is the sort of potential riot they can cause. it's sad that singaporeans are so deprived that candidates sink to behaviour that would be illegal in more developed democracies.

is potty mouthing on the morning commute really something singaporeans want to be associated with? ironically, i too "don't even need to bring my passport" when i take the train, if singaporeans reflecting the same anti-foreigner sentiment make me feel "like i'm in a different country".