In the very small bubble that I grew up in - upper middle class, Chinese, Protestant Christian, 'elite school', country club etc - I had little to no interactions with minorities in my social circles.
Even in the church I grew up in, which was a conservative Bible Presbyterian church, I struggle to remember even one Indian person.
One of my mum's best friends is Indian, but that was really about it.
I probably interacted with other nationalities more than anything.
My point is that privileged Sg Chinese (Christian) social circles operate in silos and are incredibly insular.
There is so much misinformation and prejudiced bullshit shared in these circles and passed around, reinforcing stereotypes under the guise of 'the truth of the matter'
E.g.
'Indian husbands are alcoholics and beat their wives.'
'Malays are lazy. They just need to apply themselves'
'Why do they keep reproducing when they can't afford it?'
And then they justify this nonsense by saying we need to 'reach out' and pray for them.
Because, clearly. (The Christian) God is the answer and there are no alcoholic, abusive, lazy misogynists in the church.
😏
But I digress.
I literally had NO Malay friends until I came back from uni and worked in hospitality in Sg.
Those friends changed my life and showed me a side to Singapore that I was 'protected' from for YEARS.
I am so thankful that they educated my privileged ass. I'm still learning.
Ignorance is a choice. Period.
Especially if you're a grown ass adult.
Open your eyes and see beyond what's right in front of you.
Part of the reason for this is that I went to a convent pri school, an all-girls Chinese SAP school, which while non-religious affiliated was VERY Chinese...
And then a Christian junior college.
These silos were created intentionally and are BUILT into our schooling system.
Am leaving this here because she says it better than I ever could: