Once a city with a reputation as “the friendliest city in the world,” Singapore is now regularly referred to as the “rudest place in Asia” by an international tourist.
This shocking new label is all due to one post made on Reddit.
On February 15th, the woman, a European, wrote a post on the SingaporeTravel subreddit to express her opinion that Singapore is by far the most rude country she has visited in Asia while also explaining how much more courteous the people of China, Japan, and Malaysia were to her during her travels there.
She went on to clearly state in her post that she is not a high-maintenance traveler and has always abided by the rules of the countries she has traveled to. She explained in more detail that she doesn’t expect special treatment from the people or businesses located in Singapore and that she has never received the level of service that she has become accustomed to in past trips.
Nonetheless, she reported that many of the staff members she met were not only unfriendly but also exhibited behavior associated with sexism. Furthermore she stated that there are certain situations where locals treat individuals differently because of their gender or ethnicity. Even though she stated she met some friendly individuals, she was concerned that the number of bad experiences—especially from staff members—was too frequent to go unreported.
That’s when the internet delivered on its promise.
As soon as the poster went online, a flood of negative comments and response began to emerge in rapid succession. A significant number of individuals offered their support to the city of Singaporeians and provided details about their own experiences to prove that Singaporeians do not treat people differently based upon gender or ethnicity.
One of the comments came from a male American who had been to Singapore numerous times. He stated that he was always treated well by the Singaporeians. He described the city as being very friendly and welcoming, a far cry from what the original post detailed.
In addition to making the case that the poster’s comments may not be valid, others also expressed an entirely different view of the Singaporeian people. A number of individuals suggested that what the poster interpreted as rudeness may simply be the result of efficiency and quick service. In Singapore, for instance, people appear to be much more focused on moving quickly through their service activities. With the result being that interactions are completed quickly and without much communication, it can be cold to the observer; however, for Singaporeians it is merely how things are done.
A final point offered by another individual explained that the majority of the workers in Singapore are constantly busy trying to ensure that they are on time with their own schedules. Not giving any added attention shows no direct indication of being hostile.
Singapore is one of the most secure places globally on a consistent basis. That being said, crime levels are very low and public interactions are heavily regulated. However, “safe and effective” does not mean “friendly or approachable” and cultural norms dictate how polite one will be viewed.
There often comes the potential for a breakdown of communication between individuals when those two concepts are defined differently.
What began as a single viral post about the alleged rudeness of Singapore has turned into a debate regarding different perceptions of the meaning of courtesy based on those cultures.
Was the individual whom produced the viral post simply unlucky? That is possible.
Could the incident be an example of an individual misinterpreting the culture in which they visited? That, too, is possible.
Is Singapore the absolute rudest place in Asia? Your answer will differ based on your definition.
One thing is for certain – the experience of an individual does not erase the experiences of the other millions of people who have encountered Singapore.
A single post on social media will cause an individual to comment about their personal perceptions; however, a single post on a social media platform cannot change the reputation of an entire country overnight.
Perhaps the most important conclusion isn’t that Singapore is such an unfriendly place. It may be more about expectation. When traveling, our expectations travel with us in the form of our cultural lens and at times it is not that the place is unfriendly; it’s just that it’s different.
