Pamela Lim's take on White foreign talent

[Viceroymenthol]

Read the comments too... So true, some of them!

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/liupam/posts/634203156641015

 

He pulled my sleeve and told me to boldly cross the busy street when we were Hong Kong, telling me that he is "Kwai Lo" (Hong Kong term for expat) and nobody will dare run him down. And he was right. The van screeched to a halt and we made it across the street safely. I turned to apologize to the driver but he just waddled off. I was shocked that he was so confident that he would get the same treatment in any Asian country, since he has worked in Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore. For the first time, I regretted employing him as our CFO.

 

That evening, we had dinner and I apologized that he waited for five minutes and mentioned it was bad manners. He told me he expected no manners or etiquette from Chinese, since we spit into the bowls we eat out of. Though I was angry, I just smiled politely. And that is the problem. Because we choose to be polite, people like him think we are stupid. Because we are not confrontational, we are weak. That was the last C-level Brit I have ever employed when I was running my companies.

 

At our annual meeting a few years back, our outgoing President made a remark that set everyone in the room laughing. His remark was, "Singaporeans can't write." I wasn't sure if that was a joke or a criticism. And when he said that, I looked around the room to search for some kind of reaction, since it was a room full of academics who depended on their writing to make a living. But they just laughed, as politely as I did when I was told I had no table etiquette even before I started sat at the table.

 

I think SOME (not all) people who are not familiar with our culture have clearly misunderstood us. Singaporeans and Asians in general are polite and non-confrontational people, even in the face of insults. While MOST westerners are polite and know their limits, SOME think that we agree with them simply because we do not violently disagree. I see this at the work place, in the university, and in my own companies.

 

I believe if one wants to work or live in a foreign land, he needs to learn to respect the people of the land, and not categorize people or things according to his standards. So what if our food requires us to take bones out in the middle of a meal? So what if we use our cutlery differently? So what if we dress in our smartest office wear and eat humbly with anyone in a hawker center? So what if our kids do not get to play outside? So what if our accent sounds wrong? So what if we like our coffee in a plastic bag? So what if our secretaries in the office are obliging and willing to make your coffee? So what if we write differently? So what if we have less opportunities in our education because our country was poor when we were young? So what if we like to dress simply and take our public transport?

 

If you are a foreigner in Singapore, here's a little tip: you have no right to mindlessly throw insults just because we are too polite to tell you off. You shouldn't think that you can fool us with lies, excuses and half-truths, since we can see through these, and just don't want to make you to look bad. You shouldn't measure us with your yardsticks because if we measure them against ours, you will fail badly as well.

 

If any foreigner can make an attempt to blend in, we will receive him with open arms. But if he cannot respect our people, our culture and our habits, please go home. We bear no grudges. Hopefully a better place with better opportunities awaits him.

[Windwaver]

I think SOME (not all) people who are not familiar with our culture have clearly misunderstood us. Singaporeans and Asians in general are polite and non-confrontational people, even in the face of insults. While MOST westerners are polite and know their limits, SOME think that we agree with them simply because we do not violently disagree. I see this at the work place, in the university, and in my own companies.

 

I don't smile; I will just shoot back at my Ang Mo boss when I think something is not right. People just have to be clear that everybody is equal when it comes to work.

[Thaiyotakamli]

Theres a saying in which land you stand, you should obey the rules.

 

I think these chow ang moh are educated ill-mannered and simply a faggot. I never impressed with ang moh neither i treat them like gods. To me they are simply racist and fake.

[Soya]

Maybe now the leotards will lie low for a while......

 

 

[1fast1]

I don't smile; I will just shoot back at my Ang Mo boss when I think something is not right.

Let me just play devil's advocate here. You do realise that in Asian culture "shooting back" at one's boss is career-suicide? Yet many, if not most Ang Moh bosses will tolerate it, within reason.

 

Not saying that there aren't enlightened Asian bosses who behave the same way. But even in this case, the corporate culture promoting this level of free discourse against the chain of command came from the West first. Many of the more "enlightened" Asian bosses have studied or worked in the West. Those that haven't have been slowly, subtly getting influenced by Western media.

 

Not all things "Ang Moh" are bad, and not all things "Asian" are so great.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Turboflat4

[Othello]

sad fact is - many white foreigners still has the colonialism mentality. Still thinking of white power in 19th century.

 

real life eg -> Brit bf bring Chi gf home to UK and having meal with parents. Brit burped and commented " oops, I'm chinese" And they all laughed (but not the gf lah)"

 

Its downright disrespectful. I myself has worked under 2 Caucasian bosses. The Swiss was nice but the South African was a total ass - having the typical AMTK attitude. He was surprised that I "talked back" and told me to stop it if I still want my job. Needless to say, I left shortly after

[1fast1]

sad fact is - many white foreigners still has the colonialism mentality. Still thinking of white power in 19th century.

 

real life eg -> Brit bf bring Chi gf home to UK and having meal with parents. Brit burped and commented " oops, I'm chinese" And they all laughed (but not the gf lah)"

 

Its downright disrespectful. I myself has worked under 2 Caucasian bosses. The Swiss was nice but the South African was a total ass - having the typical AMTK attitude. He was surprised that I "talked back" and told me to stop it if I still want my job. Needless to say, I left shortly after

Not to tar all S. African whites with the same brush, but they may not be the best representatives of the lot. We all know what atrocities they were up to in someone else's continent till *very* recently. Many of them still feel apartheid was "a jolly good" system.

 

*That* sort of arsewipe definitely deserves to be put in his place. I'm sorry you had to quit - was there no way to take things to the higher ups?

[TVT]

I think these chow ang moh are educated ill-mannered and simply a faggot. I never impressed with ang moh neither i treat them like gods. To me they are simply racist and fake.

 

Same as you, I was never impressed with ang moh at all. We see them in HDB shops, in public buses/trains, etc....their behaviour are not better than any of us.

 

[Darryn]

Exaclty right.

 

We see "them" everywhere, and it is very easy to demonise "them".

 

"They" are an easy target.

 

It's rather ironic, that as Pamela Lim is whacking negative sterotypes, she is also practising and advocating racism. In an article decrying racism, she is herself fully admitting and defending racism.

 

In any culture, within any national group, you will find the good and the bad, the polite and the ugly, those that want to fit in with those that think they are superior, those that make a genuine effort but fall short. Those that are willfully ignorant and those that have never had the opportunity to learn.

 

 

 

 

Same as you, I was never impressed with ang moh at all. We see them in HDB shops, in public buses/trains, etc....their behaviour are not better than any of us.

 

[Vid]

Who is Pamela Lim? I presume she is the boss since she said she employ the ang mo.

 

Would you, as an employee, criticize and joke about your boss's culture and race in front of him or her? That is epic stupidity and show how idiotic and arrogant he is! A recipe for a sacking.

 

How dimwitted can a person get?

[Throttle2]

Exaclty right.

 

We see "them" everywhere, and it is very easy to demonise "them".

 

"They" are an easy target.

 

It's rather ironic, that as Pamela Lim is whacking negative sterotypes, she is also practising and advocating racism. In an article decrying racism, she is herself fully admitting and defending racism.

 

In any culture, within any national group, you will find the good and the bad, the polite and the ugly, those that want to fit in with those that think they are superior, those that make a genuine effort but fall short. Those that are willfully ignorant and those that have never had the opportunity to learn.

 

 

 

 

Well said.

 

In chinese we say 帮理不帮亲

 

Anyway, who is Pamela Lim?

[Windwaver]

Let me just play devil's advocate here. You do realise that in Asian culture "shooting back" at one's boss is career-suicide? Yet many, if not most Ang Moh bosses will tolerate it, within reason.

 

That's true but I still do it because that is HOW our SCHOOLS teaches us to be (What's wrong with doing your best and pointing out mistakes).

 

So if the Ang Mos want to complain, go to MOE

[Viceroymenthol]

Exaclty right.

 

We see "them" everywhere, and it is very easy to demonise "them".

 

"They" are an easy target.

 

It's rather ironic, that as Pamela Lim is whacking negative sterotypes, she is also practising and advocating racism. In an article decrying racism, she is herself fully admitting and defending racism.

 

In any culture, within any national group, you will find the good and the bad, the polite and the ugly, those that want to fit in with those that think they are superior, those that make a genuine effort but fall short. Those that are willfully ignorant and those that have never had the opportunity to learn.

 

 

 

 

Huh? No leh. She took extra care to mention MOST and SOME.

 

She avoided saying ALL.

 

Prejudice clouding your reading ability again?

[Celicar]

What? I'm interested to hear in what way is she practising and advocating or fully admitting and defending racism.

It's rather ironic, that as Pamela Lim is whacking negative sterotypes, she is also practising and advocating racism. In an article decrying racism, she is herself fully admitting and defending racism.

 

[Darryn]

And she also said that she was never going to hire Brit again...

 

Apologies .....that was what I read into it....

 

her actual quote was "That was the last C-level Brit I have ever employed when I was running my companies." - to me, the very strong implication is that she no longer considers Brits when she is hiring, which to my mind is racism...

 

I also find that this ideal of "when in Rome" is very much a double edged sword - it can be good, and it can be bad, depending on how it can be used.

 

"They're not like us" was also used during apartheid South Africa to defend the practise, it was also used as an argument for segregation in America's school, you will still see it being argued today in some places as an attempted justification for eugenics

 

 

Huh? No leh. She took extra care to mention MOST and SOME.

She avoided saying ALL.

Prejudice clouding your reading ability again?

 

Edited January 26, 2014 by Darryn

[Viceroymenthol]

Well said.

 

In chinese we say 帮理不帮亲

 

Anyway, who is Pamela Lim?

I don't think Pamela advocated anything like that leh.

 

In your rush to fall over to carry Darryn's big ang moh balls, you also neglected to read properly hahaha.

And she also said that she was never going to hire Brit again...

 

Apologies .....that was what I read into it....

 

her actual quote was "That was the last C-level Brit I have ever employed when I was running my companies." - to me, the very strong implication is that she no longer considers Brits when she is hiring, which to my mind is racism...

 

I also find that this ideal of "when in Rome" is very much a double edged sword - it can be good, and it can be bad, depending on how it can be used.

 

"They're not like us" was also used during apartheid South Africa to defend the practise, it was also used as an argument for segregation in America's school, you will still see it being argued today in some places as an attempted justification for eugenics

 

 

 

Like I said... Prejudice clouding your reading ability.

[Darryn]

Please don't persecute me just because I suffer from Elephantitis

I don't think Pamela advocated anything like that leh.

In your rush to fall over to carry Darryn's big ang moh balls, you also neglected to read properly hahaha.

Like I said... Prejudice clouding your reading ability.

 

[Viceroymenthol]

Please don't persecute me just because I suffer from Elephantitis

 

You are trying to nitpick and split hairs on a water-tight article, and you are unable to. Hence all the lame points you're tying to make: accusing the writer of "trying to imply" etc etc. Wah Lau... You clutching at straws liao!

 

Hey ang moh, you are damn lame lah! LOL