Why the different treatment?
Why the different treatment?
The possibility of converting an un-used school in the Serangoon Garden Estate had raised many alarms and many responses. As I read the various reports in the papers, questions begin to form within me:-
1) Why do we treat foreigners differently? Think about how we treat expatriates and normal construction or manual workers. Do we "look up" to expatriates because they are more skilled, more educated, speak better English, wiser, come from a more "upperty class" country and (most of the time) people of a "higher" class? Do we then "look down" to manual workers because they have very little education, speak little (or not-at-all) English, come from poor countries (perhaps we consider them country bumpkins?), smell yucky because they had to sweat themselves out everyday to earn a living?
2) What result in viewing these manual workers in such negative manner? Are they being "stereotyped" because of their poverty and background? Are we assuming all poor people have a tendency to steal?? What then about the rich who are tempted to misappropriate funds so that they can be richer? Funny how we don't like all the KS labels to stick with us, and how we are being stereotyped by people in other countries, yet we are doing the very same thing to foreigners in our land - people who innocently and decently seek a meal everyday by working with their own hands.
3) Has it ever occur to us what it meant for them to leave their country and carve out a living here, all because they care for their families back home and wanted to provide them with a better life? Do they deserve to demean in such manner? Instead of providing them a place where they can feel happy in the absence of family warmth, are we depriving them of such basic acceptance? I wonder how we would feel if we get posted to their country and when we have to live with their people - how would we have hope they would accept and view us?
Don't you agree that we are creatures who often contradict ourselves?? Just think about this ... whenever someone comes to know of the plight of some foreign workers squatting in quarters behind some bushes, or those who had been mistreated by their employers, we raise our concerns and say they deserve better treatment. Now that our government want to give them a decent place to stay and when it penetrate right in to threaten our comfort zone, we say, "Wait a minute, I think you ought to re-think your decision."
With whatever that is said, I do understand the concerns raised by the residents - they are not without reasons for concern. Yet again I think the basic responsibility falls onto each individual. I kind of "laugh it off" when I read about the concern that the foreign works are viewed as a potential molesters. Well, I always believe it takes two hands to clap - if our women would have the decency to dress in more modest manner, would they have invited temptations? And it's not just the foreign workers that fall prey into such temptations - any men would, if our womanfolk are not behaving decent enough.
I wonder if we should give a chance to these foreign workers to prove themselves - that they are not such a nusiance as we perceived them to be. Can we ever imagine if God segregate us based on the criteria of how we accept or reject people - you like that?? I won't.
Matthew 5:45b-48 "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Well, take what I write with a pinch of salt - it's just my views and my opinion. Just needed to express some of these thoughts in writing.
The possibility of converting an un-used school in the Serangoon Garden Estate had raised many alarms and many responses. As I read the various reports in the papers, questions begin to form within me:-
1) Why do we treat foreigners differently? Think about how we treat expatriates and normal construction or manual workers. Do we "look up" to expatriates because they are more skilled, more educated, speak better English, wiser, come from a more "upperty class" country and (most of the time) people of a "higher" class? Do we then "look down" to manual workers because they have very little education, speak little (or not-at-all) English, come from poor countries (perhaps we consider them country bumpkins?), smell yucky because they had to sweat themselves out everyday to earn a living?
2) What result in viewing these manual workers in such negative manner? Are they being "stereotyped" because of their poverty and background? Are we assuming all poor people have a tendency to steal?? What then about the rich who are tempted to misappropriate funds so that they can be richer? Funny how we don't like all the KS labels to stick with us, and how we are being stereotyped by people in other countries, yet we are doing the very same thing to foreigners in our land - people who innocently and decently seek a meal everyday by working with their own hands.
3) Has it ever occur to us what it meant for them to leave their country and carve out a living here, all because they care for their families back home and wanted to provide them with a better life? Do they deserve to demean in such manner? Instead of providing them a place where they can feel happy in the absence of family warmth, are we depriving them of such basic acceptance? I wonder how we would feel if we get posted to their country and when we have to live with their people - how would we have hope they would accept and view us?
Don't you agree that we are creatures who often contradict ourselves?? Just think about this ... whenever someone comes to know of the plight of some foreign workers squatting in quarters behind some bushes, or those who had been mistreated by their employers, we raise our concerns and say they deserve better treatment. Now that our government want to give them a decent place to stay and when it penetrate right in to threaten our comfort zone, we say, "Wait a minute, I think you ought to re-think your decision."
With whatever that is said, I do understand the concerns raised by the residents - they are not without reasons for concern. Yet again I think the basic responsibility falls onto each individual. I kind of "laugh it off" when I read about the concern that the foreign works are viewed as a potential molesters. Well, I always believe it takes two hands to clap - if our women would have the decency to dress in more modest manner, would they have invited temptations? And it's not just the foreign workers that fall prey into such temptations - any men would, if our womanfolk are not behaving decent enough.
I wonder if we should give a chance to these foreign workers to prove themselves - that they are not such a nusiance as we perceived them to be. Can we ever imagine if God segregate us based on the criteria of how we accept or reject people - you like that?? I won't.
Matthew 5:45b-48 "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Well, take what I write with a pinch of salt - it's just my views and my opinion. Just needed to express some of these thoughts in writing.
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