Thai women on Singapore Airlines? Bring 'em on!
Strangely enough, the picture accompanying the post was that of a Singapore Chinese girl(posted here) in the role of a 'Singapore Girl'. It's quite ironic that the article questions after how the employment of Thai girls would compromise the 'Singapore Girl' identity without noticing that the accompanying picture narrows the said identity to include only the Chinese. a2ed’s response at the aforementioned site (elaborated slightly for clarity),
"Well, just give them citizenship then. That would make them a 'Singapore girl' wouldn't it.
And don't forget all you fellas, if you aren't malay, your ancestors were India and China girls. So try and 'fold time and space' in your minds and cut this xenophobic and typically confucian approach toward multicultural reality. Don't understand it, ignore it? Not good for perspectival/creative/intellectual development mate.
Oh, btw, i don't see how the above picture illustrates 'Singapore Girl'. Seems like a 'Chinese girl' to me. Given the way singapore has been constantly associated with the chinese, i have to wonder if 'Singapore Girl' tends to generally mean 'Chinese girl'. So if you want to talk about Thai girls not 'being local', then you better ask to what degree non-Chinese local girls are being represented in the media, the above picture, and how the Chinese generally keep quiet when they and what is deemed by the top to be 'their culture and language' is given preference over others. Hence, it is not surprising that the writer, Alicia Wong, or any of the commentators, did not notice this. In this we see that both the advantaged and disadvantaged are well-accustomed to their 'rightful' positions in 'multicultural' singapore.
If you think about it, a people well-trained to be bigots will tend to naturally move on to xenophobia."
...and produce articles such as the aforementioned, or neo-nazi sites such as Temasek Review, and the host of supporters they have.
Anyway, to solve this 'problem', ed suggests that the 'Singapore Girl' simply be rebranded as 'Singapore Airlines Girls' (and try to remember that they are just waitresses and there's no reason to elevate them to a status which is no different from their grounded counterparts. I dare say that the 'ah so'('old chinese lady/auntie) who serves tea at the neighbourhood coffeeshop is more representative of the spirit of an unfortunately singapore-past). Why take the whole thing so personally, it's not that you get charged less for flights because you are a 'singaporean', or get better treatment because you are a local right.
article source: Fit to post
ed
Haha. I didn't notice anything wrong with the picture also until you mention it. you're right.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you, Ed to re-brand the ‘Singapore Girl’ to ‘Singapore Airlines Girls’. What I have noticed flying with SIA is the preferential treatments given to the non-chinese passengers (especially the americans and europeans) or businessmen in shirts and ties. They have glamourised their job as waitresses and waiters on the air. You are also spot on regarding the treatment in coffeeshop. I pay less for better services from those working in the coffeeshop.
ReplyDeleteMany of my colleagues and friends from the US and Europe first thought that Singapore is a chinese country, some even thought that it is part of China. That’s the impression singapore has created, not a multi-cultural country. If SIA is recruiting Thai women, i would even suggest them to recruit women from India and the Philippines as well. The passengers could well be getting better treatment and services instead.