Why can't people be more sensitive?
I just got back from my colleague's farewell lunch. Things went pretty great until the end when politics was involved. I am not anti-bush but I personally think that he is not doing as great a job as he should be. Maybe he is not the right person for it.
Anyway, in order to not offend some of my colleagues, I say it doesn't matter anyway since I am not a citizen here so I can't vote and therefore no say in anything that the country decide to do. They of course know that my fiance is an American and so they say I will have to convert once I get married. They got upset when I say 'No, I am not going to' and say stuffs that I think are offensive to me. I come from Singapore and I love Singapore. I am not saying that Singapore is the perfect country with the perfect government. But I strongly feel that I am entitled to my patriotism. And my patriotism lies with Singapore. So what's wrong with that? If they are ever in the same situation that I am in, I think they will do the same thing too. I feel it is very insensitive and ignorant to pass sacarstic remarks about my country when
1. They have never even been there before.
2. They don't even know much about Singapore except for the Michael Fay canning.
Given their ignorance, I think it's very insensitive for them to get upset with me for not converting. At least I have lived in America for 21months now to have made the decision of not converting. They didn't and so I think they have no right to be sacarstic, disapproving or anything at all as a matter of fact! Well, what can I say? I am a foreigner and I am in a foreign land, so I can only hold my tongue and swallow my fustrations.
If you are an American reading this, please understand that by no means do I imply that Singapore is better than America. I just love Singapore because that is my home! That is where my family and friends are. Why can't people just understand something this simple?
Anyway, in order to not offend some of my colleagues, I say it doesn't matter anyway since I am not a citizen here so I can't vote and therefore no say in anything that the country decide to do. They of course know that my fiance is an American and so they say I will have to convert once I get married. They got upset when I say 'No, I am not going to' and say stuffs that I think are offensive to me. I come from Singapore and I love Singapore. I am not saying that Singapore is the perfect country with the perfect government. But I strongly feel that I am entitled to my patriotism. And my patriotism lies with Singapore. So what's wrong with that? If they are ever in the same situation that I am in, I think they will do the same thing too. I feel it is very insensitive and ignorant to pass sacarstic remarks about my country when
1. They have never even been there before.
2. They don't even know much about Singapore except for the Michael Fay canning.
Given their ignorance, I think it's very insensitive for them to get upset with me for not converting. At least I have lived in America for 21months now to have made the decision of not converting. They didn't and so I think they have no right to be sacarstic, disapproving or anything at all as a matter of fact! Well, what can I say? I am a foreigner and I am in a foreign land, so I can only hold my tongue and swallow my fustrations.
If you are an American reading this, please understand that by no means do I imply that Singapore is better than America. I just love Singapore because that is my home! That is where my family and friends are. Why can't people just understand something this simple?
posted by Jade at 1:37 PM
4 Comments:
I am American, and I am not offended by anything your saying and I understand.
You should remind those women how much % of the american population actually DOES vote, it's not much so they have no right to tell you that you should.
It is always delicate conversation when talking about politics or religion, you should avoid saying anything about it in group settings. Its better for one on one, and even then it gets heated. I refuse to talk to anyone who is super uber pro bush, they just go off on rants about why he was better then carry. Every side has an argument, it's all about who has enough energy to keep arguing and enough good memory to bring up the right facts.
Don't judge all americans by those people, not everyone would have tried to tell you what to do, which is always rude regardless of the topic of conversation!
Aha! One of my favorite topics of conversation: the self-centeredness of my fellow Americans. Of course, there are exceptions, but so many Americans haven't traveled much or lived abroad. So many Americans think that the US is the best thing ever and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
So my reply to those people at your workplace would be, "If you met and married someone from Singapore, and decided to live there, would you renounce your US citizenship and voting rights?" I would be very surprised if any of them would. That might give them another perspective to your situation.
Let the water roll off your back,
Love,
Karma
As a Korean-American I get the same kind of crap. I just ask people, "Who do you love more, your mother or your father?"
I love both countries equally and feel connected to them both. It normally shuts people up.
i can't help but chuckle... heh heh. well, ignorant people will make ignorant remarks. you can't blame them for their underexposure to other countries... i've had the "pleasure" of getting stuck in situations like yours too. first i was shocked at the rubbish that rolled off their tongues, then i just thought it was funny.. if they've never left the pond, how on earth would they know how big the ocean is? don't fret Jade.. for every dumb-nut out there, there's an equally smart and nice person too.
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