Subconscious xenophobia

A letter from a youth implied some unhappiness with the presence of foreign students in his school. I do not attempt to understand the logic behind his arguments.

He feels that having them in our schools places we local students at a disadvantage. I beg to differ. I feel that their studious attitude and their unwavering determination; quest for learning actually drives us to be on par with them, if not better. They are a motivating force, if we but see.

He points out their age as a factor when it comes to the threat they pose to us. Being older does not mean being smarter. The fact that they are put in the same standard as we are, despite being older, means they are unable to cope with the actual standard their age equates to. His assumption that they have studied the syllabus of the standard they are in, just because they are older, is definitely groundless. Admitting the foreigners to their actual standards just to ensure equality for we local students seems rather self-centred, I feel. The fact is that they will not be able to cope with their real standards as a result.

Also, their age may make them more mature but it does not relate to their academic abilities as a result. I believe it is their character and background that cause them to be studious. They know that their families have paid a huge sum of money for them to study here and so they study hard as a form of repayment. Also, their lives back in their countries may not as smooth as ours are in our country. Their attitude is a result of having survived a harsher reality.

It may seem as if I doubt the abilities of foreign students but I really am not. After all, I have tutored them. I admire them for their attitudes and I know our local students can learn from them in this area. It sure beats lamenting their presence and feeling unfair as a result. Why not also try to understand where they are coming from instead of judging them for the benefit of self?

This state of mind is also present in older Singaporeans towards Filipino maids. The latter has been in the news for blocking the pavement in front of Ion. Upon reading the article, this perception floods my mind.

The management of Lucky Plaza chased the latter off the place because it felt that they were overcrowding the place and thus being a safety hazard. Somehow I feel this reason is not good enough. They had to scout around for other places to gather at. Poor them. I abhor Kelly Chen's remark about the fact that they "downgrade the image of Ion." Ion may look exclusive with its branded shopping outlets but its management still allows locals dressed in sloppy attire to walk on its grounds. These locals also "downgrade the image of Ion", right?

I am definitely on the side of Janice Goh who cited Hongkong's similar phenomenon as evidence for her view. She even used the word "discriminate" in her statement. Way to go, girl! Also, Eileen's view is very objective. She mentioned that as long as they don't litter or block the way, they pose no problem since it's only once a week. This is the best perspective of all.