I learnt a new word today.

 

There is a group of Singaporeans/ Malaysians, who are organizing a 'party' at a clubhouse here.

 

One woman friend, who grew up in Sgp and married to a non-white American, commented that is an 'Ang Moh' group. I believe she meant that this group belongs to a different social class; makes up of many white-asian couples, speaks limited mandrain or Hokkien, or are overly 'white' in thinking or mannerism.

 

A business acquintance of my father assumed I was married to an American white, when he told her I had moved to US. She was like, "why she married ah moh?"

 

I also know that many people have negative perceptions of the 'sarong party girls' who loved to go pubbing, and seemed to 'prey' or liked to be "preyed upon" by foreigners, particularly the white ones.

 

In addition, one can see how the Sgp government seems to treat foreign talent more lucratively, at the expense of the local populace. I recently read Sgp news reporting taxi drivers treated the 'Ang Moh tourists" differently too: they preferred to pick them up and charge them a huge sum.

 

One Singaporean relative set up a blog site, but listed her location as 'United Kingdom' instead of good old 'Singapore'. I wonder if it is a shame to tell the world one is living in city-state Sgp.

 

I think all these stem from the fact that Singapore used to be a British colony. Our forefathers started their immigrant life with low-end jobs. Eventually, Britain failed to defend Sgp during the Japanese occupation. Nevertheless, widespread perception that 'Ang Moh' are more superior than Asians grew and traveled from generations to generations. In addition, Western culture is prevalent worldwide and permeates almost every household- in the form of Hollywood movies, music, fashion (including bridal fashion), religion, and 'Uncle Sam'.

 

Human by nature is not contented...they get jealous sometimes. Some get more jealous than others. This may snowball, leading to the Pinkerton Syndrome. The Ang Moh are perceived to be more superior. That makes the Asians more inferior, thereby causing a vicious cycle of cultural tension.

 

The Pinkerton Syndrome is a derogatory Singaporean term describing the tendency of some local Asians who tend to consider Caucasians superior, usually having a bias towards favouring Caucasians over locals. Even when some of such Asians moved to a Western country and married locals there, the 'racial' issue still stands up like a sore thumb. Married to a white American, or moving to a predominantly white neighborhood is deemed a higher class- that seems to elevate one's social status. When one is excluded from such 'privilege', he or she may feel a certain sense of alienation and discrimination.

 

I am not saying that an 'Ang Moh group' suffers from Pinkerton Syndrome. I am saying the social connotations attached to such a group may stem from the Pinkerton Syndrome.

 

Isn't sociology interesting?