Application Question 2 - Does discrimination arising from stereotypes exist in Singapore?

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important." This can be rather true for how affirmative action against discrimination has worked in Singapore. It can be attributed to legislation that Singapore that discriminatory actions has been eliminated but, do note, only to a certain extent. As of how article 2 tells us that discrimination can occur unconsciously, discrimination arising from stereotypes does exist in Singapore, although unintentionally.

In the passage, Ms Wang brings out the idea of "situational racism" whereby "people discriminate based more on the situation rather than innate character". This seems to describe the situation that we have in Singapore. Most of the time, we choose to believe that we are trying to protect our beliefs but actually, we are acting on unconscious biasness. Since as early as the 1970s, Singapore has proclaimed itself to be racially harmonious. In that case, why is it that in 2005, there were still complaints from Indians and Malay job seekers about being discriminated by employers who ask if they are proficient in Chinese, not if they can do the job? This is an example of situation racism - Employers are making it seemed like they are looking for people who are proficient in Chinese but in truth, they are just seeking for Chinese employees. Hence, discrimination arising from stereotypes exist in Singapore in the façade of egalitarian values and requirements.

Unfortunately, such cases of discrimination arising from stereotypes are hard to tackle due to the existence of "self-fulfilling stereotypes". People choose to stick to the status quo because "they want to believe the world is stable and predictable" as mentioned by the passage. By behaving what they are perceived to be, they actually find it easier to make decisions. For example, when it comes to picking representatives for a sports competition, a typical class in Singapore would instinctively fill up the names of the guys first as guys are perceived to be stronger and more fit. Meanwhile, the girls in the class would choose to take the backseat because they fear that challenging the status quo would mean disgrace and blame if they are unable to meet the standards they had tried to set for themselves.

In conclusion, discrimination arising from stereotypes exists in Singapore and from the likes of it, neither would it seem easy to be tackled.