導語：10月4日，有一名新加坡華人女性在網上發布了一封信，提到種族歧視的問題，引起了廣泛的討論，我們來看看她是怎麼說的。
你體會過種族歧視嗎？相信大多數人一定和萬事通一樣雖然長期生活在新加坡這個多種族國家，但是對於種族歧視沒有什麼具體感受，就只覺得是國際新聞里，才會出現的詞語。
早前，有一名新加坡華人女性在網上發布了一封信，提到種族歧視的問題，引起了廣泛的討論，我們來看看她是怎麼說的。
種族歧視是什麼時候成為問題的?
我在新加坡的大部分時間裡，我都沒有把自己當成華人。我只是單純的一個新加坡人，跟其他種族的新加坡人是一樣的。
當我認識新的朋友時，我不會馬上想到他們的膚色、宗教或種族，而是互相友善地微笑和堅定地握手，並且彼此尊重。
在我去歐洲工作之前，我的「華人」身份從來都不是問題。但是來到了歐洲，我經常被一些奇怪的人所做的討厭的事情所騷擾。
最令我驚訝的是，回到新加坡，有一次我發現商場的銷售員對我視而不見，或者面對我的時候臉上帶著冷漠的表情，但是當我的英國丈夫進來的時候，銷售員熱情地問候他，服務簡直不能更好。
這種赤裸的種族主義讓我不安。
更讓我不安的是這不是某個種族的問題，來自不同種族的人都會對歐洲人格外熱情，無論是男性還是女性，通常他們還都很年輕。
我這一代的新加坡人接受了我們建國先父李光耀先生的願景：無論種族、語言還有宗教，我們都是一個團結的民族。這個美好的願景什麼時候被改變了？這種改變是什麼時候悄悄發生的呢？」
英文原稿
「For most of my life in Singapore, I had not thought of myself as a Chinese. I was simply a Singaporean.」
It must be nice not having your nationality doubted. Many minorities here are questioned (and always have been) when they say they are Singaporean. I was born here, as were my parents, yet I am constantly asked where I』m from, and asked for my FIN card rather than my I/C. I』d like to be considered 「simply a Singaporean」 as well, but I have to explain myself all the time. Sometimes I have to convince people that I belong here, and that’s pretty frustrating because I never had to do that in Australia and America, two countries where it seemed more likely that my identity would be questioned.
「My 「Chinese-ness」 was never an issue until I went to work in Europe, where I was often accosted by strange men making unsavoury propositions.」
I』m truly sorry that you were treated differently in Europe, and that you had to confront your 「Chinese-ness」 in such a hostile context. It sounds like this was your first experience of being a minority. See, in Singapore my 「Indian-ness」 has always been an issue! A taxi driver told me that I was lucky he picked me up because usually most drivers don』t like having Indian passengers. The bus uncle used a derogatory term for Indians on me every single day of primary school. A student that I taught in an elite Singapore institution commented that it’s a 「known fact」 that Indians are thieves. I』ve been restricted from applying for jobs writing for English publications that are bafflingly 「Mandarin-speaking only」 and I』ve seen apartment rental ads that exclude Indians. You got to return to Singapore where your 「Chinese-ness」 didn』t make you stand out because you』re part of the majority. It must be so comforting to be accepted without question in your home country.
「However, it is in Singapore that I find sales associates ignoring me or following me with glum faces, and then rushing to greet my English husband effusively when he entered the store.」
That really sucks. I hate it when sales associates ignore me in favor of people they prefer to serve. An Indian family friend who happens to understand Mandarin was in a make-up store recently when she overheard the salesgirls commenting that there was no point in serving her because Indians can』t afford high quality products. Again, this sounds like a relatively new experience for you since marrying an Englishman, but I can spend the whole day recounting such examples from my own experience – over three decades』 worth! Not to say that two wrongs make a right, but I do hope that you understand that this disturbing trend of racism is not new in Singapore just because you happened to be on the receiving end recently.
「Singaporeans of my generation embraced the vision of our founding fathers: a united people regardless of race, language or religion. When did this ideal change? How did we let it happen?」
Oh, Dr. Lee. I have no idea which generation you』re from but I can tell you that in my and my parents』 lifetimes, 「regardless of race, language or religion」 were words recited daily in a national pledge for 10 seconds during each morning school assembly and then conveniently ignored for the remainder of the day. You sound shocked and dismayed that race has become an issue in Singapore without realizing that it has always been an issue for minorities. If you』ve noticed more conversations about race lately, it’s because we have more platforms to talk about it now – social media has been very beneficial for the previously voiceless (You do know there are other outlets besides the Forum section? I remember when state-run media was the only space to air grievances in Singapore. Strangely, they never published any of my or my friends』 letters about issues like racial discrimination in the workplace or those TV screens on the public buses that only played Mandarin shows during peak hour). Unfortunately, it means that you and others who were accustomed to never having to think about race, have a lot of catching up to do.
一石激起千層浪，話題引起了網友的激烈討論，讓我們看看大家都怎麼說：
太玻璃心了吧！作為華人都感覺自己在新加坡受到了歧視，那你讓馬來族和印度族的人怎麼活？
關於種族歧視的這件事，有時候我們不能改變出身，我們可以改變自己，在黑人面前我們沒有什麼資格談論種族歧視，但是也有很多優秀的黑人依靠自己的實力讓全世界的欽佩，所以不管你是什麼人，強大自己是關鍵。
