In the 17 months I've been in #Singapore , I've mostly been treated exactly like a native Singaporean, ie ignored or treated at par. But in the aftermath of this #hatecrime incident, an unmasked MacRitchie brisk-walk today was ... interesting https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-ministers-denounce-alleged-racist-attack-against-woman

My wife and I walk the MacRitchie Lornie boardwalk once or twice per week. Since this is a 7-8km trail that we walk in about 1.5hr, we walk it unmasked. This is us on this gorgeous trail :)

In the past, some walkers wished us a polite good morning and pass on, and most passed without remark or with a small nod of acknowledgement. Occasionally we encounter a sweet group of elder Chinese men who wish us காலை வணக்கம் (kaalaivanakkam) to which we 早上好

There were more than the usual number of friendly "good mornings" today, especially from older walkers. The folks who used to be merely friendly, were outright chatty today. It was almost like people were personally trying to make up for "the incident" . It was noticeably sweet.

But sadly, there was also ... fear. Unmasked people covered their faces with their hands when they passed us. A few stares and wide berths. On the MRT, people we sat next to (we were fully masked at this point) started adjusting their masks.

I really, really, appreciate the people being extra-sweet, but unfortunately those don't make up for the unjustified fearfulness we observed today. And yes this *is* #racist, since my white friends in SG were not feared like this when Covid numbers were high in their countries.

It also shows how a small incident like this can legitimise fear and hate if left unchecked. We have been walking this and other trails in SG almost every other day, but it's only since this incident that we've noticed this change in behavior.

So TLDR: In light of the recent #racist #hatecrime against an #indian most #singaporeans are being extra sweet, but a few are fearful and that can turn to hate. We have personally decided to just be more aware of people around us on our unmasked hikes, which will continue :)