Singapore 'poor', 'less developed' and 'very dangerous': Online comment riles internet

Singapore is a lot of things.

Small, check. Green, check. Hot and wet, usually. Kiasu, definitely.

But words such as "poor", "less developed" and "very dangerous" cannot be further from the truth, regardless of how wholeheartedly you believe in them.

An answer to a question on Quora from May 2018 has been dug up by cyber sleuths for its baffling negligence of facts.

The question posed: "Where can I get a piercing in Singapore without a parent's consent needed? I'm under 16."

And the response that caught many people's attention came via a Soxna Dice, who seems to be American.

Here's mrbrown's repost of it:

[embed]https://twitter.com/mrbrown/status/1149481400732540929[/embed]

We know you're stunned - we'll let mrbrown's caption do the talking.

"You've got to be kidding me. Soxna, have you even BEEN to Singapore? Poor country? And do you know how high our standards are?"

Dice also implied that a "less-developed" country like Singapore doesn't enforce government rules. 

Really? We even made a movie called Just Follow Law!

She went on and alleged that piercings in such countries carry a higher risk of AIDS and hepatitis.

What triggered readers even more was Dice's 'expertise', which is sometimes appended on such question-and-answer websites to give the response authority.

She is designated a "former government regulatory and environmental attorney".

Which means if Dice is a real person, she should be rather qualified in governance, regulation and law.

A check on LinkedIn showed she is from Maine and worked for a few months in Africa for a non-governmental organisation.

Some commenters wondered whether Dice was referring to the small South African settlement also named Singapore, but others pointed out that she clearly used the word "country".

Here are some funnier replies to mrbrown:

[embed]https://twitter.com/calvinosq/status/1149486126744256512[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/g33k5p34k/status/1149488633168031744[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/Taurevanime/status/1149535989674627076[/embed]

A livelier thread on reddit saw (presumably) Singaporean users take digs at the author and the US.

"What I learnt from this post was that it is very dangerous to get an education in the US. You can end up an attorney working in government regulatory bodies without knowing the difference between a third world country and arguably one of the top healthcare systems in the world," wrote PartTimeBomoh.

Center60 referenced the costs in Dice's homeland, "They have great healthcare! They just can't afford it."

One netizen observed that Singapore is above the US in gross domestic product (purchasing power parity) per capita, which is a loose indicator of wealth.

Americans have also jumped in to corroborate the view.

"I'm an American in the middle of America surrounded by Americans and have travelled to Singapore. I can confirm this is true. Most people have no idea where Singapore is," wrote AMcNair.

Another added, "As an American who lived in Singapore, all I got when I came home were questions about how many ladyboy prostitutes I'd slept with from friends and family. I've never been more disappointed in my countrymen."

tanthiampeng@asiaone.com