Bananas are very proud that they cannot speak Mandarin

'If you're Not Chinese in Singapore, You probably don't feel welcome in these places', is an article posted by banana Nicole Chia in Rice, about her experience in a Chinese or Taiwanese restaurant here. She was having dinner with her Australian Chinese friend and very likely both could not read or speak in Mandarin. And the frustrated China Chinese waitress exclaimed,

“啊，气死人!她不可以讲华语。我还以为她是华人 …“ or 'Ah, so frustrating, she could not speak Mandarin. I thought she was Chinese'.

Because of this unpleasant experience, this banana turned the whole issue into a racist rant in Rice and Yahoo News happily propagated this with many bananas and non Chinese adding in to confirm that this is racism against the minorities. Is that so?

Read the comments by the Chinese waitress again, she was likely from China and could not or barely able to speak English. And coming from China, there is this expectation that anyone looking Chinese should or could speak Chinese. They are not like the worldly wise bananas that have travelled all over the world, probably came from some small villages with not much exposure to the outside world.

But the silly bananas were offended by her expectation, wrongly or otherwise, and twisted this into a racial discrimination incident. Of course all the bananas would echo the same feeling and some minorities would be encouraged to condemn the Chinese as racist.

This is a little country where Mandarin is an official language. But many bananas could not speak Mandarin and are damn proud of it, and even prouder because they could speak English and the China Chinese could not. And even if they could speak a few words of Chinese, they deliberately speak to the China Chinese in English to ridicule them as someone inferior. 'See, they could not speak English', as if speaking a foreign language and unable to speak your own mother tongue or your own cultural tongue is something to be proud of, especially in the face of angmohs. 'Hey guys, I am Singaporean, not Chinese, and I can't speak Chinese, it is so difficult to learn Chinese, I hate the language.' And the angmohs would laugh with them, nodding their heads but telling themselves how silly these 'Chinese' are, can't even speak their own lingo. No ethnic pride. No identity, chap cheng. 

Stupidity has no cure.

Speaking a foreign language is a good acquisition but nothing to croak about. And the reason why the bananas here only speak English is because of the history of colonialism and poverty, when their forefathers had to leave their home towns to seek a living here. If their forebears would still be in China, these new kids would be happily speaking Mandarin and be very proud of being a part of one of the greatest civilisations on earth. Unfortunately without knowing history, with little knowledge, they are acting as if they have arrived and are to be respected and looked up to because they can speak English but unable to speak their mother tongue. And they are very happy to despise the China Chinese for their inability to speak English or proper English.

They did not know what is the meaning of shame and cultural pride, and ethnic identity. A Chinese is a Chinese wherever you are or however you look or whatever you call yourself. You will not look like your angmoh friends and inside they will also call you a Chinese and will wallop you because you are a Chinese and discriminate against you in their countries. 

You bananas are so lucky that you still have this little piece of rock where you are a majority. Once you become a minority in this island, you will likely see signs saying Chinese and dogs not allowed, and the Chinese would be referring to you, even if you speak English. 

With so many foreigners given citizenship, be prepared for the day when you become a minority here.