‘Disgusting behaviour’: Woman confronts supermarket cashier over ‘racist’ comment towards migrant worker while chatting with toddler
A woman confronted a supermarket cashier over a racist "joke” directed at a migrant worker while she was conversing with a toddler.
Fashion model Nargis Musawwir recounted the incident in a carousel post on Sept 7, with the caption. “We are supposed to be a progressed nation. We can do better!”
The post has garnered over 3,300 likes and more than 250 comments.
Woman confronts cashier over racist ‘joke’
Musawwir said she had just returned to Singapore when she encountered the exchange, which she said left her feeling emotional.
While grocery shopping at a supermarket, Musawwir said she heard a woman saying repeatedly in Mandarin: “Why is older brother so black skinned?”
“I understood very clearly what was said and walked towards the voice,” she said.
Musawwir said she soon found a cashier uttering the line to a toddler in a stroller, while referring to a migrant worker who was standing nearby.
While the migrant worker simply paid for his purchase and left, Musawwir said she was “disturbed and furious” by what she had heard and felt obligated to speak up.
She said she told the cashier that her remark was inappropriate and could be perceived as racist.
The woman then purportedly looked at her and said: “Aiya, I play play with baby.”
Speaking to Stomp, Musawwir said that the toddler was alone in the stroller at the time. She also noticed a woman rushing to pick up groceries, who she believed could have been the toddler’s parent or caregiver.
‘Disgusting behaviour’
Musawwir said in her video that she was “puzzled” by how society can be “so advanced and so progressive in so many aspects, yet be so behind” when it comes to showing respect to others.
“How can we be so ignorant as to make such a joke towards others?” she asked. “Such comments should not be said as a joke or even using ignorance as an excuse.”
Musawwir said the comment was equivalent to teaching the toddler to “judge another because they look different”, and might even shape how the child sees the world.
“Children are sponges. That is not a joke!” she said.
Musawwir also urged the public to be “respectful towards others”, pointing out that the world is larger than the place we call home.
She ended the post by describing the incident as “disgusting behaviour”.
‘Racism is learned behaviour’: Netizens
Many netizens shared similar sentiments.
One user agreed, saying that racism is “learned behaviour” and accused the cashier of teaching the child to be as “ignorant as her”. “It wasn’t a joke, so thank you for calling her out on that.”
Another said such remarks are not uncommon in Singapore, with many disguising them as jokes or compliments, describing this as “sad”.
Many commenters thanked her for calling the cashier out.
“Totally unacceptable!” another commented.
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