‘Diversity Friendly’ Condo Listing Gets Flak For No Indian Criterion
In recent years, instances of racism and discrimination have continued to surface in Singapore. 2022 seems to be no different as Redditor u/jammy77 discovered from a condo listing they had come across.
The listing, for a 2-bedroom condo at The Lakefront Residences, had a “diversity-friendly” tag.
Ironically, however, the description stated “No Indian” as one of the criteria.
The confusing descriptors got many Redditors thinking, as they discussed whether such requirements in rental listings are fair.
“No Indian” criterion disappears from Lakefront condo listing
Redditor u/jammy77 had chanced upon the condo listing and was struck by the irony displayed.
Though it claims to be “diversity-friendly”, the Redditor noticed that the listing also had a “No Indian” requirement in its description.
Perhaps unsettled by the contradiction, u/jammy77 allegedly reached out to 99.co regarding the matter.
They claimed that the site then instructed the agent to remove the “diversity-friendly” tag, which another Redditor noticed is now missing from the listing.
True enough, a check on the original listing shows that both the tag and the “No Indian” criterion are no longer up.
MS News has reached out to 99.co for comments. We’ll update this article once they get back.
Mixed responses in comment section
The Reddit post drew mixed reactions from users, some of whom tried to rationalise the racial preference in the original listing.
One user explained that it comes more from a revenue perspective, as landlords pick tenants based on past experiences and stereotypes to avoid incurring additional charges.
This comment received 4 ‘Helpful’ awards, presumably from people who agreed with them.
Others criticised fellow Redditors for justifying racial discrimination, which they felt strongly about. Rather than judging a possibly unpleasant tenant purely for their race, this user urges landlords and agents to get to know candidates better first.
Another mentioned that they would rather landlords be straightforward and transparent about their expectations. Since they have a racial preference, they should not put misleading tags like “diversity-friendly”.
No excuse for racism
Growing up in Singapore, we are constantly taught that we live harmoniously in a multi-ethnic society.
However, instances of discrimination like this remind us that we still have a long way to go.
We hope that Singaporeans will take time to reflect on and actively correct any prejudices they might subconsciously hold. Only then can we stop imposing harmful stereotypes onto others and live peacefully with each other.
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Featured image adapted from 99.co and Reddit.
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