June 23, 2015 edition
Dewi Anggraeni*
I see manifestations of racist sentiment regularly. No, I don't mean the vulgar 'Go back to where you come from' or the 'You speak very good English. Where did you learn it?' types. I mean the kind of racist sentiment stirred by the resentment of having to involuntarily change the way one has lived for decades, and not knowing how extensive the change was going to be. In places where there has been a large mix of races seen for a long time, the original local residents are much more blas. Maybe they see that the development has not caused them too much inconvenience, let alone grief. And more importantly, they are involved in the change itself, so they know at least roughly what direction it is taking.
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More Column articles in other editions
May 19, 2015 edition
Dewi Anggraeni
We are living in an era where many professionals cross national borders in search of better jobs. However it does not mean that it's easy to do, nor is it necessarily smooth-sailing once we land the desired jobs. Usually the onus is on the job seekers to be well prepared to adjust and readjust their own expectations to match their employers' once they are employed. And the lower they move down the social rung, the murkier the whole process becomes.
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April 28, 2015 edition