Being in a multicultural city like Singapore, we are constantly being exposed to the different cultures of the multiethnic locals, Permanent Residents and visitors. Take for example simple hand gestures like hand kissing and holding hands. Hand kissing is a gesture that shows courtesy, politeness and respect towards an elder, and is commonly performed by the Malays. On the other hand, using Bangladeshis as an illustration, they too performed hand gestures in the form of holding hands. However, the feelings evoke from seeing these two hand gestures are total opposite. We tend to accept and respect the Malay behavior in showing their affection for their elder and this is partly due to our understanding of their culture since Malays form a part of Singaporeans. However, when it comes to the Bangladeshis, who are immigrants on working visa and tend to reside in areas away from the common residential sites, we tend to have stereotypes about them beforehand and have already cultivated a sense of displeasure for this group of people. Upon seeing two guy Bangladeshis holding hands with each other, straightaway, the first impression we have is that they are gays and immediately we have a sense of disapproval towards their behavior. If we had taken the time to understand their culture, we would not have misunderstood their actions and in fact, they are displaying brotherhood, which is a social norm in their country.

In all, in my opinion, I feel that different cultures have different social norms and it is important that we take the time to understand and appreciate each other culture, their behavior, actions and social norms, without forming stereotypes or a sense of disapproval or displeasure immediately.  Being able to do that, we would then able to better enrich ourselves with the knowledge of the various cultures in the world and also promote greater social cohesion in our country, Singapore.