It can be safely said that one of the most important rules for anyone living in another country (or even their own for that matter) is to respect that country’s people and culture…and teach this respect to their children too.
Anton Casey, a British banker living in Singapore, seems not to have heard of this rule when he called Singaporean train commuters ‘poor and stinking’.
Anton Casey and his wife Bernice Wong who won the Miss Singapore Universe contest in 2003
Source: www.news.com.au
What exactly happened?
According to www.dailmail.co.uk, it all erupted when Anton Casey — who is married to 2003 Miss Singapore Universe winner Bernice Wong — posted a picture on Facebook of his young son sitting on a train with the caption: ‘Daddy, where is your car and who are all these poor people?’
“Daddy where is your car and who are all these poor people?”
A second photo showed his son sitting in Casey’s Porsche alongside the comment: ‘Ahhhhhhh reunited with my baby. Normal service can resume, once I have washed the stench of public transport off me.’
Casey’s arrogant comments have angered the people of Singapore
Anton Casey then went on to call a taxi driver a ‘retard’ for wearing mittens in hot weather and remarks: “After 11 years residency, I am still trying to understand these people.”
Anton Casey, who is a wealth fund manager, has received death threats and been vilified after his comments on Facebook spread across the internet.
Here are what some commentators had to say about Anton Casey:
‘Why oh why do you think you are so much better than others just because you happen to have cash . . . shame on you mate, shame!’
‘Can I sue this guy for insulting me?’
‘You are lucky that you are rich, but don’t look down on the poor because you have no ****ing idea what they have to go through.’
Casey has now issued an apology through a PR company, saying:
“I would like to extend a sincere apology to the people of Singapore. I have the highest respect and regard for Singapore and the good people of Singapore; this is my home. I wish for nothing more than to be forgiven for my poor judgment and given a second chance to rebuild the trust people have had in me as a resident of this wonderful country.”
Listen to what Anton Casey has to say here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txS6jp7t4qE&feature=youtu.be
Casey remarks that his family, including his 5-year old son, have suffered extreme emotional and verbal abuse online due to his derogatory comments.
According to reports, Casey is also facing disciplinary action from his employer Crossinvest, a Singapore-based wealth management company.
Anton Casey’s comments are certainly in poor taste and what’s worse is that he has involved his 5-year old son in the whole saga with no thought about how impressionable a child of that age is.
Taking a lesson from this incident, how do we make sure we are good role models for our children?
As parents, we want only the best for our kids throughout their lives. We nurture them in every way possible, give the the best education that we can afford and hope they do well in life when they are adults.
How do we bring our kids up to be well-rounded adults?
In Singapore, we all value a good education for our kids.
But education shouldn’t only be about our children achieving great grades in school, or going to a top university. Education is also about instilling good values in our kids, including respect for all people regardless of class, caste, gender, sexuality, race or skin colour.
So here are some tips on how to be great role models for our children and help them grow up into well-rounded adults.
- Expose your kids to different cultures from a young age. This can be achieved through something as simple as reading to them about people from other countries, trying out new and exciting recipes from other cultures, or ensuring that your circle of friends includes people from different cultures.
- If you live in a different country, teach your children about that country’s customs, culture and people. Celebrate their festivals and expose your kids to their food.
- Teach your children to respect everyone – regardless of how rich or poor they might be – and that life isn’t easy for everyone. Teach them that just because a person might not have a lot of money, it doesn’t mean that person should be looked down upon. A great way to do this is to involve your kids (when they are old enough) in appropriate charity work.
- Ensure your child is surrounded by good role models as they grow up. This could include aunties, uncles, cousins and/or good friends.
- Instill compassion in your child. Set the standard by showing your child kindness and also being kind to people you deal with. Show your kids how to be kind to animals and look after the environment. Teach your child to treat others as he would like to be treated himself.
- Teach your child that money cannot buy them happiness or love. Show your child what happiness and love truly mean through your interactions with your partner, relatives, good friends and your community.
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What values do you think are important to instill in your kids? Share them with us… please leave a comment below!