u/One_Big_Dick

Hi all,

Looks like a post of mine caused a little stir here so thought I'd address some points from OP's response.

On colonialism: to claim that Singapore’s dating scene is a direct product of “racial hierarchies established during the colonial period” as you put it would be a bit misleading as it's too black and white. I said there may be "residual effects" from that history, an intentionally more tentative way of putting it, and one of several possible factors I raised.

It was poor wording in my original post tbf as I heavily implied it, but I never actually said I was a 6. I'd probably rate myself a 7.5/8, I take care of myself and my presentation. Just wanted that on record.

As many of the commentors on my original post did, I reckon you might've misinterpreted my theories on money and status. What I claimed was essentially "white people are often expats > expats are often wealthier > that makes them attractive". But you seem to have misconstrued that as "European countries have a lower GDP > they should not be as attractive". Pretty specious reasoning iyam. I never even mentioned what country I was from (I did imply US tbf) because it's irrelevant to the point.

With all that said, I do understand why my colonialism point can feel humiliating. British imperialism was fucked. China still feels the effects of a whole "century of humiliation" as they call it. Acknowledging possible historical residues is not the same as endorsing them and these effects aren't felt equally among Singaporeans.

Feel free to dispute any of my theories as they're only that, theories. I love a good debate in the comments.

I just finished up a three-month secondment from the US working for a startup in Singapore.

I'm gonna be open and honest with you guys, as I was with all the women I spoke to while I was there: when it came to romance, I was open to something serious, but predominantly, it was gonna be short term. I wasn’t particularly interested in moving out there long term, so I was only looking for short-term relationships and hookups.

And my God, if you’re a 6 in the US, you’re an 8 in Singapore. It's like dating on easy mode. I hooked up with more women during those three months than I had in the previous five years in the US. Shit was cash. I’ve come to a few conclusions about why this is the case:

Expat status — Expats are, on average, wealthier and have a higher social status than the average Singaporean. Girls see the colour of your skin and immediately make certain (positive) assumptions about you.

Colonialism — Related to the status point, Singapore is a former British colony, and I think there are still residual effects from that history, including a perception among some Singaporeans that white men have higher social status.

Residency — This is an interesting one. The property ownership situation in Singapore is crazy. Almost everyone, except the very wealthy, continues living with their parents or sharing with roommates until they get married, because that’s when the Singaporean government gives you subsidised access to housing. As a result, Singaporean men generally can’t bring a girl back to their own place, or vice versa. So when I mentioned to girls that I had my own place (provided by my job) they were all over it, because private space for sex is non-existent.