#6: The Border Is A Line That Birds Cannot See
I'm back!
Hello,
I apologise for my silence. It’s been over a month since you last heard from me, mostly because I’ve been trying to think about the relevance of this newsletter in the face of a global pandemic. It is far from business as usual and most of us, I assume, are glued to news sites and social media and hooked up to a constant drip of bad news. While race is a perennially important facet of living in any society, I’m concerned about adding to the din of serious information. Race, of course, remains relevant. It will be when doctors are called to decide which patient is worth saving and their biases cloud decision making. And it’s relevant now as poor postcolonial countries watch their underdeveloped healthcare systems take hits they are unprepared for. More than ever before, this is the best time to indulge in frivolity where possible. Watch some cat videos, use the fancy soap you’ve been saving, shoot your shot (especially since you are unlikely to see the object of your affection in person for a while if you do face rejection). As always, feel free to email me if you have requests for topics of discussion or comments. I’m open to trying to write about the pandemic as it relates to race or ignoring the pandemic completely and writing about some of the topics in my drafts. Whatever seems more helpful!
The last time I wrote to you, COVID-19 didn’t have its name yet and was still very much seen as an affliction with Chinese origins. Now that it’s global, I’ve seen fewer posts about its alleged Chinese origin on Singaporean social media. The xenophobic rhetoric has shifted to include all foreigners, especially in light of border closures. As Singapore closed its borders to all short-term visitors (this includes tourists but I believe it also applies to people in “non-essential positions” who aren’t on long-term work permits, please correct me if I am mistaken) on Monday at 11:59 pm in an attempt to stymie the number of imported infections. This makes sense as a method of conserving resources. Singapore’s strategy so far is incredibly resource-intensive – every new arrival to the country is monitored during the course of their 14 day Stay Home Notice and this requires significant manpower to pull off successfully. Given that large numbers of overseas Singaporeans are returning before international flights are completely suspended, these resources are in danger of being overstretched. Singapore is far from the only country to impose immigration restrictions of this nature. In fact, I think barring foreigners and non-residents seems to be the rule rather than the exception at this point.
I’m not sure I would make a different decision if I were in charge of managing this crisis. There are limited healthcare resources and, if we have to make decisions over who gets to have access to them, it makes sense to limit it according to those who pay taxes here and contribute towards the maintenance of those resources. It is worth thinking about the effects of the logic of citizenship though. Some of us have loved ones we are unable to see, either because they cannot come here or we cannot go to them, which feels especially frightening in these times. Queer spouses are forced to be apart because the Singaporean state does not acknowledge their relationships. New citizens and immigrants have to decide if they want to ride out this period of turbulence in their new homes or with their families who may not have the right to enter the country at present. Families who have one or more member who failed to secure PR status before the crisis for any number of opaque reasons are also living in uncertain times. There are also Singaporeans who have built lives overseas that they’ve been forced to leave because of their immigration statuses there. The rules that determine who gets to belong to Singapore are manmade and always up for (re)negotiation. According to what logic do our borders operate? Are they serving our communities well?
When I said that things are not business as usual these days, I wasn’t just referring to disrupted routines. The status quo is coming apart at the seams. Many people, myself included, have lost income streams as we head into an inevitable recession. Some of us might lose loved ones. People with office jobs are discovering that a lot of their work can be done remotely. Some of the work wasn’t even necessary to begin with. The people in low wage jobs like those in F&B or essential retail are proving to be more vital to the survival of society than some very lucrative white collar professionals. As the world that we know crumbles around us, maybe the best thing we can do for ourselves is to dream. In my la la land, there are no poor and no rich countries and no reason to hoard lifesaving resources for fear of running out. States don’t discriminate between individuals based on their abilities to contribute to the economy. Now is the time to think generatively and not punitively. Instead of blaming different targets for the mess that we’re in, let’s ask ourselves: What sort of world do we want to build together when the rate of infections goes down? I certainly don’t want to return “to normal” where “normal” is an economy predicated on infinite growth and permanent exploitation.
I apologise if this is a sentiment you’ve heard many times this week. Personally, I need constant reminders to not wallow in my own despair. I hope that this reminder helps you too.
Further Reading
Here’s a list of things:
The title of this post comes from this poem
Cats play with dominoes:
And if you don’t like cats, here’s my favourite facial massage video. Remember to unclench your jaw and relax your brow!!
Finally, if you know of/are running any fundraisers for those in need, feel free to send the link to me so I can include it in the next newsletter. Talk to you all soon!