Mind Your Language

If you've travelled on the MRT in Singapore, you've definitely heard the announcer go: "Please report any suspicious people or articles on the train". I've always had an issue with that line. What does it really mean to be a "suspicious person"? Isn't that profiling in itself? You're asking people to be wary of what. Beards? Long moustaches? Tattoos? For a long time I've felt that this should be rephrased. Perhaps, it would be better for the announcer to replace "suspicious people" with "suspicious behaviour". I recently visited NYC and while taking the subway, this was the first thing I noticed: the announcer there specifically uses "suspicious behaviour". Is it possible that the US is more mindful of these things given the delicate racial/cultural balance of the society? I suspect here in Singapore, we hardly even notice these things i.e. unintentional slip.

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