SINGAPORE: A video from a travel vlogger has recently been making waves in Singapore, in large part because he called the city-state a “societal miracle” that felt “almost dystopian to the Western eye.”

Buttsy, whose real name and nationality are unknown, but who speaks with a pronounced Australian accent, posted a video on Sep 17 of himself walking around Singapore on social media.

He enumerated the things that differentiate the city-state from other countries, claiming that Singapore has no main culture.

“Singapore does not have its own culture in the way most nations do. Their culture is, simply, multiculturalism through and through. It’s not a political mask that gets put on; it’s the core reality that built it,” he said.

What is even more astonishing for him is how Singapore is multi-religious. He highlighted how there are churches and mosques not far from each other, as well as a Jewish community. But beyond that, it is the absence of religious tension that stood out for him, as Buttsy noted this is not the case with many first-world countries.

“Everyone just walks on by, and Singaporeans aren’t even aware of religious tension,” he remarked.

However, what makes the whole situation so strange for him is that Singapore is “an English-speaking nation with no English people.”

He described the city-state as the most multicultural city where English is spoken but “there are no Westerners there.”

Buttsy ended his video by saying,“Now, I hope you understand why this place feels so strange and why it’s such a miracle they’ve made it such an abundant and safe country, given the circumstances.”

Though many commenters agreed with the content creator, others endeavoured to set him straight, saying that his video had presented Singapore rather simplistically and not very realistically.

“Singaporeans are not even aware of religious tensions?? That’s not correct. We are very much aware and knowing the consequences of such tensions; thus, we will not tolerate anyone who tries to break the harmony (takes decades of education) here,” one wrote.

“I appreciate your video, but it’s full of some sweeping generalisations and overly simplistic reductions that might be misleading for people who are unfamiliar with Singapore,” commented another, adding, “What do you mean no westerners here? We have large amounts of foreign talent from all over the world, including ‘westerners’. English was strategically taught in education as the language of business, so that Singapore would be a viable place for investment, commerce, trade, etc.”

Another wrote, “’Dystopian’ is a little dramatic. What’s with the eerie treatment?”

A Facebook user who believed in giving credit where credit is due commented: “One person made this all in Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.” /TISG

Read also: Opening of multi-religious temple in May will enhance Singapore’s diversity