Assignment 1: Ideal Victim

 Assignment 1

On the first floor of Bugis Library, we were preparing for our annual Migrant Storytelling Festival as volunteers of Migrant Writers of Singapore (MWS). The vinyl flooring was smooth and squeaky clean. Rows of chairs were already arranged by the library staff, leaving an aisle in the middle for performers to walk through. 

‘Could someone help prop the books up? The rest outside, please fill up the goodie bags,’ Mary, a 32-year-old Filipino lady, called out as I first entered the function room. She was dressed in a blue polo T-shirt for volunteers and clad in tight jeans, with her temporary curls resting upon her shoulders. The clip-clopping of her heels was resonant as she paced around to ensure everything was in order. This was Mary during the weekends: the leader of MWS, with over 20 volunteers under her helm -- a stark contrast with the baggy T-shirt and shorts most domestic helpers sport during work hours. 

Outside the room, some volunteers were frantic. “Where are the rest of the books for the goodie bags?” We had only 20 minutes till the start of the event, but the volunteers who were supposed to bring the books were nowhere to be found. 

Still, the event carried on without a hitch. Tears were shed as audience members sympathised with the heartfelt stories of migration and resilience told by the migrants. A rousing applause sounded, thus concluding the event. 

The migrant group then herded out of the library, with some chairs in disarray and biscuit crumbs on the floor from the tea break they had. Some had tried to salvage the mess, while others gathered to take selfies, simply turning a blind eye.

‘It’s really unexpected that they are so vocal and have good leadership qualities!” Susan, a student volunteer, remarked at an informal lunch some days later. Having volunteered with them for almost 7 years now, I explained that most are university graduates and indeed have immense potential. 

“I’m not sure if I should be saying this…,” Susan’s eyes suddenly averted my gaze as she continued, “but if I were a minority and from an underprivileged group, I would try to come earlier for sessions. Sometimes they don’t clean up after themselves, and they even like to gather for a drink.” 

She paused, then said quietly, “Makes me think if they really need help.”

While dumbfounded by Susan’s reflections, I realised that many volunteers do come in with preconceived notions of how a minority or disadvantaged individual should look like or behave. Like Susan, some assume that they should be a model individual -- hardworking, docile, unassuming -- faultless, except for the challenges afforded to them by their demographic. Recently, Amber Heard was found guilty of defamation as she wrote about her husband, Johnny Depp, perpetuating domestic violence. Despite evidence proving 12 counts of violence, Amber still lost the trial due to her imperfect memory and past lies (Docktermann, 2022). Such unrealistic expectations have very real consequences and inevitably affects whether or not these individuals can access help, whether official or not. This brings us to the question, what factors influence our judgment of whether an individual is deserving of help? 

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