‘Want an Ang Mo Boyfriend?’
"Want an Ang Mo Boyfriend?" -- that’s exactly how one Facebook ad reads.
Spotted by a Yahoo! reader who saw the sponsored beside her Facebook news feed one day, the ad copy goes on to say, “Still feeling lonely? Find that special white guy you can hang out with”.
Offensive or hilariously funny? I mean, "special white guy" -- seriously?
In case you didn’t know, the term “ang moh” refers to Caucasian or white folk (indeed, the creator of this ad may not even have known the correct spelling of this oft-used phrase).
The ad belongs to be2.sg, the Singapore branch of an internationally-established dating site known as Be2.
With versions available in 36 different countries, the German-founded company has been up and running since April 2004. It boasts a worldwide enrollment of more than 26 million members, with women forming slightly more than half of them.
Not surprisingly, many people Yahoo! Singapore spoke to found the ad insulting.
“If that doesn’t scream SLEAZE, I don’t know what will,” said Facebook user Huixian Lu.
Other female users dismissed the ad as being targeted at Sarong Party Girls (SPGs).
“The title (of the ad) is enough to turn me off,” added Facebook user Jason Zhu, while another user, Emeritus Niki Cacique, called it “distasteful”.Other readers commented that the ad was degrading to both men and women, noting that the focus on Caucasian men was particularly offensive.
Others were also disgusted by the ad, saying it fell below “standard” for its phrasing.
“Says a lot about the person who responds favourably to this,” added user Xinyi Lin.
Facebook user Syed Sharil N Jumiah was a little more sceptical and said, “Most girls say they are disgusted but in truth, most girls I know fall head over boobs for an Ang Moh (when they are introduced).”
He expressed his annoyance that Singaporean men have to work twice as hard as Caucasians when courting Singaporean girls, whom he says “can’t resist the white meat”.
Fellow reader Celine Lee agreed with Syed, adding, “The politically correct thing is to ‘feel disgusted’, but I think most local girls will feel rather flattered if an ang moh man courts her.”
User Kai Yuan countered Syed’s comment, however, observing that the group of negative commenters consisted of local men.
“It’s either you have it, or you don’t. Stop being jealous,” he wrote.
