On June 12, a video re-surfaced in the Singapore Peasant Facebook group showing a Singaporean man berating a Chinese food court worker for not speaking English to him.

Chinese netizens weigh in

On June 21, South China Morning Post (SCMP) ran an article on how the video sparked outrage in China.

The article said that it "ignited debate" in both Singapore and China, and netizens from both countries weighed in on the issue.

SCMP noted that Singaporeans were concerned with the conduct of the man, and called him out for being a bully and embarrassment.

PRC Chinese netizens, however, were more concerned with issues of ethnicity and language in Singapore.

The underlining message is that the majority of Singaporeans are ethnically Chinese and they should be speaking Mandarin.

Ethnicity and majority Chinese

SCMP highlighted the views of PRC netizens who noted that majority of Singaporeans are ethnic Chinese.

These netizens suggested that many Singaporeans are able to speak Mandarin as it is one of the official languages.

"80 per cent of Singaporeans are ethnic Chinese and speak Chinese”

“Mandarin is one of Singapore’s official languages.”

Additionally, even if they were not able to speak Chinese, they questioned the man's right to insist on the staff to use English to communicate.

"Forcing her to speak English – where does his sense of superiority come from?”

English as working language?

Singapore's population comprises of diverse ethnic groups.

SCMP highlighted that Singapore has four official languages -- English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil -- but its national language is Malay.

However, the article failed to acknowledge the crucial role of English as the working language.

Some Singaporean netizens already pointed this out in the comments section of the video posted on the "Singapore Peasant" page, saying that a grasp of English is important as a medium of communication:

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What was not reported

One detail that was not emphasised enough in the report and in the reposting of the video was that the footage is most likely from 2014.

It is also believed the man is not Chinese, and could not understand Mandarin.

Reaching a compromise

While the PRC netizens highlighted issues of language and ethnicity, what many Singaporeans took issue with was the man's intolerant behaviour.

In the comments, some emphasised that Singaporeans should always make compromises and treat others with respect:

Top photo from screengrab of SCMP article