Says my 8 year old cousin, eyes rolling up to the ceiling and with the most arrogant expression on his face that an eight-year-old can come up with. Is he talking to the maid, I wonder. I think his parents overheard him and now I'll have to watch him get killed.
Yes, his parents heard. They just sat there. The maid got him some water.
Later I asked his mother - how often does your maid get a day off? She doesn't, she replied. For the first six months you didn't give her a day off? No, there is no day off. Her contract does not provide for one. Anyway, even if I gave her a day off, where would she go?
I looked at this young woman, working her butt off on a Sunday looking after 3 extremely unruly kids (they're great, but there's no denying it) and I realised she must be the loneliest person on the planet. Maybe her contract will actually last the full 2 years (a personal record for my aunt) but she'll have no contact with her family or any friends during that time, unless she manages to strike up a conversation through the kitchen window with someone who cares.
I don't think I can fully understand how she feels, but I wonder how she can put up with so much shit. Watching her try to feed 3 running, playing, fighting children last night, all of whom treat her like a servant. I thought, wow she must really need that cash.
Well, at least she's not their pet lobster.
After several attempts at keeping goldfish, fighting fish and other small pets with sky high mortality rates, my auntie got it into her head to get them a small pet lobster. And they have to help her look after it, like change the water and feed it and stuff. Anyway, when I last saw that lobster, it was missing an eye, one pincer and maybe 2 spindley little legs. I think they took their duties too seriously and tried to bathe it.
*sigh* always sad when i read stuff about maids.
ReplyDeletei have a maid. we have NO contract with her.. but we do give her a day off.. or any time of if she asks, like going to send money back home or going to the temple.
it frustrates me lots when i hear of ill treatment.
on a separate matter, kids, like dogs, instintively know the hierachy in the family. caught my daughter raising her voice at our maid one day and with my best "BIG VOICE" told her off... it's the parents' responsibility to teach children how to respect others... maid or no maid.
It's true, plus this stuff does not actually qualify as "abuse".
ReplyDeleteIt is an extremely unpleasant echo of the parent, I think. My cousin sounds exactly like one of his parents when he talks to the maid. Even the Singlish inflection is indistinguishable.
I'd have a lot more to say if I wasn't related to them, simply because I'd be able to see it objectively and just say what I like. And yet they are my blood relatives and I know their nice side as well as this 'dark' side. It's this little reminder of human nature that I find so disturbing.
an excellent example of what not to do, in so many angles.
ReplyDeletei know they're still your relatives and i'm sure you love them but it seems to me that these kids may grow up with no respect for life in general. maids, humans, or aquatic lifeforms.
you know, I think alot of children don't realise that they have to treat every person with dignity and respect, regardless of the jobs they do, because they mimic how their parents behave.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the pet lobster, at least they didn't try to give the lobster a hot bath. Like Homer Simpson. He later ate the lobster while crying for its loss.
*wince*
ReplyDeletewince is for all of it, but maybe particularly for the poor pets. i really do think there is a special circle in hell (or whatever passes for same nowadays) for animal abusers.
it's funny what human beings are capable of, both the best and the worst. reminds me of that psych experiment where they put one bunch of volunteers in police uniforms and another bunch in prison uniforms and stuck 'em all in a fake jail. talk about instant police brutality - within a short while most of the "police" volunteers were acting just like they thought a jailer would act - the worst possible kind of abu ghraib type jailer, that is.
funny what happens when we're given free rein. seems like most human beings don't have enough self-control or conscience built-in to guide them in such situations.
(and let's not talk about religion. far from being a helpful ethical guide, it seems like it's being used as a great excuse for the worst excesses of human behavior, especially nowadays!!!)
[/end rant]
Funny to hear about the lobster. Not so funny about the maid. Then again, I think PETA would say otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI've only stopped by here once or twice before and never quite realized how extraordinarily entertaining you are. Would much offense be taken if I linked to you, MrsMachine?
ray ban pas cher, kate spade handbags, nike roshe, vans pas cher, lacoste pas cher, nike roshe run, abercrombie and fitch, true religion jeans, timberland, nike air max, coach factory outlet, true religion outlet, burberry, michael kors, coach purses, vanessa bruno, michael kors, converse pas cher, hollister pas cher, nike blazer, michael kors, oakley pas cher, tn pas cher, ray ban uk, mulberry, louboutin pas cher, hogan, ralph lauren uk, michael kors, coach outlet, sac guess, new balance pas cher, air force, nike free, lululemon, ralph lauren pas cher, coach outlet, north face, hermes, nike air max, true religion jeans, nike air max, sac longchamp, hollister, true religion jeans, north face, longchamp pas cher, air max, air jordan pas cher, nike free run uk
ReplyDeletelouboutin, birkin bag, hollister, longchamp, ghd, insanity workout, nike roshe, beats by dre, hollister, oakley, nike air max, jimmy choo shoes, celine handbags, hollister, asics running shoes, gucci, giuseppe zanotti, vans, wedding dresses, timberland boots, mont blanc, north face outlet, valentino shoes, bottega veneta, soccer jerseys, mcm handbags, chi flat iron, lululemon, ray ban, abercrombie and fitch, new balance, ralph lauren, mac cosmetics, north face outlet, iphone 6 cases, nike air max, instyler, babyliss, herve leger, baseball bats, nfl jerseys, ferragamo shoes, nike trainers, reebok shoes, nike huarache, converse outlet, p90x workout, converse, vans shoes, soccer shoes
ReplyDeletetoms shoes, moncler, pandora charms, pandora jewelry, michael kors handbags, barbour, replica watches, moncler, doudoune canada goose, pandora charms, wedding dresses, doke gabbana outlet, canada goose, louis vuitton, bottes ugg, barbour jackets, louis vuitton, karen millen, michael kors outlet, marc jacobs, pandora jewelry, moncler, louis vuitton, supra shoes, juicy couture outlet, montre pas cher, moncler, canada goose outlet, ugg pas cher, swarovski crystal, links of london, juicy couture outlet, moncler outlet, moncler, canada goose, canada goose uk, louis vuitton, lancel, ugg,uggs,uggs canada, canada goose outlet, canada goose, michael kors outlet online, hollister, moncler, moncler, ugg boots uk, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia, thomas sabo, canada goose, swarovski, sac louis vuitton pas cher, coach outlet
ReplyDeletemichael kors outlet online sale, michael kors outlet, air max, gucci outlet, louboutin outlet, oakley sunglasses, cheap uggs, oakley sunglasses cheap, nike free, prada outlet, ugg outlet, tiffany and co, prada handbags, michael kors outlet, longchamp handbags, uggs, polo ralph lauren outlet, burberry outlet, polo ralph lauren, ugg boots clearance, nike shoes, cheap oakley sunglasses, replica watches, michael kors outlet, burberry outlet, rolex watches, chanel handbags, louis vuitton outlet, ray ban sunglasses, longchamp outlet, louboutin, tiffany and co, tory burch outlet, air max, louis vuitton handbags, michael kors outlet, longchamp handbags, louis vuitton outlet stores, louis vuitton outlet, louis vuitton, oakley sunglasses, ray ban sunglasses, uggs outlet, ray ban sunglasses, kate spade outlet, oakley sunglasses
ReplyDeleteralph lauren, hollister, polo ralph lauren, nike tn, michael kors pas cher, michael kors outlet, north face, abercrombie and fitch, new balance pas cher, nike roshe run pas cher, converse pas cher, lululemon outlet online, sac longchamp pas cher, vanessa bruno, ray ban sunglasses, coach purses, sac guess, nike air max, sac burberry, michael kors uk, vans pas cher, nike roshe, mulberry, louboutin, michael kors, true religion outlet, kate spade handbags, north face, oakley pas cher, sac hermes, air max, longchamp, true religion jeans, ray ban pas cher, coach outlet store online, timberland, hollister, true religion outlet, air max pas cher, hogan outlet, coach outlet, replica handbags, air jordan, nike air force, nike blazer, true religion jeans, nike free, polo lacoste, air max, nike free pas cher
ReplyDeleteconverse, abercrombie, louis vuitton, canada goose, toms shoes, sac lancel, pandora charms, ray ban, rolex watches, moncler, pandora jewelry, moncler outlet, moncler, canada goose uk, barbour, canada goose, swarovski, louis vuitton uk, ugg pas cher, thomas sabo, vans, juicy couture, barbour, ugg, coach outlet store online, canada goose, moncler, ugg boots, air max, sac louis vuitton, karen millen, gucci, ugg, moncler, ugg, moncler, canada goose jackets, canada goose outlet, canada goose, louis vuitton, sac louis vuitton, wedding dresses, canada goose, links of london, converse shoes, moncler, pandora charms, supra shoes, moncler, montre homme, pandora jewelry, hollister, swarovski crystal
ReplyDeletebills jerseys
ReplyDeletenike factory outlet
ray ban sunglasses outlet
hugo boss sale
ferragamo outlet
coach outlet store
michael kors outlet
michael kors uk
ugg outlet
prada outlet