How does the CMIO model influence assumptions about cultural practices?

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The CMIO model shapes assumptions by sorting people into fixed racial “worlds,” leading others to expect cultural practices that match those stereotypes
In a Singapore home where hotpot was served, a guest saw chopsticks on the table and reacted with surprise, saying, “I didn’t know Indian homes had chopsticks.” The columnist links this reaction to the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others (CMIO) construct, arguing that it trains people to treat each race as its own world and to view individuals as caricatures of their perceived race rather than as Singaporeans.
A “race-first” lens turns ordinary choices into “unexpected” signals
The guest’s assumption was triggered by chopsticks, and he framed the situation as an “Indian home” where chopsticks did not fit his expectations. The columnist describes how the CMIO construct makes people see residents through a narrow racial filter, so they expect “Indian things” rather than recognising a fellow countryman’s household as part of Singaporean life.
People expect cultural practices to match stereotypes instead of lived reality
The columnist recounts another visit where friends removed her chopsticks and replaced them with a fork and knife, assuming she would not use chopsticks because she is Indian. In both examples, the underlying pattern is that cultural practices are treated as proof of race—so a utensil choice becomes a stereotype check rather than a normal variation within Singaporean households.
The model narrows identity into simplistic categories, even when it does not fit
The guest in the hotpot story, the columnist notes, spoke extremely poor Mandarin and had hardly been to China, raising the question of what was “Chinese” about him and what was “Indian” about her. The point she makes is that CMIO blinks people into thinking identities map neatly onto cultural markers, even though Singaporean identities are portrayed as complex and not defined by a single set of traits.
Singaporean culture is treated as less relevant than “China” or “India” templates
The columnist argues that Singapore’s culture is distinct from the cultures of China or India, describing the island culture as a blend with “quirky hodgepodge creole mixes and borrowings.” Under the CMIO lens, however, people are described as defaulting to China or India templates, which is why they can misread everyday practices like eating hotpot with chopsticks.

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How does the CMIO model influence assumptions about cultural practices?

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