This New Dating App Uses Racism In An Advertisement, But Says It Isn't Racist

If it walks like a racist, talks like a racist and is racist... it's probably racist.

At least, that's what people are saying about a new dating app gaining popularity Singapore called Highblood. However, founder Herbert Eng is aggressively deflecting the accusations.

About a week ago, the app posted series of bizarre advertisements on social media, including one that made the eyebrow-raising statement, "no banglas, no maids, no uglies, no fakes/bots, no escorts. Just. Pure. Quality. Like You."

Psst... hey, Eng. That's racist. 

Aside from the super juvenile term "uglies," the words "banglas" and "maids" are both incredibly derogatory.

"Banglas" is a racial slur that refers to Bangladeshi migrant workers, of which there are up to 315,000 currently working in Singapore in the construction industry.

Also, the term "maids" refers to Singapore's large population of domestic helpers, mostly made up of individuals who have migrated from nearby countries, like the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar.

In an email to Mashable, Eng said the app is meant to mirror a "ruling class trope popular in Korean drama shows" and "vampire high society [or] elite cabal."

In layman's terms, Eng basically set out to create an elitist dating app for racists to find one another, like this ad suggests, and to "violate norms regarding political correctness."

As if the racists ads weren't the only turn-off, the app also has an intense (and completely unnecessary) admission process.

To join the application, new users have to be approved by three out five random current users. However, if you're constantly rejected, new users can skip the approval process and pay $72 for membership.

Users can also set filters for potential mates regarding "accountant-verified" specifications like income, profession and people who attended prestigious schools.

While none of these particular filters are racially charged, this feature, along with Highblood's "Rise above all," slogan, is definitely sending out some MAJOR elitist, cult-tastic vibes.

Eng, however, continued to defend the app, saying, "We are not racist because science has conclusively proven that genetically... there are no differences between the races."

He also insisted there are over a hundred people signed up for the app already.

To that I say, thanks, but go screw yourself, Highblood.

You keep going low while the rest of us go high — or should I say RISE?

Citations: Like Follow Follow Guy uses racist slurs to promote his app, and people are appalled (Mashable)