SINGAPORE— In an increasingly divisive move, local billionaire socialite Vanessa Lee has refused to visit any high-rise public housing in Singapore, citing a “deep-rooted trauma” caused by the sudden and disturbing thumps that emanate from the building’s refuse chutes.

“I simply cannot tolerate it. The thud—it’s just so jarring,” Lee said, adjusting her bespoke designer sunglasses while sitting in the marble-clad lobby of her luxury good class bungalow. “I’ve spent years cultivating an air of refinement around me. I won’t allow myself to be subjected to that kind of… commotion.”

The thumps, which occur when residents discard their trash down refuse chutes, are a daily occurrence in Singapore’s high-rise public housing estates. But for Lee, who is used to the calm serenity of her bamboo barricaded lifestyle, these noises are nothing short of traumatic.

“I went to visit my cousin’s flat in Queenstown last year, and the sound of those bins being dropped nearly sent me into a panic attack,” she recounted. “I asked the authorities on the Life SG app if there was any way to prevent it – perhaps feathered cushions in the chutes – but apparently, that’s just how they do things. I haven’t been back since.”

Her refusal to set foot in public housing is not only about the noise. Lee insists that the very presence of refuse chutes within earshot feels “unseemly” for her sensibilities. “It’s simply not the type of environment I wish to expose myself to,” she added, as her personal domestic helper brought her an iced latte with fat free milk. “I mean, who wants to hear the trash of an entire building plummeting to the ground every day? It’s… well, it’s beneath me.”

Experts say Lee’s decision reflects a broader unspoken divide between Singapore’s haves and have-nots – those who have sound sensitivities and those who do not. Many are calling for a greater empathy of those with different hearing abilities.

For her part, Lee remains adamant. “I’m not against the people who live there. I guard against smiling and sudden sound surprises. I can afford anything but wrinkles.”