Singapore: like it or lump it.
Happy Birthday Singapore!!!111!!!
would be a lame start to a post. But no matter how lame I say it is I did it. =.=
I was at my mum's office when my sis informed me that one of her friends hate Singapore. She's a Singaporean herself, but she can't stand Singaporeans.
The question 'Whyy?' popped up(like duh), and the usual stupid reason pop up--Lack of graciousness.
Before I carry on, I have one doubt. I noticed that people like to type it as 'chope seats'. But is it chope, as in like koupe's, 'oupe'? Or is it like chop, the chopper kind of chop? I was brought up thinking it's 'chop', so why are there still people saying 'choupe'? Don't know, perhaps some people teach it in a different way.
The girl in question here states that Singapore lacks graciousness because of the way they chop seats, like tissue paper and all. But let's not talk about this girl, let's talk about all kinds of ungracious acts I can think about at 2.33AM, 09.08.2009:
1) Not giving up seats to the needy.
2) Chopping seats with tissue paper.
3) Chaos and disorder(and sex) in MRT stations.
4) Blasting 'music' because perpetrator has no money for earphones.
Here are sexplanations why:
1) Seats for the needy.
It's not that Singaporeans don't want to give up. It's just that perhaps it's not the norm to do so. In a rather crowded bus, giving up your seat would require you to overcome a lot of inertia caused by the person sitting beside you, the number of people around you(you have to create space in order to let the needy have space to get on). I've been faced with a situation in which the bus/MRT is crowded, the needy is 3 to 4 humans away, and I feel weird standing up and motioning for them to move up to me to take my seat. It's weird.
Besides, people would point and talk. It's not our culture yet, though we might be moving(slowly) towards it. Acts of graciousness as such may be looked down upon.
Personally I won't tap a needy person's shoulder just to tell that person that he/she can have my seat. If there's no eye-contact I probably won't bother. I'd just sit there and fidget and feel bad.
No wait, I don't normally sit on buses anyway. I don't want to have a seat to cause such a dilemma.
2) Chopping seats.
I am quite OK with that. Ever tried wandering about aimlessly, looking for seats with hot food on your tray, threatening to scald you if Lady Luck doesn't shine on you? Ever seen people leaving a child behind on a table just so that they can buy their food without having to hunt for a table?
It only makes sense that they should do such a thing. Be it a tissue paper or a child, it's the same--leaving something behind to 'take care' of something else. So why don't people lambast the ones who leave their child alone to stand guard over their precious seat?
The very fact that the person has got a seat to 'chop' would mean that the person was there earlier than most of the customers there means that the person is privileged enough to enjoy a seat, right? To hunt for food, it doesn't make sense for him to give up his seat and wander about aimlessly looking for another seat so that he can sit down and eat properly.
Does anyone still disagree with tissue papers? Then what about children?
3) Chaos and disorder(and sex)in MRT stations.
It's rush hour. The station is crowded. More people join in the crowd as a train approaches because escalators do not stop even when a train arrives. The population of the people not on the train increases.
When the doors of the MRT open, diffusion occurs. The area with a highly-populated area would move to an area of low-populated area. Isn't that simple?
If you don't jostle, you get left out, and you stay on the platform waiting like a dumbfuck for the next train to arrive. This would carry on until you learn how to jostle back.
Everyone wants to go home early. You have to show that you want to, more so than them.
4)Blasting 'music' because perpetrator has no money for earphones.
Yea. Fuck you. I hate it when I meet such people too.
The people who normally complain about these shit are the people who want to appear high-classed. They forget that by complaining, they are fulfilling another Singaporean stereotype--that of complaining.
No more comments.
But then again, this is Singapore. I love Singapore, I really do. Perhaps not so much on the education but still, I love Singapore. (:
But for the rest who don't share my patriotism--Singapore: like it or lump it.
-- 8/09/2009 02:27:00 AM
