Singaporeans asked to chew on their manners
TAMARA THIESSEN
The Sydney Morning Herald
May 31, 2010
At the Tuen Mun rail interchange in Singapore, hundreds of iPhone-infatuated commuters appear to be as oblivious to fellow commuters as they do to the sign strung before them: ”Value Life Act Responsibly”.
It is the kind of behaviour-regulating message that is thrust down their throats daily, though some observers are cynical about their effectiveness. “This is campaign city,” a marketing specialist says. “There’s a ‘Smile’ campaign, ‘Be on time to weddings’ campaign, a ‘Courtesy’ campaign … there are just too many campaigns.”
In a country where people are regimentally law-abiding and clean, happiness and civility are also deemed to be in need of outside enforcement. Visitors to Singapore know they will be greeted by spick-and-span public spaces, hoovered grounds and streets free of chewing gum and spit; yet many say there is no such assurance of finding good manners and a caring society.
Under slogans such as ”Kindness rocks” and ”Be a smile champion”, the Singapore Kindness Movement has been campaigning relentlessly for a more benevolent society. The movement’s second State of Graciousness in Singapore Survey, found ”S’poreans” had conducted themselves better on public transport over the past year, amid hefty state-waged campaigns to improve consideration among commuters.
But half the respondents were negative about behaviour in public, on the roads, at work and at home, said the movement’s general manager, Teh Thien Yew. “Levels of indifference and unhappiness are still high … we are all concerned about graciousness in our country.”
Some foreign workers in the city have few kind words about Singaporeans’ manners. “They are the rudest f—ing people I have ever seen; they need some basic training in civic awareness,” said Paul Stapleton, an IT manager from Sydney. “They don’t feel that anyone else exists outside this tiny island.”
The resounding verdict points to a Singapore rigorously controlled at the expense of humanitarian values. So will more state initiatives such as the Singapore Kindness Movement, whose patron is the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, reap change?
“The problem is the sole concern of most Singaporeans is money and economic wellbeing,” a long-time British resident says. “The only reason the churches here are packed to the rafters is because people attend in order to network.”
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Where is Tuen Mun in Singapore?
Didn’t know we were in Hong Kong
Haha Sharky…maybe the writer travelled too widely…cheers.
I am glad that someone took the bold step to bring out the truth about this “fake country”.What you see is what you don’t get.Behind that polished,squeaky clean facade lurks the “ugly Singaporean” who is racist,very arrogant,rude,has no manners,is self centered and money minded.
The Govt has constantly been pumping millions of dollars to “educate” the locals but old habits die hard.
This a classic case of a First World infrastructure with a Third World attitude.
Singaporeans should thank their Govt for where they are since without them,they would have no identity of their own.
This is just like using a meter ruler to compare results to a yard ruler while knocking off the units.
Certainly, Singaporeans may seem rude to the average Australian (or almost any foreigner, for the matter) strolling about searching for a little kindness, but forgive us, our scale of measuring kindness far differs from yours.
‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are not words we use often in our daily lives, but the other party does not feel offended. Holding the door open is hardly something one does for strangers, and any other Singaporean on the street doesn’t actually expect you to do that. Besides, our shopping centres are equipped with automatic doors, so where’s the need for a shop assistant to push doors open for you like your hands have been hacked off and fed to hungry cannibals?
However, this does not mean that not a single Singaporean has manners acceptable by those of nation’s whose expectations of being courteous far exceeds ours, as Ms. Thiessen seems to be hinting.
I was born and raised in Singapore, and my passport tells me I am Singaporean. I say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when speaking to a hawker and I hold open the door for others when I am neither a sales assistant nor obliged to in any way. Did someone print the wrong nationality on my passport?
To us, in our culture and society, being kind and courteous is this:
1) Picking up something someone else dropped
2) Not pushing the old lady walking along the crowded street in front of us although we are in a hurry
3) Ignoring the inadequate services provided, finish our meals and leave without sticking out a middle finger
There are, of course, more to our kindness than this but if I list them all they’ll span a few screens. This is our brand of kindness and courtesy, and while I do admit that some of our fellow citizens do need some brushing up on their manners I will assure you that not ALL Singaporeans act like they live in their little bubbles isolated from the world.
Perhaps Ms. Thiessen has just stumbled upon Singaporeans at a really inopportune time, perhaps if she’d just wait till Sundays when most people let loose and relax their tense muscles after work, she may find more kindness than she would yet expect. Each nation’s top priority differs, and to us Singaporeans, it is a lifestyle to be working until we drop or when the weekends come round. I don’t know what Ms. Thiessen was expecting but it is our culture. If you can brush someone who openly hugs and kisses a stranger off as part of culture, can’t you just say that appearing to ignore one’s surrounding while murmuring into a headset is a Singaporean way of living as well?
Oh, and by the way, Brandon, you sound like a pot calling the kettle black. You said that we Singaporeans are ‘racist, arrogant, rude, have no manners, are self-centred and money minded’, but don’t you yourself sound unbelievably racist as well? Don’t you yourself sound arrogant that you are passing judgement on others without giving us facts to support your claim? I shall not expound on the rest of the traits you so indiscriminately label Singaporeans to have. You seem to be generalising too much and honestly, you really do sound like a racist, arrogant, rude person who has no manners and is self-centred. I can’t say anything for being ‘money-minded’, but I for one am proud that Singaporeans have world-class ACCOUNTING abilities.
Okay, but perhaps I’m just being defensive of my nation, but every citizen has the right, right?
[...] number30 says: June 8, 2010 at 9:42 pm [...]
It is unfair to judge Singaporeans based on a couple of unpleasant incidents, especially so if you are unfamiliar with Singaporean culture, Ms Thiessen.
The fact that you failed to recognize Tanah Merah MRT station and spelt it as Tuen Mun Railway interchange shows that you are confused, and may have misunderstood the average Singaporean.
Let me explain. Singaporeans are generally a friendly but reserved lot, and we do contribute to society in our little means and ways, however they are sometimes left unnoticed and overlooked by others.
The simple example of a lady pressing the “open” button in the lift for an elderly man to hobble his way out is a form of courtesy, and most of the time, people who had received some form of help will reply with a sincere nod, if not a “thank you”.
In many cases, I have witnessed Singaporeans, young and old alike, helping my frail grandmother find a seat in a crowded foodcourt, or just chatting with her to keep her occupied and entertained as she waits for us while we do our shopping. They are genuinely concerned for her well-being, and I can actually sense her contentment when we finally arrive at the foodcourt to pick her up – she beams at us with a cheery ” They were asking me if i had to wait for my family members at food centres often.”
Perhaps you may argue that it is the Asian culture that influences Singaporeans to be so respectful towards my grandmother, but I beg to differ. If Singaporeans were as ‘oblivious’ and ‘cynical’ as you have described them, they would not even have bothered to glance at my grandmother, much less show concern for her.
Singapore is coming up with many campaigns to effectively MAKE our country a BETTER PLACE, not because we are behaving in a selfish, rude way that needs to be corrected. I believe that our people are well-mannered, but at times, humans do err and these campaigns are just one of the many ways in which we can remind ourselves to be courteous and considerate in this fast-paced society.
Of course, it cannot be taken for granted that Asian societies such as Singapore have the same standards for courtesy in Australia, or any other country for that matter. What is your definition of ‘courtesy’? Is it a silent and subtle smile, or is it a loud and enthusiastic ” Good Morning!” from a passer-by?
Different standards should apply to different countries, simply because of the fact that we are different – in mindset, in social culture, in beliefs, and in so much more.
Don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch of apples, take a step back and rethink your stand on Singaporeans. Thank you.
Er, is this website supposed to be for the unemployed to be united and to give support to one another instead of arguing about Singaporeans racist, etc etc? C’mon, this is not a website for you all to throw out any kind of frustration that you face daily in town. But of course, if you come across rude interviewers, wanna curse your ex bosses, I think is more appropriate to let it out in this website. This website is supposed to be a support group. Right, webmaster? correct me if I am wrong. This is my 2nd time being unemployed and few years ago, I don’t think anyone has set up any kind of support group at all for the unemployed, those in transition like myself.
Hi KW
Thanks for your comment and opinion.
Though we tried to focus the website on supporting the unemployed, we do also post articles that may affect the average Singaporeans.
This is a delicate balance of course and we will try our best to give more weightage to articles that will support those who are jobless.
Thanks again for your comment. Feel free to let me know if you have other ideas on how to improve the site.
Gilbert Goh
Founder
Support site for the unemployed
Sad but true………….
What kind of country is this where by law 80% are Chinese,where the public housing is clearly dictated by the fact that the mority willChinese and then a “quota” for other races.
Isn’t that abuse of HUMAN RIGHTS?
In which country does a Govt tell you,that a majority of a perticular race will be this or that,the same goes for jobs.
Its all a eye wash to the world.
an awareness among the common man in Singapore to not to live in the fool’s paradise that they live in their heads.The world is made of black,white,brown,yellow and we have to respect and tolerate every race,the same goes for the Aussies,they must have a broader perspective about people,Singapore as a country is brilliant but the thinking of the common man is way backward.