How many of you actually had the ambition to become a taxi driver when you were a child? How many of you had parents who wanted you to seriously consider driving a taxi as a career option? Singaporean parents are pushy and ambitious and would push their children to do well academically so they can grow up to become scholars who will go on to become doctors, lawyers and even government ministers. Taxi drivers? Well probably not one's first choice and they do have an image problem - hence the Sunday Times article. Ah, but it seems that evidence is emerging that the article is a fake anyway, or at least the figures quoted were inaccurate/exaggerated. Oh dear Stratis Times, how low have you sunk?
Why this article now? After all, taxis have been around for as long as there were motor vehicles in Singapore - it is such a simple concept for a business that has been around for a long time and even before there were motor vehicles, there were trishaws and rickshaws which performed the same service (but powered by human power as opposed to an engine). This article is a remedy (however lame) to the politics of envy in Singapore. A few days ago, you may have seen these figures being shared on social media (and my blog).
This reminds me of a song from my childhood which was extremely popular - if you lived in Singapore in the 1980s, then you would definitely know this song. It is called 小人物的心声 by Wu Jiaming. Allow me to quote and translate some of the lyrics from the chorus:
"我从来都不在乎自己不是一个大人物
因为平凡也是一种幸福
看到名人总是忙忙碌碌
我的时间由我控制
平凡日子一样会充实"
"I have never ever minded that I am a nobody,
Because being ordinary is also a kind of blessing.
Seeing famous people always rushing and busy,
My time is controlled by myself.
Ordinary days can also be just as fulfilling."
Ironically, the kind of ethos preached in this national patriotic song couldn't be further from the typical experiences of most Singaporean students, who were being subjected to such pressures to perform well academically (extra tuition, anyone?) Imagine a kid turning around and telling his parents, "hey mum, dad, don't panic lah, even if I don't pass my PSLE, it's not the end of the world. Because 平凡日子一样会充实, right? Why do I need to study so hard to try to become some kind of scholar? Why can't I just be ordinary?"
This song, 小人物的心声, along with those feel good stories about that low-income odd job labourer who earns only $850 a month buying his flat, or that taxi driver earning $7000 a month can be all put into the same category I call "opium of the people". That's a quote by Karl Marx about the role of religion in the life of the masses - by the same token, these feel good songs and stories may cheer some Singaporeans up and fill them with optimism about their place in Singaporean society, but would they resolve any of the real challenges they face in their lives? Of course not. They are still getting poorer day by day in a city that is getting more and more expensive and crowded, whilst Singaporean politicians are the highest paid in the world. I sense a political storm brewing - but does this 'opium' suppress dissent? Would singing 小人物的心声 make taxi drivers content with their lot in life?
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| What kind of life do you have in Singapore? |
From the kind of reactions in social media, sure a large number of Singaporeans are not taken in by these 'feel-good' stories in the Straits Times - but surely if everyone is just going to ridicule such stories, then no editor in the right mind would run such stories. Does this mean that there are Singaporeans out there who actually do believe in such stories? Are they really that gullible? Or are they simply to suspend their disbelief and cynicism in order to feel good? After all, I do the same thing when I eat chocolate. I know it's full of fats and sugars and it's not good for me - damnit, I really shouldn't be eating chocolates at all by that token, but damn they taste good. So when I put that piece of chocolate in my mouth, I would mentally block out the knowledge I have about how bad they are for me and just focus on how good they taste. Hmmmm. Chocolate. Good chocolate.
Do you guys do that too in Singapore with these feel good stories? What do you think? Please, let me know what you think - leave a comment below, thanks!
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| Chocolates!! Delicious chocolates! |
Well, LIFT, I am not ambitious. E.g. I ever chose a developer position (lower rank & lower pay) over a project manager position (higher rank, higher pay) when offered both at a job interview in Singapore. Since my late 20's, I only wanted to be a 平凡人 [ordinary person], that's why in the mid-2000's I decided that I had to leave Singapore. The difference is, back in the 1980's, “我的时间由我控制” ["my time is under my control"] was true in Singapore for the ordinary folks [平凡人]. But it is no longer true now (after 2000's) and does not look like things will change for the better. That's one of the reasons why I chose Canada -- ordinary folks still have a decent life here, "平凡日子一样会充实" is true in Canada (provided Harper does not keep reigning :P ).
ReplyDeleteWell WD, you're by no means "ordinary folk" IMHO, you are able to move to Canada as a skilled migrant to enjoy the kind of lifestyle you want, in terms of your work life balance - how many Singaporean 'ordinary folks' can do that? So perhaps your self-image and your actual skills/profession/training do not match? I see you as a highly skilled professional my friend.
DeleteHi LIFT,
DeleteHaha, thanks for "seeing me up" ［看得起］(i.e. looking favourably upon my skills). Hmm, you've got a point there that technically speaking I am "skilled" since I migrated to Canada as a "Federal Skilled Worker".
Then again my ambitions are those of a 平凡人 [ordinary person]. E.g. From the "小人物的心声" song quoted, I am happy if “我的时间由我控制” ["my time is under my control"]. E.g. I only need a simple roof over my head (i.e. a small HDB can liao!), 3 simple meals daily (no need restaurant, or daily foodcourt lah -- per Vivian Balakrishnan) and access to decent healthcare (see my episode with pneumonia in Singapore, url below).
http://winkingdoll.blogspot.ca/2009/08/pneumonia.html
I guess it's kind of a paradox -- just like the way you count yourself as an Ah Beng. Each of us is complex and multi-dimensional person.
Cheers, WD.
Hi WD, I should do a post about my self-identification as an Ah Beng. For me, it's a state of mind. Thanks for the idea.
DeleteApart from you, I believe there are other former Singaporeans who blogs about Singapore regularly. Unlike them, you don't write vindictively.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't Singaporeans who gave up their citizenship move on with their new life instead of bitching how lousy Singapore is and how PAP sucks?
Hi Chan, let's put it this way.
Delete1. I write because of my unique position to write - I am able to 'compare & contrast' life in Singapore vs life elsewhere (esp since I spent a stint in 2011 working in S'pore as an FT). I am able to offer insights into Singaporean issues that are unique - certainly, someone who has never lived outside Singapore would never be able to do what I am doing.
2. I am very fair towards the PAP. I give them credit where credit is due and criticize them when they suck. If you read my blog, you will see that I have praised them on other issues (and have irked many Singaporeans in the process).
3. People actually read my blog! I get about 200,000 hits a month, do the math, that's about like 6,000 to 7,000 hits a day and I've already accumulated 1.75 million hits so far and this has totally exceeded my expectations. Look, I love writing and to have this many people read my work - well, I wouldn't be writing my blog if I didn't get this many readers! If nobody would've read my blog, then yeah I wouldn't be writing it. Also, thanks to Google Adsense, I'm also getting a nice cheque from them thanks to all this traffic as well - not bad, eh?
4. I don't hate Singapore. It is a part of my life, I grew up in Singapore, my family (siblings, parents etc) are all in Singapore. It's my right to talk about the country of my birth which means something to me.
Like I said, your blog is enjoyable and I also don't think that you are vindictive, unlike other former Singaporeans who can't seem to move on with their lives.
DeleteI don't see PAP as perfect but they are too shabby either. I am just disheartned by the manners of some former Singaporeans (or claimed to be) who lashed out at PAP once they are out of our shores.
Interesting you should talk about moving on with our lives - look out for my latest blog post coming out very shortly where I talk about how one moves on after the break up of a relationship, especially when one party starts to date/play the field whilst the other is still angry/fuming/can't get over the break up ... it'll all make sense, look out for it. I think you may like it. :)
DeleteI spent my formative adult years away from Singapore, so having been away for about 9 years now since I turned 25 yrs, I look back at Singapore and I think what is going on? How can be people continue to take that sort of rubbish that the PAP government feeds them.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, many Singaporean, especially those who do not have the opportunity to spend enough time away from the country to break out of that mentality, do behave like punching bags. They just keep taking it and taking it, whinge and whin but take no action. I am sure there are people who do believe in that taxi article.
Like I said my friend, it's what we do when we eat chocolate. We choose to focus on the part which makes us feel good and block out everything else.
DeleteBut there are bitter chocolates too! :)
DeleteThis article doesn’t hoodwink anyone to think ‘life is good’! Still the result is similar to opium & Wu Jiaming’s song: the masses are more docile, easier to control. Giving the average joe a push to “Work hard, your children will have better futures. Work hard, or else Spore won’t survive. If our neighbours financially outdo us, its the end might as well sink into the ocean.”
ReplyDeleteBut this is getting tired & doesn’t ring true anymore, so they came up with something new. Take a humble job, typical of the common man; make it sound like a high paid job. If I’m a cabby working my butt off making $2K, I hear another cabby’s earning $7K with regular breaks & family meals, how’s that supposed to make me more contented -wouldn’t it make me miserable?
So now I’ll fervently envy not only those above, but also those I previously considered equals. Start to suspect those below are also getting more -$3K for washing dishes. Persecution complex, obsessive paranoia, the whole country is progressing except me. They are moving forward without me, I’m fast falling behind, better do something, must catch up.
This article isn’t a happy drug, but a spur stimulating vague discontentment in people who havent hit $7K. The uncomfortable soul searching question “Am I no better than a taxi driver?” is so disturbing, you cling compulsively to your career. Gone - the dream of writing a Great Spore Novel. Make a satirical film, change the world? Forget it! Wake up & smell the same old fear.
Hi Lam Toh, yes I see what you mean about how this is a miscalculated attempt to make taxi drivers feel contented with their lot in life - given that not many taxi drivers can make £7k a month in S'pore. Well I am sure some do and it is possible, but how many? "Persecution complex" - indeed. LOL.
DeleteHi LP,
ReplyDeleteI been reading your blog periodically for quite some time and I would like to take the time to say that your writing style and articles are entertaining, educational, eye-opening and reasoned, along with a lot of other complimentary adjectives that one can attribute to a good literary piece. I would like to say also say that you offer impartiality and honesty in a age where there isn't enough of it, and instead of inciting blind mob anger, you encourage your readers to think for themselves and decide. And though some of your articles leave me bitter about my prospects in the Lion city, I know that it's bitter because it has a fair element of HARD TRUTHS. (Unlike a certain other prescripter of bitter medicine, yours does me more good than harm)
Lastly, I would like to add that the way you actively write about about singaporean affairs the way you do is a civic contribution to this nation's real national conversation, regardless of how some other readers perceive you to be a no good ex-singaporean 'FT'. Please continue on your works, good sir!
On the subject of the gullibility of the masses, while I cannot say for certain that no Singaporean is so gullible, I have met my fair share that dispels me of that notion. However, I would like to believe that such gullibility is erased quite swiftly either through reality being a harsh mistress or through the largely lawless netscape of social media. For most of generation Y, this was usually done by the former with the latter being the bread and butter of the current Generation Z.
And as one of the commenters had said, we don't take action and merely stew and be docile, which adds more pressure to a pressured society. Just as in the 3k dish washer article, most Singaporeans who have been making their rounds in the job/interview market when confronted with such articles, often react to the tune of "Sure bo? Like suspicious leh...". Suffice to say, the hope pieces that ST writes aren't exactly the type of 'Opium of the People' that Karl Marx was referring to (though they really wish that it was).
Honestly speaking, I think its due to more of the way that the system is structured here in SG than any real belief that people would honestly believe such articles on closer scrutiny is why ST runs these stories anyway. They aren't going to be called on their BS either way.
On a amusing note, I believe that due to the 7k taxi article, the rest of the legitimate taxi drivers are getting heat from their spouses due to alleged misreporting of their income. It was reported in Xinmin if I am not wrong :)
Hi there Angry Dictionary and thanks for your comments. Yes I have offended some people in the past and I must confess, I do censor the blatantly offensive comments here - oh if only you could read some of them, they're like "you fucking chao cheeby FT you kum angmoh lanjiao lah you fucking cheeby etc". Yeah, I tend to hit the delete button when I see comments like that and I prefer not to engage people who are clearly not keen on any kind of mature conversation about the issue.
DeleteI am just overwhelmed by the fact that I do get so many readers, 201k in October , bringing the total up to 1.77 million so far! I'm just over the moon when I look at those figures and I truly love my regular readers who do leave comments and interact with me on my blog.
I am wondering though, how many people would say, "sure bo?" (or the hokkien version, "ooh iyia bo?") Or do they simply do the chocolate-thing, ie. focus on the feel good factor and ignore anything to the contrary? Such as the 3k Sakae Sushi dish washer job saga, even if one doesn't want to pursue a career as a dish washer - one could take away a message of hope that the Singaporean economy is booming and that there are good jobs out there, isn't that the aim of the article? It's up to the reader, of course, whether s/he accepts this message of hope. What say you on that issue my friend?
Hi LP,
DeleteAs someone who published written work (though for a different purpose and on a smaller scale) on the internet before, I too know the thrills of having such a diverse and large reader base and can totally understand the huge smile on your face as you look at your visitor stats. :)
On the subject of flames, you’ve to admit that a nice and well-thought out argument is a bitch to write. Given mankind’s disposition towards the quick and easy, a string of curse words is pretty much a standard response and method of gratification by people confronted with the notion that the world is most certainly not flat or black and white according to their beliefs. The shift from 2D to 3D thought is a tough transition indeed.
To answer your question, LP, most of the people that I know are in the first category. If you are looking at it from an age-demographic perspective, I would say almost all youth and adults (those who tended to question anything suspicious was in front of them, at any rate) would be downright leery or have a few harsh words for the writer of the article. My dad and I had an interesting conversation on the validity of such a wondrous wage associated with a commonly-perceived low income job.
Given that we both knew people who either were related to taxi drivers or were taxi drivers themselves, we came to the conclusion that either the article was stretching the truth a tad too much or that the driver was compensated differently from the rest of the taxi driving population. There was no feel-good chocolate effect to feel, as frankly speaking, the article really just a way for the person featured to boast about his high income(given his job) , and to a lesser extent, on how much share a blue collar worker can have in Singapore’s booming economy if one is resourceful and ambitious. It’s basically an aesop in how that high earning blue collar worker could be you if you emulate the above traits.
Then again, such a universal response of extreme scepticism would only apply to the really obvious cases of unrealism. Other more neutral fluff pieces aren't as blatantly unrealistic like the 7K taxi driver, and often are cobbled together with graphs, statistics and quotations from people who have Dr. in front of their names. While somewhat dubious, it is often portrayed and supported in a factual manner which leaves no room for argument, just as how one cannot argue that the sky is not blue, and thus tend to elicit little more than mild scepticism or calm acceptance. Take for example, the recent article on lowered immigration numbers to Australia, the article’s stated reasons for this tends to make only the informed or jaded citizen raise a brow. Sadly, there are those who would go down the path of chocolaty delusion for it is often easier to accept such things without scrutiny as to do otherwise would expose oneself to a whole lot of uncomfortable realizations and implications.
Fantasy is more often preferred to reality, after all. (continued)
(Continued from 1st part, was too long, apologies)
DeleteComing to your second question on the message of hope, given the nature of the article, it is perfectly reasonable to associate the existence of such ‘good jobs’ to the booming Singaporean economy, given our resilience taking in accounting the global slump and the fact that we lack the economic critical mass for self-sufficiency. One may certainly feel obliged to take away the message of hope for the future. The next question is whether or not to stomach such a thing and have a chocolate feel effect. (Given the traditional view of what a good job should be like, dish washing is hardly the poster child for such a thing, even if this particular job commands a rather good monetary incentive)
On closer inspection, one can’t help but notice the backdrop that such a message is coming from. If the economy is really booming, then why isn’t the rest of the job market sporting the same increase in pay? Given the current salary levels despite the boom, most would jump at the 3k/month dish washing job as it is at a premium when compared to other jobs in the market. Surely, for example, a teacher’s job contributes more than a dishwasher? When framed like that, the future doesn’t really look so rosy any more.
To have hope is to be positive. It is to have confidence for the future. Does this message of hope imply that due to the strong singaporean economy, barriers have been removed or at least significantly lowered for an individual to immediately settle down, grab a mortgage, be reasonably confident of his or her job stability in order to service that mortgage? Not to mention, the raising of 2, or preferably more, offspring at Big Brother’s insistence? I think the answer is quite obvious, and while one can certainly see hope in the article, the hope in in question is too warped, transient and transparently gloomy for anyone to seriously stomach.
Such articles also provide the (possibly secondary, but I'd argue primary) effect of disseminating ammunition to the 60.1% in their debates against the 39.9%. Well they would if they were properly executed...
ReplyDelete