Why, are People Like That?

last SG · 2006-09-25T14:18:13+00:00

such behaviour are common in eateries.

Rock^Star SG

Live and let live lah. It's the same in other countries. If the person takes his/her sweet time to move out of the lot. HORN.

If the person parks slowly, HORN.

If people hog coffee tables or foodcourt tables, ASK politely.

Can't expect everything to fall in place right.

ShutterBug SG

I suppose this is why our gov has to tell us all how to behave, or DO and DO NOT DO certain things, instruct us how to live our lives and not burden them in old age...

Is this what we are going to let society become? Like sheeps (all black ones as it seems..) to herded around, year in year out?

How are we a First World people, when people needs to be told about simple manners and common courtesy? Remember we are now GLOBALIZED, a lot of foreigners are living and working with us, and among us, - and quite commonly a lot of us criticize our PRC counterparts for being rude, loud and inconsiderate, and yet many exhibit the very traits we frown upon! If this isn't irony, then Elvis Presley is still alive...

In every whole week of driving to and from work, I will experience only ONE day that someone gave way, or stopped for me, or have signalled their intentions on time, respectted my right of way in a yellow box, or just simply moved off so that I may park.

Why should we be apathetic about everything in Singapore from politics to societal ills??

dragg SG

and the worst thing is i always hear people saying that singaporeans have no identity.

we have!!! lanjiao lang cheek tua two.

Twisted Evil

ShutterBug SG

HAHARRRHAARHHAHAHAAAAAAARRR!
Laughing

Rock^Star SG

Trust me, I know what u mean. Singaporeans as a whole, are not gracious enough.

We can't choose our parents but we can choose to stay seperately from them. Likewise, we can't choose our nationality at birth but we can choose to migrate. I suggest that, since u have so many complaints, choose the latter.

dragg SG

just take a look at the campaigns we have and you know what problems we have.

speak mandarin campaign - we cant speak mandarin
speak good english campaign - we cant speak proper english
save water campaign - we keep wasting water
courtesy campaign - we are one rude lot.

Mr. Green

JerzZzzZ SG

You either need to really see Singaporeans as a 'whole', or you need to travel around more. Everything in this world is about relativity, you say we're not gracious enough, as compared to...? Hypothetically speaking, we may be 2nd best, but still 'not enough'. Right?

But I concur, if people have so many issues with Singapore, just immigrate. Smile

JerzZzzZ SG

Personally, I think 'speak mandarin campaign' is targetted towards those who can't speak mandarin well, 'speak good english campaign' to those who can't speak the language well, etc. You get what I mean. They say nothing about what problems we have. Ought to be careful with the 'we' word. Smile

ShutterBug SG

Originally posted by JerzZzzZ:

Personally, I think 'speak mandarin campaign' is targetted towards those who can't speak mandarin well, 'speak good english campaign' to those who can't speak the language well, etc. You get what I mean. They say nothing about what problems [b]we have. Ought to be careful with the 'we' word. Smile [/b]

If you mean that the Speak Mandarin campagne is targeting those who are weak in Mandarin, then it has FAILED in its intended objective. Because now all those who WERE weak in English are all so accustomed to speaking Mandarin from the home to the school, to the workplace. While those who aren't interested in Mandarin and are fluent in English remained largely, disinterested in Mandarin. As such the Speak Proper English campagne was introduced. One campagne begets another.

If WE don't have a problem and the Mandarin Campagne worked well (along with our glorified education system), I don't see why then our gov's over-dependence of FTs and their insistence that we lack the talents FTs have to offer??

Rock^Star SG

He's right, Jerzzzz. Perhaps if I may rephrase, most of us are the above.

How many give up seats to the elderly in the bus or mrt? Do u?

How many give way to others when going into the mrt or bus?

How many when queuing up in foodcourts and hawker centres say, "Go ahead"?

Let's look at it in a holistic manner, if not, we are missing the point.

ShutterBug SG

I think, if we look at it on the basis of survival, I feel it all boils down to how increasingly difficult it is to make a living. Yes indeed, it is highly competitive here and the world over. And I trust that surviving in such an evironment and at such a pace has made people to become self-preserving and inconsderate. After all, survival is SELFISH, it is all about SELF.

This calls to mind the cavemen of the stone age era - we may have progress economically, in affluence and material possessions, but it is to me REGRESSION disguised as PROGRESS.

ShutterBug SG

I cite another observation:

I often drop a colleague of mine off at a church in the morning near my home. She works in a Kindergarten there and often the time I drop her off coincides with parents who drive their child/children there, and this is what I observed;

.. the church has two gates, one is an Entrance the other an Exit gate. The parents will conveniently drive in through the exit gate as it is the first gate one would see (as well as the large OUT and No Entry sign) when approaching the church. The management of the church and the Kindergarten has informed and notified the parents not to enter the premises via the Exit gate, but they still drive in through the Exit gate.

As you can see, even after having been verbally informed and advised against entering through the Exit gate, they still stubbornly do so. It is as if once off the road which is governed and ruled by LTA and the Traffic Police, they treat private premises with impunity and total disregard and disrespect.

Mind you, these are educated and working PROFESSIONALS comprising largely of young newly married couples. I worry thinking of the kids they will upbring...

JerzZzzZ SG

I get your point, now try and get mine. I'm not saying we are a very 'gracious' lot. Check out China, they're a way rowdier crowd. Europe certainly isn't exactly 100% gentlemen/ladies. I'm just saying to look things in a relative manner, relative to something real, and not your perfect scenario. Otherwise, I'll have a lot of complaints.

I'll be going, why are Singaporeans like that? Smoking everywhere! Screwed up! Time to immigrate, la. When in fact, smoking/drug abuse can be way more out of hand in other countries. Relativity.

Singapore is really a great country, sure there are screwed up people here and there (everywhere, actually), but I hate it when people link it with SINGAPORE, exclusively. In fact, I daresay (even though I have no statistical proof) that in relative terms, there are way more misguided youths in countries like america, proportion-wise.

Man, I sound like a patriot.

To answer your questions, I do give up my seats to the elderlies, I do wait at the side to give way before entering trains (I always have no seats, but I'm happy being the gentleman, so I don't give a damn those impatient pricks get the seats. Standing doesn't kill). I don't get your 3rd question, though.

JerzZzzZ SG

I'll worry more for the entire China population though. Have you seen how they drive?

Yup, your observation certainly shows a downside to Singaporeans. But in many many other places, there are people who will do likewise in the same scenario. Relativity! I'm not saying we should do that, honestly I think it's wrong, and it sucks. But we should look at it at a more clear-headed level, rather than jump at the problem by starting 'Singapore's like this, Singaporeans are like this!'.

So bring it up to the relevant authorities. Don't, at the first chance, hop onto the forums, open a topic, and say that's it, it can never be solved because in Singapore, we're just like this.

EDIT: Ok, so it's private area, didn't exactly read word for word. Well, get the management to rope in the authorities, fine a few people here and there. Kiasu singaporeans will then not dare to do it again, teehee. Naw, just a random quick suggestion. I'm sure the management can enforce something, it's under their... well, management.

Rock^Star SG

Yeh, I sense a lot of patriotism here Very Happy . Anyway, live and let live, people have a right to complain even if what's happening here is better than other countries. If we are not happy, we can choose to migrate. But if we wanna stay, then make do and complain less? There's no right and wrong.

Rock^Star SG

HAHA! I understand how u feel.

JerzZzzZ SG

Oh sure, everyone can complain. Freedom of speech, to an extent! But it just irks me when someone starts making it sound like it's a Singapore-only thing. And, debates are uhm, fun. Passes time too, hee.

PS: My surname's not Lee.

ShutterBug SG

Yes people in China drive like mad men and women. That's because there are many newborn rich there. It's a boomtown there where people are increasingly buying cars and throwing aside their trusty rusty bicycles. I also noticed the many gory and fatal accidents there posted over the Internet. And I wasn't refering to HOW the parents drove; I am refering to their sense of RIGHT and WRONG - properness and basic integrity.

Yes, I know what you mean, and I agree I/we shouldn't jump the gun and pass quick judgements that Singaporeans are like that. I aim to change this wherever and whenever I can, and we should all do likewise to alter the chracater traits of our own people.

This morning after dropping my friend off, I waited till one of the parents come driving towards the church and I purposely drove out towards the Exit gate. Obviously they began to turn in and I got in their way and I honked at them long and loud, then pointed to the entrace gate further down the road some 25 meters away. The driver stared at me, I stared back with a frown at them pointed in the direction of the entrance gate and drive off. In my rear view mirror I can see that they turned in anyway.

Point is; even though I didn't stop or changed their ways, I am most certain they will have both talked about my honking them, and will definitely know they don't have much rights to be angry or feel offended simply because they were going against rules.

Ito_^ SG

maybe they might go to some forum and start flaming u there. Laughing

ShutterBug SG

I hope they do - I'll give them a piece of my mind about their sense of responsibility as motorists!

Imagine the outcome should the caretaker of the church cycles out to buy something at the same time one of the parents swings in? And some of them made their entries through the Exit gate rather swiftly too!

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