First off I thought the video was an enlightening, if not a little backdated, look at the cultural variability that exists in transnational societies today. In my humble opinion, Singapore is perpetually caught in between keeping up with 'Western' advancements (in terms of economic competitiveness, social well-being & political liberalism) and hanging on to our traditional Asian roots. There's a constant rhetoric of "shared values" which reflect Confucian notions of collectivism. Singaporean are taught obedience to authority, and to generally be accepting of unequal power relationships - which probably accounts for our bemoaned state of political apathy.
During class we also found that Singapore is a low uncertainty avoidance country, but I'd beg to differ. I believe that Singaporeans (at least those around me) are a meticulous bunch who make only carefully calculated risks. Sad to say but we're generally uptight and neurotic, as compared to being flexible or going with the flow. Yeah no doubt we do face rapid lifestyle changes but more often than not, we grudgingly accept it as the inevitable as opposed to embracing change with wide open arms. We're not too tolerant of deviant characters too, but frown upon people who refuse to conform. Life on our little red dot is structured and stressful. Just ask the primary school kid who's lugging a schoolbag too heavy for his weight, who sits through endless tuition and enrichment classes in the weekends. Okay I'm rambling on a bit, but you get my point.
Here's where Singlish comes in as a familiar colloquial language that unites most of cosmopolitan Singapore. This mad rojak of English, Hokkien and Malay phrases, is a localized version of the 'proper' English left behind since colonial times. There has been a lot of controversy (embarrassment and scorn, to be exact) about Singlish being a cultural marker of what's uniquely Singaporean. But honestly, learning how to speak 'proper' Singlish is a formidable skill altogether. It is this common linguistic experience that Singaporeans find comfort in, it's what feels like home - the effectiveness of which lasts beyond any compulsory National Education program.
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Yes, I am confused by the rankings for uncertainty avoidance. There is no way that Singapore, a country so uncomfortable with uncertainty, is ranked so low. Whenever a major event takes place here, it is not uncommon to see how early preparations are made. On top of that, there are always "contingency plans" to prepare for the "unexpected". I believe that drawing "contingency plans" is a big takeaway for most guys who have undergone National Service. Haha.
ReplyDeleteThe methodology used in the rankings may have included rate of development of the country as a yardstick. (i.e. the faster the rate, the lower the uncertainty avoidance). However, I feel that Singapore's fast development rate is ironically based on one big certainty: Uncertain success from progress is better than certain failure from staying put.
Haha true, just look at the amount of civil defense exercises we have each year. I haven't analyzed the methodology involved in determining levels of uncertainty avoidance. But yeah "rate of development" might have been an indicating factor. I like your last sentence too. It sums up our kiasuism in chimified English:)
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