Kiasu Singaporeans
Story about Kiasu Singaporeans and Singapore lifestyle
Kiasu is the term Singaporeans used to describe the unpleasant side of our culture and is a much talked-about topic in Singapore. Behaving in a kiasu manner means being greedy, unwilling to share and insensitive to others.
On a tour abroad, do you recall seeing the tourist who rushed onto the bus, chose the best seat and then put bags, camera, sunglasses and every other possession on the seats around him to reserve them for family and friends? At a department store sale, have you noticed the shopaholic who grabs everything in sight and decides at the cashier’s counter whether to buy it or not? And if short on cash, he hides the bargain-basement offer elsewhere in the store so that he can buy it later? At elegant resorts have you seen the tour group that brings plastic flasks to the breakfast buffet and fills them with freshly squeezed orange juice? If your answer to any of the above is “yes,” chances are you’ve met the boorish grab-all-you-can person, whom the Hokkien Chinese call Kiasu, or one who is afraid to lose out.
Many Singaporeans believe this is a good description of the Government and its approach to power. The winner-takes-all attitude is out of step with other nations.
Young Singaporeans nowadays are very stressful and ‘kiasu’ because they are made to work hard and do well in their studies to obtain certificates. Singapore has very little natural resources. Hence the government is putting in all the effort to upgrade the standard of the human resource. The government hopes that the young Singaporeans will get a certificate and get a good job in Singapore or overseas. In this globalized era, the world is competing on human resources and talent. Getting a good job, you can serve Singapore well.
Another point is that, Singaporean students are also competing against foreign students. These foreign students come from Korea, China, and Malaysia. They increase the competition among students. They catch up very fast in their studies, especially their English. They work hard for it and hence they do stand a higher chance of getting scholarships. Singaporean students have to study hard to obtain the scholarships. Hence, I have to say that young Singaporeans nowadays are really stressful.
The last point is that Singaporeans are known as ‘kiasu king’. Singaporeans are afraid to lose out. For example, registering their children to top schools, taking a lot of food when they go for a buffet and also queuing up for free items. There was once when Macdonald gave out free Hello Kitty dolls when you purchase a ‘Happy Meal’. Singaporeans started queuing up for it and there were also some who quarreled over this matter. They fought for the Hello Kitty dolls. Hence, Singaporeans are known as ‘kiasu’ people.
People all over the world have our culture and way of survival. Singapore is a stressful and fast pace society. And being Kiasu is just one of the factor for survival in Singapore. Every nationality has its own social attitudes or Kiasu-types, but Singaporeans have coined a word and mascot for it.
Nonetheless, I feel proud to be a Singaporean because Singapore is multi-cultural. The best part is the sense of belonging to Singapore. In Singapore, the government is not corrupted and the government does govern the country well. The most important part is that Singapore is a safe country. The security in Singapore is very well taken care of. We can walk on the streets late at night and feel secure and we never ever see riots or protest in our streets. Singapore provides a safe environment, wide choice of housing, first-class medical services and excellent education, all of which ensure a high standard of life. Being globally connected, Singapore has an extensive telecommunications network that is complimented by state-of-the-art computer systems. That is why I like Singapore. Hence, let the whole world know that Singapore is the best country and we are proud to be Singaporeans
Related Links :
Related Blog Post :
Tissue Paper Reservation in Singapore
iPhone 3GS Launch in Singapore
No Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
If you want to leave a feedback to this post or to some other user´s comment, simply fill out the form below.