A throughly misguided interpretation of a facet of the state of art and social culture in Singapore

My Dear Angst-filled and Introverted Moralizers of Much Criticism toward the Inferiors of Much Want in the Functions of the Perceptive Powers (i.e. Stupid People),

This post is hereby addressed to you. Note that all statistics I post are only an exceedingly rough estimation I conjure up in my head in the matter of a tenth of a second. As I begin, let me point this out: The Singapore Government is great. It has a foresight like no other. It mediates the Western "freedom" worldview with our Eastern "conservative" worldview like no other.

• A comparison with other Asian countries should show that... China's largely authoritarian policies has caused a lot of headaches for America and other countries. The subset of "Most Idiotic Citizens" that comprise part of the population of the latter countries (and of every other country, for that matter) are thy proselytizers of everything anti-Chinese, anti-communist. There is latent prejudice amongst the population of America against China effected by the influence of "Most Idiotic Citizens" because of the dissonance in philosophies.


• Japan's policies have largely abandoned (were they there in the first place? Or was their culture already like that to begin with? Someone with expertise on the subject please tell me.) the conservative values that are so integral to Singapore. Yes, Japan is an economic success. Yes, Japan is a political disaster. And yes, the people of Japan are head-confound-ing-ly wise to maintain such harmony despite that. Recycling policies blah, blah, blah. But not a "successful" Singapore. Y'see, in Japan, there are no highly religious people. Y'see, in Japan, prostitution and sick fetishes are rife. Y'see, in Japan, everybody is somehow crazy in their minds.


• North Korea doesn't deserve a more comprehensive mention in my list.


• South Korea is The Blessed Land of Drama Serials and Christians who realize that corruption amongst CEOs of big-name companies like Hyundai is OK.


• Taiwan and HK... are countries which I have only a very deficit and vague knowledge of. Even though Taiwan is a diplomatic disaster, I get that impression that the average person in these countries is pretty much like Singapore's, only less intense in faith and moral issues, and with the creative domain somewhat reflective of Japan (game shows & comics) and Korea (celebrities).

UFOs! Alien conspiracies! Your tax money's gone to fund Senator (ABC)'s villa on a Caribbean island! Your father's an FBI!

Sadly, Singapore will not entertain such bullshit. Such phenomena are hallucinations of paranoia by dissidents smoking marijuana. Estimating, 1% of Singapore's sensible population will ever have the novelty of coming up with something so incomprehensibly ridiculous.

Yet in each of them -- UFOs, crop circles, conspiracies -- lies some irresistible attraction that just makes people want to believe in them. Some of these phenomena even have cults for them. Press interviews with these thoroughly misguided people serve as comic relief that only makes their trusting, infantile nature only more lovely, but we remember ourselves that such chaotic ideas ought to be suppressed because they result in pathetic failures such as the aforementioned hypothetical cult people.

By comparison, I believe few in Singapore ever hit upon publicizing such insanity. One notable exception is Jack Neo. In his films are stereotypes and characters acting out laughably close-minded roles. Each are a reflection of the hidden goals and agendas (read: memes) of Singaporeans that few discuss openly but everyone assumes naturally. None of these have much attractive power. That's that. Singapore's dull.

And that is why thy Artistic Aspirers of Singapore feel enfettered in this island. It is not Singapore's small size, for sure; for the smaller the island, the easier it is to reach out. (Then Why?) It is not the lack of an arts scene in Singapore; oh yes, there is a hustling, bustling citadel in Singapore's heartland that the Apprentice of Expression would feel at home in. (Then Why?)

The big problem is this: there is no way to make the people who are not interested interested. When you go to Thy Art Citadel, you meet people; people who secretly want to appear to be rich, people who love artistic expression, people who seem so perfect in everything they do, people who are at the frontier of fashion, people of happy families, people who have in their head immeasurable knowledge, people who love to think of themselves as connoisseurs, people, all kinds of people; people who seem to be from all walks of life.

Never the majority of our population who work reveille to crepuscule and clock in overtime to support their families with neither excess funds nor time to spare, who start the day defeated and end the day late, tired and grumpy, who look upon our passion with much resentment at our lack of empathy towards their damnable purgatory, who put food on our table and turn to their weak yet irrationally stubborn faith for a promised reward to their perspiration, because they are much too busy to partake in our revel; depressingly, these people are far too distant to reach out.

Never our parents, the people who make our excitement possible.