8/06/2006

myth 49

'Complaining is bad' I was reading Kan Seng's speech on foreign talents and the need for them and the complaints that appeared everywhere. I don't think people disagree with the concept of having more foreign talents here. The complaints are more on certain specifics that people see as either overdone or overkilled or simply putting Singaporeans at a disadvantage. And in the same speech Kan Seng added, 'Worse, we should not become dissengaged armchair critics and simply complain when we do not like something.' Now compare this with people who are paid to complain, the professional critics who are not even affected nor dislike anything, but just their job to complain. Complain has a very important role in life and living. Our body complains when we are not feeling well. Our stomach complains when hungry. This is a natural mechanism that helps us to rectify any wrongs or problems. Just imagine we can't feel pain, hunger, thirst, we can be dead the next minute. Complaining has a vital role in society especially about things that affect the people and country. We as a first world country, should grow up from third world mentality and accept complain in the true spirit. I posted earlier about learning a thing from the World Bank/IMF inviting people to demonstrate against them. They want to hear the other side, an opposing view. This is maturity, a higher level of thinking. They know that they are not god and will not have the best solution for everything. Complains when taken positively, helps to smoothen the corners and rough edges of policies and decisions. In the absence of complains, we don't even know that we are suffocating the people. Another word for complain is feedback. Maybe we should use the word feedback instead of complain. What's the dif? Or maybe we should all shut up and believe that we are living in utopia, govern by gods and all things are fine.

9 comments:

Whispers from the heart said...

Complaints are good only when:

1 you complain that the Ministers' pay are too little compared to the sacrifice they made.

2 you complain that Singapore's social safety net is too wide, letting us develop a 'crutch mentality'. Thus, robbing away our dignity of working way past 70 for our living.

3 you complain that the foreign press is always biased and untruthful in their analysis of Singapore. You complain that their english standard is also very bad because all of them describe LKY as a despot and nothing else.

4 you complain that the old and unemployed in Singapore don't conveniently die off

5 you complain that Singaporeans are immature and spoilt for not appreciating how lucky they are

6 you complain that locals are fussy and inflexible but foreign talents are willing to sacrifice for our well-being, taking up all the unwanted jobs in Singapore

7 you complain that Singaporeans speak a stupid kind of English that make us non-native to other native english speakers

8 you complain that the opposition is nothing but trouble makers and should be publicy executed to restore the national fabric of unity and progress

9 you complain that we are too world-class and need to slow down for others to catch up, like China and India.

10 you complain that the bloggers are a narcisstic bunch who writes to make a name or get a salary. You complain that some people think journalists are also like that.

Speedwing said...

You must never complain unless you want to be considered unpatriotic. With all the excellent people you have running the show, you should have no reason to complain.

You have a roof over your head, you have a job, your children are fed and they have schools to go to. What more do you want in life??

People who complain are so ungrateful!!

Abao said...

But if you dont complain, how are they going to improve? I thought they said there's always room for improvement?

Speedwing said...

Who said that? I must have been asleep when that was said!!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

wow whisper from the heart, you are a genius. i am truly enlightened.

on reflection, i think most bloggers and forumers are biased. they only look at one side of the picture and complaint from only one angle. now you have shown that there is another angle to complain about.

now i must adopt this approach to appear fair to both sides, objective, and speak the whole truth and not half truths.

may i extend to you a warm welcome to the blog. : )

hi speed and abao, i think i must tell my double, redbean? that he is right, that i am telling only half truths.

Abao said...

If you are a human, then you can never be truly objective. No matter how hard you try, you will still be biased towards somethings, for it is what you believe in.

[speedwing]
i should have used "those television idol shows" instead of "they" in they said theres always room for improvement

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

as long as man says, it is subjective. it is, yes, a personal opinion. even facts are subjective, selective facts.

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