5/09/2008
Pride and Nationalism
The engineered protest by the West during the recent Olympic flame run has rekindled a long forgotten passion among the Chinese youth. They were enraged by the attempt to humiliate China and sponstaneously stood up to defend China and Chinese interests. This is a new phenomenon from a people that have been humiliated for the last two centuries. They have found a new pride and confidence to fight back and to tell the West that they will not be pushed around.
How this sense of pride and nationalism came about is to a great extent a result of the economic growth of China and the general well being of its people. There is now a renewed pride to being a Chinese and China. And this comes from the people itself. Some may say that it is supported and encouraged by the govt. There is some truth to it. But if the country is not governed well, will the people stand up to defend country and govt, even with govt backing?
Would Singaporeans stand up and defend country and govt if the country is attacked? This is a strong signal of how the people feel for the country and whether they are behind the govt. What is the present mood of the Singaporeans? Will they stand up spontaneously for country and govt or will they join the attack?
We have seen many criticisms in cyberspace and many strong negative feelings at the moment. Are these isolated and from a small minority or could they be willed away in the presence of a crisis or external threat?
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9 comments:
I had all my children born overseas for the very reason that they will have an escape route when things go pear-shaped in Singapore. Yes, that's right, I used the word "when", not if, because Singapore is simply an aberration that will not last the test of time. For now, I am making hay while the sun shines, and remitting money out regularly to build my nest egg overseas. More Singaporeans should start doing this, for Singapore's demise is just a matter of time.
hi citizen world, welcome to the blog.
i think you are not the only one doing this. many are making alternative plans just in case. that is perhaps one of the reasons why singaporeans are investing in properties overseas.
this option is only available to those who are able. many just got this piece of rut to cling on to. when it collapses, that's it. the rich will scatter and the poor will pick up the trash.
singapore belongs to the poor. and the poor must insist on their fair share of the pie and a piece of the land. they are the stayers. when the distortion in wealth is too great, it will tear down the bond between the hardlanders and the rich land owners. and that is bad.
concern singaporeans must do their part to make sure that this little piece of land does not go under because of the greed of a small minority.
'Would Singaporeans stand up and defend country and govt if country is attack?'
Not when you feel your country treats foreigners seemingly better, like not having to do NS, and yet enjoying subsidised univerity education, pushing up property prices, taking jobs away from citizens and the govt intent on bringing in as many foreigners as possible to create more problems for ordinary Singaporeans.
So, why not just let the govt depend on foreigners to defend the country.
The problem with Singapore is that greed is not confined to a minority, it is actually a national attribute. There are many concerned Singaporeans, but the caveat is that they are only concerned with themselves. In this sort of country, being selfless does not pay, because you end up getting trampled on. So, it's dog eats dog, and every person for him or herself. May the best persons win. For the ones not lucky enough to be winners, the pappies say: too bad, you are not competitive enuf. go and take course and upgrade. the country does not owe you a living. we got many FTs who can take your place. Game over.
... why not just let the govt depend on foreigners to defend the country.
Because foreigners are not as stupid as bo lam pa Singaporeans. Foreigners can cabut back to their home countries, hence cannot be depended on. The pappies know this. That is why they have to force bo lam pa Singaporeans to do NS. Of course, not all Singaporeans are stupid and bo lampa. The smart and courageous ones are like Citizen World who have prepared their overseas abode.
we do have a problem, don't we?
some have eyes but cannot see. some have ears but cannot hear.
Of course they can see and hear. They just choose not to. Why should they, when they are sitting high and mighty up in their towers, ironically put there by the stupid bo lam pa Singaporeans themselves. They'd rather laugh at the fools who put them up there only to get royally screwed as gratitude. Can you blame the pappies then ?
don't worry lah. the formula for success is the recipe for disaster.
> Would Singaporeans stand up and defend country and govt if the country is attacked? <
Country and government are not one and the same. Too many people make the mistake of conflating these two seperate ideas.
When the Thais protested at Temasek's purchase of Thaksin's company, the burnt pictures of Ho Ching and Lee Hsein Loong. Never ONCE did anyone burn the Singapore flag.
The Thais at the protest got it right: they were able to make the distinction between country ("We The Citizens", Majulah Singapura) and government (PAP Matilah Singapura)
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