Singaporeans. Educated but Uncultured?
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I believe everyone should have the experience of witnessing the 'Ugly Singaporean' when travelling abroad. I do understand that there are always black sheep amongst every flock but I think the percentage should be pretty high when foreigners start to perceive Singaporeans to have certain boorish traits.
Would this be the case whereby we are so busy educating and upgrading and fighting to be on top of the food chain that we forget about courtesy and grace, resulting into boorish, self-centered and lacking in social grace personalities.
Thought about this when talking to a Thai customer today. It can be majorly embarressing when travelling and your fellow Singaporean acts in a rude boorish manner and thinks that he is right overseas and every single neighbouring country around us is dirt.
I have been accused of being unSingaporean because I do not exhibit those traits that our neighbours have started to associate with all Singaporeans
so much so that people always ask me,"Where are you from? Hong Kong?? Malaysia?? Japan??"
Anyway this is just my 2 cents. What do you guys think? -
we're not the only ones.
I was at the M'sia customs. A "herd" of Korean aunties, directed by their tour guide, just stampeded their way to the front of the queue.
Pretty ungracious, i felt.
If only we stop viewing ourselves as "elite" amongst our neighbours, we would have less of these "image" problems. Basically, we have no respect for other people.
Actually, i also feel that our attitude (lack of respect for other people) also resulted in the degeneration of dress code in public, at wedding dinners, etc... -
Haha true. My own stereotype is 'All Koreans are boorish louts' thanks to many bad gaming experiences and irl experiences with them.Originally posted by ilovemyrolex:we're not the only ones.
I was at the M'sia customs. A "herd" of Korean aunties, directed by their tour guide, just stampeded their way to the front of the queue.
Pretty ungracious, i felt.
If only we stop viewing ourselves as "elite" amongst our neighbours, we would have less of these "image" problems. Basically, we have no respect for other people.
Actually, i also feel that our attitude (lack of respect for other people) also resulted in the degeneration of dress code in public, at wedding dinners, etc...
The thing is that alot of people have the 'ME ME ME' mentality and that results in really boorish behaviour and yes....that elitist mentality too. Seriously countries like Thailand are progressing so fast that if we do not get off our high horses and surge ahead, they might just leave us choking in a cloud of dust. -
yeah...
on a larger scale,
s'pore is just a kampung farmer who struck lottery overnite,
still stuck getting used to upper crust life. -
Originally posted by ilovemyrolex:we're not the only ones.
I was at the M'sia customs. A "herd" of Korean aunties, directed by their tour guide, just stampeded their way to the front of the queue.
Pretty ungracious, i felt.
If only we stop viewing ourselves as "elite" amongst our neighbours, we would have less of these "image" problems. Basically, we have no respect for other people.
Actually, i also feel that our attitude (lack of respect for other people) also resulted in the degeneration of dress code in public, at wedding dinners, etc...
Well, when I was on Liberty Island in NYC, I visited a souvenir shop there and all was nice and peaceful until suddenly, an entire herd of Korean tourists came in and oh my... they were talking and shouting at the top of their voices non-stop like a gaggle of geese!
If that wasn't bad enough, they pushed and shoved you if you got in their way!
I yelled, "Hey!!" a few times in protest, but it was as if I was invisible and mute. 
So, when a few of them shoved their way to the cashier, who was an African-American lady, she shouted, "HEY!! Queue up properly and can we have some order here?" because they were pushing and shoving each other. She shook her head in disbelief and muttered under her breath, "I can't believe these people!"
When they finally left, man, it was peace again! I walked up to the cashier, and told her, "Wow... what a din! And they're so obnoxious too!"
The lady smiled cause at first, she thought I was 'them Koreans'. She emphatically said, "Oh yeah! They're all so rude!!" -
This is a point that I've been harping on for a long time now.
Just look at the way MOST Singaporeans treat their maids! Or even, look at how they treat service staff! The fact that PM Lee needs to tell Singaporeans not to abuse service staff speaks volumes about the state of the nation!
I don't have to go far everyday at work to get a perfect example of the Ugly Singaporean. They are folks who storm into our designated staff areas, and when told, "Excuse me, that's a staff area, please walk the other way!" they'll say, "I know!", but walk on into the staff area regardless! In Hokkien, they are ti ki, ya ban! Brats who are used to getting their way with utterly no respect for anyone else!
We work hard to stabilise a critically ill patient, and we receive complaint letters accusing us of 'staying in the room so long' that the visitors were deprived of a chance to be in the room with their loved ones! Can you believe that??!!! I feel like shaking them to their senses and yelling, "We were in there working hard to save your mom, what did you think we were doing?!!!!"
The educated ones can be royal pain in the unmentionables! They will put on this arrogant, know-it-all attitude and be extremely demanding and suspicious of all staff, insisting things be done their way when they know zilch, questioning us excessively and obsessively almost as if they were supervising us, being uncooperative, etc.
What's the point of subsiding all the education if we produce louts and barbarians like that, it beats me! -
I guess what can be said about this has oredi been said a thousand times. It is still only the ppl who can realise how they are acting and correct themselves. If we so much as hint that they are in any way wrong, ur ass is gonna get polished pretty cleanly and all shining.
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the grass is always greener across the other side of the fence.
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Because their mentality is," I am a high-flier with a high-paying job. I'm obviously more educated than you are because you are just a lowly nurse and I surf the internet and definately know more than you."
"Since you're a lowly nurse, you are obviously some import from China or some godforsaken place who hopes to have a better life in Singapore and therefore you have to put up with me since you think Singapore is a ticket to better life."
Of course not all of those louts think that way. Most of them just have the "I'm holier than thou" mentality -
You're very right.Originally posted by nOrmalbOi:I guess what can be said about this has oredi been said a thousand times. It is still only the ppl who can realise how they are acting and correct themselves. If we so much as hint that they are in any way wrong, ur ass is gonna get polished pretty cleanly and all shining.
Still, we take perverse pleasure in ranting and raving!
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Yeah, they do think that way.Originally posted by elindra:Because their mentality is," I have am a high-flier with a high-paying job. I'm obviously more educated than you are because you are just a lowly nurse and I surf the internet and definately know more than you."
"Since you're a lowly nurse, you are obviously some import from China or some godforsaken place who hopes to have a better life in Singapore and therefore you have to put up with me since you think Singapore is a ticket to better life."
Of course not all of those louts think that way. Most of them just have the "I'm holier than thou" mentality
Or, if they know we're local, then, they'll have an attitude akin to ahem! ... dragg's, "They are nurses because they cannot find a better job. They must be stupid so bo bian lor, who asked them to take on a maid's job!" -
Alamak! I just realised that I keep forgetting to delete words in my sentance when I'm at work!!
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Man, it's soooo good to see you online again with your weird bears logo!
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speaking of nurses ... do you work in a govt or private hospital Rhonda ? ...Originally posted by Rhonda:Yeah, they do think that way.
Or, if they know we're local, then, they'll have an attitude akin to ahem! ... dragg's, "They are nurses because they cannot find a better job. They must be stupid so bo bian lor, who asked them to take on a maid's job!"
I've heard horror stories from nurses working at places like Mount E and Glenegles ....
patients who were tycoon and tai tais, waited upon hand and foot when they were well ...
treating the nurses badly .....
any such horror stories ? .... -
There's too many for her to type it outOriginally posted by Fatum:speaking of nurses ... do you work in a govt or private hospital Rhonda ? ...
I've heard horror stories from nurses working at places like Mount E and Glenegles ....
patients who were tycoon and tai tais, waited upon hand and foot when they were well ...
treating the nurses badly .....
any such horror stories ? .... -
Because I'm weird? Sorry Rhonda am in a kooky mood today.Originally posted by Rhonda:Man, it's soooo good to see you online again with your weird bears logo! -
VIP's, including foreign ones, and super rich folks pass through the doors of our public hospitals too!Originally posted by Fatum:speaking of nurses ... do you work in a govt or private hospital Rhonda ? ...
I've heard horror stories from nurses working at places like Mount E and Glenegles ....
patients who were tycoon and tai tais, waited upon hand and foot when they were well ...
treating the nurses badly .....
any such horror stories ? ....
And yes, a few forumites in here know of my recent 'special assignment' to a VIP's residence and the horror stories! -
Personally, I feel that you cannot call a person educated if he/she does not have basic manners.
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Someone has a degree and is only a nurse? Sry to ask
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many singaporeans are hopeless.
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There are people with degrees who opt to be a nurse, social worker whatever due to an inner calling or whatever you wanna call it.
Erhmmm actually I think there is a reason why there is a term 'Educated Boors'
Seems to be very relevant lately -
Obviously, you haven't been reading the news nor watching the news on TV.Originally posted by Depressed...*sigh*:Someone has a degree and is only a nurse? Sry to ask
There are degree-holders these days who opt to join nursing. There are also those with 'A' levels, or other diplomas, who join nursing too.
Amongst my colleagues, there are several with an Advanced Dip in a Specialty area. Degrees are also becoming common amongst nurses these days. There's even a Masters program in SIM and NUS for nurses too.
And haven't you heard, they're planning a full-time degree program for nurses here. -
Hmm... you know what? Continue to treat us as 'only a nurse' and see the mass exodus happening!Originally posted by Depressed...*sigh*:Someone has a degree and is only a nurse? Sry to ask And then, when YOU fall ill and get hospitalised, too bad, nursing shortage, you'll have to help yourself! -
*Sigh* To think that Rhonda, you gave up a promising corporate career to be 'only a nurse'Originally posted by Rhonda:Hmm... you know what? Continue to treat us as 'only a nurse' and see the mass exodus happening! And then, when YOU fall ill and get hospitalised, too bad, nursing shortage, you'll have to help yourself!
Seriously, I have to repeat myself again. I will never have the courage to be like you, to give up everything, go back to school to come out to be 'only a nurse'
The problem is that a once noble and respected profession is now seen as a job you take out of desperation