SINGAPORE: An online user took to a forum on Sunday (Jan 12) to ask, “Is there a lot of middle-class entitlement in Singapore?” The writer shared, “… it’s also something I’ve observed a bit in real life… a lot of people think they are entitled to an upper-middle-class life.”
The writer then wrote, “I was having lunch with some high school friends after a long time, and they were complaining about how expensive it was to move out despite them all making more than the median salary of $4K for fresh graduates.” the post read.
“Inquiring further, it seemed that none of them wanted to move out until they were able to afford a domestic helper, which is a fair choice, but they then went (on) to complain about not getting enough help from the government to afford housing which seemed like a ludicrous complaint to make in line with their preferences.”
He then used public transportation and immigration as examples, arguing that oftentimes, people are quick to complain.
“Whenever public transport breaks down, people see it as a national outrage (good) and demand that fare raises be banned (counterproductive), not seeming to explain how cutting public transport funding will improve the quality of public transport.
Or, to touch on the immigration question, (they) seem to think that the only people working at MNC offices in Singapore should be Singaporeans as if those offices wouldn’t be relocated if companies could not staff them as they pleased.”
He also touched on the work culture in Singapore.
“There’s also a lot of general complaints about the rat race, but when probed deeper about what they would prefer compared to it (they) don’t seem to have any answers and just seem to want the perks of comfy corporate life without the hours and work required,” he shared.
“There are also critiques about the lack of culture in Singapore that when you probe about their engagement with the current art scene (they) admit that they haven’t really consumed any of it.”
The writer took things further, arguing:
“(There are) a lot of self-pitying posts on here and certain other subreddits that make it seem like being born in Singapore is the worst place possible, which, given the circumstances, almost anywhere else in the event the developing world is a pretty ludicrous claim.”
Singaporeans respond
In response to the post, many shared their two cents on the matter. “There is just a lot of entitlement mindset all around,” said one. “Not just middle class.”
“I think a lot of these are just people trying to let off some steam,” wrote another. “Some people find it cathartic to complain. They can’t air their grievances offline, so they do it here. There may not be any logic behind it. I don’t think it’s a uniquely Singaporean phenomenon.
I see many people complaining about everything in other subreddits from other countries.”
Still, a third pointed out the human side of things. “As humans, we compare with other people and tend to see our shortcomings,” he said.
“We tend not to look and say Singapore’s stability, safety, prosperity, or efficiency is world-class (although, in my opinion, we are). I don’t think being entitled is that bad; if we think it’s entitled to us, then we need to fight for it.
I think I am entitled to private transport, which means I need to work hard, earn enough and make sacrifices to own my own car.”