Uniquely Singapore!

Does Singapore have an unique and distinctive culture?

Many elements of Singapore society fit the bill of what sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander refers culture as – an organized set of meaningfully understood symbolic patterns. In olden times, ancient cultures would worship a certain deity, following strict customary law and practices. Today, we're still a collectivist culture, but how things have changed. Most Singaporeans now collectively worship a new deity namely, money. The importance of money is ingrained into our minds from birth, our parents knowingly assuring us the practicality of living in this day and age. The Singaporean way – study hard, memorize your lessons well, get a good grade, get a good job, earn a lot of money; and surely this will bring you happiness. In Singapore, the pursuit of being number one is the most noble of goals one can have in his life. To put it bluntly, most mothers from other countries will normally be overjoyed if their child managed a ninety-eight for a test, but in Singapore, the child is prepared for caning if he knows that his ninety-eight was only second to another child’s ninety-nine.

On the other side of the coin, people are arguing that the world is affected by influence from various sources, and each country is beginning to lose its distinctiveness. Globalisation has caused racial, cultural and lingual barriers to be broken down, and one may argue that we are facing the eradication of distinct cultures around the world. Economic emphasis in most countries has caused negligence in cultural growth. Heritage is lost in our constant struggle of twenty-first century advancements. Media influence seems to be the bible for our young these days. The world seems to be moving towards one giant, global culture that seemingly has the word “consumerism” written all over it. However, despite how many cultures ebb and flow into each other like paint on a canvas, there will always be room for smaller scale cultures to flourish regardless of how that mini-culture is set in the bigger picture.

I believe that a unique Singaporean culture is alive and well today. Our totems are our cell phones; our altars are our office cubicles and “4d shops”. Our national heroes are the financially successful, and the path to nirvana is a fat one hundred on a test paper. Yes, this is the Singaporean culture. Like it or not, this is what we have created. The slogan on our national tourism campaign proudly proclaims: “Uniquely Singapore”. However, it is definitely not for the reasons others think we are.