Singlish and the process of a society becoming more boring...

Do not underestimate the power of Singlish. Even though we are now told not to use it so much, I think it is a language that is cool in its own quirky way. This post is about how Singlish allows one to truly capture the nuances of certain aspects of Singapore's culture, using a new Singlish term, 'sianization' as a case study.

'Sianization' is a term first invented by a fellow Singaporean blogger, jllt. This term, as far as I can see, has immense potential in helping us to formulate a sophisticated analysis of contemporary society and culture, especially in Singapore. So here, I present an elaboration of the Singlish Sianization Theory, which might be slightly different from what jllt had in mind when she first coined the term*.

Sianization refers to a process of a country or society becoming more and more 'sian' (or literally, 'boring'). But the term is more complex than that. 'Sian' is a Singlish term (with Hokkien origins) that is used to denote a complex feeling of boredom, apathy, tiredness, 'jadedness', and resignation. Is there such a process going on in Singapore? If so, what are the causes, the diverse aspects, and the implications of sianization? In my opinion, there is no smoke without fire: sianization is indeed going on as many people have felt it, but thankfully, it also involves a range of countervailing forces as we shall see later. The causes of sianization can be summarized as the Three P's - place, product, and people (not to be confused with the 4 P's of Marketing, which is easy stuff). These should be read in conjunction with my earlier entries (e.g. 'playgrounds', 'tried and tested routes', etc). Let us explore each of these below.

As a Place, Singapore does not have many sites which are enchanting. Sure, we have several tourist sites such as the bird park, the zoo, and so on. However, we simply cannot expect a few birds or orang utans to deliver the magic, can we? The existing tourist sites do not look extremely attractive, or feel extremely exciting; they cater adequately only to those who are already quite 'sian' and have no other places to go. And Sentosa is plainly disappointing as a tourist site: the journey round the island is harrowing - has anyone been there recently? In addition, the cable car system is far from 'world class': my Taiwanese friend visited Singapore, and we waited in the very hot and stuffy 'cable car tower' for 45 minutes before finally boarding a cable car, which took just 5 mins to reach the other end, and she said, "I'll never take the cable car again". I feel so sorry about the whole incident.

The second P refers to products - products of Singapore. I have in mind cultural products such as Singapore-produced television programmes and movies. There should be more of these, and the quality can be further improved. More local stars should be cultivated, especially if they look tremendously attractive (e.g. Pierre Png, Constance Song). Let's face it, looks are important in the media industries. I wonder why poor Pierre Png is always assigned roles that do not show him at his best - what a waste of talent! And I believe that any television programme or movie featuring Constance Song (perhaps together with Pierre Png) will be an instant hit globally! Why hasn't MediaCorp thought of this??

The third P refers to people. While there are actually a lot of interesting people in Singapore, the interesting sides of them are often suppressed when they enter the workforce. The work culture is too tough here - it should be changed so that people can knock off at 6pm instead of 9pm. Be like London, as Minister George Yeo says! Work-life balance should be cultivated, so that we do not have to book appointments with friends 3 weeks in advance just to see them once a year. People should also pursue their dreams. In Singapore, ask around and most people will tell you that they would like to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, IT specialists, accountants, or part of some other major profession. How many will actually tell you he wants to be a writer, an artist, a pianist, a sportsman, or a chef (as is the case in USA)? Not many, because there are pressures towards conformity in this country. The aspirations to pursue a different life from the rest of your countrymen may well reside in people's hearts, but the environment does not allow such aspirations to manifest as actual career decisions. As a result, many find themselves working in unsatisfying jobs for which they have no passion. Although the above major professions are good professions, the problem of homogeneity arises when most people aim for those few professions and nothing else...

Thus, the Singlish term 'sianization' has its roots in the 3 P's of Singapore - places, products, and people (not to be confused with the 4 P's of Marketing, remember). What we have done so far is to identify the causes of this societal process. One does not need to be pessimistic, however, for this process may trigger countervailing forces such as (a) new measures by the government to make the Place less 'sian' (e.g. the casino decision), (b) new products from the cultural industry (such as the Phua Chu Kang musical), and (c) new emphases to reorientate People's lives in Singapore (e.g. five-day work week to encourage work-life balance). It is therefore a dialectical process that can be shaped by citizens and public agencies rather than a unidirectional one that is destined to overwhelm us.

As far as I know, Singlish is the only language in this world that can capture the nuances of this process in just one word. Don't you think it's a cool language? :) I am not advocating the widespread use of Singlish within the education system here, just as one who loves Hokkien does not necessarily promote the use of Hokkien in the schools. My point is that we should be proud of Singlish not just because of its local flavour, but also because of its richness and its ability to capture elusive and ambivalent aspects of life in Singapore, thus resulting in the economy of words which contributes to efficiency. However, in order to 'earn the right' to use Singlish on informal occasions, I feel that one should first master standard English to an advanced level, for only by doing so can one firstly, defend himself against critics who associate Singlish with 'those who cannot master English', and secondly, prove with one's ability that Singlish users are highly competent English users, thus earning the necessary respect for this local language of ours.

*jllt's version is more focused on the countervailing forces of 'sianization' :)