Singapore Culture

Singapore is made up of so many different races. I feel that it is the diversity which gives us a unique culture. Where else in the world do we have Chinese, Indians, Malays and other races living together and still regarding themselves as one citizen. I truly think this have made us more accepting of each other's different cultures and gives us a unique identity as Singaporeans. However, sometimes I do feel that there is so many other external influences from other countries which inevitably overpowers our own culture. I would say the Internet greatly facilitates this. Almost every young Singaporean have Internet access and be exposed to things like Japanese anime, Korean wave, Taiwanese Chinese pop music, Western hip hop and rnb music etc.

I think we have a flair for accepting influences from other countries and then incorporate our own styles into them. Take the coffee culture for example. It is so prevalent in America/Europe and eventually gets incorporated into the Singapore lifestyle. I forgot when (I think the early 1990s) but all of a sudden, Coffee Bean and Starbucks outlets sprung up over the island. It became trendy to drink coffee at these cafes, rather than our own kopi tiams (coffee shops). So which of our own styles did we integrate into the American coffee drinking culture? It is when you see students studying vigourously and holding project meetings at coffee bean, starbucks and macdonalds. It is quite interesting really.... A coffee cafe should be a place for relaxation and for catching up with friends with the cosy ambience. Yet we see Singaporean kids mugging in cafes. No wonder there is so much confidence in our education.

As for our own kopi tiams that has a strong local element due to a long heritage of the Hokkien traders who run them in the past, it is more common in the heartlands. We say "kopi-O" instead of black coffee. "Kopi-O siew dai" instead of black coffee with less sugar, "Milo beng" instead of ice milo as well as our "kaya roti" (kaya bread). Sadly, most people especially the young people would rather go to coffee bean than kopi tiams. Fortunately, kopi tiams with modern elements such as the "Ya Kun Toast" comes along to revive the good old time. Now people can enjoy their kopi in air conditioned places. I would say that Singaporeans have such good flexibility to adapt to different changes. However, this change in environment has totally altered the true essence of kopi tiams where people know one another and openly greet each other as they talk about things like the economy and politics. Sadly, it is a compromise that comes with commercialization. It is always a stuggle that is hard to maintain a balance.

As for traits that have been linked to Singaporeans such as kiasu (afraid to lose). It is quite sad that when we mention Singapore culture, many would rather talk about how kiasu we are. I feel that kiasu is not something that we are born with. Rather, something that we are shaped to become. We are shaped to be competitive and shaped to believe that we must not lose out. I guess we have been reminded too much that being a small country, we have to make it up by being more competitive. It shouldn't be over emphasized as being negative because we live in a country with a fast pace of life, sometimes it is inevitable that someone has to be kiasu. For a parent who has a family to support, kiasu means to work harder than others for the better of the family. In a society that places so much emphasis on academic excellence, it is also inevitable that parents are kiasu and want their children to be put in the best schools and have the best tuition teachers. I believe within kiasu-ism itself, there are so many underlying reasons. Thus, it would be biased to label it as a negative trait of Singaporeans.

In short, we have a rich culture of our own, however commercialization have led to a dilemma, whether to embrace the external influences for advancement or to hold on tightly to the lingering scents of local culture.