One of the major problems I have with Singaporeans is their failure to look within themselves when things go wrong or when things do not go their way. Disclaimer: I am talking about majority here. I think this is due to the fact that for most part of our lives, we live under the comfort of what our government/parents/schools paved for us, and when something fucks up, it is due to them telling us to do this or encouraging us to do that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9pCQYsEOhI
I was rather pleasantly surprised at one of the recent ads for the Speak Mandarin campaign which featured ang mo kids speaking delightfully in Mandarin. Anyone's guess is that they were probably expat kids whose parents were posted to a Chinese speaking country. I thought it was tongue in cheek, and even adorable that they could speak Mandarin quite well at such a tender age. But alas, this series of ads didn't sit so well with Singaporeans it seemed.
They whined that the ads were in bad taste as they ridiculed us locals. And that the ads had to feature foreigners to tell us or imply that we need to buck up or that our Mandarin sucked. I completely do.not.get.it and was quite infuriated with the reaction. YES, I do think the ads do have the intention of telling us 'hey, watch out, even foreigners are picking up Mandarin, the universal language of the world's largest population, and please do something about your Mandarin or at least realise the importance.' But does the government always have to tell you to do something in a feel-good manner, with good looking celebrities and one sided communication? I mean, it is ridiculous enough the government goes to the lengths of telling us to flush the toilets, get married, have kids and god forbid, be kind even (the Kindness Campaign, don't even get me started on that one)? What a joke!
I personally know the person who conceptualized the ad campaign. She was saying how fast other markets are moving in on the Chinese market, they realized that it is not just the dollars and cents, but also understanding the way the Chinese work, live and play, so that explains the surge in foreigners learning Mandarin. Singaporeans on the other hand, are a rather complacent lot.
It's about time to get off your arses and do something instead of complain, complain, complain.
