Basket.

The New Paper on Sunday has, not for the first time, provided rich material for a blog post, and this day it is a particularly good harvest.

First off, I shall take issue with another haranguing from the older generation about how this generation is spoiled, lost its hunger and drive for success etc etc (nothing we haven't heard before, yawn). I think the view from the elders is flawed at its very core and full of generalisations.

They begin by saying we have far better means materially now, which is why we have lost this drive and ambition to succeed. Our august forebears, born into poverty and deprivation, worked hard and determinedly to ascend the social ladder and brought us from Third World to First within four decades. Now, the young have lost that edge, and Singapore is doomed unless we do something about it. I say, there are some rather gaping flaws with statements like these.

Firstly, the definition of success now and forty years ago is extremely different. Forty years ago, getting an education and a decent job was considered a success. Now, even a university degree is looked down by some; and the truly successful are viewed as those with S Papers, a PSC scholarship and a bright future in the civil service. The discrepancy is palpable. I contend that success was easier to achieve previously than now, with more relaxed curriculum objectives and standards, in comparison with the rat race our education system basically is as of current. It is a completely different set of circumstances, then and now. The older generation can say we have material enjoyment and convenience. We can and should counter that the system they lived under was not a smidgen as stressful. Did they have to count CCA points, get S Papers, get PSC scholarships and even fulfill a minimum requirement of CIP hours on top of the normal academic workload (which is heavier now than then)? Don't judge us, and we won't judge you.

I also take issue with the fact that only material well-being is considered when they assert we have it better, we have it made, and yet we don't go in for what we want. I contend that quality of life has not necessarily improved in Singapore over the past forty years, and may even have slid. So, they were poor and deprived, far worse off materially. However, we are far worse off in terms of less tangible things. What, may I ask, is the use of having far more comfortable lodgings and leisure equipment when one is not at home most of the day to enjoy it? Our forebears never had CCA until 10pm at night, I wager. Nor did they have such stressful environments to contend with; the heavy academic workload on top of which is piled the archaic and miserly PEARLS system. Life was more relaxed then, even if people were poorer. Material well-being is not and should not be used as the only yardstick to measure whether people are better off now than previously.

And I simply cannot stand that attitude of resigned head-shaking among the elder generation. Why, they moan, and how, have we brought up such a bunch of snot-nosed, self-centred spoiled brats? We have only ourselves to blame, they say, and go off self-piteously whining. Cut it out. Do not use the values of an outmoded era to judge us. Singapore had to westernise to survive, and westernisation has side effects. We have adopted Western values; so what? They are not necessarily worse than Eastern values. They also teach respect for elders and good morals. Basically, they are not far different. Just that maybe most of the elder generation cannot stand their children being more independent. They want their children malleable and dependent, possibly so they can live on in their children. They can be, through their children, what they never had a chance to be. Is this not selfish? SELF-CENTRED?

Singapore ahs too long been struggling under archaic Confucianist principles. Boh tua boh suay; our "democracy" is built on that. "Hey, we gave you a better (material, of course) standard of living; you damned well better be grateful" - that has always been the government line. Anyone who leaves is ungrateful. Anyone who demands a voice and tries to break social norms is "boh tua boh suay" (mei da mei xiao in Chinese). Well, I contest that the government has given us a higher standard of living. We are better off materially: so what? Material well-being is not all there is to life.

"You don't understand our difficulties," the elder generation cries. Well, here's some news for you: you don't understand ours either. As we can't appreciate how it was to cram into a tiny room in Chinatown with an entire extended family, you can't appreciate how tough it is to be considered a success in modern, cosmoplitan Singapore. So let us keep clear of each other. You don't pass judgement on us; we don't pass judgement on you. We simply do not know enough about each other.

The next issue is about Chinese students criticising Singaporeans as lazy, ignorant and complacent. It is funny how I can both attack this nation of mine and defend it in a single blog post, but that is what is going to happen.

I do think he has been hasty and made over-generalisations. I do not think he will feel very good if I generalised Chinese students either. But I am far more objective than that. We'll leave aside the issue of him biting the hand that feeds him, because that may be rather personal, and deal with the fact that in the end, he is in this country, our country; whatever happened to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"? Nor has he been here long enough to really know Singaporean students, and bases his perception on one of his project work mates. There are black sheep within every group, and to generalise Singaporean students just by a bad experience with one of them is... stupid, really. There are for sure, people like that among China's 1.3 billion people too; can we then label Chinese as ignorant, lazy and complacent? I am sure if we do, this fellow will be one of the first to rise to his nation's defense.

What is more, he posted on a website which by his own admittance is frequented overwhelmingly by students from China. That is the online equivalent of talking behind someone's back. S'matter? Too cowardly to defend your views on a rather more open and objective forum? Go back to China after your education, we could do less with your type over here.

So, yes. Today's bitching ends here.