A Strange Status Symbol

[jw5]

Some years back, I read somewhere that some people in the UK consider it a status symbol to read newspapers like the Mail or the Independent.
And some people look down on those who read papers like the Sun. Which I don't understand since I particular like the Sun.

The strange status symbol for some people in SG that I'm referring to is reading the straits times.
I stress that some people who read this newspaper consider it a status symbol, not everyone who reads this newspaper.
Those people who read this newspaper and consider it a status symbol, also have certain strange traits.
I have observed this for many years and this is my personal opinion, but I don't have any empirical evidence to support this opinion.

I think this goes back many years, to a time when not everybody could read english and some people felt proud that they knew english whereas the people they knew did not. It seems to have continued to this day.
Of course, the people who felt this way, were also of a certain personality.

 

[elephanto]

As a satire to suan Pinkie that it is silly to expect people who gave feedback to use their real names, TS must be saying those who use :-
real name
real address
real ic number

are show-offs who think it is veri 'hip', 'in' & a form of 'status' that they DARE use the own names when writing to ST Forum pages or REACH ......

 

[elephanto]

Are you going to say or not? This is getting tiresome leh. Plus the longer you hold out, the higher the expectations and the bigger the disappointment when you reveal this supposed strange status symbol.

This better not be your answer lor.

As you had guessed, what an anti-climax.

After baiting & inviting suggestions, started a convulated tale that is neither here nor there .... ended by saying reading 154th is strange status symbol & next we will hear him castigate readers of 154th as gullible goondus & PAPPIES ....

Actually, quite the cntrary, since young I thought people who read the Business Times are showing off their status symbol ... why, BT for Business People $1.05 per copy some more ....

On the other hand, I think more & more people are reading freebies like TODAY & MyPaper .... part of the disposable culture ...

 

[kingrant]

Chey! I read ST for many years before I gave it up because it was just a tool of the PAP - outright untruthful, biased and obsequious, and therefore no value for my hard-earned money, and it was getting more and more costly. I regretted that I did not give it up earlier. I didnt feel I had any status, whether pseudo or real. I didnt feel like a snob nor did I see people awed by my choice of reading material. So pray tell me who are these morons who are getting these superiority fixes?

 

[Watchman]

Our National Mascot Asset . Most expensive ministar in Singapore !​

 

[laidback]

Interesting and perhaps true to a certain extent.

I have witnessed on weekend mornings at Tiong Bahru Food Centre, that some mature childless couples will proudly lay out all the sections of the Shit Times on the big round tables meant for 8 pax, buy one small cup of coffee each, and proceed to read line by line and page by page. They seem engrossed and look to be doing something rather important.

No they will not skip a single word or ad. And in the afternoon or evening gatherings with friends or family, they will proudly ask around "So what do you think of the drought situation in China, today newspaper got leeport" or "Wow, today Euro down to 1.90, you never read meh". So yes I agree with you to a certain extent.

But the biggest jokers are those proud assholes reading the Business Times while seated on a very crowded MRT with both arms outstretched like some important MF.

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

National Mascot . Most expensive ministar in Singapore !​

In the World lah....maybe Universe also.:oIo:

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

Haha....JW caught everyone with their pants down and cock standing....only to reveal a Liang Po Po.:p

 

[Agoraphobic]

Bud, you can't be serious. You're talking about a newsletter, not a newspaper!

Funny though.

Cheers!

 

[SneeringTree]

WTF? How can it be a status symbol when it has a circulation of hundreds of thousands?

This is like saying people who shop at NTUC sees it as a status thing.

 

[jw5]

Chey! I read ST for many years before I gave it up because it was just a tool of the PAP - outright untruthful, biased and obsequious, and therefore no value for my hard-earned money, and it was getting more and more costly. I regretted that I did not give it up earlier. I didnt feel I had any status, whether pseudo or real. I didnt feel like a snob nor did I see people awed by my choice of reading material. So pray tell me who are these morons who are getting these superiority fixes?

That's why I stressed that some people who read it considered it as a status symbol, not all.
As to who these morons are, you should ask them.

 

[jw5]

Interesting and perhaps true to a certain extent.

I have witnessed on weekend mornings at Tiong Bahru Food Centre, that some mature childless couples will proudly lay out all the sections of the Shit Times on the big round tables meant for 8 pax, buy one small cup of coffee each, and proceed to read line by line and page by page. They seem engrossed and look to be doing something rather important.

No they will not skip a single word or ad. And in the afternoon or evening gatherings with friends or family, they will proudly ask around "So what do you think of the drought situation in China, today newspaper got leeport" or "Wow, today Euro down to 1.90, you never read meh". So yes I agree with you to a certain extent.

But the biggest jokers are those proud assholes reading the Business Times while seated on a very crowded MRT with both arms outstretched like some important MF.

That's exactly what I have observed for many years.
The act of reading irritates me to begin with, strewing around all the sections, scrutinizing each column and word as there would be a eureka moment for them, and then making what they read the centre of their conversations for the whole day or week.
And then what follows is the total lack of understanding of their situation and the situation of their fellow citizens, despite their reading activities.
It's really strange.

 

[jw5]

Bud, you can't be serious. You're talking about a newsletter, not a newspaper!

Funny though.

Cheers!

I rather like the pages from sports to business, including lottery results and obituaries.

 

[jw5]

WTF? How can it be a status symbol when it has a circulation of hundreds of thousands?

This is like saying people who shop at NTUC sees it as a status thing.

That's precisely why it's strange.
And I stress again that it's SOME people who read it, not all.
These people who think this way only compare what they read with people they know in a very selective manner, and their reaction to what they read and processing what they read is really strange.

 

[Ash007]

The strange status symbol for some people in SG that I'm referring to is reading the straits times.
I stress that some people who read this newspaper consider it a status symbol, not everyone who reads this newspaper.
Those people who read this newspaper and consider it a status symbol, also have certain strange traits.
I have observed this for many years and this is my personal opinion, but I don't have any empirical evidence to support this opinion.

Eh, what strange traits might that be? Care to share as well ?

 

[krafty]

I have ST subscription! Normally, I will have my coffee and flipped thru the papers. I only scan the headlines and read those interest me. I think the content offered is just as good as those online,so i dun understand what's the big deal with reading these newspaper in public?

 

[elephanto]

I am sure many grew up with the Main Stream Media, reading comics like Tarzan, Alley Oop & Blondie.

Then with age comes political consciousness, maturity & eventually scepticism, contempt even hatred of Main Stream Media as PAP Propaganda shit, brothel prostitution production etc etc etc.

I have never seen Tiger, Singapore Herald, Eastern whatever, only New Nation, Singapore Monitor, Sin Chew, NayangSiangPau, ShinMin, WanBao, KuaiBao ... and of course the much hated Straits Times & New Paper.

Still, I do read them for Sports News & Classified Ads, for foreign news & te Chinese evening papers for salacious tidbits & entertainment gossip.

I have visitors & foreign friends who always marvel at our 154th.
If only for one thing which I must agree - sheer volume especially for Saturday edition.

If one compared with some the of the English Dailies from Jakarta or Vietnam, they cost more & just make up 4 or 5 broadsheets.

At the very least, ST good for selling to karang guni or use for cat/dog litter..

My cats love ST whenever I change their cat litter, it is always their favourite 'floor carpet' for their litter box .... good absorbent for cat wee-wee....

 

[krafty]

ha...ha...funny! bro,you damn gao suan!

At the very least, ST good for selling to karang guni or use for cat/dog litter..

My cats love ST whenever I change their cat litter, it is always their favourite 'floor carpet' for their litter box .... good absorbent for cat wee-wee....

 

[kingrant]

When I was subscribing it, I merely flipped the pages, scanned the headlines, zoomed in on juicy titbits, ignored all those Chua sisters' babble, simplistic investment and financial planning advice by people too young to be giving it, totally skipped the editorial, maybe looked up my fav TV programmes, and then threw the paper aside to sell to karang guni on Sats.

Then I asked myself why was I paying for something that I hardly bear to read and then the good sense sunk in. So these morons who read it like the Bible must be the same morons who will just swallow what the PAP wants to force feed down their throats, and willingly too - like they can never have enough of it.

Interesting and perhaps true to a certain extent.

I have witnessed on weekend mornings at Tiong Bahru Food Centre, that some mature childless couples will proudly lay out all the sections of the Shit Times on the big round tables meant for 8 pax, buy one small cup of coffee each, and proceed to read line by line and page by page. They seem engrossed and look to be doing something rather important.

No they will not skip a single word or ad. And in the afternoon or evening gatherings with friends or family, they will proudly ask around "So what do you think of the drought situation in China, today newspaper got leeport" or "Wow, today Euro down to 1.90, you never read meh". So yes I agree with you to a certain extent.

But the biggest jokers are those proud assholes reading the Business Times while seated on a very crowded MRT with both arms outstretched like some important MF.

 

[Ramseth]

Eh, what strange traits might that be? Care to share as well ?

In the City of London, a roadsweeper saw a banker walking down the street, in his usual well pressed suit with a copy of Financial Times (FT) tucked under his armpits...

Roadsweeper : Good morning, Mr. Banker. The crash at Wall Street last night was bad, ain't it?

Banker : Good morning. Oh? Er? Where's that? I parked my car at home last night all night.

Roadsweeper : No, not that kind of crash. New York, the Wall Street in New York. The stockmarket crash. Even if you didn't watch the telly, you should have read it in the FT by now.

Banker : Oh, I missed the telly last night; was too drunk by dinner time and hit the sack early right after dinner. And I don't read FT.

Roadsweeper : Then why're you carrying it?

Banker : Oh this? It's just part of the uniform.