Are Singaporeans empathetic towards the plight of poor people?

[Leongsam]

Singapore is no different. It's almost always the fatties that queue up for freebies.

 

[yellowarse]

While a large majority of my wealthier and more successful circles of friends are supporters to the socialistic views, we have never been able to turn the tides against the current governing party. It seems, from voting patterns, that the poor are ignorant of their plight and chooses to vote for the policies that marginalize themselves. It is clear and evident that majority of private/ landed home owners voted for opposition but the HDB dwellers dilute that aspect by voting for the current government.

Hit the nail on the head. The people that left-wing opposition parties purport to help – the poor and lower-middle income folk – are the very ones who continue to vote PAP every election.

Most of my friends and I have resigned to the fact that historically, the poor will always be less ignorant, they will always choose for others to think for themselves and in many cases, hostile towards those who are trying to save them from themselves.

So, why should we continue to be sympathetic when they refuse to help themselves? Especially when Singapore's policies are geared to favor the wealthier and more successful in every aspect?

The answer is not to be unsympathetic to the poor and underprivileged, but to educate them and ridding them of their ignorance. Actually, part of the 'ignorance' is fear, the fear that what little they possess now and the piecemeal handouts given by the PAP govt will be taken away from them if a new govt takes over.

That's why oppo parties, in addition to doing ground work and shaking hands, must focus on policy and inform residents how life would be better for them if certain policies were in place and key changes made to governing ideology.

 

[Leongsam]

This is what real poverty looks like.

 

[yellowarse]

This is what real poverty looks like.

That's extreme poverty, starvation and malnutrition.

This is the kind of poverty more commonly seen in First World nations:

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[Leongsam]

That's extreme poverty, starvation and malnutrition.

This is the kind of poverty more commonly seen in First World nations:

​

That is not poverty it's low income or in some cases mental retardation.

 

[yellowarse]

That is not poverty it's low income or in some cases mental retardation.

However you define it, these people still need help. No one chooses to go hungry or sleep in the streets.

 

[bic_cherry]

Minimum wage: An Emergency measure, not a long term panacea to all problems..

Minimum wage: An Emergency measure, not a long term panacea to all problems...

Re thread (SBY): Are Singaporeans empathetic towards the plight of poor people?
I am a strong activist to support the poor in Singapore, having done volunteer work in welfare organisations.
I realised that most Singaporeans live in their ivory tower without having any regard for the poor. And most are against minimum wage or in Singapore's case progressive wage, fearing that the costs will somehow have to be absorbed by them.
My belief is that miminum wage or progressive wage will help the poor progressively increase their social standings eventually to at least lower middle income. Regardless of whether the costs will be borne by us, they deserve a right to live in bare minimum comfort too.
Here are some write-ups on minimum wage / progressive wage that I found online, each with differing views. What are your thoughts?
http://dollarsandsense.sg/is-minimum-wages-really-that-bad-for-singapore/
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=45106
http://www.fivestarsandamoon.com/lets-talk-money-progressive-wage-model/
http://therealsingapore.com/content/why-minimum-wage-system-not-possible-singapore

Just an academic point to suggest even deeper ground up initiatives, the minimum wage law is like the fire service putting out a fire with water: a emergency measure not without consequence ( non-fire damaged goods now get water logged as part of the fire extinguishing process): it is no more than just an emergency process. Whilst not reversing the damage already caused, fire fighting has the potential to perhaps cease ongoing fire damage, whilst create water logging damage in itself... What would have been best would if the fire (serious income/ wealth inequalities) had been nipped in the bud through higher, progressive property taxes in the first place, so that rent seeking through residential property ownership could be nipped in the bud like cigarette smoking is. Billions of $$$ collected from property tax and $4billion p.a. Foreign worker levies should be poured in to personal training/ investment fund (operated by CPF like ordinary account) to provide for retraining opportunities/ poly/ university courses as well as investment opportunities (including pay property tax for personal residential property, but NOT buy cigarettes) etc so Singaporeans constantly upgrade/ update themselves).

Guess in a knowledges based economy as it is today, people have to be equipped with the skills to survive and thrive: e.g. A sense of personal dignity and integrity, and the creativity and commitment to serve society well. I cannot fail to imagine how much better Singapore today would be if the people in current PAP constituencies did not accept the bribes of PAP, that the tax payers $$$ from opposition constituencies be pilfered by PAP to reward the supporters of such thuggish PAP-tyrants for supporting them.

Overtime, the moral value of honest, hard work is eroded and stealing becomes the norm at all levels of society. Thus the rise in examples of boorish behavior that has increasingly earned Singaporeans the 'miserable' tag, the rot starts at both ends: spitting at people at Woodlands bus interchange over a bus queuing incident, road rage that does not abate, the ignoring of a giddy-first trimester pregnant woman squatting in a crowded train, the corruption convictions and sacking of misbehaving senior civil servants, retired-state court judges guilty of shameless, immoral conduct of having sex with vulnerable law student, retired deputy public prosecutor (DPP) guilty of sex with under aged girl...

If Singapore is to become a first world society where social graces are concerned, then the politics of bullying the poor/ the weak must immediately cease.

PAP pork barrel politics, proof that shameless supporters of PAP expect 'gangland payment' for voting PAP in:

PM Lee said in March 2006 - "Whenever it comes to upgrading between the PAP and the opposition ward, it has to be the PAP first or else how do we explain to voters that they supported us and we did not pay attention to their needs? So that remains the policy. In Hougang and Potong Pasir, I think both Eric and Sitoh have ideas on what they want to do for their constituencies and these ideas include upgrading."
http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2009/11/is-hdb-estate-upgrading-pork-barrel.html

 

[Leongsam]

However you define it, these people still need help. No one chooses to go hungry or sleep in the streets.

They may not choose it as an option but it's the result of an accumulation of poor choices they make in the path of life.

At the end of the day, they have nobody to blame but themselves. Life is what you make of it.

However, nothing is stopping individuals who feel that these people need help from lending a hand. If you see a homeless man, give him one of your rooms to sleep in rent free. If you see someone starving to death, tell them to pop into your home twice a day for a meal.

Empathy does not have to be state policy. It's within all of us and we choose to extend it or withhold it.

 

[chootchiew]

I only know of the middle income to rich wishing more poor sinkie so that they have a better standing in the rich

 

[Leongsam]

I only know of the middle income to rich wishing more poor sinkie so that they have a better standing in the rich

Your avatar is extremely ugly. Please remove it.

 

[yellowarse]

However, nothing is stopping individuals who feel that these people need help from lending a hand. If you see a homeless man, give him one of your rooms to sleep in rent free. If you see someone starving to death, tell them to pop into your home twice a day for a meal.

Absolutely agree. That's where private philanthropy, voluntarism and civil activism come in.

Empathy does not have to be state policy. It's within all of us and we choose to extend it or withhold it.

But state policy has to be a part of the solution as well, since we do not live in an anarchistic society. There's a govt and this govt collects taxes from rich and poor alike; it is therefore obligated to use these taxes to help the poor, infirm and homeless as part of state governance.

 

[Leongsam]

But state policy has to be a part of the solution as well, since we do not live in an anarchistic society. There's a govt and this govt collects taxes from rich and poor alike; it is therefore obligated to use these taxes to help the poor, infirm and homeless as part of state governance.

It already does a very good job at looking after the destitute. That is why Singapore has one of the longest life expectancies in the whole world.

 

[KNNBNBCB]

I only know of the middle income to rich wishing more poor sinkie so that they have a better standing in the rich

whos that chiobu in your avatar? can intro :p

 

[eatshitndie]

If you want to see the same thing happening in the human domain, you need look no further than the Auckland city mission where you can witness, first hand, fat, useless and lazy Maori and Pacific Islanders queuing up for FREE food instead of working for it like the rest of us do.

how the once mighty maori warriors have fallen due to welfare, freebies and handouts. :*:

 

[Leongsam]

how the once mighty maori warriors have fallen due to welfare, freebies and handouts. :*:

New Zealand is chock full of examples as to how providing an easy, risk free life to any species (humans included) is a bad thing.

The best example is the Kiwi bird. It became flightless because of the lack of predators. Each generation produced smaller and smaller wings because the kiwi didn't need to use them for a quick escape. Needless to say, the Kiwis are now in danger of becoming extinct.

The same thing happened to sinkies. LKY made the mistake of providing them with a job on a platter and a home for a song. Sinkies have become soft and lazy as a result and now that they have to face fierce competition from abroad, they can't handle the situation.

Sinkies are also in danger of becoming extinct in the not too distant future. Fortunately, the species won't be missed by the rest of the world.

 

[eatshitndie]

New Zealand is chock full of examples as to how providing an easy, risk free life to any species (humans included) is a bad thing.

another example is the mean weight difference between an illegal mexican couple 3 years before crossing the u.s. border and the same mexican couple 3 years after crossing the border. by taking advantage of welfare, handouts, housing assistance, and meal assistance programs (a.k.a. food stamps) in california, an average couple can easily bloat from a combined weight of 250 lbs to 350 lbs in 6 years. obesity, poor health and lack of health care are now the number one issue facing low income families (and mostly illegal immigrants without work) in america. and not just the mexicans, chicanos, and pinoys, i have never seen chinese immigrants who depend on the dole, food lines and welfare so fat and lazy except in the chinatown ghettos of sf and oakland. :*:

 

[GoldenDragon]

It already does a very good job at looking after the destitute. That is why Singapore has one of the longest life expectancies in the whole world.

That could be a curse in S'pore - longest life expectancies.

 

[rushifa666]

Love the pioneer generation, they brought the white scum into power. They should live as long as possible. To pay for their sin. We must make them enjoy the high cost of living they inflicted on everyone