Do you think life in Singapore is just a race to the bottom?

[zhiwei]

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Do you think life in Singapore is just a race to the bottom?​

Recently I’ve been wondering if living in Singapore is less about building a happy life, and more about seeing who can endure the most misery while calling it “success.”

Because this place is so small, everything becomes hyper competitive. Instead of focusing on quality of life, it feels like we’re all locked in a never ending endurance contest:

1. ⁠Housing: HDBs and condos keep shrinking in size, but psf prices keep climbing. Rising home prices don’t translate to better homes, it just means we’re all forced to work longer, grind harder, and pay more just to secure a roof over our heads. It’s becoming a race to see who can stretch themselves the furthest to keep up.
2. ⁠Car ownership: Getting a car here is an auction to see who can push their limits and outbid everyone else. Winning a COE nowadays feels like you’ve just volunteered to take on a bigger burden.
3. ⁠Retail and rentals: Shop rentals keep spiking, and businesses pass those costs on to consumers. The cycle continues. Landlords test how much pain tenants can bear, businesses test how much consumers can bear, and us consumers… we just pay and grumble.

In the end, it doesn’t feel like Singapore society is about maximizing happiness. It feels more like a constant test to see who’s willing to sacrifice more comfort, sanity, and freedom just to stay afloat.

TLDR: are we really progressing, or are we just competing in who can tolerate the most unhappiness?

 

[zhiwei]

Songbo sinkies who cote PAP in every GE. You get what you voted for.

 

[jurongkechil]

Foreigner or

 

[True Believer]

Songbo sinkies who cote PAP in every GE. You get what you voted for.

Only the politicians are laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[True Believer]

Do you think life in Singapore is just a race to the bottom?
Recently I’ve been wondering if living in Singapore is less about building a happy life, and more about seeing who can endure the most misery while calling it “success.”
Because this place is so small, everything becomes hyper competitive. Instead of focusing on quality of life, it feels like we’re all locked in a never ending endurance contest:

1. ⁠Housing: HDBs and condos keep shrinking in size, but psf prices keep climbing. Rising home prices don’t translate to better homes, it just means we’re all forced to work longer, grind harder, and pay more just to secure a roof over our heads. It’s becoming a race to see who can stretch themselves the furthest to keep up.
2. ⁠Car ownership: Getting a car here is an auction to see who can push their limits and outbid everyone else. Winning a COE nowadays feels like you’ve just volunteered to take on a bigger burden.
3. ⁠Retail and rentals: Shop rentals keep spiking, and businesses pass those costs on to consumers. The cycle continues. Landlords test how much pain tenants can bear, businesses test how much consumers can bear, and us consumers… we just pay and grumble.

In the end, it doesn’t feel like Singapore society is about maximizing happiness. It feels more like a constant test to see who’s willing to sacrifice more comfort, sanity, and freedom just to stay afloat.

All of the above are problems of the PAP's own making.