Most Singaporeans can't think.

Most Singaporeans can't think. Isn’t this a dangerous problem?

By By Shibani Mahtani and Sam Holmes

Steve Wozniak of Apple said this. I have said this. Many Singaporeans/people who have spent time living overseas have said this.

And before anyone says I'm a foreigner, i'm not. I'm as Singaporean as Rojak. But I was educated largely overseas, and it's quite sad that whilst many Singaporeans who've never lived away for any amount of time can't seem to see this, - Singaporeans can't think. How so, you ask? I've tried to put it into these areas.

1. They can only talk about their majors, what they learnt in school, food and shopping. I can't tell you how many times non-Singaporeans have complained to me that they can't seem to talk anything in depth with most Singaporeans. They often don't understand how educated people who have uni degrees can only seem to talk about what they studied, and nothing more about worldly issues or anything different. "Try asking a Singaporean about what their passion in life is, and you'll get a cold stare, cos they weren't taught what their passion should be in school. If something is not dictated to them, they won't know what they should answer." - One American friend told me. It was impossible for me to disagree.

2. In school, or even uni, they are only interested in learning something if it is going to turn up in the exam. An acquaintance who's a lecturer told me if whatever she sets as reading doesn't get 'tested' or appear in the exam, the students have the gall to tell her she wasted their time! This lecturer was floored that to Singaporean uni students something inadvertently learnt can be thought of as 'wasted'!

3. Even for those who 'forgive' LKY for locking up communist leaders in the past, in order to push his agenda to the people, - because Singapore turned out so good, they take it as LKY knew better than them. It's once again the "I can't think, so someone (LKY) did it for me. Thank you, thank you!" kind of attitude which you find behind those wanting restrictions on free speech, tighter controls on opinions, more nannying by the Singapore govt etc. Why are most Singaporeans so scared to think? Are they scared they'll think 'wrong'? For example in the past when they thought communism was the way to go - how 'wrong' and 'unthinking' they were and how lucky for them the brainy LKY came along and jailed all the bad communists. Are we breeding Singaporeans who are scared to think in case it's 'wrong'? Or are we breeding Singaporeans who can no longer think because from school days to the govt policies, they've always been told how and what to think? What happens when Singaporeans can't and don't think and depend on the govt to think for them? Isn't this a dangerous problem, and how does society move forward and how does innovation and creativity emerge when Singaporeans don't and can't think anymore?

https://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2011/12/15/wozniak-apple-couldnt-emerge-in-singapore/