Kiasu

Visitors to Singapore quickly realize that Singaporeans tend to walk fast. In fact, one researcher
claimed that Singaporeans are the world’s fastest walkers. One reason might be that life in
Singapore is stressful and competitive. Singapore is known for its Kiasu (the fear of losing)
culture, in which the main goal is for a person to do better than other people and to improve
his or her standing in society. The effect of the Kiasu mentality is so embedded in Singaporeans’
lives that it has become critical to their survival. People are competing in pursuit of the 5 Cs—
cash, condominium, car, credit card, and country club.
The education of the next generation is also a main concern of parents. Parents desire that
their children excel in their studies. In pursuit of winning entrance to the desired school,
parents commit themselves to the school’s volunteer program. At a very young age, children
attend tuition classes after school. In addition to cognitive skills, children are asked to learn
skills such as dancing, playing musical instruments, and self-defense techniques. This Kiasu
trend among parents in Singapore has spilled over to its neighboring country, Malaysia,
especially to those living in the city. The competitive Kiasu culture is reflected in one of the
highest-grossing movies in Singapore, I Not Stupid. Although Singapore is not rich in natural
resources to boost its economy, it has emerged as one of the Asia’s “four little dragons”—the
most industrialized countries in East Asia. Singapore is known as a clean, safe, and efficient
society. Its infrastructure facilities, urban planning, and transportation system are organized
and well planned. Although Singapore is geographically the smallest country in Asia, it is voted
as one of the highest-quality-oflife places to live.

Study Questions
1. Discuss the pros and cons of the Kiasu culture.
Answer:
Pros of Kiasu culture:
Having a "kiasu" (afraid to lose out) spirit may not be a negative trait. "Kiasuism" can
help one to be paranoid and being paranoid is not necessarily a bad thing. A healthy
"kiasu" person can empathize with those who have fallen and help them on their feet.
The main trait of The Kiasu Singaporean is not just greed, but a perverted form of
individualism, which treats your fellow citizens enviously and as potential rivals, even
when they’re not.
After all, you cannot build a society organized around the freedom to pursue one’s self-
interest, then turn around and complain about ‘selfish’ people abusing the freedom by
queuing for Hello Kitties to resell or driving like bullies to get where they want to go.
They are exercising their rights, just as the policy intended. And why wouldn’t we
behave in such a way? With no unemployment checks, minimum wage, or other forms
of collective security, it is only natural to fear being ‘left behind’ and to overcompensate
however boorishly by means of Kiasu behavior.
 Cons of Kiasu culture:
Kiasu is the unpleasant side to Singapore’s culture and is refers to the behavior where
one is usually self-centered who wants to have the best of everything and is cowardly
afraid of losing out.
The culture of Kiasuism a relatively individualistic one. Think about it- when you use
your tissue to “chop” (reserve) a seat in the hawker center, you do it for your benefit.
When you push and run into the MRT train for a seat regardless of how others around
you feel, aren’t you also being self-centered? Such selfishness is a hint of the
individualistic culture that we have in the Kiasu culture.

2. Explain how watching a movie from another country could help you to interpret and
understand its culture.

Answer:
Movies (as well as television shows) from foreign countries are very helpful in
understanding the nonverbal culture of a country. This can prepare a person to interact
with people from that country. we can watch the non-verbal communication that is
going on between the actors and see how the characters respond to it. This will be able
to give us a better understanding of what is important to other cultures; what they
value and what their responses are likely to be in a given situation. It is also possible to
communicate through other forms of behavior such as clothing and other artifacts like
makeup and jewelry.