Society

A few years back, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, our Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, shot out at Singaporean youth, calling them “soft, not hungry and selfish.” Following the comment, in an informal poll conducted by The Straits Times on 26 of the participants, an overwhelming majority had begged to differ with the minister, refuting his claims that the people of their generation were becoming too self-absorbed. Some high profile political figures have also brought up claims that the young adults in industrialized or rapidly industrialized countries like the United States of America and Singapore respectively are apathetic and self-centred. Although there may be some exceptions, in my opinion, those claims are valid to only a small extent. As education today takes on a more holistic approach, community work and community involvement are slowly being integrated into the curriculum. With this increased awareness of the need to give back to society from which they had so richly received, many of our youths today are volunteering for and are selflessly immersing themselves in charity work, be it through local or overseas projects. As an example, many educational institutions in Singapore organise overseas community involvement projects that are very well-received by their students. These students go to Nepal to build proper schools or visit rural areas in Thailand to construct sanitary toilets for the residents. Away from home, these participants are deprived of material comfort yet they carry out the tasks assigned with much enjoyment and enthusiasm, knowing their efforts would make a positive difference in the lives of the underprivileged. Similarly, in the wake of the tsunami disaster in 2004, the Singapore International Foundation sent 32 teams which were mostly comprised of youths to respond to the needs of communities who were destroyed by the disaster. Shortly after that, 250 youths set off to help out in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka, which was badly affected by the tsunami. In addition to that, they have also helped to develop sustainable income-generation projects for the affected communities, and establish study-care centres for children. Also, many other youths who did not manage to travel to affected areas banded together and rallied for support groups for the victims of the disaster. From the above examples, it is thus evident that youth in Singapore are not selfish and self-absorbed because they are able to empathize with those who are worse off and put the need of others before their own, contrary to what the term “selfish desires” implies. Thus, the claim is true to only a small extent. Closer to home, just about a year ago, the Singapore economy was not doing very well and companies carried out major retrenchment exercises, leaving many Singaporean parents unemployed. Some, although still employed, took major wage cuts such that it warranted a change in their lifestyle. When interviewed or polled by the local media as to how they would cope with the reduced income flow in the household, most parents passed the brunt on to the teenagers, citing measures such as reducing their teenagers' pocket money and having to cut down on buying luxury items, purchasing only what was absolutely necessary. In response to their parents' retrenchments or wage cuts, a small number of Singaporean youth took to the streets in search of work in an attempt to supplement the household income. Most of the youth polled revealed that they would accept pocket money reductions and other financial changes unquestioningly because they understood the situation their parents were in. When furthered polled as to how they would aid the current economic situation, most youth cited sacrifices like spending less and going out and eating out less often to ease the burden on their parents. As such, it can be seen from the above mentioned that the youth are able to take hardships in their stride and adapt themselves to the situation. It is initiatives of such that does not warrant the tag of “spoilt brats with vain ambitions”. Thus, the statement that youth in developed countries are too self- absorbed is true only to a certain extent. On the flip-side however, there are instances when the youth of developed countries can be self-absorbed. It is these that catch the attention of individuals in the government, who then speak about it, tarnishing the image of the whole generation. One example in which this nature of being self-absorbed can surface is when the youth are in the face of stiff competition. In their situation, it is “every man for himself” and many would go all out with little regard for others, just so he or she would emerge victorious. Although it is convenient to blame it as a characteristic of the generation as a whole, it would be better if one examines the situation into which the youth were placed. In today's fast paced world, the youth must keep up with the competition should they want to keep afloat. Thus, it then becomes necessary to be selfish and self-absorbed. In conclusion, the younger generation is definitely a vibrant one. They have proven to be able to take hardships in their stride, adapt themselves to the situation, and they do put the needs of the underprivileged before their own needs. They do however, become self-centred when faced with stiff competition in which case it becomes a necessity to put self first. The claim that they are too self-absorbed probably stems from the fact that it is easier to remember the bad points of the generation rather than the good, but as has been argued, the characteristics displayed by the youth of today are a far cry from that of a self-absorbed generation painted by many members of the generation above ours.