Jay Walking
Singapore is a very fast pace society with its citizens living very hectic lifestyles. You see people rushing here and there on the streets, on the road, for free gifts, during sales, going to work and coming back from work. Sometimes people rush for the sake of rushing.
One good example is the showcase of attitudes and behaviors of people around pedestrian crossings. Most of them do not wait for the green man to come on. The normal teaching of “Look left, look right, look left again and cross when the green light is on” do not apply to them. The updated and modern version is “Look left, look right, look left again and cross when there’s no on-coming traffic regardless of whatever light is flashing.” There is another postmodern cosmopolitan version which is even simpler, cut to the chase and is gaining a lot of popularities among youngsters and some old folks. "Don't look. Just su-ga su-ga (Meaning anyhow you like) proceed and let the vehicles E-brake and wait for you to cross." A few minutes or seconds spend waiting for the Go Signal and ensuring their safety is just pure torture. Time is too precious and valuable to be wasted standing there staring at the three different light signals like an idiot. Must...cross...now...
The only way to explain this phenomenon happening in Singapore and around the whole globe is perhaps due to the invention and introduction of a scheme call…Insurance. We have such great coverages and benefits that we no longer have to worry in the event of being knocked down by vehicles, there is nothing good in for us. Now being kiasu Singaporeans, what is the use of paying so much for your insurance package if you do not get the chance to claim and use your benefits right? Most people nowadays are so over insured with so many insurances packages from different insurance companies, that it actually makes sense to get yourself involved in fatal incident. What can you say to that?!
One good example is the showcase of attitudes and behaviors of people around pedestrian crossings. Most of them do not wait for the green man to come on. The normal teaching of “Look left, look right, look left again and cross when the green light is on” do not apply to them. The updated and modern version is “Look left, look right, look left again and cross when there’s no on-coming traffic regardless of whatever light is flashing.” There is another postmodern cosmopolitan version which is even simpler, cut to the chase and is gaining a lot of popularities among youngsters and some old folks. "Don't look. Just su-ga su-ga (Meaning anyhow you like) proceed and let the vehicles E-brake and wait for you to cross." A few minutes or seconds spend waiting for the Go Signal and ensuring their safety is just pure torture. Time is too precious and valuable to be wasted standing there staring at the three different light signals like an idiot. Must...cross...now...
The only way to explain this phenomenon happening in Singapore and around the whole globe is perhaps due to the invention and introduction of a scheme call…Insurance. We have such great coverages and benefits that we no longer have to worry in the event of being knocked down by vehicles, there is nothing good in for us. Now being kiasu Singaporeans, what is the use of paying so much for your insurance package if you do not get the chance to claim and use your benefits right? Most people nowadays are so over insured with so many insurances packages from different insurance companies, that it actually makes sense to get yourself involved in fatal incident. What can you say to that?!
posted by Mr Lee at 1:16:00 AM
2 Comments:
Pedestrians crossing the road as if it was their grandfather's road is the most pervasive at Little India's Serangoon Road especially on a Sunday night ;p
Michael Chua-- I guess I had better avoid going there on Sunday then. Thanks for the tip. :)
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