> a culture of dollars in a game of chance
and in the end we have to resort to gambling, to attract the crowds.
reading about the approval of not 1 but 2 casino developments brought only a silent sigh from me. i suppose it is but a natural evolution from government-authorized gambling opportunities like toto, 4-D and the sweeps to a full-blown casino environment. heh. and in order to adapt to the new world and pace we must open casinos, for if not we will be left behind in the new millenia. what a easy way for the powersthatbe to earn more moolah. what a loadofhorseshitte. becoz in the end, we view "making more money" as the only way to develop the country?
what about culture? what about tradition? what about values?
what about the welfare of both the mind and body of singaporeans?
people lament the state of culture and the arts in singapore. rightly so. with a whitelephant like the esplanade, we have escalated the arts to much snobbery. screw the everyman who can't afford or are not willing to afford anything more than a movie ticket (am not saying films are not art, becoz they are. and still the cinema operators wanna increase the ticket prices? HAH! the price of development, im afraid). the arts, afterall are a more readily reachable-domain of the rich or better-to-do. do we really need to aspire to be rich, then hence be able to afford a taste of the arts? sure, there are much more activities outside of the snob. the grassroots and the middleclass also have an opportunity to partake of the culture and the arts and the many other foreign cultures that reaches our shores and in the end all we see are glossy fullpage adverts and flyers with nary a dent into the psyche that seemingly barricades the majority from the immersion of said arts and culture into our everyday lives. it seems after all, a commercial venture and the survival of culture depends on accessibility and dollars and cents at the end of the day.
so we have museums where peeps could go and immerse in history and tradition.
so we have art galleries where peeps could go and immerse in the arts in its myriad forms.
in the end, is it just large empty rooms filled with objects on a pedestal or on the wall?
for we might not know what that we see? we understand and appreciate not the tangible?
if its for us peeps to learn and educate ourselves and understand the arts, then we might as well go to another sort of "exhibition", whereby tangible and practical "works of art" assumes the form of clothes, shoes, toys and luxury items piled up high in discount trolleys at any given shopping centre! and hence the only current and true singaporean culture existent is the Art Of Shopping? where so much "effort" has been put in to educate us on the "qualities of a good discount or sale"? and where the gnawing gap of understanding and appreciation seperates us from the arts/culture? instinctively, we as singaporeans KNOW a good discount when we see one, but would we know if this piece of painting is any good? or if this piece of sculpture is just a lump of clay?
the irony being we learn about the arts in school. or more accurately, we are made to do artworks in school (or maybe my school sucked. heh) and in the end haveta sit thru an exam to show that we are capable of making art? but no one teaches us on how to get a good bargain?
to survive as a individual, we learn to spend our moneys wisely.
but to survive as a people, shouldn't we learn how to carry on or even evolve our own arts/culture? to even know, much less understand what its all about in the first place?
and very soon (or is it happening ,now?), we will be taught how to gamble responsibly?
aaah, but gambling? sure make money one! look at the longass toto queues. look at the fevered scribblings of carefully selected numbers that might suddenly ensure us a better way of life. i know becoz i am part of that group. altho not that hardcore or that regular a punter, i too wish for a "better life", filled with effortless dollarsigns and mayhaps at the end of the day, i'll be able to afford a lifestyle of culture? cause and effect. or is it the otherway around? look at the number of people lining up at toto/4D-outlets and tell me none of them would be affected when the casinos open. i sure as heck would go and have a looksee! to see where all the moolah went to! and what its all about... and one day when i suddenly feel lucky, i might just pay the entrance fee (where or whom the money goes to, i dun wanna speculate. dun need to.) and try my luck! for if toto and 4D had looked past me, i might as well try a different avenue of effortless money! no different than playing "chor-dai-di" or "buang-luck" in the bunk; during reservist, innit? just that i'd not be in my shorts and barefoot on the floor of the casinos, right? heh.
we've just achieved a classer and more cultured way of gambling. a game of chance in smartcasualwear with elevator music playing in the background. heck, sorta like a chinesenewyear gathering innit? heh.
worrying about social harms is justified. as it should. but shouldn't we be worried also about the cultural deprivation that seems to be chucked into the back of our subconsciousness? are we being fed the companyline that with this new developments, we will better our way of lifes? that it'll create more new jobs? that we will be able to attract more foreign visitors? that the countries GDP will be better off? i doubt it not, for it is now a reality; approved and endorsed by our government and we can do naught about it all. picket the developments? hah! waste of time lah. sabotage the event? might as well sabotage ourselves. becoz truthfully at the end of it all, if gambling is linked with development, how dare we halt development? of coz im sure as this benefits the government and the corporatesuits; this will somehow benefit us in someway or another, wouldn't it? ;p
it is thru parallel development of abovesaid areas of arts/culture/tradition that one should consider adopting, IF ever we are to reach a level of synchronicity, synergy and maturity whereby casinos and the like would be only just another business opportunity and not a danger to our wayoflives that would be the ultimate downfall and degeneration of singapore. the fear that most people have would be only that we have nothing else to develop, much less ourselves. for fear that we would be but empty souls wandering the bustling halls of commerce and chance.
in the end, are we being taught that money is the only way? you might lack culture but as sure as you have dollarbills in your pocket, you will do just fine. the culture of dollars that is the new singapore.
(all the abovewritten is just my own personal opinion and thoughts. dun sue me please. i need to saveup to try my luck at the casinos when they open. heh)
reading about the approval of not 1 but 2 casino developments brought only a silent sigh from me. i suppose it is but a natural evolution from government-authorized gambling opportunities like toto, 4-D and the sweeps to a full-blown casino environment. heh. and in order to adapt to the new world and pace we must open casinos, for if not we will be left behind in the new millenia. what a easy way for the powersthatbe to earn more moolah. what a loadofhorseshitte. becoz in the end, we view "making more money" as the only way to develop the country?
what about culture? what about tradition? what about values?
what about the welfare of both the mind and body of singaporeans?
people lament the state of culture and the arts in singapore. rightly so. with a whitelephant like the esplanade, we have escalated the arts to much snobbery. screw the everyman who can't afford or are not willing to afford anything more than a movie ticket (am not saying films are not art, becoz they are. and still the cinema operators wanna increase the ticket prices? HAH! the price of development, im afraid). the arts, afterall are a more readily reachable-domain of the rich or better-to-do. do we really need to aspire to be rich, then hence be able to afford a taste of the arts? sure, there are much more activities outside of the snob. the grassroots and the middleclass also have an opportunity to partake of the culture and the arts and the many other foreign cultures that reaches our shores and in the end all we see are glossy fullpage adverts and flyers with nary a dent into the psyche that seemingly barricades the majority from the immersion of said arts and culture into our everyday lives. it seems after all, a commercial venture and the survival of culture depends on accessibility and dollars and cents at the end of the day.
so we have museums where peeps could go and immerse in history and tradition.
so we have art galleries where peeps could go and immerse in the arts in its myriad forms.
in the end, is it just large empty rooms filled with objects on a pedestal or on the wall?
for we might not know what that we see? we understand and appreciate not the tangible?
if its for us peeps to learn and educate ourselves and understand the arts, then we might as well go to another sort of "exhibition", whereby tangible and practical "works of art" assumes the form of clothes, shoes, toys and luxury items piled up high in discount trolleys at any given shopping centre! and hence the only current and true singaporean culture existent is the Art Of Shopping? where so much "effort" has been put in to educate us on the "qualities of a good discount or sale"? and where the gnawing gap of understanding and appreciation seperates us from the arts/culture? instinctively, we as singaporeans KNOW a good discount when we see one, but would we know if this piece of painting is any good? or if this piece of sculpture is just a lump of clay?
the irony being we learn about the arts in school. or more accurately, we are made to do artworks in school (or maybe my school sucked. heh) and in the end haveta sit thru an exam to show that we are capable of making art? but no one teaches us on how to get a good bargain?
to survive as a individual, we learn to spend our moneys wisely.
but to survive as a people, shouldn't we learn how to carry on or even evolve our own arts/culture? to even know, much less understand what its all about in the first place?
and very soon (or is it happening ,now?), we will be taught how to gamble responsibly?
aaah, but gambling? sure make money one! look at the longass toto queues. look at the fevered scribblings of carefully selected numbers that might suddenly ensure us a better way of life. i know becoz i am part of that group. altho not that hardcore or that regular a punter, i too wish for a "better life", filled with effortless dollarsigns and mayhaps at the end of the day, i'll be able to afford a lifestyle of culture? cause and effect. or is it the otherway around? look at the number of people lining up at toto/4D-outlets and tell me none of them would be affected when the casinos open. i sure as heck would go and have a looksee! to see where all the moolah went to! and what its all about... and one day when i suddenly feel lucky, i might just pay the entrance fee (where or whom the money goes to, i dun wanna speculate. dun need to.) and try my luck! for if toto and 4D had looked past me, i might as well try a different avenue of effortless money! no different than playing "chor-dai-di" or "buang-luck" in the bunk; during reservist, innit? just that i'd not be in my shorts and barefoot on the floor of the casinos, right? heh.
we've just achieved a classer and more cultured way of gambling. a game of chance in smartcasualwear with elevator music playing in the background. heck, sorta like a chinesenewyear gathering innit? heh.
worrying about social harms is justified. as it should. but shouldn't we be worried also about the cultural deprivation that seems to be chucked into the back of our subconsciousness? are we being fed the companyline that with this new developments, we will better our way of lifes? that it'll create more new jobs? that we will be able to attract more foreign visitors? that the countries GDP will be better off? i doubt it not, for it is now a reality; approved and endorsed by our government and we can do naught about it all. picket the developments? hah! waste of time lah. sabotage the event? might as well sabotage ourselves. becoz truthfully at the end of it all, if gambling is linked with development, how dare we halt development? of coz im sure as this benefits the government and the corporatesuits; this will somehow benefit us in someway or another, wouldn't it? ;p
it is thru parallel development of abovesaid areas of arts/culture/tradition that one should consider adopting, IF ever we are to reach a level of synchronicity, synergy and maturity whereby casinos and the like would be only just another business opportunity and not a danger to our wayoflives that would be the ultimate downfall and degeneration of singapore. the fear that most people have would be only that we have nothing else to develop, much less ourselves. for fear that we would be but empty souls wandering the bustling halls of commerce and chance.
in the end, are we being taught that money is the only way? you might lack culture but as sure as you have dollarbills in your pocket, you will do just fine. the culture of dollars that is the new singapore.
(all the abovewritten is just my own personal opinion and thoughts. dun sue me please. i need to saveup to try my luck at the casinos when they open. heh)
