Anonymous commenter said: [link]
"if you are a true talent, u will be able to be successful anywhere. losing out to the "FTs" in singapore is just a reflection of how good you really are."
Too bad he/she didn't leave a name behind for me to properly congratulate him/her for gaining enlightenment and mastering life. I'm full of envy. For some reason, I couldn't seem to make anything out of this statement. What I meant was I failed to understand what it actually meant.
For a start, what is a "true talent" ? Obviously I'm not one of them, for I'm not smart enough to comprehend this statement. I ask of you guys out there to explain what do we define as a "true talent" in Singapore? Is it someone with an exquisite pair of hands to revive a half-dead Dendrobium crumenatum, someone who could restore any machine which stopped working, someone who could charm the birds down from a tree, someone who aces every academic examination, someone who could win a boxing match with his hands cuffed behind him?
What is your take?
Without a proper definition, it is pointless taking on the rest of the statement. I don't need anyone to agree what is the correct definition because the statement is false irregardless. I would safely say any of our ministers in parliament could be defined as a 'true talent'. After all we are paying each and every of them millions of dollars per annum. If these folks aren't 'true talents', at least I can identity 'true fools' - the people who agreed to pay them. No, Singaporeans are not fools, so a minister of Singapore is a true talent. No arguments.
Let's carry on. Can these "true talents" find a job in USA? I'm not sure. I don't know anyone living in the US and don't have much readers from there. If you are one, you are welcome to contribute your input. I know for one, if Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the most important man in Singapore was to give up his Singaporean citizenship and become an Australian, he would not land a job at a Mac Donald's in Perth. Not because he is over-qualified. Nobody cares if you are over-qualified here. If you could not convince them you could flip that burger well enough, you're out. If you do not have local working experience, you're out. Lee Hsien Loong has neither.
Hey. That's not being fair isn't it? Obviously the prime minister has no experience in frying fries and probably can't even say, "Upsize the downsize?" properly in Mac Donald's here. He is a politician, a great one. So let's see if he could be a politician in Western Australia. Labour Party? Liberal? Let's face it, he'll end up picking fruits in Swan Valley.
Could Warren Buffet or Bill Gates end up as a 'true talent' in our parliament if they would to take up Singapore Citizenship? I mean, they're quite good aren't they? No. Especially that Bill Gates chap, school dropout. Maybe we could slot him in to be Tin Pei Ling's PA. That's about it. He could perhaps help out a little in fixing the faulty PCs of poor residents in Macpherson. That Buffet guy? Wouldn't get anywhere near Temasek Holdings. Maybe an executive officer in MAS lah!
I would confidently say the top plumber in Perth takes in at least 6 figure salary per annum. Let's just call our top plumber, Super Mario. A true talent in his field by any standard, no doubt about it. Just how well will Super Mario fare in Singapore? If only I could send Super Mario to this mission. I would probably see him barking at some Bangladeshi workers as a site supervisor in the flash ponding during the next monsoon cycle.
Wait a minute. If everyone is a 'true talent' what makes of the rest of the population? Most of the people must be mediocre to make the small better portion 'talents'. If most of the people are good, that makes the small 'talented' minority outstanding. Let's just agree these are talents and not debate if our definition of a talent is flawed in the first place.
What about the rest?
If you are not a 'true talent' then what? Can we even choose not to be a 'true talent'? If not, why aren't we given a choice? Sadly, this Singapore society has advanced to a stage where you're either in or out. So much for inclusiveness.
As a 'non-talent' of Singapore, I am surprised to find that the likes of me, the losers of life, are welcome here to contribute to the society. A hard day's work for a hard's day pay. Commoner, average man on the streets but able - and allowed - to raise a family as a sole breadwinner. I felt like that average son that my family cast out to the streets. Fortunately the neighbour is willing to take me in.
"Could Warren Buffet or Bill Gates end up as a 'true talent' in our parliament if they would to take up Singapore Citizenship?" sure they can! look at how sg welcomed the co-facebook founder with open arms! the govt is selling sg citizenship for S$1 mil! got money = true talent
ReplyDeleteOooh. So that's true talent huh?
Deleteapparently..
Deletetalent for making money is also a talent ma. actually, i dare say many countries will also take them in. money talks, fact of life.
DeleteWhat if they came in here in their early twenties and not when they are successful
DeleteIf there is True Talents, then there is Fake Talents. If so, we have plenty of those FTs in Sg.
ReplyDeleteBTW, there is no such word as "irregardless"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a word as 'sg' either.
Bro, you use Wikipedia as a reference?! ROTFL!
DeleteAnyway, I would still disagree that "irregardless" is a valid English word, even though it may be "socially acceptable". But, we quibble on trivial matters...
Let's get on with your blog, I found the previous one about your WITs efforts pretty good!
Sigh... U call yourself a Singaporean son but you don't know what Sg is. It is not a word, it is an acronym. Even if you wanna argue that irregardless is a word (according to wiki, LOL.. Should check it with Oxford), the context you applied it in is incorrect. Well, you mentioned you would like to improve on writing, accepting suggestion or critique is a good start.
DeleteSg is an acronym ?? haha... perhaps you should improve as well. And did you understand irregardless ? If yes, perhaps you are just being pedantic.
Deletewe are mainly here for the contents of the blog. not for the spelling, not for the grammar nor the vocab.
DeleteI agree..
DeleteIn 'irregardless', 'ir-' cancels out ''less', so we're left with 'regard', now the opposite of 'regardless'.
DeleteA usable English word formed from acceptable rules of English.
Nix, whoever wrote that, gets it.
ReplyDeleteSG is a place where two categories of FT's go there: 99% from the dregs of the world (e.g. PRC), and the 1% who hire the 99%. The locals don't fit into this -- they are stubborn in many ways. Anonymous comment was addressed to the locals: they are being made extinct. However if they got off their butts and put aside all excuses and adapt to live in other countries (like all of us) then it's a win.
True talent = adaptability.
Doesn't matter what the end-goal is. Earning power. Lifestyle. Happiness. Adventure.
Consider this: who rocks more?
(1) The SG locals who adapt more by entering other countries with various immigration/language/cultural barriers; or
(2) The 99% FT's who never assimilate (e.g. PRC's NEVER assimilate in ANY parts of the world anyway!!) and are welcomed into SG like a russian mail-order bride spreading her legs?
Enjoy being in the club, mate.
Clap*clap*clap. I concur with you. In addition to adaptability, a TT is one who seek to improve and innovate. Thus, the MIWs are not TT is a classic example.
DeleteHow very true, SingaporeanSon. And it's not just in the job hunt, but scholarship hunt too. My friends and I who aren't those scholars ear-marked/head-hunted by the state at the age of 18, who don't have perfect scores in unis, who don't have track record in leadership and community service etc, are pretty grateful that the overseas unis in Oz, US and Uk etc somewhat adopt different selection criteria and believe enough in our potential to give us the much-appreicated opportunities. That big break would never have happened if I were to wait around in SIN --YC
ReplyDeleteThe phrase 'true talent' seems to be used to imply good grades, good brains, good working attitude.
ReplyDeleteActually it less obviously means good connections and therefore unfair advantage.
In the recent Facebook IPO, a few big investors were given inside info beforehand while many more small-time investors were left out.
The big investors were the 'true talent' to benefit from such crucial, timely knowledge.
Unjust to the rest of us.
Despicable.
We do have talent here. Not that we dont have. The govt with the press brainwash us by saying there is lack of local talent here. Say an engineer from India is paid a third compared to our local. That is FT! The main concern here is cheap! Cheap FTs doing the same job as locals actually. Our first world economy is propped by cheap FTs! They only concern about bottom line and profits at the expense of locals. For example two of my Indian colleagues told me that their wives applied for NTUC for any job that is available but got rejected. And we have the trades union gg to China to mass recruit FTs. This is a fact. Even the NTUC supposed to represent and fight for our own workers resorting to cheap FTs. What to say? So if u are a local talent in Sg it's hard to survive cuz u are too expensive. Really sucks.
ReplyDeleteThe true talent here in S'pore has a job interview in Syd but it's a PRC company.
ReplyDeleteDo you think I should fly over to meet my prospective employer?
I'm confident a true talent of Singapore can make a solid decision that is best for himself.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they cannot wait one month for me. Lucky not yet buy air ticket to Syd...
Delete