探讨新加坡人的怕输特征与其文化意涵 = A study on the Singaporean Kiasuism and its cultural connotation

Abstract

什么是怕输？新加坡人的“怕输”可否称为新加坡人的一种文化？产生于70年代末，从80年代开始流行于新加坡社会的 “怕输”在每个新加坡人的心中恐怕都带有不同的含义。有的人可能认为它是一种暂时性的心态，没有必要过于担心。同时也有人认为 “怕输” 本来就是人的本性，它的产生不是独特于新加坡社会，因此并不足以称为新加坡的文化。80年代末至90年代初关于“怕输”的讨论一般认为它只是暂时性的，而从未设想它以后会发展成为新加坡人的价值观，直到近年来国人才逐渐的把“怕输”视为一种新加坡人共同享有的价值观。现今，虽然新加坡人或多或少已经接受“怕输”做为本地人的价值观，但对于它是否是个“文化”仍然带有着怀疑的态度。甚至新加坡人对怕输的形容也常徘徊在心态、价值观以及文化之间。因此，我们究竟应该如何看待本地的“怕输”，它是一种心态、价值观还是一种文化？ 本文将通过分析新加坡人的“怕输”所包含的意思以及它之所以会产生的原因，来推测它可能属于现今文化研究学者所称之为“大众文化”的一种文化。 What is Kiasuism? Is Kiasuism a Singaporean culture? Kiasuism began making its way into Singaporean’s life in the late 1970s and started becoming mainstream in the 1980s. However, its definition seems to differ within Singaporeans. Some might feel that Kiasuism is but a temporary occurrence that’s not detrimental to society. While others argue that it is human nature to be Kiasu, indicating that it is not unique to the Singapore society and hence, not a Singaporean culture. In the late 80s and early 90s, most Singaporeans seems to be in consensus that Kiasu is a temporary occurrence and never expected it to advance into a Singaporean value. It is only in the recent years, did people started to view it as a common shared value within Singaporeans. However, even though it is commonly viewed as a “value”, it retains its ambiguity as to whether or not it can be labelled as a “culture”. Often hovering between the terms “mentality, value, culture”, Singaporeans seems undecided which is more suitable to describe it. Hence, the question here is how should we view this local phenomenon? This paper shall explore the Singaporean Kiasu phenomenon and its origins, and through it, attempt to find a connection between Kiasu and Popular Culture.