Sometime in the last ten years, I don't know when exactly, it suddenly became "cool" to complain about our country, our government, and its policies. Why I say it seems "cool" is because everyone seems to be doing it, from taxi driver uncle, to your neighbour, your friends, relatives, and perhaps a stranger on the road. If you don't "join in", you might be deemed weird and different.
Is this a sign the government is not doing its job as well as it could be, or are citizens becoming better-informed and thus, more unhappy?
I'm not one to dwell on things that irk me, but I do have gripes about my country and the way things are sometimes. However, I must admit that despite all the inconveniences, headaches, and dissension, there have been many good things happening here, and Singapore has never been more exciting.
So are citizens complaining for the sake of it? Are they truly unhappy here? Or as a friend said, every country will have its disgruntled inhabitants, sort of like a characteristic trait of any developing or developed country. I can just imagine political leaders of various countries chatting when they meet, "Are your citizens always complaining?" "Pretty much so!"
I conclude that I think Singaporeans complain to bond, to share their gripes and grievances. In sharing our joys and heartaches (hardly any joys), we draw closer to each other, our fellow countrymen. Ultimately, this is something that will never be changed, whether or not we have more freedom of speech, two political parties, sexual liberation, or even free parking for everyone for life.
