What is Kiasuim?
1)kiasu is the noun.
2)the competitive mindset/philosophy that it is ones major loss to miss out on good deals(e.g. Great Singapore Sale) or trends that are already happening in society(esp. Singapore)
3)The calculating obsession that inflicts people who believe that they must get their money/time/effort worth(the greater the returns the better!!)
2a)Singaporean parents are the living definitions of Kiasuism; many sign their kids up for enrichment classes even before they turn 5!!
2b)Auntie 1: I bought only an item during the Great Singapore Sale! Sigh...i should have bought more, now the good stuff are all snapped up!
Friend: Ya you should have! You were an idiot for letting your rival singaporeans save money on discounted items!
Auntie 1: Come to think of it, I saved more than them by not spending as much as them!
3)Girl 1: You are so hardworking! Staying in school after lessons and coming back during the weekends!
Girl 2: Of course!! Why did you think I pay more than $1K for my polytechnic school fees for? Must exploit their electricity and read all their books before i graduate!!
Girl 1: (feels guilty)...typical singaporean...
Kiasuism is stemp from fear that result from constant high levels of competition to survive faced in the environment in Singapore today. With the influx of high levels of foreign talents, Singaporeans will now face increased levels of competition and sometimes resulting in really ugly scenes in public. A most common scene you can see when you are walking in the streets is that of people making long queues just to get freebies that are not really of any worth. When asked what they are queueing for some Singaporeans replied they have no idea at all. It is just that since everyone is queuing up for it, therefore they are doing it too.
Another scene happens during the rush hours. Ever notice that people walking at a slow pace normally want to speed up suddenly just to overtake you and once they do, they slow down immediately creating unnecessary hindrance for you if you are walking at a fast pace and are in a rush for time.
This is Kiasuism. It is not something we as Singaporeans should be proud ofm, but it is here to stay. Below is the potrait of our cheif KIASUISM ambassador, Mr Kiasu himself.
Another thing that really strucks outsiders as interesting is the pervalent state of self denial locals show. It is often heard from the mouth of locals that Singaporeans are Kiasu and are a pain in the ass, but they are different. However the truth is, while making that statement, they are themself perhaps queueing up for the latest freebie around the corner. Haha
