First Otaku Battalion

That’s why people are getting shot at by the press.

SUPPORT WEE SHU MIN PROJECT.  PROTEST AGAINST NET BULLYING BY THE SO CALLED ELITISTS WHO CALL OTHERS ELITISTS.

Blogging is simply for the weak.  The good ones read newspapers.

Hmm, to be serious, her riposte IS correct, just that she posted in the wrong manner.  I think those blasting her left, right, centre only bothered to read the last line, and then triumphantly said ” SEE! IRRESPONSIBLE BLOGGING!” 

The inconvenient truth is, there are fundamental flaws in Derek’s post, namely, always pointing the fingers at the Government when there are “downs” and “flaws” in our society.  Is that right?  I think maybe its the government’s fault:  Providing so much care that the 3rd generation people all need to be babysitted.

My 2 cents worth.  Now get me on The Straits Times, please.

I quote her post here, for easy reference:

” mom’s friend sent her some blog post by some bleeding
stupid 40-year old singaporean called derek wee (WHY
do all the idiots have my surname why?!) whining about
how singapore is such an insecure place, how old ppl
(ie, 40 and above) fear for their jobs, how the pool
of foreign “talent” (dismissively chucked between
inverted commas) is really a tsunami that will consume
us all (no actually he didn’t say that, he probably
said Fouren Talern Bery Bad.), how the reason why no
one wants kids is that they’re a liability in this
world of fragile ricebowls, how the government really
needs to save us from inevitable doom but they aren’t
because they are stick-shoved-up-ass elites who have
no idea how the world works, yadayadayadayada.

i am inclined - too much, perhaps - to dismiss such
people as crackpots. stupid crackpots. the sadder
class. too often singaporeans - both the neighborhood
poor and the red-taloned socialites - kid themselves
into believing that our society, like most others, is
compartmentalized by breeding. ridiculous. we are a
tyranny of the capable and the clever, and the only
other class is the complement.

sad derek attracted more than 50 comments praising him
for his poignant views, joining him in a chorus of
complaints that climax at the accusation of lack of
press freedom because his all-too-true views had been
rejected by the straits times forum. while i tend to
gripe about how we only have one functioning newspaper
too, i think the main reason for its lack of
publication was that his incensed diatribe was written
in pathetic little scraps that passed off as
sentences, with poor spelling and no grammar.

derek, derek, derek darling, how can you expect to
have an iron ricebowl or a solid future if you cannot
spell?

if you’re not good enough, life will kick you in the
balls. that’s just how things go. there’s no point in
lambasting the government for making our society one
that is, i quote, “far too survival of fittest”. it’s
the same everywhere. yes discrimination exists, and it
is sad, but most of the time if people would prefer
hiring other people over you, it’s because they’re
better. it’s so sad when people like old derek lament
the kind of world that singapore will be if we make it
so uncertain. go be friggin communist, if uncertainty
of success offends you so much - you will certainly be
poor and miserable. unless you are an arm-twisting
commie bully, which, given your whiny middle-class
undereducated penchant, i doubt.

then again, it’s easy for me to say. my future isn’t
certain but i guess right now it’s a lot brighter than
most people’s. derek will read this and brand me as an
18-year old elite, one of the sinners who will inherit
the country and run his stock to the gutter. go ahead.
the world is about winners and losers. it’s only sad
when people who could be winners are marginalised and
oppressed. is dear derek starving? has dear derek been
denied an education? has dear derek been forced into
child prostitution? has dear derek had his clan
massacred by the government?

i should think not. dear derek is one of many
wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our
country, and in this world. one of those who would
prefer to be unemployed and wax lyrical about how his
myriad talents are being abandoned for the
foreigner’s, instead of earning a decent, stable
living as a sales assistant. it’s not even about being
a road sweeper. these shitbags don’t want anything
without “manager” and a name card.

please, get out of my elite uncaring face.”

And the original post here:

“When I read the Straits Times article (dated 24 Sep)
on PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a
difference to Singapore, I have so much thought about
the issue.

I am 35 years old, graduated from University and
gainfully employed in a multinational company. But I
cannot help but feel insecure over the future of
Singapore. Lets face it, it’s not uncommon to hear,
“when you are above 40, you are over the hill”.

The government has been stressing on re-training,
skills upgrading and re-adapt. The fact is, no matter
how well qualified or adaptable one is, once you hit
the magical 40, employers will say, “you are simply
too old”.

We have been focusing our resources and problem
solving on low unskilled labour. But in reality, our
managerial positions and skilled labour force are
actually fast losing its competitiveness.

I travel around the region frequently for the past 10
years. It didn’t take me long to realise how far our
neighbours have come over the past decade.

They have quality skilled workers, and are less
expensive. When I work with them, their analytical
skills are equally good, if not better than us.

It’s not new anymore. Taxi drivers are fast becoming
“too early to retire, too old to work” segment of the
society. I like to talk to taxi drivers whenever I am
heading for the airport.

There was this driver. Eloquent and well read. He was
an export manager for 12 years with an MNC. Retrenched
at 40 years old. He had been searching for a job since
his retrenchment.

Although he was willing to lower his pay expectations,
employers were not willing to lower their prejudice.
He was deemed too old. I wouldn’t be surprised if we
have another No. 1; having the most highly educated
taxi drivers in the world.

On PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a
difference. Look around us. How dedicated can we be to
Singapore when we can visualise what’s in store for us
after we turned 40? Then again, how committed are
employers to us? But we can’t blame them. They have
bottom lines & shareholders’ gain to answer to.

Onus is really on the government to revamp the
society. A society that is not a pressure cooker. A
society that does not mirror so perfectly, what
survival of the fittest is.

But a society, where it’s people can be committed, do
their best and not having to fear whether they will
still wake up employed tomorrow. Sadly, Singapore does
not offer such luxuries and security anymore.

On the issue of babies. The government encourages us
to pro-create. The next generation is essential in
sustaining our competitive edge. Then again, the
current market condition is such that our future has
become uncertain. There is no more joy in having
babies anymore; they have become more of a liability.
It’s really a chicken and egg issue.

Many of my peers, bright and well educated have packed
up and left. It’s what MM Goh called “quitters”. It’s
sad but true, Singapore no longer is a place where one
can hope to work hard their lives and retire
graciously. It’s really the push factor.

A future is something we sweat it out, build and call
our own. Unfortunately, people like me, mid 30’s going
on 40’s, staying put by choice or otherwise, we can’t
help but feel what lies ahead is really a gamble.

To PM Lee and the Ministers, we are on a different
platform. Until you truly understand our insecurity,
the future of Singapore to me remains a question mark.”