Stupid news articles

[malcontent]

People will be as happy or unhappy as they want to be anywhere. There may be some societal differences but the individual's behaviour trumps all.

Many people here seem caught in the societal status races (they just don't know it), and that's probably why they feel stress or think the society is competitive. No matter how much you make or have, there will always be people with more or performing better. Unfortunately, this need for show has often been transferred to the child, and that is why the child feels stress or the endless need/want to perform (and then the parent feels it too). It's not the parents' explicit statements, but the repeated implicit signals the child receives as to what the parents find important (compare schools, boast about schools, etc).

Just remember, cut what you have in half and there are still probably people at that level getting by and being happy (I'd bet even well less than half for some of the people here).

Exactly. Comparing oneself to others is a recipe for stress and unhappiness.

This is absolutely true, but it’s also ingrained here starting with school.

I still recall when my daughter got her PSLE results… I was thinking we would be able to simply get her results online and that would be that. No, no… the only way to get her PSLE results was in-person where they brought the entire class together in this emotionally charged ceremony where kids were shamed or glorified! Some kids were ecstatic and others were sobbing in anguish. I’d never seen such a spectacle in all my life. Luckily my daughter was glorified, but it’s not a good way to shape young minds.

[jalanjalan]

Of course a statement like "pot is not addictive" is not absolute nor scientifically probable. We can go on for ever cherry picking evidence to prove either side of the argument and nobody will win.

I asked you to provide stories of harm caused by cannabis; you produced an article showing an increase of kids being admitted to hospital from eating cannabis edibles after it was legalised in Canada. l didn't dismiss this but rather clarified this is more a failure of parenting and government regulations than a direct cause of cannabis.

There may even have been cases of fatal overdoses of cannabis but it's bloody hard to do and there would be additional health factors. We can still say it's generally true that you can't overdose from pot.

At the end of the day, inform yourself as best you can and keep an open mind. Don't believe everything the government tells you.

And I don't get why suggesting you go to Thailand and smoke pot is a "falsehood"? No it's true, you should try. You might like it

So you admit you can't point to any proof that pot isn't addictive.

I provided you with proof that legalising cannabis does harm. Wasn't that your question?

Cherry picking? me citing actual research and you citing "trust me bro" aren't even the same type of fruit tree.

I quoted what you said that was false. Can't you spot it?

I have no desire to argue with you as your bias is probably pretty set. I've been pointing out flaws in your argument, which is actually doing you a favour. Maybe.. open your mind a little?

[jalanjalan]

People will be as happy or unhappy as they want to be anywhere. There may be some societal differences but the individual's behaviour trumps all.

Many people here seem caught in the societal status races (they just don't know it), and that's probably why they feel stress or think the society is competitive. No matter how much you make or have, there will always be people with more or performing better. Unfortunately, this need for show has often been transferred to the child, and that is why the child feels stress or the endless need/want to perform (and then the parent feels it too). It's not the parents' explicit statements, but the repeated implicit signals the child receives as to what the parents find important (compare schools, boast about schools, etc).

Just remember, cut what you have in half and there are still probably people at that level getting by and being happy (I'd bet even well less than half for some of the people here).

Exactly. Comparing oneself to others is a recipe for stress and unhappiness.

This is absolutely true, but it’s also ingrained here starting with school.

I still recall when my daughter got her PSLE results… I was thinking we would be able to simply get her results online and that would be that. No, no… the only way to get her PSLE results was in-person where they brought the entire class together in this emotionally charged ceremony where kids were shamed or glorified! Some kids were ecstatic and others were sobbing in anguish. I’d never seen such a spectacle in all my life. Luckily my daughter was glorified, but it’s not a good way to shape young minds.

Yes, pressure on school kids does seem to be pretty intense. I think in this case there is some systemic problem that needs to be addressed, and they are sort of doing that, or say they are.
I'm glad to see there is some move towards acknowledging trades as a legit and respectable career. In Canada, plumbers, mechanics and electricians are well respected, and usually pretty well off. Think that will involve some mindset changes in parents too though.

[malcontent]

Exactly. Comparing oneself to others is a recipe for stress and unhappiness.

This is absolutely true, but it’s also ingrained here starting with school.

I still recall when my daughter got her PSLE results… I was thinking we would be able to simply get her results online and that would be that. No, no… the only way to get her PSLE results was in-person where they brought the entire class together in this emotionally charged ceremony where kids were shamed or glorified! Some kids were ecstatic and others were sobbing in anguish. I’d never seen such a spectacle in all my life. Luckily my daughter was glorified, but it’s not a good way to shape young minds.

Yes, pressure on school kids does seem to be pretty intense. I think in this case there is some systemic problem that needs to be addressed, and they are sort of doing that, or say they are.
I'm glad to see there is some move towards acknowledging trades as a legit and respectable career. In Canada, plumbers, mechanics and electricians are well respected, and usually pretty well off. Think that will involve some mindset changes in parents too though.

I’d say money talks. I still recall back in the late 1990’s in my office anyone from mainland China was talked down to and not thought well of. That has totally changed over the last 25 years due to the rise of China (and the money washing up on the shore here). Once blue collar start getting paid more than white collar employees, mindsets will change.

[tiktok]

I provided you with proof that legalising cannabis does harm. Wasn't that your question?

Not exactly, I asked you "Can you point me to some stores of people dying or getting seriously injured from cannabis". Singapore education really doesn't seem to teach critical thinking.

Lastly, you tell a flat out falsehood. ie. You literally encouraged me to go thailand and smoke pot. Good thing I'm not an impressionable teenager.

"i.e." ties the statement to the preceding text. So you are saying that my Thailand suggestion is false. Or what were you trying to say?

Meanwhile other countries continue to legalise it making Singapore the anomaly.

[jalanjalan]

I provided you with proof that legalising cannabis does harm. Wasn't that your question?

Not exactly, I asked you "Can you point me to some stores of people dying or getting seriously injured from cannabis". Singapore education really doesn't seem to teach critical thinking.

Lastly, you tell a flat out falsehood. ie. You literally encouraged me to go thailand and smoke pot. Good thing I'm not an impressionable teenager.

"i.e." ties the statement to the preceding text. So you are saying that my Thailand suggestion is false. Or what were you trying to say?

Meanwhile other countries continue to legalise it making Singapore the anomaly.

I did provide you with that. What does Singapore education have to do with it? I already said I grew up in Canada.

and nope, try again. It's really quite simple.

[tiktok]

I made a lot of statements that are potentially false but generally true, including "cannabis is not addictive". Sorry I can't guess which statement you mean.

"Growing up in Canada" is vague, were you educated there from primary through university?

[jalanjalan]

I made a lot of statements that are potentially false but generally true, including "cannabis is not addictive". Sorry I can't guess which statement you mean.

"Growing up in Canada" is vague, were you educated there from primary through university?

I'll help you out then. You said you're not encouraging anyone to go out and try it, but you did do that.

As for your Canada question, bien sûr. One heck of a commute otherwise.

Where did you go to school?

[tiktok]

Haha that was a tongue in cheek remark. Sure I contradicted myself. Or to be precise, I wouldn't suggest anyone goes out and tries pot, except for narrow minded people who think it's bad.

Anyway, someone just got executed, I'd prefer to focus on the issues surrounding that. Like, is cannabis dangerous?

I was educated in western English speaking countries. I can't be more specific than that because the government is probably monitoring this forum and would prosecute me for intent to deal drugs or something ridiculous like that.

[x9200]

I was educated in western English speaking countries. I can't be more specific than that because the government is probably monitoring this forum and would prosecute me for intent to deal drugs or something ridiculous like that.

Don't worry. You can. The IP you used to post is already perfectly sufficient to fully identify you if only the gov had this kind of wish.

[tiktok]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapo ... le-3446776

Concerned about falling vaccine sales, Moderna funds a survey to scare people into getting more boosters. CNA happily plays along.

[Lisafuller]

Jaysus, and take a chance on turning out like you? Heaven forbid. That would be a fate worse than death itself.

I love Singapore's draconian laws. It's clear and if you play you'll pay. If it means your life so be it. you knew the law before you did the crime. I only have feels for the parents but in most cases I think one will find that there wasn't a strong family support growing up either. Anybody who does illegal drugs or helps distribute illegal drugs deserves the gallows. I've often said if the US would enact a federal law (not state) regarding hanging for all drug crimes like Sg does, we would hang probably 150k the first year but you would see the pipeline dry up and we'd be much better for it. The whiners and crybabies who keep harping it should be legal ought to be hanged along with the dealers and users for aiding & abetting.

As far as the good it does? That is still an unproven option over the long term and the number of people that it harms far outweighs the number that it helps medically (without adverse side effects). No I've never tried it nor have I even been tempted to. I made enough mistakes taking my first taste of alcohol at 27 and lighting my first smoke of tobacco @ 21. Haven't had a smoke since December 2004 and rarely drink. Drugs aren't even on my radar screen. Am I a dinosaur of another age? Yep and damn proud of it.

Harsh, SMS...

I do think that it's unfortunate that in most cases, the ones who are executed are those with no education, and so poor that they are essentially tricked/forced into running drugs for the kingpins. More often than not, they are the ones who are killed without mercy while the kingpins run free, so the problem is not cut off at the source.

Yes, Lisa I know it is harsh. But just because you cannot get to the hydra's head the tentacles should be allowed to continue the infection of our youth and adults? I'm afraid that only aggravates the problem. If the arms cannot do the job the hydra head demands eventually the hydra starves to death. Publicizing the execution of enough runners/dealers will eventually educate the dumbest of runners that if caught he's gonna be hanged or executed one way or another. That is why I said probably 150k would be executed the first year before the message is clear after that you will start seeing results. Yes, I think it's sad but I'd rather see that than another kids life totally screwed up by becoming a pothead and maybe even more hardcore later. One runner feeds how many? When you chop off the hydra's head, the strongest tentacle become the next head and so on. Will always be someone who wants to be the kingpin. That's why the tentacles have to be chopped off first so the kingpin has no support.

Unfortunately, I don't think the kingpin will ever have a problem finding someone to do his dirty work. Broke, desperate folks are high in supply and jobs like this are high in demand.

[Lisafuller]

Happiness is a tricky thing to measure. That means it's also hard to address if someone is unhappy, as you have to unpack this on the individual level. I see in my work that a very large part of individual unhappiness is in how people think and respond, and the immediate environment they find themselves in (eg family, workplace). It isn't primarily systemic nor unique to Singapore. We share a lot of the same societal pressures as most developed countries. And I don't think any sane person would want to throw even the slim chance of drug addiction into the mix if we don't have to.
As to whether efforts are working for encouraging a happy, healthy population... I'd say we've made enormous progress in the last 25 yrs, and I know personally how much effort goes into this and how hard people work to make it happen.

I'm an unashamed optimist.

I appreciate your optimism, and I'd like to indulge in it too, but unfortunately, I'm a bit of a realist in this situation. Living in singapore, there's a sense of rigidity that pervades society, everybody's uptight and stressed all the time, we are constantly in competition with each other, and working ourselves to the bone, for god knows what reason. I definitely agree that we're happier than some other countries in the region that are riddled with crime and other systemic issues, but I think it's a stretch to say that people are happy.

I can't say I'm HAPPY but I can say I'm not unhappy. I've made a home here and started my own family tree that has borne two generations of fruit thus far. I'm richer by far than I've ever been (not in dollars & cents) Maybe my many trials and tribulations and my advancing age has something to do with it as well.

Some might say not being unhappy is an achievement in itself in today's world. I get where you're coming from, all of our basic needs are met so we can't be unhappy, which cannot be said about many other countries, but beyond that there are many ways in which SG falls short.

[Lisafuller]

I think the reason unhappiness is so pervasive here is because people always think they have it worse than the next guy. They did a survey here and people consistently thought they did way more nice things for others during their day than what they got in return. If you did the same survey and asked people if they were better or worse off compared to others at random, I’m sure you’d get the same lopsided results that are totally warped from reality.

One big difference I notice when I travel back to the US… not only are people nicer and more courteous in general, but they also keep their radar up for anytime someone does any little nice thing for them… and whenever they notice it, they gush with genuine appreciation. This actually spurs people on and makes them want to be even nicer. Here, it’s just the opposite, often kindness is often (purposely) ignored, and I believe it’s a cultural thing - accepting any kindness can be seen as owing someone something, so people get in that habit. I’ve even gotten bad reactions after trying to be nice - like, what is my motive?

If you are convinced that everyone is better off than you and nobody will do anything without an ulterior motive… of course you won’t be very happy. I’ve always done my best to rise above that and do my own thing regardless of what others might think. But I have to admit that I’m not completely immune, because my brother will remind me not to be so rude, especially the first few days when I am still in “run over the pedestrians” mode! LOL.

People aren't just nicer in the US, they're less reserved towards strangers. You can't walk down the street without being greeted with a smile by a complete stranger. It just feels good. It's obviously a cultural thing, Americans in general are just more social.

[Lisafuller]

People will be as happy or unhappy as they want to be anywhere. There may be some societal differences but the individual's behaviour trumps all.

Many people here seem caught in the societal status races (they just don't know it), and that's probably why they feel stress or think the society is competitive. No matter how much you make or have, there will always be people with more or performing better. Unfortunately, this need for show has often been transferred to the child, and that is why the child feels stress or the endless need/want to perform (and then the parent feels it too). It's not the parents' explicit statements, but the repeated implicit signals the child receives as to what the parents find important (compare schools, boast about schools, etc).

Just remember, cut what you have in half and there are still probably people at that level getting by and being happy (I'd bet even well less than half for some of the people here).

Teddy Roosevelt said something along the lines of "comparison is the thief of joy". I believe that sums it up.