In Continuum.

Anti-Patriotism

Not to throw a bucket of cold water upon you readers out there who might be hot on their heels trying to grab the goodie bags off the counters outside of the National Stadium,or the ones happily hanging the nation's flag outside of your windows,singing the new National Day theme song by some unknown singer and then wishing Singapore a happy National Day,when in fact you dont really know what "Singapore" really is.You are doing it because everybody else is doing it.And everybody else is doing it because the government has successfully instilled the propaganda of loving the country into all the minds of the citizens out there.You are doing it because it feels right,because it seems normal to do so,but in truth,at least to my eyes,everything just seems rather ridiculous.

Oh and by the way,Happy National Day to all.I almost forgot about that.

I have a thing against patriotism,and i am not sure where the root of this hatred leads to.Okay,maybe not hatred,because that's a big and heavy word.Perhaps the general disgust at the idea of loving your country.Im not hating the country of course,because this little island in the South China Sea has been my home for about fifteen years.But it's the way people sort of devote themselves to the country like throwing themselves at a cross in a chuch during Christmas.It's almost to a point whereby it is blind love,a sort of craze.

I remember how the primary school teachers tried to instill ideas into our under-developed minds.They drill those ideas into us like the way our parents used to tell us stupid lies about life.Like,if you cross your eyes for too long they will get stuck that way,if you dont speak for a period of time you will forget how to do so,and if you swallow a watermelon seed it will grow on top of your head one day.Similarly,teachers put ideas into your head,the most stupid ideas: Study!Study!Study!Study!Study!If you screw up your examinations your whole life is screwed(Im using the word "Screwed" because primary school teachers are in general too gentle to use the word "fucked")!Grades are everything,EVERYTHING!

And like all of the above,the way we gathered in the halls to sing national day songs,free plastic flags in our hands,videos showing the history of our 'great and mighty' national built from scratch,yada yada.All of those,just to tell us to love,and possibly die for the country.

It mustve been something in the notes of the song,or the way the lyrics were/are badly written.I smell cheese all over the place,not to mention the cliche contents as well as the mediocre singing.Aside from all those,National Day boils so much down to the parade nowadays.I'd rather have like a ceremony whereby people light candles,while somebody reflects on the past events in Singapore.Now THAT'S more like a nation's birthday,and not jets roaring above our heads,fireworks which costs a tonne of cash(Imagine all that money transfered to the old folks at Ren Ci,they wont need to piss in bags anymore),stupid schoolgirls and schoolboys doing idiotic dances with recycled costumes and torches from last year's national day parade,with the same old military personnels doing the same old stunts...the list goes on.

I am tired of these bullshit.It's all about what is ahead and never the reflections anymore.Yes,they always have those little skits in the middle of the stadium,reminding people how far our country has come and shit like that.But let's admit that the real reflection comes from within and not just because a bunch of performer does it on this special day,we are obliged to remember and be thankful about it.