In the popular syndicated comic Foxtrot, Jason Fox the nerdy genius younger brother presents a perfect-score math test to his mom and gets a pat on the head for a good job done. Then Paige Fox, Jason’s older and not-so-smart teen sister presents to their mom a math test score that while not spectacular, was a decent score. Paige gets rewarded with a substantial prize despite Jason’s protests. Mom replies that while Jason does a good job with his repeated perfect scores, Paige’s higher score took more effort and therefore should be rewarded.
In another strip, Eileen Jacobson is a schoolmate of Jason’s and Jason frequently tutors her in math. In one rare occasion, Jason is in for a rude shock as Eileen actually outscored Jason in a math test. Eileen doesn’t think it that dumbfounding preferring to enjoy her good math score while Jason repeatedly wails upon Eileen for beating him and gets upset.
Alas as Foxtrot by Bill Amend is syndicated, there are no online archives. Pictures speak volumes as they say. Both these 2 strips “illustrate” how when people routinely or frequently experience a similar event or result, they end up jaded to the experience. Much like eating lots of chili or watching lots of porn, you need more to get that same previous high.
In a premise of repeated success (like Jason Fox with his mom or Eileen), it is not the repeated success that garners attention, rather it is the exact opposite that does. Any event outside the usual excellence is that that receives the undue attention, when logic would suggest that while the aberrations should not be ignored, the repeated successes shouldn’t similarly be ignored too.
When Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from WRDC, Singapore and the world reeled in shock, dumbfounded that a city-state replete with number ones and sterling global achievements could commit such a boo-boo. MM Lee says it was complacency that resulted in the confluence of events that led to MSK’s escape. While I agree with MM Lee’s general assessment, I feel that it is jadedness that ultimately answers the nation’s reaction to this episode, especially the reactions of its critics.
This failure has gripped the nation, with special COI hearings, trifecta investigations, media reports, parliamentary statements, calls for heads to roll, calls for accountability, etc. It is interesting to note that in today’s current affairs climate, Singaporean successes are usually passed off in a small media article box, or panned as MSM propaganda bullshit. Singaporeans in the 60s and 70s lauded the successes of Singapore as back then, actual achievements from a small island with literally no hope were hard to come by. And we celebrated them. Today, successes come so fast and furious that we simply ignore them and instead focus on the aberrations, the failures.
Yes, we must not forget the failures, not only MSK’s escape but the failures over the years like the Nicoll Highway collapse, the NKF scandal, Nick Leeson, etc. In all these examples, there must be accountability, we the citizens of Singapore must be allowed to know the story as it unfolded and ultimately someone must be held responsible. But lest us not forget the successes. Why are we not using the same fine-tooth comb to sift through our successes, the same comb we’re using on our failures? Our commandoes topping foreign military schools, weathering the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis, weathering the SARS epidemic, keeping the SGD high against foreign currencies to stave off inflation, a generally high-valued currency from a small nation-state, a 1st-world class per-capita GDP, the JI arrests, stopping a plot to crash a plane into Changi, the world’s busiest container port, winning the right to host the first ever Youth Olympics, winning the right to enter the F1 Grand Prix circuit and its first night race at that, hosting the OIC and Ministerial Summit, restaging a successful Singapore Airshow, etc.
The individuals directly responsible for MSK’s escape are truly complacent or even incompetent, I trust they will receive their due punishment. But we as a nation have become jaded to our successes.
