Fresh on the failures of Gallup’s presidential predictions the company releases the results of a happiness polls citing that Danes are the most satisfied people in the world and those from Togo are the least. Most bummed out was understandably tied between Greeks and Iraqis, however denizens of the Asian city-state Singapore responded negatively to many of the questions, saying that only 2% felt like they liked their jobs.
I understand that feeling.
Two years ago I wanted to take the gun out of the safe and shoot my boss.
Singapore has much more stringent gun laws and an interviewee on Forbes stated, “We don’t clap very loudly. I’ve been to concerts where people don’t even applaud as much as they should.”
Yet back in 1991 I flew into Singapore from Sumatra. The transition from old Asia to new Asia was striking with the city-states’ gleaming skyscrapers and shopping malls. I had heard people complain about the emotionlessness of the city. That evneing I went to the cinema to see CYRANO with Gerard Depardieu. The French was subtitled into Chinese and English. At the end of the movie there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Cyrano cries out, “I shall always have my panache.”
Maybe emotion is something better saved for the dark of a movie theater or better yet a bedroom.
Plus who gives a shit what Gallup says?