You would probably have a hard time looking for someone who doesn’t have a single gripe about the way things work in their country.
And of course there are those who are a lot more open about their grievances.
It leads us to this discussion. Over the weekend, a Reddit user went on the r/askSingapore page to pose this question: “What’s a common Singaporean complaint that makes you think “Damn, Singaporeans are spoiled”? “
The Reddit user went on to say they loved ranting about the public transport system here… until they remember the time they visited America.
Many Singaporean netizens were quick to jump in with their takes.
Many agreed that while our public transport “isn’t perfect”, there isn’t much to rant about as well.
After all, we have a “well-connected” public transport system, with MRT cabins and buses that are comfortable, safe, and clean to commute in — something that’s not a given in other countries.
They also said that the waiting times for public buses and trains are more than fair, with some sharing examples of their experiences in other countries.
“Some places in Europe there’s only one bus that gets you to that one place where everyone needs to go. There’s no alternative unless you walk/ pay a lot more for a taxi which is often more expensive than Grab,” wrote one netizen.
Another comment read: “Our public transport is definitely not perfect but when I was in New York City, some of the trains took 10 mins or more to arrive and I was shook for a second, before realising how lucky we have it here.”
A non-local also chimed in on how our public transport is “convenient and affordable”.
A number of netizens however, still took the opportunity to complain about the “dip in frequency for buses in recent years”.
Another common First World complaint for Singaporeans according to one Redditor was helpers being “very expensive”, a gripe that many netizens considered “tone deaf and honestly very spoiled”.
“This one is absolutely hilarious. SG and HK are probably one of the very few places where even as far down as the lower middle class employs helpers,” ranted one netizen.
Others then brought up issues regarding employers who “starve their helpers”, “house them in the storeroom”, and “limit their shower time”.
The other common complaints that give Singaporeans the ick include “the increased price of hawker food”, “the salaries of government officials”, “lack of things to do” and “flash floods”.
The consensus was that Singaporeans who love to complain simply “haven’t travelled enough” or exposed themselves to how things work beyond our tiny island to understand how good we actually have it here for the most part.
One netizen asserted: “Once you get used to a certain lifestyle [where] everything works and is convenient, you will complain if something fails. Most Singaporeans didn’t travel to places that are in worse situations. Of course, there are countries with free or better transport but look at their taxes.”
Are Singaporeans really too pampered? Do you think these complaints are valid, or do you find them off-putting too?
Photos: Unsplash/ Peter Nguyen, Reddit