Mar 07 2011
Gerald Sim fears hyper-materialism in Singapore
My girlfriend and I celebrated our first year anniversary together last month, and to commemorate the occasion, we decided to book a trip to Las Vegas since it coincided with spring break here in Canada. Not wanting to disappoint and wanting to leave a lasting impression of our trip, I endeavored to search for the most romantic spot in all of Las Vegas to have our anniversary dinner. The search yielded fruit, as we were perched high above the ‘Eiffel Tower’, overlooking the Bellagio Fountains in it’s splendor (Yes, think Ocean’s Eleven). As breathtaking as that might sound, I was left gasping at the final bill – a princely ransom which I paid with a smile. As a student living on a shoe string budget, was such extravagance indicative of the influence of hyper materialism?
Lavish offerings such as a $2500 haircut offered at Kim Robinsons Hair Salon and of course the proverbial $1200 steam fish served at the Resorts World Sentosa graced the Singapore newspapers last year . However, are such concerns of hyper-materialism being a dominant feature of our cultural mindset or simply alarmist?
Indeed, it can be argued that such exorbitant prices are charged because there are people out there who are willing to pay such ridiculous amounts for services available for a fraction of the price quoted. However, it is highly unlikely that this constituency represents Singaporeans in general.
Rather, most Singaporeans hold dear the ideas of equity and fairness. If they agreed with merchants being allowed to place exorbitant charges on their services, they do so with the acknowledgment that the former act is within the merchant’s right, and that one is free to purchase a service at any amount one sees fit. This is in line with an open economy that has been the hallmark of Singapore’s economical success over the years.
This brings us back to our one-off trip to Las Vegas and that pricey dinner at the Eiffel Tower. I must concede that the utility derived from the trip are influenced by popular material culture which has attached status symbols towards those major icons I held in awe. However, these indulgences are often tempered with the reality that one has to balance their books, and the traditional timed held notion that one has to live within one’s means.
Gerald Sim is a Masters student at the University of British Columbia.
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