Phua Chu Kang: Cultural icon or cultural disaster?

Has anyone yet been able to catch the sightings of phua chu kang's yellow boots, inappropriately curly hair and a mole the size of a 50 cent coin? 

Well i have. On every SMRT train, unfortunately. Long gone are the days when i see Spongebob Squarepants filling advertising spaces. However, that is besides the point!

This Phua Chu Kang advertisement  however, did hit a home run in teaching me about how intercultural communication plays an important role in our lives and in a country like ours, where courtesy and manners is part of a core value instilled into Singaporeans through courtesy campaigns such as these recent Phua Chu Kang advertisements. That is one issue i will be touching on. Secondly, i will question how a famous fictional character such as the likes of Phua Chu Kang is chosen out of all the public figures we know, to reinforce and maintain these cultural standards that we have set for ourselves? 

Do you remember the courtesy lion? I still see him around too. As we all know the government has made sure that its people, the Singaporeans are given the chance to be educated on courtesy, politeness and simple manners. As if it wasn't enough that we were being taught those values in our traditional Asian homes with the help of the cane, the government has to whip out its own disciplining materials which come in the form of advertising campaigns directed at instilling a sense of cautiousness and conscientiousness in the way we behave in public. It reflects alot on our society and our Singaporean 'culture' which we can say is derived from traditional Confucius values and what not. Well, i could say without a doubt that this is what our country was built upon as well. Values that were passed down from our forefathers have been ingrained in our society such as filial piety, respect and most importantly public manners. Without this, our image as a well respected Asian country will be scarred and our cultural values will be lost. It will too save the tourists and guests to our country from gaining bad experiences in their trips here.

The Phua Chu Kang advertisement's purpose is simple. It is to make sure that every Singaporean learns how to behave well in public by learning how to stand behind the yellow line at the mrt stations and not to rush in like a pack of animals fighting for territory. Phua Chu Kang, as shown in the picture above, teaches how to let passengers alight before boarding the train. It wasn't enough that they started to draw the actual yellow line to direct passengers but people still did not listen. Therefore, they started this nation wide campaign telling people to behave! I personally found it an insult because as a Singaporean and being part of the of the Singaporean culture, i have already learnt to be respectful and courteous in the way i behave in public. In fact, i have been amused first hand at how Singaporeans still lack the courtesy to behave appropriately in the mrt stations despite this campaign.  There is probably a conflict in values here. The government pictures our country carrying values as such but at the end of the day it is up to the people to create the culture. We may have an 'image' of being courteous, polite and well mannered but when tourists and guests actually see our behaviour with their own eyes, they will see otherwise. What they will see is a culture where people do not really take into account their mannerisms in public. They will define our culture as one that is in the rush all the time, fast paced, inconsiderate even. The ultimate lesson i learnt from this is that we, the people, create culture. Together, we can also shape and redefine it, just like an organization changes its principles and guidelines to manage issues along the way. That is what creates its culture and redefines it along the way.

Secondly, is it not amazing how Phua Chu Kang has become a representative of the Singaporean culture? Singlish speaking, financially well-off, money minded, rough and tumble and a little not-so -sophisticated...etc . Would all of you think that he is a correct representative of the Singaporean culture? I would think not maybe 50% of him could be an accurate representation, especially the Singlish speaking, money-making part. However, as a Singaporean myself i would see myself as educated, sophisticated and polished. Or perhaps i do not fit into the culture here at all? I do not know really. Culture is really difficult to put a finger on, especially in Singapore where we have myriads of ethnic groups and people on different parts of the ladder in society. For example, in my parents days, according to them at least, people did not behave like this. People had a bit more manners, were hardworking, friendly and courteous. Now, we live in a fast paced society and our culture takes on that of a paper chasing, money making, indifferent and impolite disposition. As a result, no matter what the government does to 'educate' the public, the people do not drastically change because culture is such a powerful thing. We define it. The government does not. A Phua Chu Kang advertisement does not.