By John D. Sutter, CNN
(CNN) - This week's over-the-top marketing campaign is a YouTube video from Mentos that hopes to convince Singaporeans to get busy. Like literally. It asks them to "make a little human that looks like you and me" and "make Singapore's birthrate spike" on National Day, a Singaporean holiday, which will be celebrated on Thursday.
"This August the 9th, it's time to do our civic duty," a deep-voiced man says in the video, produced by an ad agency on behalf of Mentos mints. "And I'm not talking about speeches, fireworks or parades." (Woman in the background: "But I like that stuff.") "I'm talking about the stuff after that stuff. I'm talking about making a baby, baby. You ready?"
Just watch the thing:
It turns out that the country has a "problem" with population decline. Fertility rates are going down. The population is aging. Growth of the small city-state's population was 1% in 2010 and shrank to 0.5% in 2011.
From a government report on the issue (PDF):
Like many developed countries, Singapore’s key population challenges are our low fertility and an ageing population. Our aim is to achieve a sustainable population that supports both economic growth and social cohesion, so that Singapore remains vibrant and liveable.
Oh, yeah. And the country also runs a dating service, called the Social Development Network.
That government group is referenced (of course, right?) in the "National Night" song:
It's National Night and I want a baby, boo. I know you want it. So does the S.D.U.
(The S.D.U. was renamed the S.D.N. in 2009. But "U" apparently rhymes better.)
Just FYI, new parents in Singapore are offered thousands of dollars ($18,000 for the fifth child!) for having children, according to a government site.
It's unclear if the government was involved in the Mentos have-sex-now-and-increase-our-population video campaign, which also has a related Facebook page. The ad firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty developed the the video. A spokesperson told the Financial Times that the government of Singapore did not request to approve the campaign.
It's unclear, of course, if this will actually work. But it certainly has people in Western media circles talking.
From James Fallows at The Atlantic:
The Singapore government has often been criticized for being too Grandgrind-like and strait-laced. So, no joke, congrats to whoever broke the stereotype by doing this. And ... ummm, Happy National Day!
And it's resulted in plenty of funny/bossy tweets. Like this one:
Do your part for #singapore this National Day and make a frickin baby already! #nationalnight on.fb.me/RbiTx7—
Lesley John (@lesleyjohn) August 02, 2012
Perhaps the most striking thing about the video is its lack of subtlety. Here are a few lines:
"Let your patriotism explode. Because it's National Night."
"Put this track on repeat. Let's put a bao (bun) in your oven!"
"We gotta go all the way for Singapore, you know what I'm sayin?"
Yes. Yes, we do.
Let us what you think of the video and Singapore's birthrate issues in the comments.
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Interesting, because I haven't felt I was safer' abraod. Though the area I live and work in is relatively safe, I still get that uncomfortable feeling when walking at night. And less so in the Philippines (as you know which places to avoid, and how not to attract attention).In the Philippines, people will rob you to get your cash and cellphone. The motivation is mostly financial, perhaps from not having a job or having to feed hungry families. Whereas in the US or other countries, murders and robberies are mostly due to psychological issues.There's also this notion that the standard of living is better abraod. This is partly true. Yes, you can buy more luxuries, and the living conditions are better. But that's not all there is to it. Standard of living can also be measured in terms of family and friends. That feeling of stability and comfort being with the people who matter the most to you. You need to look at the overall picture, not just the material stuff.
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Ew. This isn't remotely cute or witty. It's just plain stupid and gross.
Dont be a hater...
Well said! The rapper means no harm. His name is Rosh g... Local Artiste in singapore
falulous rap....a great campaign to get singapore's birth rate on track! lighten up people! its cute, light and to the point.... ps, its a singaporean rapping too!
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I guess all their restrictions are not working. No culture except casinos and Slash. They off you for breaking the law. The locals go to Malaysia for fun. Only a banker
Singapore is a two bit country with no culture and they off you if you break the law. Why would anybody want to live there. Have they thought about that. Casinos and Slash, the locals go to Malaysia for fun. Why would anybody but a banker
I've lived in Singapore for a while. It's actually a pretty good place to live. It doesn't have as developed a culture as countries with longer histories as it's only been independent for 50 odd years. But it's more developed than bigger nations in other ways, there's little poverty, citizens have good living conditions. The government's conservative but you don't worry about your kids getting shot up with bullets or drugs. The country has obviously developed a good sense of humour about itself, as evidenced in this video, which is clearly not meant to be taken seriously. They do what they feel is right for them, not what others think they should do – that's character in my books. Hardly a 'two-bit' country.
why don't they give incentives (financial or otherwise) for people to adopt?! There are millions of orphaned children in SE asia (and around the world) living in poverty. In china the population is so dense they have gov't mandated abortion to enforce their one child rule; perhaps some Chinese that desire a larger family should settle in Singapore, or they could adopt the otherwise aborted children..
how about a country people want to live in. Only bankers and bad IT guys live there. All there clean streets ain't working. Ever go, on the way in it says "you will be executed without trial if you are caught with drugs. ". I am not for drugs but do you really think anybody wants to live In such a repressive country. The great Singapore law machine is at fault. I would never open a branch in a country so draconian.
Joe, have you ever actually been to Singapore?? I am an expat living here working in Oil & Gas and it is a great place to live overall. Sure it can get boring and sterile at times but the so called "Draconian" law isn't felt or obviously present.. Don't act like an idiot and you will never experience anything to do with the law. When I was first moving here i thought there would be police on every corner to keep everyone in line. You rarely see police and all in all the people, food, etc are fantastic.
I'm an exchange student here in singapore. This place has a great culture and people love to live here. Idk where you are getting your info from
Very well said Chris.. a lot of folks who come up with stupid comments have not travelled much out of their town. As you said, a lot of these 'stories' are overblown. Case in point – you DON"T see police everywhere and you're not getting death penalties for petty crime... JOE must have had been rejected by a date in Singapore for hating the place so much..
More kids to buy Mentos
"Singapore's key population challenges are our low fertility and an ageing population"
Hello????!!!! No mention of the abortion rate in Singapore – where abortion is legal.....think about it.....
I think you'll find that abortion is legal in a large number of countries other than Singapore. Countries, I might add, that do NOT have a declining population... o_O
Wake up they leave. What young person stays in shi tapore. No work unless your in finance no culture draconian laws. This is 100% the governments cause. They did it to themselves. 100% predictable.
THIS IS THE MOST STUPID THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. THEY ARE HAVEING A HARD TIME FEEDING WHAT THEY HAVE. SHOWS WHAT STUPID THINGS THEY WOULD PUT UP FOR KIDS. USE YOUR BRAIN FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN A HAT RACK.
If they were having a hard time feeding the kids they had, they wouldn't be coming out with such commercials. There is currently a baby shortage in Singapore due to very low fertility rates. Know what you speak of before you speak.
Also know how to write, ever heard of spell check?
Minority we may be but we certainly know what is going on when the mitesarnam media simply forgets' to mention certain news or prefer to turn a blind eye to it.The good thing is this small minority can help to pass the words around opening up others' eyes and ears to hear more of the alternatives'
Do we really need more people in the world?! We're teetering on like 7 billion, c'mon!
While this crosses into new territory with its boldness, the message isn't much different from that sent by some European countries by giving tax breaks and other government "goodies" to families having another child. These so-called "baby bounties" have been around for five and six years. Gotta give them points for marketing, though. Globally, this is so much catchier than just another tax break.
I took an AP class on demographics a couple years ago (got a perfect score!), and this seems like good news (much better than horrifying policies such as the one-child in China and the forced sterilizations in the 70s in India). The government is likely to invest in education and health and maternity leaves and free day-care and all that good stuff that will have an educated, healthy next generation to become a new educated working class that can pay their taxes to support the older, retired population. And overpopulation is only an issue in densely populated areas. This is good news.
Maybe if the laws there were ot s insane! i.e. no gum chewing and isn't running a redlight punishable by death?
David, yes gum is technically illegal but that is from a public nuisance standpoint (having gum on the trains, street etc) and no.. Running a redlight is not punishable by death
Before moving here from the USA I heard many stories and rumors that were really overblown. Singapore really does lack a "culture" in some respects (the culture is food, shopping etc) but it is a great hub of many nationalities which get along, respect and share their cultures with others.
Hopefully the people of Singapore won't fall for the marketing. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING LESS PEOPLE! But, "Oh our feeble tax structure, which is designed for unsustainable infinite growth, won't work if the population decreases! What are we to do!" Too bad, let's do something different. Here's to a better world, WITH FEWER PEOPLE!
you need constant growth and increased consumption to sustain capitalism. we may have to rethink things a bit in the future. with ever expanding populations consuming more and more, something has to give.
I don't know about Singapore, but we need programs like this in America and Northern Europe. Too many babies in third world countries, not enough in cultured lands. Soon the educated elite will be overrun by the vermin. Advanced technological societies need to be expanded, while the medieval and tribal societies need to be eliminated.
Somehow I don't think it's the educated elite who will be listening to these campaigns. It will probably be welfare moochs and maybe a tiny fraction of the lower-middle class. I don't think the upper middle class decides when to have a baby because of the government's cycle.
Once the "elite" were the vermin. esp the "irish" who were sent to ride outside the passenger rail car because of their "low class" status. think man think.
Please keep you babies to yourself wherever you're from. We have more than enough of them where I am in the USA.
@Howie
...Advanced technological societies need to be expanded, while the medieval and tribal societies need to be eliminated
Howie – thats not a very nice thing to say about the Republican party.
There was country that had that same philosophy in the 1930's and the early 1940's. I believe the USA, Great Britain and a few others put a stop to that about 1945.
You've clearly placed yourself in the vermin column.
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So what if the population is aging it will eventually find a new equilibrium point. In the mean time the older citizens should continue to work if they can't afford to stop. As time passes the population will naturally stabilize at a small size. People should not be encouraged to have more children.
I agree 100%! It figures that this "birth dearth" business is coming mostly from men.
That's what we get with growth based economies. It's a glorified pyramid scheme.
Hey baby...let's show our international support for Singapore.
Your name worries me.
That grand Ponzi scheme known as Capitalism requires increasing numbers of fresh suckers to sustain it – the environment be damned!
Says the guy posting on a commercial web site, on the commercial Internet, using a commercial Internet connection, with a commercial computer. Run along now, little hypocrite. You have more double-standards to espouse.
It's better to destroy the system from within than it is to act as an outside force.
Right... Because you know, you can't have any of these things without our current ridiculous form of capitalism.
Actually, it's the socialist/progressive retirement programs such as social security that demand increasing populations to work in the long run...
We'll need more population control....ie.....Typhoons, earthquakes, disease,...etc
Personally, I'm hoping for a meteor strike. It's been a while since we've had a good one and it's about time we hit the "reset" button on this rock.
What? Mentos think they need to sell more candy so they influence the public to make more customers??!! Instead, they could probably sell more Mentos by showing people placing their candies in soda bottles for fun...
Bush destroyed America.
Obama is a Muslim terrorist who is trying to destryo this country.
you are an ignorant bigot.
subtle. reeeeeaaall subtle.
bush listened to cheney who destroyed America
Al Gore invented the internet and brought the new age of Piracy.
bless him for it!
Al Gore never claimed to have invented the internet, you sad, sorry POS.
The best thing that one could do was what my girlfriend from Korea once acknowledged, and that is to "make the baby while making the money." In that way, you have the world beat. Good advice from Asia . . .
Was your Korean girlfriend a prost!tute? Because that's about the only way that advice can work. A really s(_)cky and nonsensical advice, by the way.
Take some Mexicans to Singapore
u know, when i was on semester at sea, when we dokecd in singapore, 2 professors actually was asking me who mrbrown is coz at that point was when he first got fired and THEY got really fired up and then going on ranting about how they just waylaid people on the street and asked them who mrbrown was.its really bizarre because 1) they dont read mrbrown 2) i always tot mrbrown was very famous but didnt hesitate a moment to go like oh puhlease the mama shop uncle doesnt know who mrbrown is and 3) they got to know about mrbrown from mainstream media. just not singapore's.sigh.wish i can have such progressive professors in nus.
Wanna know something kind of sad? Some other asian countries are faceing this same issue. In fact, China is actually one of them. Their problem is actually that cultural "we need to have a son" thing. That has lead China to have a female population of some where only around 30%. That spans their majority ageing population to the very young. So you could possibly see that number drop too if we're talking about birth capable women here in the next 20 years or so. So, get ready to see China have some serious population issues in the future.
How the hell is this sad for a country of 1.4 BILLION?? They NEED a lower rate of reproduction. And the 30% thing is a lie you just made up. The female proportion is more like 45%.
If you "wanna know something sad", look no further than your English. Learn the word "somewhere" so you can claim to be smarter than a 3rd grader.
China does have issues: http://www.zenit.org/article-32633?l=english
You gotta be smarter with Google search first before you post.
6 kids, 5 different women...looks like I need to take a trip to Singapore to help them out.
Absolutely DISGUSTING. The last thing this planet needs is a population increase.
AMEN...... major tom. the last thing we in need in this god forsaken world is a bunch of kids. it is a cruel person to bring a life into this world at this time. few jobs, a debt that even your great great grandchildren wont be able to pay off. schools that have to many kids in the classrooms, the list goes on.
Major Tom I agree with the last part of your statement, but most people don't want to hear about over population. 7 billion and climbing and the earth can't handle it.
"This is Major Tom to Ground Control, I'm stepping through the door, And I'm floating in a most peculiar way, And the stars look very different today..."
Look it up kids...
Because seven billion people just aren't enough. Singapore would do better to liberalize its immigration policy and give newcomers a nice cash bonus. China and India each have over a billion people. I'm sure they could spare some folks to help somebody else increase their population.
Let's start with immigration through adoption. There are lots of babies in the world without good homes. Import some of the excess children from the poorer countries such as Malaysia and give them a better life. You also prevent inbreeding that way. Singapore's fertility problem may stem from inbreeding in their country, depending on how related they are to each other, and foreign adoption could solve some of it.
CNN stoops to an all new LOW. Crap Journalism at it's finest.
Seriously? Just because you're republican doesn't mean that you have to denounce liberal leaning media. This is a completely non-politicly biased message. So what if it's out of the ordinary, Fox News does stuff like this all the time. Just because it's on a news outlet that isn't normally conservative biased doesn't mean it's "crap journalism". Furthermore, why are there any comments based on American politics on this article? This article has nothing to do with that.
Yes, I'm talking about you.
This is a smart move for Singapore. Their birth rate is way below replacement levels so they will have an aging and declining population in the near future. Youthful populations tend to be more innovative and dynamic so a high birth rate is a benefit for any society. It also means there will be a growing market for goods and services (leading to job growth) and more workers paying taxes and covering the pensions of the retirees.
Is that the world's largest phallic symbol in the picture on the left? All they need is the female equivalent.
Yes, Yes I believe it is.
Haha Nice
You have no idea of how hard it was for me to contain my laughter. I exploded like ten seconds in.
Hilarity aside, perhaps these government officials are unaware of terms such as "population crisis" and "resource depletion"
Actually population ageing and population decline is the bigger problem. Birth rates have fallen dramatically around the world since the 60's and are now below replacement levels in many countries. You don't have to take my word for it; the data is all available in population statistics provided by the UN and the US.
Ok Jesse I don't know where you are getting that information, as soon as I look it up ... first place I looked was the U.S. Census Bureau, and then in global trends. I don't know what rock you are living under we certainly don't lack population and it has increased exponentially. Keep in mind, in the past, primitive cultures had to have a lot of babies, most didn't survive to adulthood or were killed in wars. An aging population also has to do with better medical care, allowing them to survive longer. Now, some ethnic groups are having less children, others are having much more, duh.
Just send in a few NBA players for a week, that will do the trick!
If anyone bothers to read the article, this ad was produced on behalf of Mentos mints, playing on the discussion about low fertility rates. No confirmation the government condoned this.
Having said that, the government's policies have always been pro-business, pro-economic prosperity, with little regard for the locals. Sure the citizens get their occasional handouts like Goods & Services Tax rebates, etc, but make no mistake, it's all about vote buying. The ruling party is worried (rightly so) about their future, that those locals who can afford it will leave for greener pastures, and having children is one sure way of making them stay in the country, at least for the free primary (junior school) education. The influx of new citizens from other countries also gets them more votes come election time.
Perhaps Jesus will come back before or when the world is completely full up.
Let this problem to the God. Atheists playing God and trying to take care of everything through stuff like state regulated family planning is going to result in all sorts of very real problems.
This isn't a state-regulated thing, you utterly useless imbecile.
One underlying fact that is not so obvious to this pro-creation message is the only group really have children, and lots of them, are the Muslims of Singapore. The government is afraid that in 20 – 30 years time, the country could become an Islamic state. As long as there are traditional Chinese and Indian babies being born, this might help off-set this potential problem. This was told to me by a taxi driver, whom explained all of the benefits of having a child born in Singapore, free education, money for the second, third child and so on. The government tries really hard to promote family unity and togetherness as they know quite well what could happen should Singapore become primarily Islamic.
Actually malays are a minority even if they have stable family structure and have more babies. Chinese singaporeans are 75% of the population and the government is importing more mainland chinese to keep singapore a chinese majority state. If you look back at history Singapore was part of malaysia and in a way malays are the natives. Now they face discrimination as lots of jobs say chinese language preferred to screen off indians and malays.. Malays are very warm people. Singaporean chinese for me were very bland and absolutely no warmth and very superficial..
I do not know where you are getting your info from. I am a Singaporean Indian married to a Singaporean Chinese. I have hardly had any racial discrimination in my 30 years, whether at work, army or family. Most jobs officially want people to speak English here. I have hardly come accross any jobs which require people to speak Chinese unless you are working in eldercare (dialect specific), chinese literary fields, etc. Singapore is a secular and meritocratic society without preference given to race or religion and I am proud of it. It has it's own peculiar set of challenges but which country doesn't. And your basis of saying that non-Malays don't belong to Singapore are equally non-sensical as saying Caucasians don't belong in US or middle-eastern Aryan race doesn't belong in India. Don't state random racial stereotypes without any backing. People like you only like to spread hatred and I doubt you have many friends and family outside your race and religion.
The world is bursting at the seams with people, more than 6 billion. There are not enough resources on the planet to give everyone a good lifestyle like in the developed nations.
Any government that thinks we "need" more has its head in its you-know-what.
If all the people who worried about overpopulation would go kill themselves, it wouldn't be a problem any more
I would I do that when I can just not have a kid?
Not true, many many countries actually have declining birth rates (particularly European countries). It's actually a very big domestic problem for a lot of countries. India and China have huge populations, but that is not a problem shared by most countries in the world. I urge you to take a drive out west, you might be surprised by what you don't see....people. Visit Montana or Wyoming, which has more Grizzly Bears than people. Drive through Canada...This planet is not bursting at the seems; however we do need to be better stewards of the earth and our resources.
Overpopulation is definitely not a problem. A declining population should be a bigger concern. With a larger population there is more research that can be done. New technology is always making additional resources available (look at the shale gas boom in the US) and reduce pollution (air/water quality in the US is far better today than in 1900's when there was only about 1/4th the population we have today).
That is silly. You are assuming all new people will be scientists... a pretty big stretch. No. We need less people on this planet. The new resources we find are always destructive. There are always trade offs.
Better technology can only take you so far. When regions with a starving population are taught new farming methods to produce more food, it only takes a few years before they are starving again since their birthrate increased to consume the new food "surplus". Soon it won't be just about food. It will be fresh water. Even in the US, we already have fresh water issues. We just need to correct the idea that the only way to have a successful economy is with growth.
Not silly at all... The ever present Malthusian fear of overcrowding never seems to come to pass, as humanity's ability to innovate continues to keep up with, and even outpace, population growth. The benefits are, of course, greatest when the additional population lives in a free society where they are best able to contribute new advances to our society.
Shale gas, or fracking, may be a new technology, nut nitwits like you accept anything before it is tested and proven. I'm not really sure this fits in with conservatism, but it sure does fit unbridled, greedy capitalism.
Oh fantastic. More cat and dog eaters to be born! East Asian culture is soooo great
You're an idiot
Wow... how smart of you to display that typical ignorance
Wrong country....Singaporeans do not eat Dog, but they do snack on sea weed (I have Singaporean friends). You were probably thinking of the Philippines, which does have a custom of eating dogs (though it is officially illegal). I know because I lived there for two years, and I saw people killing and eating dogs multiple times. Dog meat is something of a delicacy there, and is especially consumed at drinking parties known as"mga Inoman."
....and just for your information, American friends who accidentally ate dog meat claimed that it was delicious...until they found out what they were eating.
you should spend the time studying geography and world cultures instead of just sprouting your nonsense here.it's illegal to import dogs for consumption and they do not eat dogs at all.
hell, instead of long summer vacations, american students should probably be given geography lessons.
Congrats on determining he/she is an American through the Internet and at the time showing yourself to be a bigot.
Obviously a troll and you idiots are taking the bait.
You have achieved brilliance in ignorance! People like you are the ones who kill innocent Sikhs in a temple because they wear turbans..
Stewed cat... yum!
Appalling. Irresponsible government.
HURRY! THE SUPER RICH NEED MORE WORKERS THAT WILL WORK FOR NOTHING! lol jk
OHH SINGAPORE
My stay was great esp because of food. However its full of third world mentality people in first world infrastructure country. If you are white or asian forget it you will have terrible memories. Singaporeans are the most racist bunch I have met in my life and I have lived in several countries.... Sarong Party Girls are all looking for 5C ( credit card, condo, car, cash, country club membership). If you are white and have 5Cs you are golden goose. If no 5C no love as these materialistic women do not step down their standards. No wonder Singaporean men are stressed out and source their brides from malaysia, mainland china etc.. Without skilled immigration, the growth story would stall but foreign talent is scoffed at.. Live there for some time and dont be fooled by the buildings. Its a rich mans playground..
Sorry I meant if you are NOT asian or white
Lots of truth in this statement. I have never met a more materialistic people in my life... and the Singapore Chinese are so racist against the PRC Chinese (People's Republic of China)
They want couples to get busy with each other "now" to make the birthrate spike on Aug 9?
Small flaw here, like the 9 months required ............
You sound like a lot of fun to bring to a party.
LOL good one Daniel
I could be wrong, but I've heard that Singaporians' enjoy an astonishingly brief gestation. 24 hours gets 'er done...
As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor different traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down. How did this happen? Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began to simply reward those who reproduced the most, and left the intelligent to become an endangered species
It used to be "survival of the fittest" which meant only the best traits got passed down to the next generation.
Now we have programs that reward people for never working a day in their life (welfare) and that reward people for having more and more children they can't afford (child benefits), and then we have to have programs like "no child left behind" so that the weakest children get to keep up.
Let's go back to having the strongest survive and the weakest find their own way.
Actually the term 'survival of the fittest' doesn't mean best or strongest. It means the most fit for the environment - if the environment favored shortsighted pudgy people who could program, that's who would prevail. The jocks who couldn't program would just die of hunger, until they figure out they could just kill the programmers. Of course, eventually there wouldn't be programmers left and the jocks die anyway.
From the Prophet Mike Judge Himself
JAJAJAJAJAJA
Are you quoting idiocracy?
Singapore is not a nice place top stay. Despite the Beauty, cleanliness and wealth, people are leaving. They should make people stay rather than leave. its not a good place for children. The Government regulate national education. All teachers graduate from the same Academy. Children are separated for special teaching at age 9 on whether they are gifted. At age 13, children are separated into the less academic – ( ironically called the 'normal' stream ) or the express stream – Better academically inclined. The national education teaches every other nation history except Singapore. The government regulates everything and the latest being a body called the Media literacy Council to regulate internet blogging. All strike and protest must be permitted by Police. No public distribution of political flyers are allowed. All gathering of 6 persons are deemed illegal until proven otherwise. Every citizen has a number assigned for any internet on line governmental transaction. All salary has automatic deduction of 36% as 'pension scheme' which you will never see. You can use it for approved payment which may not include major illnesses. Upon your death it will be transferred to your next of kin. Big brother is watching you. Thus from cradle to grave all Singaporean are monitored.
Do you then think anyone want babies ?
I agree, it sounds like a stifling system. There are any number of reasons why a student can't get their act together to realize full academic potential early on. To set the 'cut-off' date so early is a mistake. With so many people falling into the 'less-inclined" academic track, and inevitablly on to lower paying jobs, no wonder such couples bring fewer mouths to feed into this world.
you are an idiot, I live in Singapore and it's clean, green, crime-free, unemployment below 2%, excellent healthcare, excellent police force, no violent crime. have you ever been to Singapore you twit?
@adlas, have you ever come down from your glass and steel tower and seen how the real street people live?
It might be an eye opener. Crime free? Only because of a repressive justice system that doles out corporal punishment like it's going out of style.
Adlas,
The unemployment is under 2% because we have guys in parking garages making sure we exit properly.. and mounds of "security guards" at all the Condo's... and people mopping the parking garage floors..
Singapore is a city of gleaming towers hiding rampant and widespread poverty on the streets.
It's a city of the mega rich and the incredibly impoverished. Unless you're a member of the mega rich, it's not a good place to be.
The underbelly of Singapore lies in the pathetic lives of indian and chinese labor, the maids who work endless hours and their conditions. I guess these people put up simply because they make more money than at home countries.. Singaporeans are very upset the government is bringing in blue collar an white collar immigrants but I guess they do not remember this fishing village was once nothing without their grandfathers who toiled in the same way for better life..
Here's a novel idea for a striking it rich: Indian and Chinese pe nis es for rent!
Because of my perfect equipment, I've been asked by the Singapore govt to impregnate as many women as possible during my 2 weeks trip there.
Why do I feel our days are numbered?
Think about our own unemployment rates and other social problems! Mind our own freaking business, people are facing real problems like foreclosure and repaying debts! Maybe we should damage more bilateral ties and dampen our growth!
http://overpopulationisamyth.com/
Google fertility rate and check out the stats by country. It is amazing that people are breeding like rabbits in war-torn, poverty racked hellholes where I would never think of having a kid, while the more affluent, developed countries are at or below replacement level and resorting to importing population via immigration. Human beings are weird!
The high birthdate in impoverished countries actually makes total sense. In those countries infant mortality is extremely high and because of the sporadic access to adequate nutrition there's no guarantee that even children who make it past the "critical benchmarks" will reach adulthood. Having a boat load of kids is almost an insurance policy in case one or 2 don't make it. Also many of these societies are still agrarian. There isn't this idea that you wait until you're 16 or 18 to become a productive member of society. If you have limbs you're fit to work. More babies, more potential income
I was there at the 4th level today, doing the setup for the NLB booth. Nope, we're not selling or diiaplysng any plants. Not if you consider the paper as ex-plants, heh heh (lame joke). From the looks of it, it's HUGE in terms of space and the vendors. I'm impressed by the designs.
War torn crap holes = poor access to birth control.
Almost instinctive if you ask me.
This is fricken madness! The world has jumped to 7 billion people in a heartbeat! If there are not enough people in Sinapore, then, why are so many of them coming here? Encourage your people to stay there and emigrate as many as you can! Parts of this world are being run by crazy idiots! Statistics say that by the year 2050, we will be 9 billion plus people and it will take 5 earths to sustain us!!! Stop this mad house and let me off!!!
making babies is fun
The comments I had read are the most uneducated and pathetic ones!
Wow how irresponsible. Most every environmental problem on the planet is linked to over population. (And with singapores proximity to rainforests they're some of the last people that need to start breeding.) The population isn't going down because of low birth rates, people are leaving because the country is messed up and full of rampant corruption. Stop fixating on growth and just try to get the money circulating well. Whatever happened to just I pay you for a service, you pay me for a service?
This is very easy! Forget about National Night and just turn off the power for the evening. That works in America just look at New York and New England after their power outages! Yahooo!
'Rampant corruption'. Do you even know what you're talking about you fool. It's one of the most corruption free countries in the world with a booming economy. Maybe you should look to congress when talking about corruption
Artificial uteruses will eventually save the day. Soon they will be making smart babies like it's a corn crop.
Alright, I will take one for the team. Sign me up for this.
we should all just make babies and over populate the earth. Let them figure it out
We are. We're adding 3 people every second. I'm not sure what they're smoking in Singapore, but it must be some pretty major stuff.
but if we send the mexicans who will bring all the retards in the usa there drugs?
Like the guys who can't spell?
but if we send the mexicans who will bring the drugs to all the retards here?
Yeah give me a cute woman and I'll make sure she'll be pregnant.
I used to live in Singapore, and the government is the puppeteer of the people who live there. They go back and forth between the 'make babies' and the 'don't make babies' campaigns, because everyone actually does whatever the latest campaign is, so there's no balance. 'Speak Mandarin' was another big campaign. It was scary to live in such a Stepford country!
I, too, was from Singapore. Too many campaigns when I was growing up.......enough already.
That totally makes no sense - if Singaporeans do exactly as the campaigns say, there wouldn't be a problem with a declining population.
A friend in Singapore told me that this is actually a real problem in the small country. She said that culture dictates people do not walk up to each other and introduce themselves in bars etc- they generally socialize in tight groups and don't meet new people. The cost of living also makes it very expensive to live on your own (think $1M for a 2 bed non-air conditioned flat), so many young people live with their parents in tiny apartments. Combine the tiny crowded family apartments and a country that consist of only one city; so even if you meet someone, you have nothing to do together and no where to go. My friend is in her late 20s and very few of her friends are getting married, or even dating.
Even with all that it has the highest population density on Earth outside of Macau and Monaco which are so small they barely count.
Your friend is probably just a sad loser. I know people from Singapore too and they meet people at clubs and bars all the time.
The Singaporean women have really high standards and the men are not able to cope up. They want the next better deal perhaps an expat guy etc.....
I think Singapore is the best communist country, even though it has a congress and presidential election, but the ruling party is de facto ruler since the founding of the island country.
The government regulates strictly on TV, Radio, newspaper, magazine, anything you can think of, and owns over 85% of the land.
So it is not surprising to hear this type of advertisement.
Beware of the Singapore govern-mint. Get it get it get it?
Number of Children = 120 / IQ.
There are too many people on this planet already.
Then you shouldn't have any children
Tammy you are correct, but I'm afraid the people having all these children do not realize the Earth will take care of itself in the long run and all these future grand parents will see themselves and their offspring suffer because of their neglect.
This is why I have chosen not to have any offspring due to the impending gloom awaiting mankind in the future.
Sounds like natural selection.
That's the reason I had my vascetomy at an early age before having any kids.
Same here Highly, good job.
Waaaaay ahead of ya boyz! My girl is already 8 weeks!
Your child has my sympathies.
Geez learn to laugh a little buddy
haha
This is just the same as the Pyramid Scheme where they need more and more humans to be born so they can keep up with the free health and pension plans for the aging. How are corporations going to keep growing their profits if they stop seeing the population start to slow. We need numbers people, start making as many babies as you can !
Meanwhile the earth has only so much resources and land...43% of which is already being used in some fashion or another by us. And 50% is being reported by some as the environmental tipping point. Growth is the last thing we need.
Growth of smart, well raised babies = good. Growth of poor babies with no food and single parents with no job = bad growth.
Yes Daws, I'm afraid the World is being run by this Pyramid Scheme and it will soon collapse, just as it did with the Ponzi schemes in the 90's. Just as in the Philippines where the Catholic church is in an uproar about the Govt promoting birth control.
But the good news is, Mother Earth will soon take care of the the overpopulation in her own way. It might take Mother Earth 1000's of years to get herself back in shape again though.
You want extras?? Please take our overstock of Mexicans, we have way too many. Its a win-win for everyone!
I like how you think. That is the best post I have read in months.
Agreed, Singapore should finance sometype of foot bridge from Mexico to Singapore
I wonder if they will accept that offer if we inform them of the "free shipping" , our tax dollars go towards sending their butts back to Mexico just so they can crawl back again. What's a little further without the worry they will just crawl right back up again? Complete win-win situation.
And how is that going to help them create children of the same nationality? They want Singaporeans not bi-racial children.
Well that's just racist...
There is no such group called Singaporeans. They are either Chinese or Indians or may be Malay!
There is no such group called Americans! There is no such thing as a melting pot just ice cubes!
@siva I didn't know that, thank you.
wow monae75, you just singlehandedly lowered the global average IQ by a few points. Singaporean is not a race, it's a nationality. Chinese on the other hand is a race. And a nationality. Confusing isn't it?
In reply to "I'm just going to say it."- If you're bothered so much by the number of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. maybe YOU should go live in Singapore. Personally I feel that if we're "overstocked" with any particular group, it's intolerant ignoramuses. By the way, what country did your ancestors migrate from?
Those baby Mexicans are Americans because of the 14th amendment. You see, Mexico has it's own public service campaign to encourage baby making.... just not within the borders of Mexico. I'm guessing Singapore doesn't want to outsource their population growth.
You will miss those mexicans if they ever leave... Imagine having to pick those strawberries yourself and what it would cost to pay an American to do this, then what the cost of strawberries would be... I'm from Texas where we have plenty and I would sorely miss them if they were to pack up and leave one day.
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Probably the most intelligent comment this article will ever see.