Keeping up with the Joneses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Keeping up with the Joneses is a popular phrase in the United States referring to the common desire to maintain a favorable image in comparison with one's neighbors or contemporaries. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is to demonstrate one's socioeconomic or cultural inferiority.

According to "The Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson, the origin of the phrase is rooted in the 1913 comic strip of the same name created by cartoonist Arthur R. "Pop" Momand. The strip ran in American newspapers for 28 years, and eventually appeared in books, films, and musical comedies.

Kiasuism

25 December, 2003.

Dear Members,

I have a first-hand look at kiasuism at work in Singapore the past weekend. By the way, kiasuism isn't a totally Singapore syndrome. The English has it a long time ago: they call it "keeping up with the Joneses."

My guide into the world of kiasuism is Stan, who is really the least kiasu of all the Singaporeans I've ever come across. And with bland honestly, Stan acknowledge the kiasu trait that envelops the nation. He also observes that Malaysians who work in Singapore also develop this kiasu habit, and some become ever worse kiasus than the Singaporeans.

I can see a few things that we do here in Penang that may appear like a totally alien behavior in Singapore. For one, we have many hill paths were climbers are treated to FREE tea and snacks provided for by volunteers. This provide-for-others habit doesn't seem to sit well with a society where one's survival depends on grabbing as much for oneself as possible.

In my short visit, I saw how commuters refusing to budge an inch to get deeper into the MRT coaches, and as a result, the entranceways are jam-packed.

At a coffee shop, a lady diner was genuinely surprised when I helped move a chair for her. I think the norm is for the patrons of each table to act as though people in the next table don't exist.

I was also told that when Stan refers AsiaExplorers to some of his Singapore friends, their first reaction is, "what's the catch?" They cannot believe that an organisation could offer free membership.

I don't entirely blame them for becoming kiasu, as I see that even the government act in a way that is almost kiasu. I see it in the sale of the MRT pass, which includes a non-refundable and unusable deposit, not $1, not $2, but $5! So it is just to be that the people, accustomed to having to elbow their way to the front, rub people from more laid back communities wrongly.

My hope and desire is to find more and more Singapore friends like Stan, people who will be walking example that they are not kiasu when the majority is.

It is a sad fact that as Penang becomes more urbanised, the kiasu syndrome will likely increase here. One issue which Singapore wins hands down over Penang is the courtesy that drivers extend to pedestrians. In Singapore, the cars will almost always slowdown if you were crossing the road, nevermind if you were jaywalking. In Penang, doing the same is to hope for a deathwish.

Asia is beautiful - explore it!