World's Most Emotionless

Singapore tops the world ranking as the most emotionless state in a Gallup poll cited by Bloomberg Businessweek. The poll also showed that almost 9 in 10 Singaporeans are working beyond their working hours. I want to know where was this survey made.

In a crematorium?

I absolutely disagree with the results of the poll. I think Singaporeans are far from being emotionless. I whole heartedly believe, with every single fibre of my being that we are a very emotive bunch of people.

Let's take Singaporeans and Facebook for example. My Facebook page for the past couple of years have been filled with anything but emotionless posts. I am apparently friends with pseudo human rights activists, religious proponents, social commentariats, anger management therapists, self-respecting xenophobics, undiscovered (and unelected) political scientists, soothsayers with every growing like, medicine man and vocal marxists amongst many others.

We Singaporeans emote a myriad of emotions, thoughts and opinions on millions of things thats is happening around the world and back at home. Most of the time it is not needed and banal really, but we still speak our minds and express our emotions with much vigor and tenacity like Kate Moss in a public toilet after every meal.

We as an emotive nation have fired a high ranking woman working in a government funded company in a matter of 24 hours because of a cheap ($50) remark she made about Malay weddings.

And we are emotionless?

Don't even get me started on emotional Singaporean girls on Facebook. Have they surveyed a female friend of mine who broke up with her boyfriend of three months and went on to post over twenty statuses, videos, and self-help posters about heartbreak in a short span of half an hour?

We are so emotional as a country that we pick fights with each other over seats in a train. If we are not busy fighting for our rights over a train seat, we are whipping out our phones and capturing images and videos of other people who are fighting for the coveted train seat.

And then we post these videos and images on Stomp which is our designated portal/rubbish chute of emotions. The amount of emotions that is coursing inside that website is enough to drown the Mahabharata and the Ramayana combined.

Have they surveyed the wet markets in the morning and document the endless bickering (and sometimes pleading) between Singaporeans and stall owners? Or the discounted section at Metro with middle aged women clawing each other's eyes out for a measly $9.90 wristlet?

"Or they can just spend one day in your house with your mother. To say that they are in for an emotional roller coaster is to put it mildly," Melanie said over lunch today.

"It's true though. I work beyond my working hours almost weekly," Star said, eyes scanning the web article on my iPhone.

"You're not doing anything work related on those "extra" hours at work, I know you," I said.

"I will drown this phone in my blackcurrant drink, don't!" Star snapped.

"Who topped the survey for the world's most emotional state then, which is you ask me, is not a good thing either," Steven asked, biting into his chicken avocado ciabatta sandwich.

"The Philippines," I replied.

"No way," Melanie rolled her eyes.

"It's true though. Filipinos are very emotional. And easily excited too. Have you seen the YouTube video of the dudes totally losing their shit when Miss Philippines got into the Top 15 at the Miss Universe pageant in 2010? I was watching it on YouTube with the speakers on and my speakers nearly exploded," I said.

"I'm on it," Melanie said, loading the aforementioned video on YouTube from her phone.

Star and Steven sat beside her and as soon as the dudes in the videos started screaming, Star said, "Okay Harry, you said they lost their shit, you didn't say how much!"