Monday, March 9, 2015

The Real Meaning of Angst

Angst is German for “neurotic fear, anxiety, guilt, remorse,” from Old High German angust, the root of anger. It is usually applied to a deep and essentially philosophical anxiety about the world in general or personal freedom. George Eliot used it (in German) in 1849, and it was popularized in English by translation of Freud's work, but as a foreign word until 1940s.

Member of parliament Lily Neo knows the word all too well when she told Parliament, "In these times of more angst than gratitude, there is a need to change our handling of residents in terms of expanding communication and improving our engagement strategies."

In 2001 Neo had called for Medisave fund to be extended to cover health screening procedures, in particular, screening for breast cancer, only to have then-Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang demurring with dripping sarcasm, "Save on one hairdo and use the money for breast screening". And when she queried Vivian Balakrishnan in 2007 whether it is too much to ask for just 3 meals a day as an entitlement for the welfare recipients, the YOG profligate responded with “How much do you want? Do you want 3 meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?”

Given the shoddy treatment dished out to a person of her standing, it would be another sheer waste of public funds to send odious government staff for training to gain good communication skills as she suggested. What people like Goh Chok Tong needs is a full frontal lobotomy when he sprouts nonsense like "For those at the top 20 per cent, for every dollar that they pay in tax, they get less than a dollar back in benefits."  Eduardo Saverin and the multi-millionaires that made a buzzline to Singapore must be chuckling away.

Forbes said that for Saverin, tax purposes are probably the biggest reasons for renouncing his U.S. passport. He is clearly unaffected by the exorbitant car prices (a 2008 Bentley Continental that costs about US$130,000 in the U.S. commands over US$580,000 in Singapore), while locals are scrapping their vehicles because of the crippling Certificate of Entitlement (COE). His kind are also entitled to the choicest real estate in posh Sentosa Cove, while locals are relegated to the rat infested Bukit Batok precincts. Their lot can guzzle up all the alcohol at Boat Quay without the bother of police patrols overlooking shoulders in Little India.

While the Financial Times reported “Billionaires and their supercars add to Singapore inequality concerns", Lee Hsien Loong was saying, “if I can get another 10 billionaires to move to Singapore and set up their base here… I think Singapore will be better off". Lily Neo may still have faith in training, but many others strongly feel it's really time to pull the plug.

13 comments:

  1. "CIVIL servants and politicians should be simple and direct when communicating with the public", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. Very good advice, except for his own bloopers, the most notorious:

    “Supposing you have a Parliament with 10, 15 or 20 opposition members out of 80, then instead of spending my time thinking what is the right policy for Singapore, I will spend all my time, I have to spend all my time thinking of what is the right way to fix them, what’s the best way to buy my own supporters over”.

    Lily Neo, my advice is to send the PM for retraining on communication and engagement skills, without further delay. I get real antsy when I read these and many others:

    "Budget Is For Singapore’s Future, Not Elections" days Deputy PM.
    “a family with a monthly income of as low as $1,000 can now purchase a small flat”, Tharman 2012.
    etc..etc..etc..ad nauseum…


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    1. "... send the PM for retraining on communication and engagement skills, without further delay. "

      PAPigs just don't understand the concept of STFU (Shut The F*ck up)

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  2. A correction, Tattler. It was not Dr. Neo but NMP Claire Chiang who had the misfortune of being rudely taunted by Lim Hng Kiang. That aside, Dr. Neo spouts the same nonsense about our ingratitude. Why do we have to be grateful to this bunch who gave themselves obscene salaries and bonuses and other perks to serve us? They have failed in their duties leading the PM to apologise in 2011 for the egregious mistakes and pleading for another chance. We have had enough. The angst is fully justified. Time for change.

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  3. I don't feel angst.... just old fashioned hatred.

    pigs I like to see:
    http://www.morgansbbq.co.uk/photos/pig_1.jpg

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  4. If after more than 50 years in power, the last 20 of absolute and unfettered power, there is still a communication strategy problem, then PAP's time is up.

    Their mind-set is already too fixated into the big systemic mass that they have themselves created over such a long period of freedom of power and dictatorship.

    Therefore, to ask them to change whatever is liken to ask them to commit Hara Kiri again. Because they already committed HARA KIRI and it is a matter of time Nature will take its course.

    In other words, they are just waiting to DIE, like an old man of 91 fixed up with several tubes to help him continue to live for another day. Otherwise, the KHAW of a crowing crow would not have uttered the words :HARA KIRI" in the Pa-Lee-Men (since 91% of seats belong to the Papa's Men/Women, renaming Parliament as PA-LEE-MEN is more appropriate.

    All promises of change, whether done with shedding crocodile tears in the heat of an election campaign in 2011 or 2015, are and will be COSMETICS, just simply Cosmetics. That is all.

    Lily Neo is from Tanjong Pagar GRC - the Dying Old Man's GRC. She is the only compassionate MP around in the last 20 years or so. She is just trying to buy time for that Dying Old Man by accumulating Merits for the Party and thereby for the Dying Old Man, in order to prolong his life a little longer.

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  5. And some other lady ministress was openly questioning on live national TV why there was still so much anger against the rulers/rich despite so much charity they have dished out for the ungrateful masses the past 2 decades... I am sure that is why they have imported all the FT, first to buy some foreign love (aka votes), second to make you sheeple feel unloved by them/gods :) don't laugh, throughout history, isolated out-of-touch tyrants have built themselves fortresses so they don't have to meet the ungrateful masses.

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  6. At one time our PAP Govt said foreigners cannot own freehold landed property. Probably for a few dollars more in pay, the PAP Ministers sold their souls and changed the rules themselves.

    What good is it for Singaporeans if foreigners are allowed to own freehold property ? I think LKY's PM son still have not explained to us? Just wonder whether Goh Keng Swee would ever allow this sort of nonsense if he ever became our PM?

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  7. /// Lily Neo may still have faith in training, but many others strongly feel it's really time to pull the plug. ///

    Sorry, a bit lost here - which plug are you referring to?

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  8. Angst: a strong feeling of being worried or nervous : a feeling of anxiety about your life or situation

    Lily Neo, that's not how I feel. Know how I feel when Chia ̶G̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶G̶o̶n̶g̶ Yong Yong said CPF is not our money, or when Bala asked “How much do you want? Do you want 3 meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?” etc.. I feel revulsion, anger, pissed off, livid, mad, furious, affronted ....in other words "tu lan", not angst.

    And don't talk about gratitute from us, because although you may not be one, you are surrounded by assholes who should be grateful for the obscene salaries that they are receiving from us taxpayers. The situation has gone beyond training, it needs a purge or a dethroning or a "pull the plug".

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  9. And when a perceived 'good snd kind' one remains unwaveringly with those that never stop giving angst to the People, the Good, Kind and Caring One does create doubts of sincerity to me.

    Why did Lily Neo and her Family come to settle in Sin, were they having much angst while living in Indonesia before? Can she feels the Angst in Sinkies and understands the Feeling s of despondence?

    patriot

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  10. To paraphrase Edmund Burke, a party that has no means of change has no means of its own preservation.

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