☆ min 🇸🇬☆ 19 ☆ SEAtalia gang ☆ - (main: @minsqart) | DO NOT REPOST/TRACE/EDIT - seriously can’t believe I got dragged back here, there’s really no escape huh
since SEAsia debuted, I'm interested in knowing England's relationship to Singapore 👀
... you've indulged me so i did a bit of a dive into this and did a drawing.
When England first met Singapore, the latter was a rough young man with seemingly provincial mannerisms. He represented an island village used mainly as a refuge for fishermen and pirates -- maybe it was because England recognized his younger self in that, but he saw potential in that island. England promised the boy an exclusive share in wealth and prosperity of the degree only seen by emperors. It would just take a bit of time, a bit of trust -- and a lot of extra people, ships and gunpowder. (see more below)
So I think England’s present-day relationship with former colonies is very much shaped by their history as metropole-colony relationship. In relation to Singapore in particular, he consistently understood their relationship as being more transactional than fraternal. Ie., he saw himself more as an employer of a sort of agent to conduct business, rather than just an "older brother." This was generally the case for many small colonies whose primary roles were as entrepots for trade. Since modern Singapore was established as a british crown colony in 1819, England always encouraged an "entrepreneurial" spirit in the younger. Imagine England being one of those parents you can see today trying to inculcate capitalism into their children and having them start up their own businesses from a young age. They both shared the sense that since Singapore was so small and reliant on trade, he would need to rely on his charisma and tact to hold himself up, particularly given the strategic significance of his position.
Of course, the "fraternal" aspect of the relationship between him and England was important, I think this is what’s significant about being a crown colony. Singapore had to be explictly a British subject, particularly since a major, initial raison d'etre was to challenge Dutch hegemony in the region. In England's mind, the young, small, diligent Singapore was something to be very proud of. But England also taught Singapore how to fight as a soldier. So, as an "older brother," England might have been especially doting and paternalistic towards Singapore, which the latter would have undoubtedly been embarrassed and offended about, the way you could probably imagine Hong Kong (who was in a somewhat similar position) would have been. However, the kind of draconian, authoritarian, and condescending attitude England was known for showing towards his subordinates came through strongly when showing Singapore the ropes of what it meant to represent a port that on a crucial artery for British imperial strategy. England spent a lot of the 19th century in port cities at home and abroad; the scrappy attitude he picked up from these experiences was passed down to Singapore.
After formal inauguration as a colony, Singapore's relationship to England grew to be a major influence on how he would conduct relationships with others. It was while he knew England that he believed he "matured." While England would tend to profess he loved Singapore like a little brother, the reasons seemed to be mostly superficial. Asides from being sometimes violently strict when it came to discipline, England was more often distant. England often couldn't afford the time when it came to matters that didn't have to do with business or security. Singapore saw that he was also often very strict and condescending towards other colonies, while also professing to care for them. The others also had more luck provoking England's ire over his pride. Singapore did want an older brother and was close to Malaya (who would later be known as Malaysia). But England did convince Singapore of his own importance -- that fact became essential to Singapore's ego. A sense of vulnerability and pressure to do well came to define Singapore’s motivations. As a colony he really believed he was a pillar of empire, that his fortune depended on doing well in this capacity. The yearning for close, trusting kin wouldn't go away, yet Singapore had grown a bit of a counterdependent personality, tending to be slightly too careful when it came to friendships.
Engalnd really did feel affection towards Singapore. He thought that being nice to his younger siblings was important, he wanted to be openminded towards their differences. Though theoretically he could sympathize with the struggles of some of his colonies, he was clumsy when it came to communicating this. England behaved more callously and formal towards Singapore in the early 20th century, when there were suspicions that Singapore would be a major confluence point for communists and anti-colonialists.
He would barely ever visit Singapore for the sake of visiting. Moments for bonding as friends were often fleeting. Singapore ultimately would become a luxurious refuge while travelling through Asia, it was simultaneously a source of anxiety. Though he knew Singapore had worked hard to fulfill, even surpass, England's expectations, England always knew that Singapore was already too valuable, and therefore never invulnerable from the invasion of others. He commended Singapore's Anglicized elite, believing that a social hierarchy there was necessary for internal order and external security -- of course, upholding a social hierarchy was very important to him throughout the 19th century, and he only saw it natural that it would need to apply to Singapore as well.
The greatest test came in WW2. Singapore had high expectations for himself, so the port's capitulation to the Japanese was sudden and traumatic. England was devastated, angry with Singapore but ultimately seeing it as a personal failure. His commanders' understanding of the failure was that it was a result of mismanaged oversight, but England knew this illuminated the problem he’d been worried about in the preceding few decades. His power couldn’t be as omniscient as he held himself to be, because it was a world where competitors would inevitably rise up and crush him. Winston Churchill called it the "worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history," and it felt that way to England by that time. But it was hubris to think that his power could manage in what was a distant part of the world against such a fierce enemy. In the aftermath of the war, Singapore came to an important conclusion: that Britain was not to be relied on after all. The assumption up to that point was that Singapore would be able to fend itself off until British reinforcements came -- but it was not enough. So he eventually found himself joining Malaya as a "brother" to become an independent state from Britain, while Britain brexited out of the "east of the Suez." England's gradual drift away from the centre of Singapore's concerns thus began.
After his sudden expulsion from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore decided that he had to focus on what he had to get himself back on his feet. Policy reforms in the coming decade brought him success -- and so began the inflation of Singapore's ego. In 1971, England attended the first full meeting of heads of government of the Commonwealth members outside of London -- Singapore was chosen as the venue. He shone amongst the other post-colonial states. Singapore might have been nominally "non-aligned" during the Cold War, but certainly in this era he couldn't see himself paying any favours to any supporters of communist ideology —the way he saw it, communism would be toxic for his independence. Under the impression that he lived in a world where only those who could adapt could survive and progress through the best of their individual capabilities, he felt precarious. This kind of world view and feeling of insecurity is similar to that England had been feeling since his rise and fall as an Empire (which I’ve mentioned it several times in previous hcs i wrote about him!) -- so for England to continue to show support for Singapore during this time was as much as a matter of personal sympathy as it was ideological and strategical. England told Singapore that it was a state of mind particular to ambitious island nations. Though England was no longer his formal superior, his influence still shaped Singapore’s thinking.
In the mid 20th century, many of his neighbours used comparisons of themselves to Europe in order to define what they wanted to be, what they wanted not to be. Singapore considered himself special -- he'd be loathe to admit it but England's constant reminders to him of that had influence on him unconsciously. And after the 70s, much of the Western nations saw Singapore as a wunderkind, and to his neighbours, as a paragon of so-called Asian values. And to Singapore himself, with his economy becoming strictly service based, he believed he was mainly the brains of the “miracle” of late 20th - 21st century Asian prosperity. Even a fellow Asian who might as well be his polar opposite in size and age, China, seriously looked to this kid for inspiration on how to develop and adapt to a world where it was becoming more evident that globalist capitalism would triumph over all other economic doctrines. Meanwhile, Margaret Thatcher admired Lee Kuan Yew's strong leadership style -- "There is no other world leader I have met in my time in office whom I have admired more for the strength of his convictions, the clarity of his views, the directness of his speech and for his vision of the way ahead." To Lee, Thatcher was one of the best leaders a decaying nation like Britain could hope for. (ominous synthpop playing in the distance)
Singapore did not share the same degree of eagerness to disavow the psychic and material remnants of his colonial past with other former British colonies in Asia. But being "non-aligned" during the Cold War also was significant, for he remained critical of the West. Because Singaporean political, intellectual, and military elites typically received their training in England, for Singapore to visit England was more common than England visiting Singapore. But as Singapore grew as an independent state, he had no scruples in criticising England during his visits there. Knowing better than to characterize himself as a "son" of England, in the 80s-90s, Singapore as well as other prosperous "Asian Tigers" sought to make it clear that their success was largely thanks to cultural differences. Still, Singapore knew that important relationships with western nations such as the United States and Australia were owed to being "anglicised" in some aspects. He may not have ever been one of England’s sons, but he might have been an inheritor of certain attributes.
As a minor side, I think an interesting aspect of Singapore as a (former) British colony is his demographics. A lot of British colonies have either white elites, or are majority native -- this seems to be the case with those represented in Hetalia, at least. Modern Singapore's population is neither mostly native, nor is there a significant white population. It is defined by the immigration of people from China, Malaysia, and South Asia. White countries like America, Canada and Australia might be more like "natural" allies to Britian, while those like India or Hong Kong might be more expressly adversarial towards Britain. It could be interesting to explore this possible commonality Singapore has with former British colonies not currently in the Hetalia canon, such as Guyana or certain Carribbean countries. Something could be said about these countries' relationships to Britain when looking at how imperialism shaped these countries' demographic makeup.
For Singapore, with so much of his population originating exogenously, he borrowed standards from England to help come up with a unifying idea of what it meant to be Singaporean. Hence, a Social Darwinist, realist understanding of international relations was projected inwards as a sort of meritocratic ideology. Perhaps another thing Singapore might have “inherited” from England was unfettered ambition. From his experience as being a station between the enterprises of the British and the Dutch throughout the 19th century, he didn't consider himself naive about the violent avarice that characterized European ambition to be a leader. But after being a colony, he knew what he wanted, and part of that was to be better off than England, morally as well as materially. Still, it seemed that the standards of "good behaviour" were still largely influenced by those from the modern West, for nations the quality of one's personal character seemed to have a lot to do with level of economic development and wealth.
In the 21st century, Singapore and England share a love of indulging bougie tastes. Another way they relate to each other is how their cultures have been heavily shaped by immigration (albeit in different ways) -- so they both consider themselves very cosmopolitan. The way they hang out is... I guess like yuppies. Eating at various upscale Asian restaurants, watching English football, partying, behaving like real young adults (although to Singapore, England will never not be an embarassing parent). Asides from that, England finds that he can talk about "intellectual" things with Singapore, not just business or security. This is because of the continued tradition of Singaporeans coming to the UK to study. In fact, apparently more Singaporean researchers conduct bilateral collaborations with researchers in the UK than elsewhere.
To sum this up, the UK and Singapore's contemporary relationship is a version of old money / new money. Their friendliness is based on a superficial commitment to economic ideologies and the necessities of defense. England senses a lingering, deep discomfort from his people towards the staggering prosperity of a tiny, non-white, former colony -- it is vestigial yet still potent feature of his political culture of recent centuries passed. On a personal level he is proud of Singapore's achievements, though by now it's accepted that he wouldn't genuinely admit it. Since the 80s, he’s also been more willing to recognize the wrongness of the authoritarianism and inequality in Singapore. In turn, Singapore isn’t interested in England’s moralizing. What he was certainly happy to leave behind was his role as a pillar in England’s empire of good intentions; he was now his own citadel. But Singapore wouldn't genuinely thank England for helping fulfil that initial promise of prosperity, for being the one to have even made the promise. Sentimentality is taboo in this relationship.
mini guide to common singaporean/singlish terms when writing dialogue for hws singapore!
hope this might help for fic writers/comic creators! x-posted from twt and inspired by twt user spiltrosetea
lah/leh/lor
three of the most common suffixes used in singlish, often used in different contexts. ‘lah’ is more neutral, ‘leh’ has a more questioning tone, ‘lor’ has a resigned/annoyed tone to it
eg. “I’m busy lah, so I can’t come. I didn’t know it was compulsory leh.”
jio/bojio
jio = to invite someone out, bojio = often used as an annoyed expression for when friends forget to invite you to plans
eg. “I’m going to jio Malaysia for dinner - wait you guys had dinner already? Bojio!”
sian/shiok
sian = when you’re sick and tired of something. shiok = the opposite of sian, for when something is extremely pleasing (especially for food)
eg. “The meeting overran for like an hour, damn sian.”/“The food is expensive, but it’s really shiok.”
shag
shag = no, it doesn’t mean anything of a sexual nature like it does in english (though you could use this as a potential humorous misunderstanding if you’d like) - it means to be tired/exhausted
eg. “I’m feeling damn shag from that run earlier.”
pon
pon = to skip/play truant for something
eg. “I’m really not feeling up to it, you wanna pon the meeting with me?”
alamak/suay
alamak = exclamation of shock/surprise when something unpleasant happens out of the blue. suay = unlucky/unfortunate
eg. “Alamak! I forgot my files at home, and I have to present later! Ugh, today damn suay.”
bo pian/tahan
bo pian = usually said as an expression of resignation when you have no choice but to do something, or when something can’t be helped. tahan = to bear with something unpleasant
eg. “Boss said I have to finish this by today, so I have to tahan lor. Bo pian lah.”
wah lau eh/cheebai/siam lah!
wah lau eh = used interchangeably with ‘what the fuck’. cheebai = cunt (often paired with other terms to curse at people, like “chao cheebai” which is more vulgar.) siam = get out of the way
eg. “Wah lau eh! Cheebai, learn to drive! Siam lah!”
kaypoh/kiasu
kaypoh = busybody. kiasu = literally means ‘scared to lose’ - often in terms of a fear of missing out, or wanting to be better than everybody else
eg. “Don’t be such a kaypoh lah. Everyone got the same amount, why are you being so kiasu?”
limpeh
this one is a fun one. limpeh = smug way of referring to oneself in third person, insinuating that one is of a higher position than the other.
eg. “Who are you calling short? Limpeh has a higher GDP than you!”
As we were tagged twice, we’ll take the liberty of filling one out each!
Rules: Answer 10 questions and tag 10 people you want to know better.
[ Chair ]
▪︎Relationship status: Single
▪︎Favourite colour: Coral pink and pastel yellow!
▪︎Three favourite foods: Macarons, takoyaki, and crab!
▪︎Song stuck in my head: Cold Hearted by Paula Abdul (covered by the Glee cast)
▪︎Last thing I googled: China-Philippines relations
▪︎Dream trip: Mauritius, Monaco, and Tokyo and even going back to campus because I miss it :’))
▪︎Anything I really want: I guess, find out what I want to do with my degree?? Quit my job and haved a normal university life with no online learning?? :’))
▪︎Time: 9:49 PM
–
{ Chryssa }
▪︎Relationship status: taken! 💜
▪︎Favourite colour: purple
▪︎Three favourite foods: hot cheetos (amazing on cheat days btw), pancakes, and pickles
▪︎Song stuck in my head: i can’t stop me by twice 💗🧡
▪︎Last thing I googled: electronegativity and ionization energy-bond formation
▪︎Dream trip: to madrid, rio, or buenos aires (soccer related)
▪︎Anything I really want: to be able to go to a twice concert someday!
▪︎Time: 6:58 PM (filled mine out earlier lol)
{ you don’t have to do it if you don’t want!!! }
Tagging!: @durchartist @blueskywater-happiness @ask-hws-singapore @mysticalmusicwhispers @ask-the-gaming-duo and @maigetheplatypus57 !!!
Three Favorite Foods: Mackerel Sushi, Fresh out of the oven Rolls, Nokedli with sour cream
Song Stuck in My Head: “I Don’t Need Music” from Bob’ Burgers…😂
Last Thing I googled: Christopher Daniel Duntsch
Dream Trip: Food Tour. Travel around the world and try different foods/dishes from various places.
Anything I really want: I want people to care about others and the environment more. I want humans to be less selfish and less hateful towards eachother.
▪︎Last thing I googled: ‘Alice in Wonderland Characters’
▪︎Dream trip: I’d love to visit Italy and just hop from city to city.
▪︎Anything I really want: I don’t really want high follower counts just people interested in my content and willing to interact with it. High numbers of followers means nothing if I can’t do anything because I’m waiting for asks. I just want people to interact with my content and to be able to focus on it fully so that a lot of my work can actually get finished.
Favourite colour: lime or mint green; all shades of purple
Three favourite foods: sushi (specifically those with sashimi in it), the wonton noodles from a particular store, aaand fish and chips
Song stuck in my head: annabella by opéra de nuit
Last thing I googled: neon genesis evangelion tvtropes (don’t ask PFF I was just bored)
Dream trip: honestly I have a few ideas involving the english countryside and a specific city in france, but the least embarrassing one would be to travel around germany with a buddy
Anything I really want: uhhh! the motivation to actually create and complete content again tbh. ive been really stuck
Last thing I googled: can’t remember but maybe streetwear stuff? maybe?
Dream trip: a graduation trip overseas with the lads would be fun. Would love to visit Japan, Taiwan or Europe with the lads. Or ASEAN countries for the food (looking at you Thailand and Indonesia) :p
Anything I want: FREEDOM FROM WORK AND PROJECTS SCREEEEE- / Happiness :’) / being able to have time and will to do what I want lol
pixelskylines
theartofmadeline
yousharknotpass
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
ellievsbear
romaincrisis
kianamaiart
