Pragmatism, among many other qualities, has always been deeply embedded in the Singaporean psyche from the very beginning — a trait passed down through Lee Kuan Yew's principles. Though its enabled the nation to become one of the world's greatest success stories (and we write that without a trace of sarcasm), the relentless focus on pure economic growth doesn't leave that much space for society to value humanities.
Aspiring language major Blake Ho has had first-hand experience in getting struck down again and again by the cold, unfeeling fist of Singaporean pragmatism. Passionate in the subjects of language, culture and history, he expressed his heartache at having his plans to study German and Spanish belittled by so many around him in an emotional post on Facebook.