Kiasuism Alert

[extell]

Kiasus


love seeing you oversleep and didn't study.
enjoy the day when you didn't do well in your exam.
need to get all the attention from the teachers/ leacturers.
must beat you in every little thing
stay for classes if you stay for one
have alot to brag about
say they did not study but in actual fact did
say they will fail but turn out to be fine


Do you have super kiasu friends/enemies/roommates/classmates or are you turning into one? Tell us all about it! :huh

[henry_yew]

Hah... you can find them everywhere lah... they're not unheard of. I don't care if they are kiasu or otherwise, as long as it makes them happy.

You don't bug me, I don't bug you.

[SapphireDragon]

Maybe I'm one of the kiasu, but who says kiasus are not good? They are competitive!

[blessusall]

i do indeed know people like that...

...especially the two last things

[Glassylicious]

I used to have a friend who'd throw a fit if she found that I did more revision/work than her in a day.

[unsolvedcryptex]

I admit that I am one. But for the last two, it's also wrong la to admit that how you studied day and night. Then others misunderstand as bragging. Also, I admit that for the second last characteristic, I will always say so because I am really unsure a lot bout my answer. Almost all the time, I am not really genius and I am not sure about my answers. Telling my friends that I am confident is yet another bragging. Like henry said, it's everywhere. I am sure even not kiasus will do the same for some of the traits listed. Overly do it is really a kiasu la

[youngyew]

-say they did not study but in actual fact did
-say they will fail but turn out to be fine
I don't quite agree with classifying these two aspects as "kiasu".

While there are people who indeed lie about not studying, I found that quite often what they have said is simply the truth. People often infer that these people lied because they get good results in the end; but hey, it is very possible that they are just so good at cramming everything at the eleventh hour. I have seen many people like these.

As for the second category, it has to do with people who are insecure about themselves despite their ability having been proven otherwise in previous exams. Many people, yes even high-achievers, have this enormous stress and a sense of impending doom when it comes to any exam, and they express their fear and stress by telling their friends they "will fail". But in the end they almost invariably turn out fine, and the friends will then start criticising them as being fake and kiasu. It's quite unfortunate, really.

[yanno_yamster]

As for the second category, it has to do with people who are insecure about themselves despite their ability having been proven otherwise in previous exams. Many people, yes even high-achievers, have this enormous stress and a sense of impending doom when it comes to any exam, and they express their fear and stress by telling their friends they "will fail". But in the end they almost invariably turn out fine, and the friends will then start criticising them as being fake and kiasu. It's quite unfortunate, really.

I can totally relate this to myself.

Everyone is afraid of failing, but so called "kiasu" people more often than not prefer to let out and tell their feelings when they feel that they aren't up to their standards instead of just keeping things to themselves. That's why they're more likely to be noticed.

[vseehua]

I wonder, what is with the one up attitude relating to studying times? Do studying a longer time than you makes me better than you?

[eve88]

i always thought it was the joint-insecurity thing.

"person x is studying less than me and x should pass so i should also pass"

or

"omg everyone else is studying more than me! but then senior y says they study so many hours still fail so i will fail! dieeee!!"

poor logic, but very very common.

(18 more days max till confirmed results....imsogonnafailarghdie)

[Al-Bert]

say they did not study but in actual fact did

In my opinion, kiasu type people are those reluctant to be regarded as one who has studied more than others (even though they did) but they enjoy labelling others (competitors) as super studious type person.

Possible logic: If they don't achieve good result, it's normal; on the other hand, if they pass with flying colours, they are smart or genius. Opposite effect to their competitors.

[youngyew]

i always thought it was the joint-insecurity thing.

"person x is studying less than me and x should pass so i should also pass"

or

"omg everyone else is studying more than me! but then senior y says they study so many hours still fail so i will fail! dieeee!!"

poor logic, but very very common.

(18 more days max till confirmed results....imsogonnafailarghdie)
Yeah it is often due to shared insecurity by the two parties (the accused and the accuser). However sometimes I am annoyed by the moral implication attached to the label of kiasu, when it's obvious that the only fault of that person is a bad psychological strength, bad logic and bad venting of stress instead of a bad heart (as is often implied by the label of kiasu alone). When we speak of someone being kiasu, we invariably conjure the image of a conniving, calculative, selfish person, constantly hoarding the best things for himself, socially snaking his way through the career ladder, and rejoicing in schadenfreude whenever his colleagues suffer a misfortune. It would be very unfair if we label people with a pretty negative adjective just because they do not possess the healthier psychological attitude towards exam.

At the end of the day, I suspect that most cases of accusing others of being kiasu is a manifestation of self-serving bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-serving_bias). Whether it is "He beat me because he is kiasu" or "He still loses out although he's soooo kiasu", it always makes people feel better about themselves. If being kiasu is unhealthy, so is reveling in labeling others as kiasu all day long.

P/S I'm not saying that "kiasu" people are not to be blamed for a single thing. They can indeed be annoying that they "play at being weak" but always emerge victorious in the end. What I am championing however is that we should try to avoid thinking of them as faking it with bad intention - they often don't mean to annoy you at all.

[imforumer]

I believe the idea of kiasuism comes from inferiority complex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferiority_complex). Most of them possess this characteristic, i.e. afraid of being a loser. These people tend to hide their weaknesses, and try to be as secretive as possible. It seems to become the norm of the society.

[nickvl]

I guess everyone is kiasu - just in different degrees....

It's neither bad nor good, but how you react when you are faced with all that kiasu feelings in you determines the outcome...

[Miracle_seed]

I don't really care about the kiasuists, as long as they don't irritate me. Sometimes, it's quite funny to see their reaction when there is something beneficial to them, they would just dash forward like horde of flies discovering erm... faeces?

On the other hand, if they interfere with my interest, I have no other way but to counter, or else would be left with nothing. Say, there were 10 people queueing for something, but later were discovered that there were only 8 items available. If I'm number 8, and the two persons at the back are the kiasuists, I'm sure there is nothing left if you don't join the rat race, even though you should get it.

In my opinion, kiasu type people are those reluctant to be regarded as one who has studied more than others (even though they did) but they enjoy labelling others (competitors) as super studious type person.

Possible logic: If they don't achieve good result, it's normal; on the other hand, if they pass with flying colours, they are smart or genius. Opposite effect to their competitors.I would interpret as, they think that if their 'rivals' know they have studied, the rivals would study even more that finally they will lose out.

[wyeth_10]

When we speak of someone being kiasu, we invariably conjure the image of a conniving, calculative, selfish person, constantly hoarding the best things for himself, socially snaking his way through the career ladder, and rejoicing in schadenfreude whenever his colleagues suffer a misfortune.


I would agree with this statement here. Its good to be competitive with each other, then only we can progress, but too much of it..being on the extreme end would be "kiasu" already. Not to mention unhealthy. You'll be feeling stressed bout everything, and people around you will find it annoying.
Moderation is the best way.

[music_freak28]

I used to have a friend who'd throw a fit if she found that I did more revision/work than her in a day.

:oh Omg...I will probably be too afraid to be around that friend of yours, no offense.

I wonder, what is with the one up attitude relating to studying times? Do studying a longer time than you makes me better than you?

Not really. Focus is most important. No point saying that "I've studied six hours today" when five hours of it was spent day-dreaming or drawing circles.:P But if one focus themselves on the subject for two-three hours a day, it is more than enough.

Plus, sometimes it is not about how much a person study but whether or not they understand the topic. It is the whole 'study smart' versus 'study hard' thing. If you read something 10X times or spend 10X hours over it but you don't actually get it, it doesn't work too whereas if you truly understand the topic, even if one read it 2 days before the exams, he will score.

About kiasuism itself, I do agree that it is sometimes annoying. Kiasuism done in moderation will equate to being competitive. It is human nature to be competitive and jealous of each other. But if kiasuism has come to the point where it makes people rejoice over other people's failure or to the point where they sabotage someone directly or emotionally, then it's a little too much.

And sometimes when I look at what these overly-kiasu people do, I often wonder to myself "Aren't you tired??" Lol.. I believe OVER kiasuism makes one more insecure and unhappy. I realized that if one learns to only beat their own score, they achieve more and they tend to feel much happier. :))

[extell]

I used to have a friend who'd throw a fit if she found that I did more revision/work than her in a day.

sounds scary...:amuse I know of kiasus who find it hard to admit it. =_=

In my opinion, kiasu type people are those reluctant to be regarded as one who has studied more than others (even though they did) but they enjoy labelling others (competitors) as super studious type person.

Possible logic: If they don't achieve good result, it's normal; on the other hand, if they pass with flying colours, they are smart or genius. Opposite effect to their competitors.

Yes!!! Totally agree. They just wanna show that they don't need the effort to strive or something, and when they fail, they usually give tonnes of reason and say they dunno what went wrong. No offence, I find this amusing sometimes...

I wonder, what is with the one up attitude relating to studying times? Do studying a longer time than you makes me better than you?

True enough...some people need more time to input the knowledge. People who can't take it shud just bug off. :)

I don't really care about the kiasuists, as long as they don't irritate me. Sometimes, it's quite funny to see their reaction when there is something beneficial to them, they would just dash forward like horde of flies discovering erm... faeces?


Nicely said....I was reading some notes some day and suddenly a fly flew over (like in a wink of an eye) to SNEAK PEAK! What a skill...:huh

[lowxuan]

u saying me? lol..i'm one of them ><

[Miracle_seed]

u saying me? lol..i'm one of them ><There are many types of kiasuists. Which one are you?:P

[nickvl]

u saying me? lol..i'm one of them ><

Well,as the saying goes: it always takes one to recognise another...:P