2nd Debut: Singapore’s Courtesy Campaign

 On behalf of all the contributors to the Etiquipedia Etiquette Encyclopedia, I would like to personally thank the over 20,000 readers of Singapore who have viewed our etiquette articles over the past month. We thank you and applaud you for your efforts in understanding etiquette and etiquette history! Here is an article on the Singaporean Courtesy Campaign that was originally posted in February of 2021 —

A public education campaign featuring Singa the Lion was launched in 1982 under the National Courtesy Campaign with the slogan, “Courtesy is part of our tradition, it’s so nice to be courteous.”

The month of July has been “Courtesy Month” since 1979 in Singapore. Themes have changed from yearly, with songs, comic books and posters, all promoting courtesy. In 2013, Singa the Lion, Singapore's Courtesy Month mascot shockingly quit. In a letter, he explained his reasons:

Singa, the mascot for the Singapore Kindness Movement has called it quits. In an open letter the former Courtesy Lion, said that after 30 years, it was “just too tired to continue facing an increasingly angry and disagreeable society.”

Having done the job for over 30 years, Singa noted that kindness should not be a campaign, but a part of values education, adding that “people in authority - at work, in school, at home and in government - should lead by example”.

“I suppose it's time for real people to step up, and for the mascot to step aside.”

The letter also stressed that “it's not that we aren't a gracious society, or that kindness is not innate in all of us. But some days it feels like not very many of us believe in or care about expressing kindness.”

Signing off as “your friend Singa” the letter reminded that being rude, either online or in public, is a choice and people should be responsible for their actions and the society that they create.

 

The following day, it was revealed that the letter had been a publicity stunt.

Singa the lion to come out of retirement – the day after ‘quitting’

In what may prove to be one of the most predictable PR stunts in recent memory, the Singapore government’s “Singa the Lion” – the brand mascot for the Singapore Kindness Movement – is not retiring after all.

According to a story in government-backed broadsheet, The Straits Times, the stunt to withdraw Singa from the public eye – announced via a mock resignation letter– was actually a media campaign “to generate conversations and reactions online”, and Singa is likely to make a comeback. 

In the 2013 letter, the 30-year mascot, formerly known as Singa the Courtesy Lion, stated: “I’m just too tired to continue facing an increasingly angry and disagreeable society.” The letter also hit out at anonymous comments made by Singaporeans online, saying: “We can go online and be rude to others, but let’s not think it doesn’t count because it’s anonymous.”

The resignation appeared to have the opposite effect in inspiring kindness among online communities in Singapore, with the stunt prompting ire among bloggers and posters in social media. The Singapore Kindness Movement’s ad agency is DDB Singapore, although the agency said it had nothing to do with the stunt.

Poor PR stunts aside, Etiquipedia asks, “Can etiquette and genuinely good manners, ever be legislated or government run?” You are welcome to leave your thoughts in the comments below, or send us an email. We’re curious as to what our readers think.

Etiquette. Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia