No U-turn syndrome
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No U-Turn Syndrome (NUTS) is a term first coined by Singapore entrepreneur Sim Wong Hoo, to prominently describe the social behaviour of Singaporeans having a mindset of compliance to higher authorities before proceeding with any action.
In his book Chaotic Thoughts from the Old Millennium, he uses a comparison of traffic rules in Singapore to those found overseas, to describe the phenomenon : In Singapore, drivers are not allowed to make a U-turn unless a sign specifically allows them to do so, while in some other countries drivers may make U-turns freely so long as the 'No U-turn' sign is not present. Following that, this analogy is used to explain the red tape he has encountered with hard-nosed bureaucrats, which in turn stifles the very creativity that the Singaporean government has been trying to promote in the recent years.
NUTS is also one of the major criticisms of the rigid Singapore education system, where students are taught from a young age to obey instructions in an unquestioning manner, in a society where grades and paper certification is emphasised at the expense of important life skills.
[edit] References
- Falling back on autopilot, Seah Chiang Nee, The Star (Malaysia), July 9, 2006
- Chaotic Thoughts from the Old Millennium (excerpt), Sim Wong Hoo, Creative O Pte Ltd (1999), ISBN 981-04-2383-7
