Foreigner sparks debate on why Singapore is so 'dull, like something is missing'
Ivan Lim
TNP
July 16, 2025
Less than a week after a Swiss influencer declared Singapore the "best place on this planet", another foreigner who has lived here for a while asked Singaporeans if they find the city-state "a bit dull".
Redditor epictetusofthesea praised Singapore's achievements: "safety, stability, infrastructure, and the rule of law. It's an incredibly well-run place".
Then they asked: "Do you ever feel like something's missing?"
They made it clear that the intention was "not to bash Singapore".
"Everything works. But somehow it feels like life happens within boundaries - not just legal ones, but social, emotional, creative ones, too," they said.
"Conversations often felt polite but guarded. Nights out felt curated rather than spontaneous. Even art and culture sometimes seemed like they were performed more than lived," they added.
Dull is good
Most netizens, while not disagreeing with the suggestion, defended the need for Singapore to be the way it is.
"Do I love it? Is it thrilling? Does it make me feel alive?," asked Redditor vurto. "No. It's placid, tempered, restrained, tolerant, inoffensive, stable.
"It's exactly as designed, which has allowed this tiny city to flourish and thrive for many - including yourself, I bet. If you react to the dullness, then you should be asking yourself if you wanna be here and if this is right for where you are in life. Plenty of expats with families appreciate dullness," they added.
Redditor Child-of-Adam did not sugarcoat their response: "In a world where people are dying from bombs, poverty and natural disasters, boring and dull is a nice life."
Noobcakes19 said: "It's only dull for individuals who did not grow up here. Especially those from larger countries. They love to say this while enjoying all the benefits of this place, be it security, safety, currency, aviation connectivity. etc.
"If life is so dull here, they can happily go back to where they came from. Why live a dull life?"
Why are we so dull?
Redditor b0h3mianed offered an explanation: "'Dull' is a feature, not a bug. It is meant to be sterile and predictable. If we want a clean and green cityscape to give an air of stability, we can't be expecting expressive graffiti to be all over the space. We can't have it both."
PexySancakes offered some advice to deal with their boredom: "It's fine, you just need to realise Singapore is a space, not a country.
"When you realise that, you'll have your fun out of the country and return only to rest/work. Then all of a sudden it becomes a very interesting place."
