First World country.... or are we??...

The following articles all follow a common theme. Two of them are from The Sunday Times (30 Sep 2007). As I am not able to get a link from the site, I'm reproducing them here (sorry if it's a bit lengthy) :

Article #1 (Think - an editorial triggered from this article on the same day) :
Punish bad pet owners
Pets are being cruelly tossed out - again. Readers would recall that rabbits that were welcomed as bunnies by families in the run-up to the Year of the Rabbit were being abandoned within months. They were getting to be a handful as they grew. The cuteness was wearing off. This was a case of indecently treating animals as playthings. The heads of these households were complicit in not teaching the children about the responsibility that comes with keeping pets. This time it's dogs. The shame of it all is that it is chiefly about money. A sharp increase in the punitive fines to force dog owners to observe minimum standards of care for their pets is resulting in more dogs being thrown out. This is a damning comment on the screwed-up values that some people subscribe to. Mandated health checks and licensing of pets are the norm in any country that counts itself as progressive.

Sending the dogs to the SPCA and ad hoc animal shelters does not remove the stain that a refusal to pay requisite licensing fees and have compulsory veterinary checks attaches to their owners. But there's a saving grace in that the animals were placed in proper care. Inexcusable is the habit of abandoning the dogs to their own fate. Some have been found wondering in parks and on the road. Some were tied to trees and bus shelters. The law on animal cruelty should treat these pet owners no differently from abusers charged with torturing cats. Cruelty to animals is only slightly less reprehensible than subjecting old people and very young children to physical and psychological abuse. Animal-rights activists here frequently make the point that unless values and habits of common decency are second nature to the people, a nation of gorgeous infrastructure and high per capita income cannot think of itself as having entered the big leagues.

Article #2 (Inbox - letters to forum) :
Not First World behaviour by Larry Quah Chai Koon
Recently, I was at a roti prata restaurant for lunch. After our food arrived, a group of about 15 youngsters, not more than 21 years old, entered the restaurant and occupied two tables next to ours.
They started talking very loudly among themselves as soon as they sat down.
Desiring to finish my lunch in peace, I told the group that the restaurant was a public place and that they should not behave as though it belonged to them.
I also said they had to respect others' right to some peace and comfort, and tone down.
In most developed countries, including Japan, which I visited recently, most people would not behave in this way, out of respect for others.
Our country has evolved over some 40 years and our education system should, by now, have imbued in our young some semblance of acceptable social behaviour. The behaviour of this group of youngsters indicates otherwise.
It is thus little wonder that when I go to the movies, I also invariably hear mobile phones ringing and some people engaging in loud conversation, much to the annoyance of other movie-goers.
As we progress as a nation towards First World status, certain acceptable social norms must be upheld. However, the bevaviour of this group of youngsters suggests we may sadly be heading the wrong way.

Article #3 (The Straits Time Forum - 02 Oct 2007)

All these articles laments on the sorry state Singaporeans are in where compassion, consideration for others and common sense are concerned.

What's the use of being First World or World Class when people are inconsiderate and/or behave boorishly and show total lack of concern & compassion? I consider this a failure in progress.

We may have the hardware and infrastructure to be the best in the world but so what? It's software (or heartware - a term coined by SM Goh Chok Tong) that will work with the hardware to make it First World.

From the looks of it, our software is no where near First World.