Funny thing I noticed today! Was in the car with my mum driving through our neighbourhood when I saw one, single national flag hung out by a certain household who I suppose, just cares enough.

Isn't that it, really? The reason why we don't hang out our national flags near National Day anymore is simply because we just don't care enough to. Other manifestations of this syndrome would be:
a) So inconvenient la
b) I don't know where our flag is..
c) Our flag very old, faded already
d) It's just like that lor, nobody do already
e) Huh..so difficult. Hang where, like how?

But the strangest, strangest thing is what is the cause of this turn of apathy? Because I can clearly remember that maybe a decade ago, in my estate at least, a majority of households DID hang up our national flags and you know, its a pretty cool sight.

I suppose what I find so fascinating about this is how silently our attitudes towards nationalism/patriotism have changed, and from no remarkably apparent cause that I can think of. Its just a disturbingly clear marker of how the country as a whole (hail ye, almighty generalization!) is gradually not caring anymore.

What, do we suddenly hate the PAP more now? Or are they doing such a good job that we are now mind-numbingly complacent and apathetic - and interestingly, more complacent and apathetic than a decade ago. Are we even more cynical now, not seeing the worth in putting up half-meant displays of patriotism? Are we bored with the whole National Day spectacle?

See, its the point where we can compare what we are today and what we used to be that makes this whole analogy so striking. And then there's the question of what caused this shift in sentiment, which I think is even more important than the No Flag Up deal itself. The extent of our patriotic feeling is no longer a vague notion discussed in rhetorical terms. We have the evidence guys.

Which is scary, personally.