Can money buy love for reading? Gwee Li Sui on our results-oriented culture金钱能买到对阅读的热爱吗？郭丽穗谈我们以结果为导向的文化
Why do Singaporean kids write about winter? Gwee Li Sui on AI, Singlish & why culture cannot be rushed. Read more at straitstimes.com.
新闻视频
In Your Opinion Podcast
Can we force a love for reading? Gwee Li Sui talks SingLit, Singlish and doomscrolling.
Published Sep 23, 2026, 06:00 PM
Updated Sep 23, 2026, 06:00 PM
Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each Wednesday, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.
A year after the launch of our Culture Pass credits, take-up rates sit at just 10 per cent. Meanwhile, Singapore’s new national reading movement, ReadSG, now aims to pay people to try building a consistent reading habit.
What does this say about us as a people? Is it such a bad thing if we stop reading long-form fiction and just read social media? And why bother with SingLit when we are already so familiar with Singapore’s culture?
In this episode, assistant opinion editor Lianne Chia speaks to poet, graphic artist, and literary critic Gwee Li Sui on why focusing too much on hitting KPIs in our quest for culture often backfires. They discuss how doomscrolling and short-form text change our capacity for empathy and nuance, and uncover the brutal economic reality of being a creative writer in Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:45 Singapore’s pragmatic way in handling social problems
7:55 Why is SingLit a hard sell for readers compared to global titles?
8:52 Why do Singaporean students still write school essays about winter and autumn?
22:08 Is Singlish still considered “bad English” today?
27:01 What do we miss if we only read social media?
34:38 With AI summarising everything, is there still room to read for enjoyment?
37:57 Why paying people to read is like forcing kids to eat vegetables
44:45 Is being a creative writer in Singapore an economic dead end?
51:45 Why Gwee prefers to write for readers 50 years in the future
53:42 Is self-censorship among local writers a worry?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Host: Lianne Chia ( liannechia@sph.com.sg )
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV
YouTube: https://str.sg/GjMT
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
ST Current Affairs Podcast
你的观点播客
我们能强迫自己爱上阅读吗？Gwee Li Sui 谈论新加坡文学、新加坡式英语和“末日滚动”（doomscrolling）。
发布于2026年9月23日下午6:00
更新于2026年9月23日下午6:00
简介：引人深思的对话和访谈。每周三，《你的观点》节目都会采访思想家、领袖以及那些影响我们生活和时事热点的人士。
文化通行证推出一年后，使用率仅为10%。与此同时，新加坡新的全国阅读运动ReadSG旨在通过付费鼓励人们养成持续阅读的习惯。
这说明了我们作为一个民族的什么问题？如果我们不再阅读长篇小说，而只浏览社交媒体，这难道是一件坏事吗？既然我们已经如此熟悉新加坡文化，为什么还要费心去读新加坡文学呢？
在本期节目中，助理评论编辑Lianne Chia与诗人、平面艺术家兼文学评论家Gwee Li Sui探讨了为何在追求文化的过程中，过分关注KPI往往会适得其反。她们讨论了“末日滚动”和短文本如何改变我们的同理心和理解细微差别的能力，并揭示了在新加坡成为一名创意写作者所面临的残酷经济现实。
亮点（点击/轻触上方）：
0:45 新加坡处理社会问题的务实方式
7:55 为什么新加坡文学与国际文学相比，难以吸引读者？
8:52 为什么新加坡学生还要写关于冬天和秋天的作文？
22:08 如今新加坡式英语（Singlish）仍然被认为是“糟糕的英语”吗？
27:01 如果我们只看社交媒体，我们会错过什么？
34:38 人工智能可以总结所有内容，还有阅读的乐趣吗？
37:57 为什么付费请人阅读就像强迫孩子吃蔬菜一样
44:45 在新加坡，做一名创意写作者是否意味着经济上的死胡同？
51:45 为什么 Gwee 更喜欢为 50 年后的读者写作
53:42 本地作家的自我审查是否令人担忧？
请阅读《海峡时报》观点版块：https://str.sg/w7sH
主持人：Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg)
制作及剪辑：张同凯
执行制片人：郑丹森和洪琳达
请在此关注“In Your Opinion”播客，并获取新剧集发布的通知：
频道：https://str.sg/w7Qt
Apple Podcasts：https://str.sg/wukb
Spotify：https://str.sg/w7sV
YouTube：https://str.sg/GjMT
请将反馈意见发送至：podcast@sph.com.sg
关注更多ST播客频道：
ST Podcasts综合频道：https://str.sg/wvz7
获取更多更新：http://str.sg/stpodcasts
下载《海峡时报》应用程序，该程序设有专门的播客播放器版块：
App Store：https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play：https://str.sg/icyX
ST时事播客