Companions in Misery

• Main Author: Wong, Denise Yu Ying
• Other Authors: Yam Min Yee Angeline
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::General
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/77921
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Complain goes by many names–to gripe, whine or bellyache–but one thing that remains constant is its bad reputation. From pop psychology to purging campaigns, there is a widespread perception that complaining chips away at the quality of life. Casual complaints are often mistaken for expressions of unhappiness, a menacing symptom of pessimistic thought and emotion that must be vanquished with positivity. Likewise, this stance is echoed in Singapore in which complainers are chided for their negative attitudes. However, the remedy to life’s aches and pains may not be a healthy dose of sunny disposition. Perhaps the problem is not a consequence of there being too much negativity in the world, but rather that society sees the bad as intolerable to begin with. Despite its ill repute, complaining may have positive consequences that are not immediately recognisable. As such, this project embraces an unconventional take on complaints in everyday context. By challenging its negative perceptions and connotations, it intends to explore the silver lining to complaining and in turn, encourage Singaporeans to be more receptive to it.