February 9, 2026
Cool no more, lah?
Why is Singapore no longer "cool"?
From “model city” to mid: commenters blame “lah,” laws, and vibes
TLDR: Americans are talking less about Singapore as politics shift away from technocracy and AI steals the spotlight. Comments split between calling it authoritarian, praising its order, and memeing about “lah,” showing how internet vibes now decide which cities feel hot—and which feel basic.
The internet just declared the Lion City’s cool factor to be… complicated. The article says Americans stopped hyping Singapore because the right ditched technocracy, globalization lost its shine, and AI made its safe, investment-led model feel predictable. Cue the comments: one firebrand torched it as “the rich version of North Korea”, while others argued its immigration system—easy work visas, ultra-hard citizenship—is still fascinating but very gatekept. Another twist: some insist Singapore’s strict speech rules aren’t shocking anymore and actually make it more cool in a world where other democracies flirt with similar vibes.
The geopolitics crowd chimed in: China stole the spotlight, Hong Kong faded, and the UAE is the new shiny toy. Meanwhile, the drama veered delightfully petty: a thread roasted complaints about Singlish’s “lah,” with one user sneering that if the biggest gripe is a politeness marker, maybe Singapore’s fine. The mood swings from “orderly paradise” to “mainstream snooze,” with jokes, side-eyes, and hot takes sparring over whether controlled calm is chic or boring. Bottom line: the technocracy crush is over, the AI hype train is roaring, and the comments are here for the vibe war, not policy PDFs.
Key Points
- •The author contends Americans discuss Singapore less than before, with earlier fascination driven largely by the U.S. right’s interest in technocracy now waning.
- •Singapore’s immigration approach (high intake and balancing) is less foregrounded amid contentious U.S. politics and references to anti-Asian sentiment.
- •Singapore’s governance is described as democratic with extreme gerrymandering, and its free speech restrictions now seem more mainstream compared to global developments.
- •An FDI/MNE-led growth model appears less compelling in an AI-focused era, making Singapore seem further from the technological frontier.
- •The UAE is presented as a newer, more novel small, well-run example, and an addendum notes Singapore’s past roles in globalization and health care policy are less aligned with current U.S. narratives.