I have to admit
that one of the main movie characters of my childhood was none other than Rocky
Balboa, the boxer played by Sylvester Stallone. Rocky was what you’d call the
ultimate loveable underdog, who would somehow, through sheer guts and the
ability to endure major beatings, would end up triumphant against a bigger,
stronger and meaner opponent. The Rocky
movies were what you’d call the living embodiment of every motivational speech –
i.e life will beat you up but as long as you get up and continue fighting, you
will emerge victorious and successful.
It helped that
the movie boxer had a few real-life counterparts. There was Mohammad Ali, who
became greater than the sport of boxing. Ali’s life story was about struggle
and overcoming struggle. He fought against racial prejudice (black kid who grew
up in deep South in the 60s), for his convictions (refused to fight in the
Vietnam War) and was engaged in some of the most legendary slug fest against heavy
hitters like Joe Frazier and George Forman. The fight against the later, was particularly
memorable. Forman was younger, fitter and a lot stronger. In the famous “Rumble
in the Jungle,” Ali spent the better part of the early rounds having the
stuffing knocked out of him, and yet he somehow emerged the victor, knocking
out Forman.
In my living
memory (as in actively boxing whilst I was watching), there was Evander
Holyfield, who most people regarded as a “blown-up” cruiserweight that had been
plonked into the heavyweight division by clever promotion. Like Ali before him,
Holyfield had a “heart” that made him a hero. The “blown-up cruiserweight,” defeated
the most fearsome fighter of his generation (Mike Tyson), not once but twice and
held his own against the most physically powerful fighters of his generation
(Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe).
The most famous
movie boxer and his real-life contemporaries are the living examples of how the
human psyche seems to thrive on stories of struggle. Rocky movies became very
watchable because we could identify with the struggles of an ordinary guy
facing extraordinary circumstances. Ali became a legend because the guys he
fought were as good, if not better and somehow, he had to overcome them.
The story of “human
struggle,” is something politicians around the world are particularly good at exploiting.
It gives them something to “unite” their followers. Politicians in small countries
are particularly good reminding the population of how “vulnerable” they are and
hence need good leadership (read – voting for the right politician”) to help
them overcome their vulnerabilities. The entire Israeli state is the prime
example of this. Binyamin Netanyahu built an entire career out of destroying
the Oslo Accords, thus ensuring the reality of hatred against the Israeli state
in every street of the Arab world.
Our local
politicians are also very good at exploiting struggle. Singapore likes to
compare herself as an “Israel in Southeast Asia” (read – small non-Muslim nation
in a neighbourhod of larger hostile Muslim nations).
To an extent,
this has helped build Singapore into what it is today. Singapore has played a
deft game and staying on the right side of world powers. We’ve been open to
investment and particularly open to the world’s policemen having a base on our
tinny island.
Our politicians
have often harked back about the “bad” old days. Singapore has struggled
against “racist,” “communal” and all sorts of tensions in its past and if you
believe our politicians, we’ve overcome them and are as a result a wonderful
place to live.
Whilst there is
some credence to this myth, there is a problem. Myths can become irrelevant and
no longer believable. Let’s look at the Rocky series. The story and heroic in
Rocky I and Rocky II. Rocky III could have been a good conclusion. Rocky IV was
an obvious sop to American nationalism in the Cold War and by the time we
reached Rocky Balboa, it was clear that the franchise was desperately clinging
onto former glories – the idea of an Old Man trying to relive his youth. The character
of Rocky only returned to credibility when the aging Rocky was retired to the
role of coach in the Creed series.
If the story of
an aging boxer was sad in the movies, it was downright heartbreaking in reality.
Take Mohammad Ali’s fight against Larry Holmes in 1980. By then, Ali was more
than past his prime and it was clear to everyone as the fight wore on. You
could see that Larry Holmes didn’t want to hurt the man whom he had once worked
for and cried as he was forced to inflict damage on an aging Ali.
More recently,
there was Evander Holyfield who, at the age of 58, thought he could make a comeback.
The former “Real Deal” wasn’t a shadow of his former self and the fight had to
be stopped in the first found with Mr. Holyfield failing to land a single punch
on this younger and fitter opponent.
Boxing is infamous
for producing champions who have died poor and in bad health. Champions simply
didn’t know when to quit. The few boxers who have retired with their money and
brains in tack were those who knew when to walk away. Floyd Mayweather, for
example, quit while he was ahead and hasn’t blown his money. The same was true
for Lennox Lewis in the heavyweight division. Of the “baby boomer” generation,
we had George Forman who reinvented himself as a grill salesman and built a
second career and fortune. His contemporary, Larry Holmes also walked away and
kept his fortune and brain intact.
Herein lies a
lesson that politician should take note of. It is good to have “courage” when facing
adversity. However, you need to be able to reinvent and become relevant. One of
the biggest issues I have with Singapore’s politicians as that they’re too
dependent on the struggles on the 1960s. One only has to listen to them talk
about the struggle to achieve racial harmony.
Yes, there were
communal riots and Singapore has seemingly overcome them. There is
unfortunately an element of racism that still exist. However, the “racism”
issue of today is not a carbon copy of the racism of the 1960s. Yet, the
approach appears to be the same.
If we apply the
1960s solutions, we start to look like the latter part of the Rocky series. Old
men desperately trying to relive past glories and thus inflicting damage to
themselves. Our approach needs to be like Rocky in the Creed series. We have to
reinvent and become relevant to the problems we face today or else face the risk
of brain damage and irrelevance.
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