All images: r/Singapore . Top image features a sunrise at Changi Beach Park from u/Dingytooth69

If people contain multitudes, then the average r/Singapore Redditor appears to be an under-achieving, self-loathing, cynical liberal intellectual who hates Mothershi—ooh, look, sunset at Marina Bay Sands!

To anyone, this observation might be, at most, amusing. But as a long-time lurker on r/Singapore for work purposes, the community’s seemingly contradictory interests are what keep me returning.

For the uninitiated, r/Singapore’s average content is a hodgepodge of pointless screenshots mocking the government, amusing job notices guaranteed to evoke a chuckle, everyday anecdotes about clients or colleagues from hell, tourists praising Singapore’s skyline or behaving better than Singaporeans, and random articles from local news outlets that discuss something intrinsic to Singaporean identity or culture, such as the CBD’s inescapable lunch culture or the rarity of leaving work on time.

The true beauty of r/Singapore, however, lies in the colourful comments section. It shapes expectations of the content that the community demands: smart, unique, and original.

Many comments tend to be articulate, sardonic, and occasionally, laced with a self-referencing, self-deprecating, and self-aware sense of humour. Often, they resemble a Chinese New Year family reunion, where you might stumble onto stinging criticism without ever expecting it. Essentially, for every 10 outsiders who want to dip their toes into r/Singapore, there might be a handful who are frightened away by the community’s acerbic undertones.

Because r/Singapore seems difficult to please, the community’s taste in quality content can sometimes appear snobbish and critical. This is particularly notable via their unabashed hate for Mothership’s ‘journalism’.

Therefore as a result of their harsh critiques and impossible standards for content, it can be disorienting when you chance upon a photo of a sunrise or sunset splashed across the Singapore skyline that gets more than 1,000 upvotes.

After all, a sunrise/sunset is the epitome of pure, wholesome content—exactly what would get thousands of shares on Mothership too.