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Lego gets 6-year-olds to rebuild their own country

Technically Incorrect: In a charming celebration of Singapore's 50th anniversary, Lego creates a vision of the city-state's future and then asks kids to change it.

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


Do they want to build more rocket launchpads? Um, no. Lego/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

When 6-year-olds look at the current standard of political discourse -- especially, say, in the US -- they must be appalled.

Put them in charge of decision-making, I say.

You might think me a trifle Trumped. However, this is exactly the experiment that Lego performed. To celebrate 50 years of Singapore's existence, Lego built a futuristic version of Singapore.

Then it asked 6-year-olds to come in and redesign it.

Stunningly, these kids were less fascinated by the idea of more skyscrapers and more keen on building a home close to their dad's office, so that they could see their dads more often.


They were less moved by, say, robots, and more interested in building parks and ensuring that the whole family could eat together at home.

Of course, the clip is shamelessly manipulative. But in a good way.

Once upon a time, I lived in Singapore, and even then space was a much valued thing.

With a population now nearing 6 million on an island about the size of a billionaire's back garden, it's a wonder people don't want to head-butt each other daily just to get a little extra air.

Bringing kids in to express their priorities is a touching reminder of the way that alleged progress can sometimes mask the true essences of why we bother to function at all.

"Never forget what matters most," concludes the Lego ad.

Surely no one can forget that money matters most, can they?