SINGAPORE: Like many people older than Gen Alpha, Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh expressed puzzlement at the 6-7 viral slang term, which became popular in the past couple of years.
Dictionary.com even named it word of the year for 2025, but, as these things go, as soon as the oldies caught on to it, it simply stopped being cool.
Mr Singh, a father to two daughters aged 10 and seven, acknowledged that while “the 6-7 ‘phenomenon’ is well-known among children,” for him, he doesn’t understand how and why it became so funny to so many.
“I haven’t got my head around why, of all the things that go viral, it became so famous or infamous. Until enlightenment is received, this remains one of life’s mysteries,” he quipped.
6-7 made no sense to clueless adults who heard children and teenagers shouting it out over and over again, often accompanied by a hand gesture, and then laughing loudly among themselves for around a year in large part thanks to, you guessed it, TikTok. It belonged firmly to Gen Alpha, those aged 15 and younger, until it didn’t.
As to what the phrase means, some have called the phrase “a joke without a punchline,” because part of its point may be to exclude and annoy parents and other adults in young people’s lives.
@g_unit24 How many times I heard 6 7 today as a teacher #teacherlife #sixseven #teachersoftiktok #teacher
Mr Singh then went on to talk about something he does understand, visiting Eunos, the ward in Aljunied GRC that he has represented in Parliament since 2011, or for almost as long as Gen Alpha has been around.
“There was nothing mysterious about the strong sense of community at Blk 667 during house visits last night. Even though Team Eunos only managed to visit around half the block, the exchanges and conversations with residents were enjoyable and extended. Looking forward to visiting other households soon! #wecontinue #workingforsingapore #wpsg,” he wrote.
Amid his troubles over the past weeks, which culminated in his removal as Leader of the Opposition by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on January 15 after Parliament passed a motion deeming him unfit for the role on the day before, he has continued on-the-ground activities steadily, with house visits and distributing the Hammer, the WP’s newsletter.
After the motion was passed in Parliament, the party adopted #WeContinue as a new motto. It reflected part of what Mr Singh said when the motion was debated.
“I have not disappeared and avoided scrutiny. It’s been one month since the judgment. I’ve done my work, I’ve continued to do my work, and I will continue to do my work faithfully, as I have done for the last 15 years.” /TISG
