Monday, May 10, 2010 Friday, October 30, 2009 until i find a new purpose for it...
the purpose of this blog was for GP assignments while in AJ.
for my updates, visit my personal blog... ;)
Sunday, July 8, 2007 Singapore is a multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism. It is also a cosmopolitan country, with first class infrastructure and advanced technology, which attracts many tourists and foreign talents. To stay competitive in this rapidly evolving century, Singapore should not have any divergences between the different races and religions, so as to focus on her development in future. Within her 4.4 million populations, there are many religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Islamism, Hinduism and Taoism, each having their own set of practices and ethos. To prevent any conflicts within this little red dot, racial harmony has to be promoted.
In my opinion, I think author Zsofia Szilaggy’s view should be adopted to a large extent; that more focus should be placed on social responsibility. The term “social responsibility” refers to the onus an individual has, to the society through his or her speech or action. People who are conscious with society responsibility would think about the dire consequences and effects of their words and actions have on others, before actually saying or doing them. By doing so, greater cultural tolerance could be cultivated through respecting the traditions of other ethnic groups.
Social responsibility is an important aspect in ensuring racial integration within the nation. One has to be mindful of their remarks about other race and religions and to understand their sensitivities. A simple comment against other races may be seen as an offence, and can spark off a series of controversies. As we are living in an interconnected era, with advance telecommunications within our reach, messages can be disseminated almost instantly, through different media.
An example stated is the publishing of the cartoon depicting the Prophet, which caused mass demonstrations, diplomatic rows and economic boycotts of goods, bringing the country to a standstill. As seen from this incident, the media did not practice social responsibility. They did not foreseen that the act of publishing the cartoons could cause the tension of relationships in the Muslims world. Another example is the charging of two local bloggers for inciting ethnic hatred by making insulting remarks about the Malays on their electronic dairies which the public can gain access to. The examples revealed that any individual who does not have social responsibility has the ability to cause a breakdown in racial harmony. Thus, social onus is indeed vital for the harmony in a country.
Although I agree to author Singer’s view that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy, I do not agree to the fact that it should not be limited. There is no doubt that freedom of speech is the nexus between the functioning of a democracy country and the welfare of the people. However, there is a limit to everything. People should not speak freely about their opinions on other races as it may be seen as inciting racial, religious or ethnic hatred, begetting racial uprising and hindering the country’s development.
Therefore, to live in harmony, people of different races should respect, be understanding and interact more with one another. Most importantly, one has to have social onus, think before we say or act and always remember that we are responsible for our own words and actions.
THE END
Sunday, April 29, 2007 Prejudice is an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. It is usually due to biasness against someone or a group of people. Disease is a problem that cannot be resolved and never get rid of means can never be removed and is always there.
I concur that prejudice is a problem that cannot be eradicated. Prejudice can exist in a few forms. They are racial, religion and gender prejudices. Examples are “I do not like a particular race because…” (No offence) and “Men are better than women in every ways”. These are not only unfair and also not morally right to that particular race group and to all the women, in the above illustrations. They can be seen as being racist or over generalizing and stereotyping- a fixed idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong.
In the past, before Singapore gained her independence, there are cases of racial riots. An example is the communal riot between the Chinese and Malays in the 1960s. It causes social unrest, economic instability and strained their relationships. It also put the country to a standstill. However, in this 21st century, we have never witness any racial riot. This is the success of the government’s effort to promote racial harmony through the implementation of the Housing and Development Board (HDB) ratio quota. This set the number of different racial families living on each level of the block. This gives the different racial groups more opportunities to interact with one another and to create a better understanding of their cultures and beliefs, thus reducing any conflicts and misunderstandings. It also helps break down the racial barriers between them and hopefully able to foster strong bonds.
Although racial prejudice is greatly reduced, we cannot say that it has been solved totally. In other countries, racial prejudice is still very prevalent. Example in the United State, the Blacks is being discriminated by the Whites and most people perceive that crimes are generally committed by the Blacks. An example of religion prejudice is the Muslims against the Christians.
In the older generations like in the 1960s, men are seen as the best, the only people with the power, while women were inferior to them. Both genders do not obtain the same treatments and opportunities. In the past, only males get to study and to be educated. Females’ onuses are to stay at homes to do chores and to take care of their children. They are not allowed to go against their husband wishes or decisions and their opinions would not be heard. However, in the modern society, everyone has equal rights, no matter which race, religion or gender they are from. Everyone has the same opportunities. Females are not only confined to their homes. A large population of women has entered the workforce, once deemed as the men world and some are very successful in their careers. In Singapore, women also hold high job positions. Examples are minister positions in the political system. Hence, the statement “Males are superior to females” no longer stand in this democratic Singapore.
However, Singapore is only a tiny red dot on the world map. There are still other countries practicing gender inequality. Examples are China and Japan. Thus, gender prejudice still exists and will continue to exist. It is a mindset anchored into people minds since long ago and it is hard to change a mindset. You can try asking your grandparents to get the answer.
In conclusion, I agree that prejudice is a disease we can never get rid of. However, I believe that with everyone’s effort and co-operation, its effects can be greatly reduced, but can never be eradicated.
Sunday, April 22, 2007 Yes, I agree that YouTube has no ethics and it has been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money. Ethics are the systems of accepted beliefs which control behaviour, especially such systems based on morals. Although YouTube's official policy prohibits submission or posting of copyrighted materials, inevitably, it still infringes the copyright law. An example of infringement complaints is evidenced when both Viacom and the British Broadcasting Corporation demanded YouTube to take down more than 200,000 videos. The ten minute limitation of each video length implemented to combat the copyright problems was proved to be of little use. This still shows that YouTube does not abide by its law and does not have their code of principles. However, I believe that people should not be influence by any medium. We should have the responsibilities to differentiate the right from wrong and do things conscientiously. We cannot blame others, in this case YouTube, when things go wrong.
Before being bought by Google, YouTube stated that its business model is advertising-based. This means that its revenue and profit is gained, by being an advertising medium. Thus, it can be said that YouTube is created is created for money. However, some may argue that YouTube’s slogan is “Broadcast Yourself”, so is not created solely for financial gain, but to let the users gain satisfaction and entertainment through the sharing of videos. This may be true as the whole process, from the uploading to the viewing of video, is totally free. If we look deeper into this issue, we would find that the advertisements commissions are enough to cover up the process costs. Thus, money did lead to the creation of YouTube. Besides, who would be willing to spend their time and effort, setting up a website to entertain others and benefit them without getting anything in return?
Do you regard watching movies or television dramas as a type of entertainment or a form of leisure? If so, YouTube is considered as an entertainment medium too. A wide variety of movies, television clips and music videos can be easily viewed by people, even the unregistered users.
In conclusion, I concur to a large extent that YouTube has no ethics, is created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money.
Thursday, March 22, 2007 Hi everyone! Welcome to the blog of Felicia Lee Hui Ling, from Anderson Junior College, class 11/07! This blog is specially created for the most important subject, General Paper. (Well, everyone is expected to do so.) Okay, let’s start and get this first assignment done with.
I was from Swiss Cottage Secondary School and my CCA was Girl Guides. I am very glad and proud that I have made the correct decision of entering this school as I have gained many valuable experiences. The school has a team of diligent and caring teachers, and I believe their efforts will not go to waste when their students obtain good results. ;)
Let’s move on to my next stage in life.
I was accepted into Anderson JC during the first intake. It was since then that I experience how broad life can still be, in this tiny red dot. (This is how I currently feel as I have made many new friends.) Life in JC is fun and there are quite a number of OG and class outings to strengthen bonds between friends. (I really enjoyed all my outings!;)
I continue to stay in Anderson because I feel that the environment is conducive, although it may be tough and it is a good college. For my subject combination, I chose Biology instead of Physics because I am more interested in it, although I did better in Physics. (Ironic?) I find Biology useful and closely related to our daily lives. Examples like the process of inhalation, exhalation and the prevention against certain common diseases or deficiencies. Furthermore, the world is advancing towards biological technology, with the famous A* research company springing up. In Singapore, a considerable portion of the budget is also invested in this pillar of economy. Thus, with some biological knowledge on the tips of my fingers, I believe I can benefit from it, in the near future.
Sad to say that, English is not my forte. (I really wish that I can do well in this subject.) I hope that with the guidance from the teachers, I can improve and love this subject! ;)
I also hope that my class 7/11, (it’s a class and more), can get to understand each other deeper and be united as one, as soon as possible! I wish that this coming one over year can be a memorable experience, with lasting friendships! ;) All the best to everyone! ;)
