Chua argues that there is a “…dawning realization in the government that the arts do have an important role to play, beyond the economic” What roles do the arts play in Singapore? How important are these roles?
Music is a form of art and almost everyone listens to music. The young listens to the upbeat pop or rhythm and blues (R&B), while the old prefer the soothing classical. However, not many see music beyond being just another form of entertainment. People do not realize that music does much more then entertain, such as aid in growth. The invention of the Mozart effect for instance, is a well-known example of how music aids in growth. According to Wikipedia, The Mozart effect is “a set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as "spatio-temporal reasoning" Popularized versions of the theory, which suggest that "listening to Mozart makes you smarter", or that early childhood exposure to classical music has a beneficial effect on mental development.” This explains why pregnant mothers often listen to soothing classical music for the healthier growth of their to-be-born babies.
Arts, encompassing music, painting, literature, drama, play many roles in Singapore today. However, many just see arts as a form of entertainment. Not only does arts the many economic benefits arts bring such as the creation of jobs, as mentioned in the passage 8 by Chua, what many people are unaware of is that more importantly, “the value that the arts contribute to social bonding is ‘priceless’.”
Drama is one form of art today that has started to make a statement. There are an increasing number of playwrights and directors who make plays or movies depicting what they see the world as, often including many social values into their movies. For example, the movie “I Not Stupid” by the very popular local director Jack Neo has reflected the competitive society of Singapore today. He showed the high amount of pressure students today as well as businesses in Singapore face, as well as gave his perception on what would happen if nothing is done by the government to salvage the situation. Movies as such not only entertain the masses, they more importantly serve to educate the public on societal issues. By watching the movie, audiences can relate with the protagonists and hence reflect upon their daily lives.
In conclusion, the arts do play an important role in our society that helps us in one way or another, often subtly, in a way that we take it for granted. Hence, I feel that more should be done to enhance the many benefits arts can bring and so that more people see arts as something more significant than just merely entertainment.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
What roles do the Art play in Singapore? How important are these roles?
Singapore, in my opinion, is not a very artistic country as compared to a better counterpart like Venice. Arts were minimum in Singapore probably due to the government's emphasis on technical education in the 1960s and on explicit thinking skills in the 1990s. The awareness of the need for art was probably stronger when Singapore realised that their skyscrapers and city scape were not unique enough to attract tourists and that they have neglected art education. By Art here, I mean the performance of acting, dancing and music and last but not least, abstract sculptures and art pieces.
As in the passage, Art can sharpen the intellectual of the society, hence allowing people to have a better ability to think, understand and relate to things more easily. This benefit will help to ease racial differences as people are more able to think of the consequences and understand the need for maintaining racial harmony. If racial harmony ceases, Singapore withers too. Hence art is important to the survival of the country.
Art also plays an economic role in Singapore. It adds another feature to Singapore that further reinstates the "Uniquely Singapore" tourism slogan. For example, the durian-like theatre by the bay, also known as the Esplanade, attracts both tourists and locals. This enhances foreign revenue. The growth of new shops and eateries increased employment and expanded the job scope. Thus, this help to boost the economy of Singapore and therefore develop the country aesthetically.
In summary, Art plays vital roles in a country especially our cosmopolitan Singapore. We cannot afford to have racial disharmony and to imagine a place without arts. The society suffers, and so will the country.
As in the passage, Art can sharpen the intellectual of the society, hence allowing people to have a better ability to think, understand and relate to things more easily. This benefit will help to ease racial differences as people are more able to think of the consequences and understand the need for maintaining racial harmony. If racial harmony ceases, Singapore withers too. Hence art is important to the survival of the country.
Art also plays an economic role in Singapore. It adds another feature to Singapore that further reinstates the "Uniquely Singapore" tourism slogan. For example, the durian-like theatre by the bay, also known as the Esplanade, attracts both tourists and locals. This enhances foreign revenue. The growth of new shops and eateries increased employment and expanded the job scope. Thus, this help to boost the economy of Singapore and therefore develop the country aesthetically.
In summary, Art plays vital roles in a country especially our cosmopolitan Singapore. We cannot afford to have racial disharmony and to imagine a place without arts. The society suffers, and so will the country.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Loh explores several suggestions on how to deal with the outflow of talent from Singapore. Evaluate his suggestions.
When talking about fostering our talents, we would often think of other countries – when we talk about Singing, we think of Taiwan; when we talk about literature writing, we think of England. How often, do we ever think that it is possible to nurture our talent in Singapore? More often than not, Singaporeans feel that Singapore is too small to cater to their ambitions. As a result, many Singaporeans have been leaving Singapore is search for a larger stage to showcase their talents. What will then stop Singaporeans from leaving their homeland in search of greener grass? Suggestions mentioned in the article include giving Singaporean "greater political engagement and empowerment" and eliminating the usage of the term of "foreign talent". While these suggestions might just work, I feel that it would be the most effective if we change the mindset of Singaporeans.
Many talented Singaporeans have left the country because they feel that Singapore does not appreciate their presence. The constant emphasis for the need of "foreign talent" in Singapore does not help either. It makes them feel that their capabilities are being undermined and that their abilities are not recognized. Meanwhile, Singaporeans should be given "greater political engagement and empowerment" for them to have a greater sense of ownership. Hence, eliminating the usage of the term of "foreign talent" and giving Singaporeans a bigger a say, can make them feel less out-casted and therefore, give them less urge to leave Singapore.
However, what Singaporeans are more interested in is not about empowerment but about establishment and recognition of their interests. Many of those who have left Singapore are well aware that there is a higher chance they be discriminated in other countries. Yet, they are still willing to take up this challenge as long as the other country provides a window for their talent. Hence, we should try to change the mindset of Singaporeans, to make them believe that it is possible to foster their talent in Singapore as well. The Singapore Sports School is already a living prove that changing the mindset of people can help to deal with the outflow of talent from Singapore. The establishment of the sports school has shown Singaporeans that it is possible to pursue their passion for their sports of interest. As such, not only is there a smaller outflow of sports talent, there is also a greater in growth of sports talent in Singapore.
Stephanie Sun is a homegrown talent and Catherine Lim founded her writing career in Singapore – so who says it is impossible to foster talents in Singapore? Singaporeans have to recognize this and only then, the outflow of talents can be reduced.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Is there a case for affirmative action in Singapore today?
According to John F Kennedy the phrase “affirmative action” means the necessary measures taken to ensure equality of recruiting employees regardless of race, creed, colour or national origin. However in 1967, the meaning of the phrase was extended by Lyndon Johnson to include requirements that benefitted women. As we all know, Singapore is a cosmopolitan and multi racial country. No doubt about it. With reference to a research by Selvaraj Velayutham, from “Centre of Research on Social Inclusion” done on racism in Singapore, Multiracialism is a fundamental pillar of post colonial Singaporean society. By that token the main racial groups in Singapore are accorded official status and are granted equality. Up till now, the people in this country still exist peacefully among other races. This claim is further proved by the few racist crimes that make their way to the Singapore Crime list. Egalitarian values are becoming increasingly rooted into Singaporeans as the young gets more educated and aware of the fragility of these inter racial bonds. Avoiding discrimination of other races based on differences seemed to be more of an intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic. Hence, in my opinion, there is no case for affirmative action in Singapore currently.
Not to leave out the concern of the treatment of women under the phrase, Singapore has not dealt too badly with the balancing of gender equality. There is little discrimination of women today in Singapore. We can all see that women are as strong and capable as their counterparts in Singapore. According to a specific research on “Statistics teaching” in Singapore, between 1986-87, women already made up the majority of the graduates from National University of Singapore by an incredulous 60%. This shows that the Singapore government acknowledges the capability in the weaker sex too and is willing to utilize them in the local workforce by not setting any quotas on the university entry. As the fret over ageing population increases, policies and incentives for women to conceive more babies are also undergoing massive evaluation and enhancement. An interview with DPM Wong Kan Seng revealed positive effects of the introduction of Marriage and Parenthood package in August 2004, “Overall, we have seen some positive results - there were about 240 more births from January to June 2006 compared to the same period in 2005, and about 400 more births in 2005 compared to 2004 . This is a positive reversal which comes after four consecutive years of decline.” From this we can see that the government has not neglected women’s plight after being impregnated and continued to provide reasonable monetary compensation and tax redemption. Hence there is no stimulus for affirmative action in Singapore today.
Not to leave out the concern of the treatment of women under the phrase, Singapore has not dealt too badly with the balancing of gender equality. There is little discrimination of women today in Singapore. We can all see that women are as strong and capable as their counterparts in Singapore. According to a specific research on “Statistics teaching” in Singapore, between 1986-87, women already made up the majority of the graduates from National University of Singapore by an incredulous 60%. This shows that the Singapore government acknowledges the capability in the weaker sex too and is willing to utilize them in the local workforce by not setting any quotas on the university entry. As the fret over ageing population increases, policies and incentives for women to conceive more babies are also undergoing massive evaluation and enhancement. An interview with DPM Wong Kan Seng revealed positive effects of the introduction of Marriage and Parenthood package in August 2004, “Overall, we have seen some positive results - there were about 240 more births from January to June 2006 compared to the same period in 2005, and about 400 more births in 2005 compared to 2004 . This is a positive reversal which comes after four consecutive years of decline.” From this we can see that the government has not neglected women’s plight after being impregnated and continued to provide reasonable monetary compensation and tax redemption. Hence there is no stimulus for affirmative action in Singapore today.
Application Question 2 - Does discrimination arising from stereotypes exist in Singapore?
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important." This can be rather true for how affirmative action against discrimination has worked in Singapore. It can be attributed to legislation that Singapore that discriminatory actions has been eliminated but, do note, only to a certain extent. As of how article 2 tells us that discrimination can occur unconsciously, discrimination arising from stereotypes does exist in Singapore, although unintentionally.
In the passage, Ms Wang brings out the idea of "situational racism" whereby "people discriminate based more on the situation rather than innate character". This seems to describe the situation that we have in Singapore. Most of the time, we choose to believe that we are trying to protect our beliefs but actually, we are acting on unconscious biasness. Since as early as the 1970s, Singapore has proclaimed itself to be racially harmonious. In that case, why is it that in 2005, there were still complaints from Indians and Malay job seekers about being discriminated by employers who ask if they are proficient in Chinese, not if they can do the job? This is an example of situation racism - Employers are making it seemed like they are looking for people who are proficient in Chinese but in truth, they are just seeking for Chinese employees. Hence, discrimination arising from stereotypes exist in Singapore in the façade of egalitarian values and requirements.
Unfortunately, such cases of discrimination arising from stereotypes are hard to tackle due to the existence of "self-fulfilling stereotypes". People choose to stick to the status quo because "they want to believe the world is stable and predictable" as mentioned by the passage. By behaving what they are perceived to be, they actually find it easier to make decisions. For example, when it comes to picking representatives for a sports competition, a typical class in Singapore would instinctively fill up the names of the guys first as guys are perceived to be stronger and more fit. Meanwhile, the girls in the class would choose to take the backseat because they fear that challenging the status quo would mean disgrace and blame if they are unable to meet the standards they had tried to set for themselves.
In conclusion, discrimination arising from stereotypes exists in Singapore and from the likes of it, neither would it seem easy to be tackled.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
"Women will never enjoy the same rights as men." Do you agree?(Cam, Nov ' 06)
I do not agree that women will never enjoy the same rights as men. If we were in the past, I would say that women might not be able to enjoy the same rights as women as men. However, in the present context, i would say that it is possible for women to enjoy same rights as men. In fact we are already seeing it happen and gradually improving. Women have been enjoying same rights in different areas.
In the society, women have achieved more equality and their status are improving. More and more women are allowed to enter workforce instead of staying at home to be a housewife, taking care of the family. In Singapore, the government have been trying hard to woo back non- working women due to the need to take care of women as the government feels that by adding in these in the workforce, it would help in our economy. Thus we can see that the women are allowed to enjoy the same rights as men to work, and it is possible that it happens
In addition, in the workforce, women have increasing opportunities to not only work but also hold managerial positions. They hold the same rights to become executives. In the case of South Africa, thw women in executive position have been increasing. According to the Business women Asscoiation 2007 census of South African women. There were 298 women directorsholding 385 directorships. The number of women of CEOs and chairs have increase0.02%. This has shown that women are increasingly able to gain rights to me in a more powerful position than men. Therefore I would say that in time to come, not only would women be able to enjoy same rights as men but a larger amount of women too.
In the political arena, the number of women involved in the politics area have increased. Some countries have increasing number of women in the cabinet. Just this year, Spanish new cabinet has nine women and eight men. This is the first time women have outnumbered men. Thus, we can see from this example that it is possible not only for women to enter into areas that they have never done it before and also to enjoy the same rights if not more in these areas.
In conclusion, I do not agree that women will never be able to enjoy the same rights. Women's status have been getting better over the years with the efforts put in by associations to push for further equality. Hence, in my opinion, in the years to come, women might be able to enjoy same rights as men in more areas.
In the society, women have achieved more equality and their status are improving. More and more women are allowed to enter workforce instead of staying at home to be a housewife, taking care of the family. In Singapore, the government have been trying hard to woo back non- working women due to the need to take care of women as the government feels that by adding in these in the workforce, it would help in our economy. Thus we can see that the women are allowed to enjoy the same rights as men to work, and it is possible that it happens
In addition, in the workforce, women have increasing opportunities to not only work but also hold managerial positions. They hold the same rights to become executives. In the case of South Africa, thw women in executive position have been increasing. According to the Business women Asscoiation 2007 census of South African women. There were 298 women directorsholding 385 directorships. The number of women of CEOs and chairs have increase0.02%. This has shown that women are increasingly able to gain rights to me in a more powerful position than men. Therefore I would say that in time to come, not only would women be able to enjoy same rights as men but a larger amount of women too.
In the political arena, the number of women involved in the politics area have increased. Some countries have increasing number of women in the cabinet. Just this year, Spanish new cabinet has nine women and eight men. This is the first time women have outnumbered men. Thus, we can see from this example that it is possible not only for women to enter into areas that they have never done it before and also to enjoy the same rights if not more in these areas.
In conclusion, I do not agree that women will never be able to enjoy the same rights. Women's status have been getting better over the years with the efforts put in by associations to push for further equality. Hence, in my opinion, in the years to come, women might be able to enjoy same rights as men in more areas.
the world of the future will be a woman's world. what are your views?
i think the world of the future will be a woman's world.
Girls get better grades at school than boys, and in most developed countries more women than men go to university. Women, thus, are better equipped for the workforce in the 21st century. In Britain far more women than men are now training to become doctors.
Furthermore, the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth in the past couple of decades. although there are fewer women in high positions in top companies, women will have more opportunities to prove their productivity in the coming years. this will increase their income and women will get paid more.
many people think that if women were to work and rule the world, they will neglect their traditional responsiblilities, such as doing housework and minding the children, leading to a lower birth rate. however, developed countries where more women work, such as Sweden and America, actually have higher birth rates than Japan and Italy, where women stay at home.
therefore, as women has the potential to contribute to the society and at home, the future wll be a woman's world.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6800723
Girls get better grades at school than boys, and in most developed countries more women than men go to university. Women, thus, are better equipped for the workforce in the 21st century. In Britain far more women than men are now training to become doctors.
Furthermore, the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth in the past couple of decades. although there are fewer women in high positions in top companies, women will have more opportunities to prove their productivity in the coming years. this will increase their income and women will get paid more.
many people think that if women were to work and rule the world, they will neglect their traditional responsiblilities, such as doing housework and minding the children, leading to a lower birth rate. however, developed countries where more women work, such as Sweden and America, actually have higher birth rates than Japan and Italy, where women stay at home.
therefore, as women has the potential to contribute to the society and at home, the future wll be a woman's world.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6800723
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