Racial Harmony

“Singer believes that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. On the other hand, Szilagyi believes that more focus should be placed on social responsibility. In the context of Singapore’s multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism, which author’s view do you think should be adopted?”

I think Szilagyi's view should be adopted in the context of Singapore's multi-racial society. This is because by allowing an individual to voice out his or her opinion, we are giving them the right to freedom of speech, but at the same time, they would be stepping on the toes of people who are on the other end of the statement. If practicing our rights to freedom of speech means having to injure another party’s beliefs, I strongly feel we should reconsider doing so and always take responsibility for our words and actions. And especially in a country like Singapore, where different racial groups exist together, negative opinions about each other give rise to racial tension, which would only serve to weaken our country’s political power. In the long term, our economy would also suffer, as social and political instability in a country turn investors off. Singapore is a small nation that depends greatly on her only resource-her people. If this pillar were to break and fall, Singapore would not only collapse but also face the dangers of countries invading.

“In our networked world, existing societal and political tensions can be inflamed instantly through the transfer of messages from one cultural context to another. Media messages, films and art works cannot be addressed to a specific cultural group - traditional borders of culture and nation no longer exist.” As mentioned by Szilagyi in his article, there are no more boundaries between different cultures and nations any longer especially because of the advancements in technology and transportation. Messages are made known to everybody regardless of factors such as race or religious beliefs. So any opinion a person gives will be judged and interpreted in different ways. Ultimately, it is not only the victim who suffers, but the person giving the opinion as well. Singapore is not very large; her people are interlinked one way or another and will become affected somehow.

However, according to Peter Singer, “Without that freedom (of speech), human progress will always run up against a basic roadblock.” In other words, the freedom of speech is always essential for democracy to take place, even if the words may not be pleasing to the ears. Without it, it would be as if we were being obstructed by a fundamental issue that would only prevent us from progressing. This, however, can only happen if people are open-minded enough to accept whatever unpleasant things that come their way. An example would be the political system in Taiwan. Citizens, along with politicians as well as certain artistes in the media industry, throw their criticisms around, mockingly at times.

To conclude, I believe that in order for us to live in a peaceful and harmonious society, people should respect the feelings and beliefs of other racial groups, practising the freedom of speech with a sense of social responsibility.

this entry is about the girl who had drowned in the sungei pandan canal on Sunday.

she had been playing around the canal with her friends when suddenly the bag containing their mobile phones dropped into the canal. they decided to jump into the water to retrieve them. however, the currents became too strong for them and they got swept away. fortunately the boys could swim and received help from passers-by. the girl, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. in the end, she drowned and her body was only found near Jurong port road this afternoon.

it's not worthwhile at all to end your life this way. the kids shouldn't have been so playful in the first place. the canal is not a place to fool around. it's dangerous because of the slope and of course, the water. you'll never know if the water would take you away with it. hopefully, after this incident, children who have been playing around canals but are lucky enough to not fall into the hands of strong currents will learn from others' mistakes and cease their mischievous acts near the canals.

This entry is about the incident where a south korean male student who had been studying in the Virginia tech University in the US went on a gun rampage and killed more than 30 people around the campus. Most of the victims are students but two are university professors.

In a country where guns and weapons can be bought and sold freely, there is always the threat of encountering such situations. Schools are most vulnerable to such problems. Many people there would end up as victims. I feel that people shouldn't even be carrying guns around in the first place. Call it self-protection. I choose to think civilians should not own weapons at all because this brings danger to others but themselves too. There was a case some time ago, where a mother lost her son because her toddler daughter found her gun and, thinking it was some sort of toy, shot her brother and killed him with it. Guns are dangerous items and i strongly think it is unnecessary for the citizens to own them.

Also, this incident should make people think twice about studying in universities in the US.

The body of the second boy who had drowned along the coast of Pasir Ris Park has finally been found. The group of boys was initially swimming on the coasts, but a couple of them decided to swim further out. As a result, they got swept away by the strong currents, and thus the tragedy. After the bodies were found, the people around were wishing they could do more to prevent the tragedy.
In my opinion, the boys should not have been so playful in the first place. Passers-by had told them to take precaution and not dive into the sea due to the strong waves but they did not heed the advice. One of the boys was a non-swimmer, yet he went on the swim further out into the sea with another friend. Knowing that he could not swim well, he should not have made that move to swim further.
Also, the boys should have tried to ask for help from the adults instead of saving the others themselves when they faced trouble in the waters.
All in all, life is precious. Not just teenagers, but every single person should take extra precaution whatever they are dealing with outdoor activities.

intro

I am Yun Lin and was previously from Nan Chiau High School. I love inline-skating, playing volleyball, listening to oldies and occasionally, playing the piano and guitar. I am the eldest at home, with a sister and a brother.
According to what they say, I stay in the western regions of Singapore. But if you were to look at the map of Singapore, it would be more accurate to say that I live in the south-western part of Singapore. My dad runs a coffeeshop just below our house, which is really convenient because at anytime of the day when I feel like getting a drink, I'll only have to walk down to get it. Plus, it's free! Well, for me anyway. =)
So far, I'm enjoying studying in Anderson JC because the atmosphere here is good for studying and the people in my class are really fun. Hopefully, we'll get to know each other better.
=)