Sunday, April 29, 2007 Term 2 Week 6 Assignment
Qns: Prejudice is a disease we can never get rid of. Discuss.
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.
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.
written at 4/29/2007 11:21:00 PM
Sunday, April 22, 2007 Term 2 Week 5 Assignment
Topic: “YouTube has no ethics, it's been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money.” Do you agree?
YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view, and share video clips. Since its launch on the web in February 2005, it is one of the fastest growing websites on the World Wide Web. YouTube was also named TIMES magazine’s "Invention of the Year" for 2006.
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.
written at 4/22/2007 09:17:00 PM
