09/08/09, 8.22 pm. The largest flash mob in Singapore’s history. Where every Singaporean, regardless of where they are would stand still, put their right fist over their hearts and say the Pledge with fervour and pride.
The exact time at 8.22pm does not symbolize, perhaps, the day of independence, or how old Singapore is. To quote from The Newpaper, “The chairman of the National Day Parade (NDP) executive committee, Brigadier-General Tan Chuan-Jin, 40, said: 'We did think of 8.44, but it was a bit too late in the NDP show. We also thought of 8.09 in honour of 9 Aug, but that would have been too early on in the show.”
Perhaps the choosing of this time is symbolic in itself, reflective of our nation’s often lauded principle of pragmatism.
Perhaps instead, the choosing of an arbitrary time to take the Pledge is unplanned and sudden, just as how Singapore’s separation from Malaysia was unintended.
But whatever the case, this rallying call for Singaporeans to take the Pledge to reaffirm our national identity, to recognise the sovereignty of our nation state, to celebrate Singapore’s success and to unite the nation in face of future challenges is a move that is to be applauded, not only for its novelty but also for what it stands for.
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Sometimes, when I watch an overseas drama serial and hear the word Singapore mentioned in it, I feel this weird sense of warmth and national pride. When I watch young children sing National Day songs on TV, I feel this same sense of warmth and national pride. When I see my grandfather hanging the Singapore flag outside our window, I again feel this sense of warmth and national pride.
The red and white and crescent and 5 stars on the Singapore flag does not only reflect our core values and ideals as a society; it symbolizes our independence, our sovereignty as a state, and more importantly, that we are no longer colonial slaves to some Western master, that today, we have the right and ability to control our own destiny. Like a part-timing teenager’s joy in achieving a certain level of financial independence, Singapore’s independence as a state is something to be celebrated. But amidst the frenzied joy and excitement of the National Day Parade, it is easy to forget what we are celebrating for, even why we are celebrating. So when we are singing along to the National Day songs or reciting the Pledge at exactly 8.22pm, it is important to reflect upon what it truly means to be a Singaporean, for you.
We have been reciting the Pledge almost everyday for the past 14 years, yet, or maybe because of this, we seem to forget the true meaning of the words of the Pledge.
It is then extremely apt how the Sunday Times phrased this statement by a Singaporean.
“Recent graduate E.Chin, 24, said he forgot the Pledge after studying overseas the past three years.”
In this case, what they are saying is that he has forgotten the lyrics of the Pledge. But forgetting the Pledge is not merely failing to remember what the contents of the Pledge are. It is losing sight of the ideals of our nation.
In our increasingly globalised world today, the age of cultural imperialism has arrived. We have lunch at McDonalds’, have a drink at Starbucks and wear I Love NY shirts proudly on our sleeves like a true, blue, fake American. Americanisation is so assimilated into our society that when I type McDonalds’ without the capital D, Microsoft Word autocorrects it into McDonalds’. Try typing iPod with a capital I and small p or Starbucks with a small s and the same happens. You get my point.
Sometimes, I feel ashamed when I see Singaporeans overtly worshipping foreign cultures over our own. Singaporean girls proudly wearing I Love NY T-shirts, and Singaporean men and their adopted Premier League football club cheering for Liverpool when they scored against Singapore. Ok, I “adopt” a Premier League football club too. But that’s because it is more fun to watch when you are supporting one side than when you are a neutral. But anyway that’s besides the point.
Yes, and you have the ultimate mockery of all. Elite students in school speaking with fake American accents, exclaiming that “I hate Chinese!” and wanting to migrate to some Western country once they have the chance. The irony of it all? These are the exact people who will be flying to UK or the USA on some government scholarship, the cream of the crop, the people supposedly groomed to be the future leaders of our country. Well, that is, if they don’t leave the country and migrate right after they finish serving their compulsory 6 year bond in some Ministry.
Enough of all these white supremacy nonsense. Worshipping foreign countries, foreign cultures and foreigners like they are some god. Ultimately, this overly used, supposedly “propaganda” National Education message summarises it best. “Singapore is our homeland, this is where we belong.” You might be laughing when you read this quote, and I don’t blame you. It is extremely easy for the cynical youth of today, like us, to hastily dismiss every overt National Education message as propaganda. I am often guilty of that. Yet when we look beyond the superficial words into the true intention and meaning of the message, we know we agree with it.
Anyway, back to the point. Yes, you can speak like an American, watch American TV, study in America or dye your hair blonde. But therein remains the bare facts that you were never, and will never become a true “American”, or for that matter, a true “Westerner”. So to all the white worshippers out there, I’m sorry. You can try your best, but you can never change your skin colour, your heritage and where you were born.
Nobody’s stopping you though. You can go be your pseudo Westerner or second-class citizen in your adopted Western country for all I care. But for me, I know that wherever I study or work in future, I will always be a Singaporean. Often,I may criticise the education system, the political system, the lack of media freedom or any other aspect of life here in Singapore, but ultimately, I know that I love Singapore for its own sake.
Because “Singapore is my homeland, this is where I belong.”
Showing posts with label Reflections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reflections. Show all posts
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The facade of meritocracy
I find it amazingly funny how so many people naively think that meritocracy is this wonderful concept that eliminates all inequality and makes the world a wonderful place to live in.
Right.
The whole concept of meritocracy stems from the idea of “self”. That everything I achieved is due to me, myself and I. No help from others, no lucky break, no rich supportive parents. Just me. Convenient, isn’t it? Attributing every single success to your own inherent ability, your own hard work, your own tenacity in face of failure, your own initiativeness and creativity, your own…. And the list goes on
The classic rags-to-riches story is then used as the ultimate argument for the benefits of meritocracy. How this young boy born to a farmer dad and housewife mum in a kampong was able to rise above all odds and become the Prime Minister of the country.
Wow! We exclaim. Look at him! He was able to succeed because he was smart, hardworking and had a never-say-die attitude! Nothing to do with how his father sold his old bulldozer to raise money for his education, how his inspiring primary school teacher always gave him her old books to read because he can’t afford to buy them, how he was lucky to be talent-scouted and given a scholarship to further his studies etc, etc, etc. Absolutely nothing to do with them.
My point is, nobody can ever succeed by himself.
With this in mind, let’s look at meritocracy. Or for that matter, meritocracy in the Singapore education system.
In our supposedly meritocratic society, it is easy for the academically inclined, or on a larger perspective, the rich and powerful in the country, to attribute their success completely to their own hard work, and look down on those struggling in studies or in life and say that it is all their own fault because they are "lazy and don't want to work hard". What they fail to understand is that for a meritocratic society to truly be fair, everyone must be on the same starting point.
Unfortunately though, the world is unfair.
If anyone finds it hard to accept this, I’m sorry. Maybe you should get out of your ivory tower and have a look at the world outside. Contrary to popular belief, the most devastating thing that can happen to a person is not forgetting to do your maths tutorial. Yes, I know, you might find it hard to accept this at this point in time, but it’s actually true.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the point. Yes, the world is unfair. Everyone is born with different attributes, into different family backgrounds. I’m sorry if this discourages anyone but it’s just so much harder for a kid born into a modest family to get into a top university overseas than a child of a CEO of some MNC. To assert that anyone has the chance to succeed as long as he or she works hard is either painfully short-sighted, or just plain delusional.
Success is, unfortunately, not based solely, if at all, on how hard you work, or how intelligent you are for that matter, but on the opportunities bestowed upon you, your family background and all the myriad of external factors.
When the child of a CEO father fails a paper, his father would say: “Come on you know this is not your usual standard. Go for it again and show me what you are worth!”
When the child of a taxi driver father fails a paper, his father would say: “Never mind lar maybe you are not cut out for studying. I never used to pass my exams anyway. “
In his free time, the child of the CEO father goes for phonics lessons, piano classes while learning taekwondo. All in a day.
In his free time, the child of the taxi driver father sits in the house and play with power ranger figurines. For the whole day.
When he got older, the child of the CEO father goes for plays and musicals with his father, attending social gatherings and company functions.
When he got older, the child of the taxi driver father watches Channel 8 dramas with his family, sometimes attending the community events at the RC on the void deck.
The child of the CEO father was unable to get an undergraduate scholarship. His father sent him overseas on a parent’s scholarship anyway.
The child of the taxi driver father got a place overseas, but was unable to get an undergraduate scholarship. He settled for a place at NUS instead.
The thing is, meritocracy is only “fair” for those benefitting from it, those blessed with talent or opportunities or a good family background, those sitting comfortably at the top of this hierarchy of sorts. Who cares about the majority of people piled at the bottom of the pyramid, those paying the taxes for you to enjoy your 4 years of undergraduate studies in the USA on some government scholarship?
But hey, you would say. Don’t we often hear an occasional story about how this boy from a single-parent family from a neighbourhood secondary school was able to rise against all odds and eventually secure a scholarship to some prestigious Ivy League university? See, I told you meritocracy is wonderful. It allows these people, who would otherwise be unable to make it, to be able to rise to the top based on their own hard work and resilience!
Erm, I don’t know if you have ever heard this word before, but for your information, these people are called anomalies. Take it this way. Pit the Singapore football team against Liverpool for a 100 games and I’m sure they will win at least one. Ok maybe not. This is a lousy example, but you get my point.
The thing is, just because a few supposedly disadvantaged people were able to succeed because of this whole meritocratic thing does not mean that this system benefits all equally.
To quote from an article on the Channel News Asia web, “for the 2008 batch of PSC scholars, 47% reside in HDB housing, 27% in private non-landed property and 26% in landed property”. And to borrow an argument from theonlinecitizen.com commenting on this article, “Since more than 80 per cent of residential dwelling units are HDB flats, the proportion of scholars from private property is disproportionately high."
This exactly illustrates the point I’m making. Some people might actually find it hard to understand this, but it is about the concept of PROPORTION, people. There is a disproportionate number of scholars coming from richer families. Ok to make it simpler for you, this means, like it or not, it is easier for a student staying in private property to obtain a PSC scholarship than one living in a HDB flat.
Do not misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that scholarship boards perhaps prefer to offer the scholarship to people with better family background. I’m just saying that students from richer families typically have a better upbringing, better opportunities for learning and growth, and thus end up in a better position to vie for these scholarships because we are operating in this so-called meritocratic system.
Does anyone not see something strangely wrong with this? No? Hmm let’s see. The people who are getting sponsored for their overseas education are exactly those who don’t need it. And these people would then most likely end up the elites of society and become rich and powerful, while those at the bottom of the pyramid settle for a nine-to-five job and just live life as it is. Then they all get married and have children. And the whole cycle repeats again.
This is meritocracy for you, people. The modern day caste system masquerading as a beacon of hope for the 80% of people busy trying to pay off their housing loans.
Right.
The whole concept of meritocracy stems from the idea of “self”. That everything I achieved is due to me, myself and I. No help from others, no lucky break, no rich supportive parents. Just me. Convenient, isn’t it? Attributing every single success to your own inherent ability, your own hard work, your own tenacity in face of failure, your own initiativeness and creativity, your own…. And the list goes on
The classic rags-to-riches story is then used as the ultimate argument for the benefits of meritocracy. How this young boy born to a farmer dad and housewife mum in a kampong was able to rise above all odds and become the Prime Minister of the country.
Wow! We exclaim. Look at him! He was able to succeed because he was smart, hardworking and had a never-say-die attitude! Nothing to do with how his father sold his old bulldozer to raise money for his education, how his inspiring primary school teacher always gave him her old books to read because he can’t afford to buy them, how he was lucky to be talent-scouted and given a scholarship to further his studies etc, etc, etc. Absolutely nothing to do with them.
My point is, nobody can ever succeed by himself.
With this in mind, let’s look at meritocracy. Or for that matter, meritocracy in the Singapore education system.
In our supposedly meritocratic society, it is easy for the academically inclined, or on a larger perspective, the rich and powerful in the country, to attribute their success completely to their own hard work, and look down on those struggling in studies or in life and say that it is all their own fault because they are "lazy and don't want to work hard". What they fail to understand is that for a meritocratic society to truly be fair, everyone must be on the same starting point.
Unfortunately though, the world is unfair.
If anyone finds it hard to accept this, I’m sorry. Maybe you should get out of your ivory tower and have a look at the world outside. Contrary to popular belief, the most devastating thing that can happen to a person is not forgetting to do your maths tutorial. Yes, I know, you might find it hard to accept this at this point in time, but it’s actually true.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the point. Yes, the world is unfair. Everyone is born with different attributes, into different family backgrounds. I’m sorry if this discourages anyone but it’s just so much harder for a kid born into a modest family to get into a top university overseas than a child of a CEO of some MNC. To assert that anyone has the chance to succeed as long as he or she works hard is either painfully short-sighted, or just plain delusional.
Success is, unfortunately, not based solely, if at all, on how hard you work, or how intelligent you are for that matter, but on the opportunities bestowed upon you, your family background and all the myriad of external factors.
When the child of a CEO father fails a paper, his father would say: “Come on you know this is not your usual standard. Go for it again and show me what you are worth!”
When the child of a taxi driver father fails a paper, his father would say: “Never mind lar maybe you are not cut out for studying. I never used to pass my exams anyway. “
In his free time, the child of the CEO father goes for phonics lessons, piano classes while learning taekwondo. All in a day.
In his free time, the child of the taxi driver father sits in the house and play with power ranger figurines. For the whole day.
When he got older, the child of the CEO father goes for plays and musicals with his father, attending social gatherings and company functions.
When he got older, the child of the taxi driver father watches Channel 8 dramas with his family, sometimes attending the community events at the RC on the void deck.
The child of the CEO father was unable to get an undergraduate scholarship. His father sent him overseas on a parent’s scholarship anyway.
The child of the taxi driver father got a place overseas, but was unable to get an undergraduate scholarship. He settled for a place at NUS instead.
The thing is, meritocracy is only “fair” for those benefitting from it, those blessed with talent or opportunities or a good family background, those sitting comfortably at the top of this hierarchy of sorts. Who cares about the majority of people piled at the bottom of the pyramid, those paying the taxes for you to enjoy your 4 years of undergraduate studies in the USA on some government scholarship?
But hey, you would say. Don’t we often hear an occasional story about how this boy from a single-parent family from a neighbourhood secondary school was able to rise against all odds and eventually secure a scholarship to some prestigious Ivy League university? See, I told you meritocracy is wonderful. It allows these people, who would otherwise be unable to make it, to be able to rise to the top based on their own hard work and resilience!
Erm, I don’t know if you have ever heard this word before, but for your information, these people are called anomalies. Take it this way. Pit the Singapore football team against Liverpool for a 100 games and I’m sure they will win at least one. Ok maybe not. This is a lousy example, but you get my point.
The thing is, just because a few supposedly disadvantaged people were able to succeed because of this whole meritocratic thing does not mean that this system benefits all equally.
To quote from an article on the Channel News Asia web, “for the 2008 batch of PSC scholars, 47% reside in HDB housing, 27% in private non-landed property and 26% in landed property”. And to borrow an argument from theonlinecitizen.com commenting on this article, “Since more than 80 per cent of residential dwelling units are HDB flats, the proportion of scholars from private property is disproportionately high."
This exactly illustrates the point I’m making. Some people might actually find it hard to understand this, but it is about the concept of PROPORTION, people. There is a disproportionate number of scholars coming from richer families. Ok to make it simpler for you, this means, like it or not, it is easier for a student staying in private property to obtain a PSC scholarship than one living in a HDB flat.
Do not misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that scholarship boards perhaps prefer to offer the scholarship to people with better family background. I’m just saying that students from richer families typically have a better upbringing, better opportunities for learning and growth, and thus end up in a better position to vie for these scholarships because we are operating in this so-called meritocratic system.
Does anyone not see something strangely wrong with this? No? Hmm let’s see. The people who are getting sponsored for their overseas education are exactly those who don’t need it. And these people would then most likely end up the elites of society and become rich and powerful, while those at the bottom of the pyramid settle for a nine-to-five job and just live life as it is. Then they all get married and have children. And the whole cycle repeats again.
This is meritocracy for you, people. The modern day caste system masquerading as a beacon of hope for the 80% of people busy trying to pay off their housing loans.
Special Moments.
Yesterday was 7th August 2009.
At the 34th minute and 56 seconds past 12, the time and date read:
12:34:56 07/08/09
A thousand years' phenomenon as many puts it.
Wonderful isn't it?
For much of men's history people have always been amazed by numbers, particularly those with a certain progression and follow a set of defined formulas and rules. Its almost a kind of fascination over the very thing of time and dates that men himself invented.
And along with such special dates and time, people will inevitably ask, so how will you spend that time? What will you be doing at that very special moment?
Because for unbeknownst reason, people associate special moments with special events. For instance, on birthdays, on christmas, on new year's eve, or like recently on a day of an eclipse. its almost as if to say that such special occasions are opportunities or even a basis for doing something unique and different.
Now fundamentally there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever. But I guess my point here has to do with the power of one's ability to create his destiny. Alright, that may have seemed a bit far-fetched and sort of unrelated to what we are talking about. But let me explain.
In the many situations that I have mentioned about date and time coming along with opportunities, people will always be saddened if they have not made use of that opportunity fully. Its almost as if they wasted that good/unique day by not doing anything unique/special themselves. Or it need not be unique things but just symbolic gestures like coming up with a set of new year's resolutions right before the start of the new year.
And here's where my point come in. IT DOESN'T MATTER. A lot of people always forget that time and date are just some of men's creations for a more structured world. They are just nothing more than a little part of our lives that we have become so accustomed to. But really, eventually when it comes down to it, its up to you to decide what to do with your life. You don't have to wait for those special moments in life to do that something special. You can do that something special RIGHT NOW.
Traditional Chinese always say pick a good date for marriage or a good day to register your business, to get a house etc. etc. The list goes on. But like I have said, don't let dates and time make or break you. You make and break time and date. Be the master of your own destiny.
Eventually what I am also saying is- DON't WAIT. Life aren't about waiting for those special moments, its about making those special moments yourself.
That said, I felt completely assured when I was sleeping through 12:34:56 07/08/09. :)
At the 34th minute and 56 seconds past 12, the time and date read:
12:34:56 07/08/09
A thousand years' phenomenon as many puts it.
Wonderful isn't it?
For much of men's history people have always been amazed by numbers, particularly those with a certain progression and follow a set of defined formulas and rules. Its almost a kind of fascination over the very thing of time and dates that men himself invented.
And along with such special dates and time, people will inevitably ask, so how will you spend that time? What will you be doing at that very special moment?
Because for unbeknownst reason, people associate special moments with special events. For instance, on birthdays, on christmas, on new year's eve, or like recently on a day of an eclipse. its almost as if to say that such special occasions are opportunities or even a basis for doing something unique and different.
Now fundamentally there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever. But I guess my point here has to do with the power of one's ability to create his destiny. Alright, that may have seemed a bit far-fetched and sort of unrelated to what we are talking about. But let me explain.
In the many situations that I have mentioned about date and time coming along with opportunities, people will always be saddened if they have not made use of that opportunity fully. Its almost as if they wasted that good/unique day by not doing anything unique/special themselves. Or it need not be unique things but just symbolic gestures like coming up with a set of new year's resolutions right before the start of the new year.
And here's where my point come in. IT DOESN'T MATTER. A lot of people always forget that time and date are just some of men's creations for a more structured world. They are just nothing more than a little part of our lives that we have become so accustomed to. But really, eventually when it comes down to it, its up to you to decide what to do with your life. You don't have to wait for those special moments in life to do that something special. You can do that something special RIGHT NOW.
Traditional Chinese always say pick a good date for marriage or a good day to register your business, to get a house etc. etc. The list goes on. But like I have said, don't let dates and time make or break you. You make and break time and date. Be the master of your own destiny.
Eventually what I am also saying is- DON't WAIT. Life aren't about waiting for those special moments, its about making those special moments yourself.
That said, I felt completely assured when I was sleeping through 12:34:56 07/08/09. :)
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