Sunday, August 16, 2009

Some things to remember

Paper 1:
  1. First 5 mins - Qn selection. Pick a question based on awareness of content, assumptions (arguments), challenges to those assumptions (counter - arguments).
  2. Next 10 mins - Break down question and Brainstorming. After planning a balanced essay ask yourself what is the best structure) format to use. Two chunks (yes,BUT) or the rebuttal style (yes,BUT) (yes,BUT) (yes, BUT) or a hybrid? This depends on the availability of direct rebuttals. Your view is always presented last.
  3. After first 15 mins - Writing Intro. OS, Thesis/Stand/Balance (incorporating CKT), Scope (optional). Remember to write the question and question number down. This REALLY helps ensure you don't get lost.
  4. After intro - Paras. SHARP Topic sentences (TS) should attempt to prove thesis right. Ensure there are no examples in TS.
  5. Develop para through elaboration and then supply example/evidence
  6. At the end of para you may wish to link back to TS.
  7. At the end of essay - Concluding Para. Either reiterate/summarise (basic approach) or use conclusion to explore additional arguments that you deemed unsuitable for body of essay. This could include postulations into the future or arguments that radically challenge assumptions that you may have been reluctant to use in body of essay for fear of digression. These evaluative arguments are acceptable as a sort of afterword (an A essay).
  8. Manage your time with discipline. If you are unable to, you simply don't get the grade you deserve. There are, unfortunately, no two ways about it.

Paper 2:

  1. Ensure you have a plan for time allocation and follow with discipline depending on how well you feel you can do the AQ.
  2. Read AQ and Summary qns first.
  3. Annotate. Use bright colours. Make linkages and comments. Write para summaries.
  4. Be aware of AQ and Summary qn as annotating. Keep an eye out for useful info.
  5. Analyse question. Analyse Marks, Question type and be aware of UYOWAFAP. Write down this analysis on answer booklet to guide you.
  6. If in doubt, give a bit more, with strongest answers first. But don't copy down whole para please.
  7. Apply Summary skills with diligence. Be precise when isolating key ideas and paraphrasing. The exact meaning, context, connotation and nuance must be reflected.
  8. Don't forget Word Count.
  9. Spend about three minutes planning the AQ answer. Break down question requirements and how your paras will flow. Remember to use common sense to decide how to answer the question and how to sequence paras. Your view is ALWAYS presented last.

Be calm. This is the most important ability of any student who succeeds in exams. Good luck to you all for the Prelims. Some of you have worked really hard and I sincerely hope you will show good progress in these Prelims so you can attack the A Levels with full confidence.

RA

Friday, August 14, 2009

Alyn Magenta A01: 'Women will never enjoy the same rights as men.' Do you agree?

Since ancient times, gender inequality has existed. Men tended to have more basic rights and freedoms entitled to humans as women were treated as a lower class as compared to men. There have been feminist movements to overturn gender inequality since the late 1880s when the word “feminism” was first used and even though such feminist movements are not as prominent as they were then, many are still fighting for equal rights for women. Indeed, women have progressed in their status quo but to a larger extent, it is true that women will never enjoy the same rights as men as in many societies, women have yet to achieve gender equality as men are still generally dominant. Some womens' civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education have been achieved but not all, especially not when compared to men.

Undoubtedly, women nowadays are given basic human rights in the developed nations but it is certainly not the same for women living in developing countries. There have been laws issued by many governments across the globe to ensure the rights of women. One example is the United Nations Millennium Project. The project claims, "Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies where women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner.” There are surely better living conditions for women and more resources allocated to take care of women than before. However, this is only true in countries that can afford to defy the traditional society’s point of view to give the females better treatment. In developing countries like India, the mens' opinion is too strong to be suppressed that women are still being treated as people of lower status. Women are traded like merchandise in India and in China many female babies are abandoned or female fetuses are aborted because of the one child policy. People have chose to give up these lives of women in exchange for a possibility of getting a male baby. Figures have proven that women’s rights are not equivalent to men. Of 150 million children aged six to eleven who do not attend school, over 90 million are girls and of the world’s 876 million illiterate people over 15 years of age, two thirds are women. Women also make up 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people worldwide who live in poverty. They are not only not given proper living conditions or the opportunity to progress from their poor living conditions, they are subjected to violent abuse by men. They have become the source of satisfaction to men’s lust and women being victims are even at times blamed for the lecherous acts of men. There are honour killings committed by Iraqi men against their own sisters, wives, daughters and mothers whom have been raped by other men or have been suspected of straying from traditional rules of chastity and fidelity. Thus, even though the human rights entitled to a woman has advanced; women still do not enjoy the same human rights men do.

It can be seen that women have achieved certain rights that men used to enjoy which women did not in the past in the workplace, but it must also be recognized that there is still a long way to go before real equality is achieved. In this era, women are now able to enter the workforce and hold an occupation. This was never possible before as women’s role was stereotyped as the one taking care of the family and staying at home to perform house chores. It can be seen that women’s rights in the economic realm has improved; they are now able to earn a living for themselves and not depend on men as the sole breadwinners of the family. Women are even given the privilege of maternity leave during their pregnancy. However, there is still this social stigma against women. Many employers are reluctant to hire married women or give them a higher position in the company as they are aware of the possibility of women going on maternity leave, that women have the tendency to place family above their career and that women are more emotional as compared to men. It is certainly still gender inequality existing even though it is not blatant. Globally, female directors of companies are few and far between. Statistics have also proven so. Worldwide, women work two thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food yet women only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Moreover, in Forbes 2009 top richest people in the world, the only female that came close to the top ten was Alice Walton whose wealth was not even earned by herself but an inheritance from her family. It is clearly illustrated that although women have been given economic rights, the playing field in the workplace is still not level. People still think that a woman’s role is ultimately as the housewife and not the one with a successful career or the one who is able to help the company advance. Therefore, women have enjoyed more rights than before but women will never enjoy the same rights as men as society has been structured such that women are tasked as caregivers of the family.

In addition, in the political arena, it appears that women can now take part in governing the country but the truth is, women are still under-represented. Indeed, more and more females are now entering politics and given the opportunity to voice the female point of view instead of the same old patriarchal voices. However, women in fact do not enjoy the same rights as men in politics. Their political rights are still less than that of men. Women make up more than half the population in the world but only 12.7 percent of the world’s parliamentarians are female. Also, it has been said that women who break political barriers despite being a female do so because of their family connections. Benazir Bhutto and Indira Ghandi, both ex-Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India respectively were of privileged political lineage. In many other countries that have elected more women than others, it is also because of lineage that they were able to slash through gender barriers. Another example would be Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San, a war time hero that led Burma out of colonial rule. It is not only the rulers that deny women of their equal rights but also the members of the society. In a poll done in the US recently, 14 percent admitted they would never vote for a female. Hence, this shows how women are not given the exact same rights that men enjoy even though they get do get a sniff of it.

In conclusion, women do not enjoy the same rights as men even though the situation has been somewhat ameliorated. Women will indeed never enjoy the same rights as men because of the characteristics a woman have and the social stereotypes that have become innate to mankind since time immemorial.

Michelle Yang S16: Is it possible to protect the environment when many countries require increasing amounts of energy to progress?

In recent years, developing countries such as China, India and Vietnam have been growing their economies at phenomenal rates. This clearly implies that there are increasing demands for resources that are essential for production. The main resources required would undoubtedly be oil or coal as they would generate energy. The process of energy consumption would emit pollutants such as carbon monoxide which would adversely affect our health and also our surroundings. The rising trends of global warming and severe depletion of natural resources such as crude oil are one of the many concerns of environmentalist. It is indeed true that it is very difficult to have a balance between production and environmentalists. However, it is actually possible to implement effectual measures to curb the worsening of environmental degradation, depending on the willingness of the country.

It is argued that sustainable economic growth will eventually precipitate eco-friendly economic growth. When countries increase their demand of energy, enormous amount of pollutants would be emitted into the air, water and our land. Statistics have shown that while average emission of carbon dioxide in developed countries have stabilized in recent years, yet in developing countries they have been increased by 4% a year. Some economist may say that when countries have more demand for energy, they are actually developing their economies and when they eventually gain sustainable economic growth, they would also gain wealth which can be used for research and development of clean energy or on infrastructures to solve environmental problems they have caused.

However, this is only an assumption made by the economists. Since most economies in the world are profit-motivated, countries can be reluctant to engage in protecting the environment. Taking America as an example, although the Americans just made up 4% of the world population, they produce 25% of carbon dioxide pollutions, more than China, India and Japan combined. This clearly indicates that America should take the leadership role in solving the problem, but why is she not doing it? The American government even refused to rectify the Kyoto Protocol- an international treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. In addition, developing countries would prioritize their nation’s interest before environment because they have too much infrastructure to be developed to improve standard of living of her people. With countries averse to solve the problem, it seemed more difficult to save Earth.

Some may say that measures are already implemented such as carbon tax and tradable emission permits to curb environmental problems. Hence, even though countries have increasing demand, the amount of pollutants emitted would be limited. However, it is difficult to apportion blames and to fairly distribute the emission permit. Richer developed countries such as Japan can actually buy the permit from another country which does not require the pollution permits. This would not solve the problem; instead, it gives countries the legal rights to pollute. Moreover, these measures have existed for a long period since 1990s and there is no evident effect on the current situations, instead, it has worsened. This is an implication of countries engaging in economic developments instead of mitigating environmental problems.

It is indeed true that some countries have successfully switched to non-carbon based energy sources. Norway has the world largest solar production plant and for Sweden, majority of the country’s power is generated by hydroelectricity or nuclear, which are better alternatives than fuels or coals. Using of solar power to generate electricity would not emit pollutants. Countries can actually make use of their geographical advantages to protect the environment. Taking New Zealand as an example, she has been actively engaging in development of geothermal energy which is a renewable resource that would help to generate power without emitting pollutants.

However, only a handful of countries are engaging in these eco-friendly developments. Most countries are still not making use of their geographical advantages. Singapore is a good example. She has an equatorial climate which is an advantage of using solar power; however, she is still not engaging in such clean energy development. Despite having a small population, Singapore’s energy consumption is one of the highest in the world. In addition, even though environmental friendly vehicles such as CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) cars have been invented in recent years, many people are still not driving them. One of the studies conducted on road users in Singapore have shown that the main reason of them not driving those environmental friendly vehicles is due to the insufficient refuel stations available. If the Singapore government had spent money on building more of such stations, many people would choose to drive these vehicles which would in turn reduce pollutions. It goes to show again that a country can actually protect the environment; however it all depends on her willingness.

In conclusion, when countries have high energy consumption, it is impossible to prevent pollutants from being emitted. However, they can engage in developing effective solutions to solve the problems they have caused. It depends very much on the foresight and political will of the government of the day.

Clara Cho A01: Is there still a place for charity in today’s world?

With globalization on the rise, societies may be increasingly preoccupied with bringing in the dollar bills and squandering it to raise their living and comfort levels. As such, would it be possible that the poor, homeless, and the destitute would be left displaced in society without any source of help? Personally, I do believe so. Despite the presence of charitable organizations and programmes to help raise funds for the less fortunate, it is even more evident that charity is given less priority in today’s world. As modernization and rising affluence begin to assume control in this world, many people in the Third World and those marginalized in developed societies would be at a greater disadvantage, as charity seems to be displaced from society.

Some may argue that with globalization and modernization, charity has evolved into what is known as ‘modern philanthropy’, taking action rather than supporting charitable organizations with one-off donations.
Previously, while acts of charity were usually associated with money donations and supporting donation drives, charity has now evolved into action, with people traveling across countries and helping those in need. Locally, schools have made overseas Community Involvement Programme (CIP) an integral part of school curriculum, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels of education. Not only do these programmes allow for well-rounded education, they also provided opportunities for students and teachers alike to understand the plight of the less fortunate and to take action in building wells, schools and other facilities to help them meet some basic needs. On the global stage, the creation of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF) could be seen as one of the leaders of modern philanthropy. From Africa to Asia, the foundation has impacted countries positively in line with their belief that ‘all lives have equal value’. They are concerned with educating the poor, eliminate poverty and have given out grants and donations in order to try to nip these problems in the butt. Henceforth, philanthropy in today’s context may not merely be about money donations. Rather, charity is still relevant today because of how man uses it as a tool to help better the lives of others.

Furthermore, charity is still existent today as it allows people to understand what compassion is truly all about. In a world where globalization seems to numb people, inhibiting their ability to feel for the destitute, charity still has a place to help them regain consciousness of the plight of fellow men in other parts of the world. For instance in Singapore, local celebrities Priscilla Chan and Alan Tern had been giving recognition for their charitable works overseas by Channelnews Asia. On the international level, an entirely new industry centered on giving has been created. Philanthropy workshops and coaches have emerged, helping people to narrow in on what they genuinely are concerned about, guiding them in managing their finances and taking the right action in contributing to charity. Philanthropic coaches go an extra mile in helping their clients create mission statements based on the type of change they envision, and help them to plan their giving, both in mode and magnitude. As such, proponents of the claim that charity still has a place in the world today may be valid as charity takes on a different and more meaningful nature when people get their hands dirty and create change in the world.

On hindsight, however, rather than allowing charity to gain some control over the world today, greed seems to be the new “virtue” that many subscribe to. With rising affluence in many parts of the world today, one cannot help but start to practice material hegemony, igniting a desire for material pleasure. Even with greater amount of wealth, it would be surprising that man would donate a portion of it to charity purely out of goodwill rather than desiring to be recognized for such a major contribution. The recent Wall Street meltdown is an apt example of how a rich and developed country led to its own downfall and adversely affected the global economy. In the USA, citizens took mortgages from the banks without being able to pay them off due to their desire for their dream house without being fully informed of the risks involved, in a bid to increase their pool of wealth. Locally, there are also instances in which people bought Minibonds that were repackaged and sold through local banks, losing thousands of dollars overnight, showing how greed is perhaps innate and universal. Therefore, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to claim that in today’s world, charity is becoming more displaced and greed has taken its toll on society?

Aside from Greed, the power that Pride yields seem to be usurping the throne that Charity once held, in the 21st Century. As people become more prideful about their wealth and status, charity may have become more obsolete in their lives. America is a good example, again, of how a nation slowly and painfully learns the truth behind being humble. For the past few years, the USA has prided itself for being brilliant, her greatness in moral convictions, the superiority of its intelligence and the seemingly blameless nature of her actions and decisions. Involvement in war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan have pulled American into uncomfortable realizations of how far its pride has led it to squander global goodwill and cooperation and in the process, make a number of enemies worldwide. A poll conducted after the Wall Street meltdown was even more telling of how pride blinds people, causing them to be even more self-centered than before. The poll saw half of Wall Street workers dissatisfied with their 2008 bonuses while the rest of the world suffered from the repercussions of the financial turmoil, with retrenchments and bills that could not be paid off. As people become increasingly preoccupied with meeting their level of happiness and comfort, charity would seem to disappear from the list of ‘must-dos’, leaving the less fortunate with little hope for the future.

Lastly, laziness seems to be getting the better of the world when it comes to charity. It is ironic how the world is in a constant buzz and yet Sloth stealthily kicks in to help people settle for what is most convenient. Be it struggling to complete one’s PhD, keeping the family together at the dinner table and loving one’s difficult relationship entails costs and sacrifice. Sloth, or rather, laziness propels individuals to choose the easy way out, thereby neglecting what is more pressing. It is no wonder that the larger affairs of the world such as poverty continue to remain unresolved despite the many years of international cooperation. Even with money flowing through the banks of charity, the hands of the people are not yet dirtied as they seem to believe that mere dollar bills would indeed make the world go round in happiness and hope. These people share the common belief that one-off donations would indeed make a difference, but they may not be clearly aware that their laziness in taking action to create changes in the world would ultimately, prevent the less fortunate from envisioning a better life in the coming years ahead. As such, I do believe that charity is becoming increasingly displaced as the world today would rather choose to settle for the most convenient things in life.

To sum up, charity, I believe begins with the heart. With people whose hearts are filled with greed, pride and laziness, how can the world be rid of the current problems that have to be tackled? Poverty would continue to exist in the future if people are unable to realize the increasing importance of charity in the world today. Without charity, there probably would not be any glimmer of hope for the poor and destitute. As the “virtues” of greed, pride and laziness pounce forward and assume control of the world, charity seems to be marked out of the list of priorities in the world today.

Genevieve Wong S16: In what ways does a country both benefit and suffer from where it is situated?

A country's geographical site is something that is of great significance, however, it can never be changed. A country has no way of deciding where she is located. Depending on beliefs, location is decided by a supreme being or sheer luck. Location can be an asset or liability to a country depending on the exact nature of the location. Some countries have been submerged in water , others have been mired in war for years and some are located strategically along trade travel hub. However, given the level of technology today, coupled with factors such as good governance, it is possible to mitigate the effects of poor location in certain situations.

A country with a good location would be a country that is not land locked, is accessible to good trade routes and natural resources.

A country can gain from her location if she is in close proximity with other countries and they cooperate. This being the case helps to encourage trade and security cooperation which are two important factors that helps to build and safeguard a country. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and the European Union(EU) are international organizations that carry out the gains mentioned earlier. To illustrate, to bolster security measures, member countries of ASEAN signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which spelled out the basic principles for their relations with one another and the conduct of the association’s programme for cooperation. In a similar manner, to maximise their influence on the international scene, on trade matters, EU members speak with one voice. In addition, EU members have removed all tariffs on trade when trading with fellow members, in order to boost trade. These examples demonstrate how countries can benefit from their location if they work hand in hand with the countries that are in close proximity.

However, just as close proximity can help a country, it can also bring about harm such as increased tensions and even conflict. Such is the case of the boundary disputes between India and China. India and China have yet to resolve their dispute over large land areas such as Aksai Chin, a territory that China seized during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. In addition, close proximity due to the location of countries can bring about conflict over natural resources that are shared. A more recent example, is the building of as many as 55 dams along the course of the Mekong river flowing through Indochina. This is especially damaging as the river meanders from China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Thus, the lives of millions of people, not only those in Indochina, depend on it. This problem which will not be corrected in the near future has led to an increase in social and political tension between the lower Mekong countries and those in Indochina. This is an apt example of how close proximity arising from countries' location can result in the sharing of natural resources and the subsequent increase in problems that the countries have to face.

Moving on, a country's location determines the climate that the country experiences and the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters. Such factors are vital in determining if a country gains or loses. An example of a country that has prospered due to its good climate is Brazil. Climate suitable for agriculture has enabled Brazil's agriculture sector to grow steadily over the past decade, positioning itself among the most dynamic sectors of the economy. Certainly, the growth is also fueled by the increase in the use of high technologies such as softwares to maximise the use of fertilizers and pesticides. However, climate still plays an irreplaceable role in the agriculture sector. This is because, without the suitable climate, crops cannot prosper or survive even if large amounts of fertilizers are used. Hence this case shows how a country can gain from her good climate due to her good location.

In contrast, a country can suffer due to the geography and climate of the country. Problems include natural disasters or islands becoming submerged underwater and these problems can arise due the location of the country. As climate continues to warm, entire islands are sinking below rising waters due to melting glaciers. At least 18 islands have been submerged underwater. This problem is a result of the location of these islands. It is because these islands are located in low lying areas which is why the change in climate has resulted in them being submerged. This has brought about harm as whole communities have to be relocated, bringing about the advent of climate refugees. In addition, this has also caused much land to be no longer suitable for agriculture. This example shows the magnitude and how a location of a country can bring harm and loss.

On separate note, it is important to note that while location is significant, in this day and age, it is possible for good governance coupled with technology to mitigate the effects of a bad location. Land locked countries such as Switzerland and San Marino are among the most stable and prosperous countries in the world. This shows that the most unfavorable geographical locations can be made prosperous by good policy. Apart from this, technology can also make geography irrelevant. Technology has enhanced communication and thus shrunk distances. Bangalore has become the software capital of India, with Hyderabad a close second. Both are land-locked, but satellite communications enable them to link up with cities anywhere in the world at low cost.

Location remains an important determinant of whether a country gains or loses. However, it has been shown that technology with good governance can conquer location. Hence while location is vital, perhaps the gains and losses a country experiences also depends on the resolve of the people to use things available to their advantage and make their country prosperous.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Kelly Wu A01: Should the police have unlimited powers when dealing with crime?

In the new movie “Public Enemies”, Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger, the 1930s bank robber and killer who gets hunted down and shot by the newly formed FBI. This seemingly suggests that the governmental department that was established to maintain order as well as to enforce the law is given a very large amount of authority in the process of law enforcement. However, this is true only to a certain extent because in reality, the police force does not have such a large amount of power to wield as they wish, and for good reason. Although some argue that the police do not have sufficient authority and that the police force should be given more liberty when faced with powerful criminals like the criminal syndicates, it is inevitable that if given too much of a free rein, the individual members in the police force might be tempted to abuse this power, or even become licensed assassins as they might become as irrational and brutal as convicts in their attempt to resolve a crime.

Indeed, the law enforcers ought to have a greater authority whilst upholding the law, especially in the face of powerful criminals like the crime syndicates. In places like Russia, Japan, Italy, Mexico and China, where the Russian Mafiya, the Japanese Yakuza, the Italian Mafia, Mexican Drug Cartels and the Chinese Triads are considered the five most powerful criminal syndicates according to the Foreign Policy online 2008, it is essential for the police force to have the necessary authority to apprehend them and bring these criminals to justice. This is especially so when these criminal organizations have the ability to reach out to gangsters worldwide. This can be seen in the example whereby wherever there is a Chinatown in the world, the Triad’s tentacles would have reached there to tap into ties – giving them an unprecedented huge network of opportunities to expand their criminal network. With such a huge reach over the many petty criminals worldwide, there is a massive potential for large-scale global crimes to take place. Therefore to prevent this, it is crucial that the police force should be able to match up to, or even hold greater powers that these huge criminal syndicates have so as to able to keep these syndicates in check or to eradicate them entirely.

Some also argue that the police ought to be given more liberty when pursuing petty lawbreakers as they believe that the police do not have enough power to uphold the law. Police power is highly circumscribed by law and departmental policies and they have very little power or control over the situations they are in or the people they encounter. They also cannot use force the vast majority of the time, and when they do, they are subjected to an enormous amount of scrutiny. In the Gallup Poll, an institution that is seen to have too little power is the local police “in your community” (31%). In addition, the poll results show that the oft-cited fear of the power of the police-type units of the federal state, state, and local governments is not as widespread as might be supposed. In fact, at the state and local levels, the prevailing sentiment is clearly that police forces either have the right amount of power or should have even more.

However, the above claim should be refuted since if given too much of a free rein, some members of the police force might be tempted to abuse it to help the criminals get away scot-free in order to reap some rewards. In fact, there have been many cases of police officers abusing their power and accepting bribes from criminals. One case in point is where a number of Colombian police officers were arrested for accepting bribes and returning seized drug to a trafficking group. Furthermore, in Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel, details emerged in April this year of an elaborate criminal scheme to turn police officers into informants on behalf of lawbreakers. The officers were accused of accepting cash bribes to tip off a "serious criminal" who runs brothels, and passing on intelligence in ways which are reminiscent of double agents depicted in the Hollywood film The Departed. In a situation where the police were given the right to apprehend law-breakers in order to prevent crime, they abused this right for their own personal gain. In a separate incident, Chicago Police have been accused of using pepper spray without provocation on black people celebrating Obama’s victory on election night and also of kicking in doors and running into people’s houses. They never explained what was going on and simply left when they were done with whatever they were doing. This suggests that the policemen involved in this unfortunate and seemingly racist incident simply rode on the fact that they were in the uniform and took advantage of the authority that the uniform gives them in order to carry out unexplained acts of harassment on the target citizens. Since power can be so easily made use of, it is then unwise to entrust unlimited powers to the police.

In addition, the police might become licensed assassins if they are given too much power as they might become as irrational and brutal as convicts in their attempt to resolve a crime. In the UK TV program “Worst Police Shootouts”, viewers were shocked rigid by the gratuitous legalised murder fest that ensued. Five or six cases were shown, each of which ended in the ‘perpetrator’ being shot, usually to death. In one video, a middle aged lady ran out of her house on a suburban street, obviously in some kind of distress, waving a short kitchen knife. The two attending cops panicked and shot her when she ran towards one of them, panicked and shot her, thinking that she was about to attack them. All the other cases featured followed much the same pattern. Should these cases be considered as ‘legalised murders’ then? Maybe, if the killings were entirely accidental, but if the police use their given authority to behave as they wish while patrolling or chasing criminals, then many more innocent people will be injured or killed in their reckless line of duty. Therefore, since many police force members have already harmed so many people with the current level of authority that they have, it is definitely imprudent assign even greater powers for the police to wield.

To conclude, as Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt once said, “If it were possible to make an accurate calculation of the evils which police regulations occasion, and of those which they prevent, the number of the former would, in all cases, exceed that of the latter.” It thus can be said that with the current level of power that the police possess, it is already being abused or used in the wrong way. Therefore, the notion that the police should be given more power should not be encouraged as it may result in disastrous results.

Tse Siong S04: Are the poor an inevitable feature of any society?

The rich-poor divide has existed in society for centuries and till today, philosophers and sociologists are still pondering about whether the poor are an unavoidable characteristic of society. Some say that it is a problem that can only be eradicated when the right measures and government policies are in place at both domestic and international levels. Others argue that it is a natural phenomenon in society that would exist regardless of how societies are run. In my opinion, I feel that the number of people who are poor can be reduced but the poor would definitely remain as an indelible part of society as the world today presents several new problems, in addition to the existing ones, that exacerbate the situation brought forward from the past.

A prime reason why the poor are present and prevalent in some societies is due to existing debts in the form of international or individual debt. This problem can be solved through international debt relief or through micro-financing that may ease or eradicate the number of poor people. Third World countries such as Haiti and Cameroon are such examples; they are saddled with large amounts of debt, which saps resources meant for economic growth, causing these countries to be under-developed. As a result, poverty becoming a major issue as the majority of the people living there is unable to find jobs and cannot afford basic commodities. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank launched the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative to provide debt relief for the world’s poorest countries, and a large portion of international debt have been bought over by such organizations, to free up resources for economic growth in such countries. Poorer countries have benefited as a result as more money is spent on improving the living conditions of the people and poverty is minimised in these countries. Together with micro-financing through banks, it allows a wider scope of people be debt-free, hence reducing the number of people in debt.

Another reason would be due to unstable governance in society that comes in forms such as corruption and organised crime. An upright and respected government has to be installed in order to ensure that the basic needs of the people are met. However, in societies ran by kleptocratic governments, funds in the form of education, farming and other subsidies meant for the public are embezzled, depriving the locals of opportunities to break out from the poverty cycle. Other societies that are dominated by criminal syndicates are also in the same situation. Protection rackets, drug-trafficking and loan-sharking are some activities that are prevalent in such societies, and with governments unwilling to crack down on such illegal activities, it leaves a negative impression on foreign countries and investors. As such, jobs are not created to provide employment for the people, and the poor continues to exist in society. Thus, ensuring that a government which is honest and unafraid to crack down on crime is in place may allow the number of poor people in societies to fall.

One other contributing factor to the existence of the poor would be discrimination in gender, cultural and racial aspects. Discrimination disadvantages certain groups of people into being unable to have the same rights as others, and as a result, they constitute the majority of the poor in many societies. Racial bias, for example, was a major issue in the US, such that before the African-American civil rights movement took place in the 1960s, African-Americans did not enjoy the same rights as white Americans. As such, they made up the bulk of the poor in the US in the past. However, with the help of pro-black groups such as the Black Panther Party, African-Americans are better off than before and poverty in America is no longer concentrated amongst African-Americans. Such rights groups still exist today, and they are still campaigning to stop discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all. They play an important role in eradicating biased ness in any form, such that people can get jobs regardless of their colour or religion. This also breaks down most social barriers, and it would pave the way to reducing the number of poor people disadvantaged because of discrimination.

The existence of the poor may now seem to be a relatively simple problem that can be solved in these changing times as certain trends are changing, but some solutions are more theoretical rather than practical and do not help in removing the ‘poor’ tag in societies as believed.

Gender, racial and cultural bias is one perennial problem that appears solvable, but is impossible to resolve. This is because such discrimination stems from people’s mentality that has been shaped by negative influences as they grow up. As such, it is present in many forms in society, for example, in job interviews, discriminative employers may only offer jobs to certain groups of people and this creates a disadvantage for such people, which may be the reason why people who are discriminated against form the bulk of the poor. Also, in today’s society, the problem of discrimination is partly due to the older generations carrying historical baggage, such that the negative impressions they have of other groups of people are brought forward from the past and their actions could be discriminative. The problem also creates a vicious cycle when parents from these generations, out of stereotypical fears, inadvertently inculcate a sense of discrimination in their children. As such the people who are discriminated against might continue to feel resigned to be part of the poor and the problem carries on for generations. The population of the poor who are being discriminated against thus either grows or remains the same.

Another issue that contributes to the existence of the poor would be the different innate abilities in everyone. Some people are brighter than the others, while others can be more charismatic than others and the list goes on. Such traits distinguish each and every individual and it depends on which traits are more in demand that determines who might be rich and who might be poor. Generally, people who are intellectually superior than others would be in higher demand, and this could translate to them being better paid as well. This naturally creates a rich-poor divide in every society. Furthermore, a portion of the poor is also made up of people who are less skilled or unwilling to work. Comparatively, a person who is skilled would be more likely to secure a job than one who is not; a person who is willing to find a job would stand a chance of finding one compared to one who is not searching. As such, the poor basically constitutes of people who do not have the right skills or the right work attitude which dampens their chances of securing a job and breaking out of the ‘poor’ category.

Furthermore, studies have shown that the literacy rate in countries is a key determinant to the country’s economic prosperity, which can in turn increase the average local’s income. As such, most countries focus on making education available to every child in the country. Yet, for some countries, education may not be freely accessible due to political, geographical, social and other reasons. This is evident in populous rural areas which are highly inaccessible to the rest of the world, where the standard of education is not on par with education systems elsewhere. The level of education at such rural regions is limited in terms of choice, due to less resource made available for teaching. As a result, the people are deprived of accessible education services and end up forming the bulk of the country’s poor. However, this does not solely apply to rural societies. In developed countries such as the US and Canada, places in top-notch education institutions are reserved largely for the wealthy. This is due to the vast amount of resources concentrated on the varsities that provides the best form of education. As such, when such schools are compared to schools that are widely available to the public, there is a disparity in terms of quality of service provided, and this puts the poor at a disadvantage. In the end, it does not solve the situation of the poor in such countries.

In addition, in many developed and developing societies today, social mobility has become increasingly disparate between the rich and the poor. This is largely due to the tendency of the rich to cluster together to share resources and capital, such that the rich is becoming richer while the poor are becoming worse off. Income gaps in countries are widening as a result and this segregates the rich and the poor. As seen from today’s trends, the rich naturally have the capability to use resources unavailable to the poor, for example, they can afford to send their children for tuition to give them every possible advantage in terms of academic tests. Statistics show that students from the top income quartile have increased their share of places in elite American universities from 39% in 1976 to 50% in 1995, which shows us how the rich could possibly be gaining an edge over others in certain areas. As such, the poor have become the underdogs in areas where the rich seems to be dominating, and in the long run, this trend may have adverse effects on the chances of poor in improving their social status.

Finally, relativity also suggests that there will always be both the rich and the poor. A person who is better off than others would naturally be considered to be part of the rich, while the poor applies to the rest of the people. It tells us how people are grouped into either the ‘rich’ or ‘poor’ group. Take for example, a person who earns a salary slightly higher than another is considered to be richer, while the other person is considered to be poorer. A poor person may not be identified as one who is not capable of affording basic necessities, but one whose financial worth is less than that of others. This is because an individual who may be considered to be poor in a developed country may not be so in a developing country. This serves to tell us that regardless of whether a society has a portion of its people who are poor, there might be others who are even worse off than them, and the problem of the poor existing in societies would thus persist no matter what happens.

Ng Tse Siong 2S04 13.08.09

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Phoebe Tan S04: ‘In the modern world, image is everything.’ Discuss.

In the past century, image has rapidly evolved from mere vanity to being regarded as of great importance in the modern world, where technology is ubiquitous and the concept of image can be portrayed everywhere. An image is not merely the vivid representation of an individual or an object, but also a powerful tool manipulated by us to impress and entertain people, for self or for profit. Image is an important factor in society nowadays as it draws a line between the prominent people and the society’s unfashionable mob. It also separates the normal everyday products from the high end gadgets. While a good image is an eminently valued asset in today’s context and can help attain success to a certain extent, there are other elements that are just as important if not more important than it, such as substance. In today’s world, image may seem like everything, however, where are many other aspects which are just as substantial that can lead to a successful life.

Over the years, with the introduction of print and visual media like newspapers and televisions, the role of images in the representation of ideas has changed significantly. The media plays a strong role in the dissemination of information in today’s modern society, and everyone has the equal ability to tap into the effectiveness of media to accomplish each’s own agenda. As media is accessible to almost every individual, it has led to a society that is easily influenced by images that the media portrays, deceiving them to desire something that they do not necessarily require. These images are the most prominently shown through the usage of advertisements by corporations to promote their own goods or services. Commercials and advertisements are designed in a way that captures the attention of the viewer in the shortest time possible, thus altering the perception of the individual according to what he sees. One good example of print media is women’s magazines, where beauty and especially fashion is heavily emphasized. Page after page, those magazines exude attractive advertisements of branded accessories, handbags, clothes, make-up and slimming centres. The need of looking elegant and classy has become so deeply entrenched in the modern societal psyche that many people, both man and women alike, are willing to fork out thousands of dollars to lavish themselves on expensive designer clothing, beauty treatments and products. Where looking fashionable is concerned, money is no object.


Reinforcing the fact that an individual comes under the influence of images everyday, the amount of influence exerted on individuals is colossal. And more often than not, individuals succumb to the effect of these images. The massive amount of mass media portraying an ideal beauty causes people to internalize the standard definition of beauty and they take measures to attain the propagated ideal. This explains the fascination or even obsession with image and fashion, especially of celebrities. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports that, among the most prominent trends in 2007, about two thirds of its members reported seeing men and women who requested cosmetic surgery because they wanted to remain competitive in the workplace. One such example is of Hajnal Ban who claimed that she was not taken seriously for her chosen profession of politics because of her height. Thus she had her legs surgically lengthened by 3 inches. This goes to show the amount of pain women endure just to attain that desired image of themselves. There are also more movies and television shows that emphasize on an individual’s outlook appearance, such as 200 Pounds Beauty and Extreme Makeover, where the characters underwent various cosmetic surgeries to transform themselves into the ‘modern beauty’. To them, looking beautiful brings them confidence, and is their key to success. To them, image matters. Hence the viewer’s opinion is swayed to think the same way.

In the case of political parties and governments, it is common to see governments creating impressions to project a representation of the state of the country. In context, in North Korea, Kim Jung Il led citizens to believe that their country was thriving and prospering, when they were actually faced with poverty and famine due to government spending on nuclear weapons. Governments also tend to portray a good image of themselves to the people, such as the Prime Minister of Australia, who made a formal apology for the past wrongs caused by successive governments on the indigenous Aboriginal population. The apology, beamed live around the country on TV, was met with cheers. But however good that image is, he should back it up with substance, by putting his words into actions, like enforcing policies that would be of benefit to the aborigines’ community, instead of just appearing admirable. The previous President of the United States, President George Bush also painted an image of Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction, which resulted in the Iraq war. Moreover, that image has yet to be proven reality.

However, though it may seem that the concept of the perfect image is the only aspect which we all want to acquire, besides beauty and brawn, we are also sought after for something more valuable, such as knowledge and a good disposition. This is eminently shown in Singapore’s education system, where the character and achievements of a student are the most important criteria to enter into a higher level of education. Within the education system, students are not judged for their looks, and that is the purpose of the school uniform, to make every student look equal, not striking. The best way to be outstanding in an education system like Singapore’s is to have excellent conduct grades, academic and co-curricular achievements and thus be named a bright student with character and values. The importance of fulfilling these criteria is due to the significance of one’s testimonial that could help a student enter an institution, such as to a junior college, or university. In Singapore, there are also a group of people who are the cream of the crop and are highly regarded by our government. They are the elite. The elite do not just possess a good image, but the ability and knowledge as well which are undeniably important characteristics as they are shaped to lead the future of Singapore. In this manner, there is only a need for the appropriate image, and not the perfect one.

Selecting the best candidates, especially those of high calibre, will result in a good government. A good and just government is one that portrays the true image of the state, or is able to mould the state into its desired image, like a prosperous nation. Thus it is crucial to pick the right leaders, endowed with the capacity to think critically, that are able to lead a nation, and not just for appearance. To the government, pragmatism is regarded over image, and more often than not, it is a matter of, “Can you deliver?” that is the burning question. This meticulous method of selection for Singapore has been highly successful, and there is no doubt about which party would win the elections each time. One of the main reasons for Singapore’s success is attributed to our state of political stability, and that we have trust in our leaders to maintain good governance in Singapore, corruption free.

Prominent figures in the media are inevitably tasked with being a good role model to their viewers who are greatly influenced by their actions. After scrutinizing the appearance of a character or an actor, before the viewer subconsciously decides who to pick as his role model, the next thing he will look for in the media persona, is for his character. It is unlikely for a child or a right-minded adult to choose an ill-mannered villain as his exemplar. However, though the actor could have started out as a presentable role model, with many others taking after him, but once his character wanes, the others’ will follow suit. Such is shown by various Hollywood stars that have led many to degrade the importance of marriage by their multiple changes of partners. In another light, Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister, was an advisor for Bill Clinton, the then President of the United States. He was known to some as the most important black leader in politics at that time, and it is no doubt that many look up to him. Yet, in 2001, his affair with a staffer, Karin Stanford, was made public and that resulted in a blemish in his once clean profile, thus leading many to reconsider their perception of him. Others might even think that having extra-martial affairs is normal. If a Baptist minister could do it, why couldn’t they? Thus it is a huge responsibility to maintain the role of a good example, as outlook is not all there is to it.

Media has changed the perception of the ideal body image to masculine men and immaculately groomed and slim women. Especially for women, where the mass media promotes unrealistic and unhealthy bodies of painfully thin women, encouraging many girls that it is the ideal way to look. Research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control – including fasting, skipping meals excessive exercise, laxative abuse and self-induced vomiting (Bulimia). There were several cases of models fainting, and in some cases dying, because of the extremity of their eating disorders, but it was only after such horrific events that fashion industries decided to do something about the situation. Italy and Spain have since banned super skinny models from the runway and requires the models to have a body mass index of at least 18.5. In 2004, Dove, a large company in the health product and beauty sector, released a series of print and television ads featuring happy-looking, lingerie-clad women with “everyday” looks, called the Dove Beauties. Dove’s campaign was striving to generate change from within the generally weight-conscious advertisement industry, showing that, you are beautiful in your own way. Through these examples, it proves that a person might have good looks, but without health and contentment of the way one looks, it is difficult to live a self-fulfilling and happy life.

Through the years, image has changed, especially after the emergence of the media, which has led many to misunderstand the concept of real beauty. The ideal image that the media portrayed has drastically changed the individual’s opinion. Leading to countless effort spent on attaining that perfect image, deluding people from what is the main priority in life. Governments have also been known to paint the perfect image of their nation, coaxing their people into believing the untrue. However, in some cases, substance is more sought after than beauty. This is evident in various institutions and the recruitment of future leaders where ability and personality is of the utmost importance. A bad image from the media can also lead to various followers, resulting in declining statistics significantly in the area of marriage. And lastly, the most essential thing to possess in life is health. A person might be the richest and most beautiful in the world, but without health, he is nothing. In conclusion, albeit it may seem that image is everything in today’s world, it is not so, particularly where substance is concerned.

Joshua A1: ‘Idealism brings disillusionment; realism brings results.’ Discuss.

What determines a person’s course of action? Is it based on ideals, often visionary beliefs, in order to achieve a means to an end, or rather, is it to accept the current conditions whilst taking into consideration the anticipated gains, costs, necessities and chance of success? One could argue that the latter would appear to be the more pragmatic choice. However, to state the idealism is without its merits is myopic.

In this modern age, it is believed that there is a common mutual interdependence amongst nations- much like the frail balance of an ecosystem- where an alteration in terms of one factor may have vast consequences to a seemingly unrelated outcome. Such is the nature of globalisation. In such a high stakes game, it would be madness to act solely on idealistic beliefs. As a result, to represent things in an ideal form, or as they might or should be rather than as they are, with emphasis on values, without considering the reality of the situation would be too great a risk to be deemed feasible. The violation of human rights occurs throughout many of the world’s nations. From an idealistic perspective, this phenomenon would be deemed undesirable, and we would naturally think that the complete eradication of such atrocities would hence be the most favourable course of action. However, in reality, this would amount to nothing more than a lofty pursuit. If a country should act unilaterally in invading another in order to exterminate such acts, the global consequence would be numerous. By espousing realism on the other hand, there are tangible benefits to be gained. Instead of leaning towards a zero-sum game mentality, where it is all or nothing, progressive steps could be taken in order to solve such a problem. Perhaps by establishing international ‘watchdog’ organisations such as the United Nations, policies could be put in place in order to methodically curb such problems. Although such methods do not ensure that the problem would indeed be solved entirely, it is a step in the right direction.

Faced with such stark realities, one would be inclined to believe that idealism holds little value when realism brings about such concrete outcomes whilst the former seems to advocate that the object of external perception consists of mere ideas. What is interesting when considering these factors is that idealism is more often than not, the basis of future realistic action. Many of the things we take for granted today was once the brain child of someone with a simple idea. It may not have amounted to much at the point of conception, but the process is nonetheless of vital importance. Take mankind’s fascination with flight for example. A couple of centuries ago, flight for man would have seemed improbable. However, with the constant belief that defying gravity is indeed possible, the Wright brothers altered the face of history. This idealistic goal has even propelled past aviation and has lead to advances in space technology by breaking the final frontier. In recent history, we can witness the benefits of idealism, where racial equality is concerned. Not too long ago, African-Americans were seen as the inferior race in the United States; subject to slavery by their white masters, they were deprived of many of the things we take for granted today, such as education, the right to vote or equality in employment. If not for the visionary aims of such figures as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr, slavery might still be a common practice in America. In King’s speech entitled “I have a dream” we see the embodiment of an idealistic aim, where although seemingly unrealistic at the time, is of vital importance in order to take realistic measures in the future.

In considering these binary opposites, it is important to note that simply gathering under either banner would be folly. Sheer idealism without undertaking a pragmatic outlook would indeed amount to nothing more than a dream, realism on the other hand , without any ultimate goal may yield some results an yet be without conviction. Hence, there is a need to acknowledge that despite being at opposite ends of the spectrum, the two are inextricably linked when anything of value is to be attained. We see examples of this fusion in our everyday lives. Take for example Singapore’s road to independence. What may have started out as mere nationalistic aspirations led to Singapore attaining self governance. However this did not come without a dose of realism as the British would only grant Singapore independence, if it was certain that it would not fall to communism. As a result, operation Cold Store was put in place, in order to exterminate communist movements on the island. Similarly, the Obama administration espouses such slogans as “change”, and “yes we can”. This does indeed seem like a grand ideal given the current economic situation. However, the importance of laying the foundations upon which realistic policies can be implemented so as to bring about this very change cannot be ignored.

Hence, it appears that it is a situational decision, of whether to adopt either notion or to integrate them to achieve a goal. For all the benefits of pragmatism, it must not be forgotten that realism is merely the process to which idealism was the impetus.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Jeremy A1: Is History anything more than the study of warfare?

History is the account of events that have happened in the past, usually recorded in the most objective way possible. Being a subject in schools, colleges and universities, to many people the subject History remains merely something to do with dates, famous people and events that have left some impact or other on mankind, especially warfare. However, to the less ignorant, history studies not only man’s bloody and violent past, but its political and cultural structures, socio-economic policies and, more often than not, history teaches us very valuable lessons that are applied to current life situations. Therefore, it is a great injustice to merely classify History as the study of warfare, as it is a far greater and more diverse subject than the discussion of brutality and bloodshed.

It must be acknowledged that the large number of conflicts and wars that have occurred in the past does take up most of History, especially when studied in tertiary institutions. Destructions and death; the consequences of war and armed conflicts are clear, and the importance to stop this violence is duly imparted to the younger generation. One thing man has learnt from these past conflicts is that war can never be justified because not only do soldiers die in the front line, never mind the fact if they were forced to fight for an ideal they never believed in, but innocent women, children and elderly are caught in the crossfire and are shown no mercy. Many perish, and so the world learns the hard way that war can only be used as a last resort to end conflicts. Diplomatic negotiations are to be used whenever possible as it is seen as a peaceful process of finding a resolution to disagreements between parties that does not involve the massacre of innocents, though its process may be long winded and inefficient. However, with so much violence and so many wars occurring in the world today, it can be questioned whether the idea of using diplomacy to end conflicts is being passed down to the younger generations at all.

Though this may be the case, this is a very shallow interpretation of what one can learn from History, as it holds far more diversity than merely warfare. The early development of European superpowers can be used as models or examples for developing countries to imitate and follow on their way to prosperity and growth. For example, the British and their Industrial Revolution changed the world from a technological point of view; men using machines as part of our daily lives to be more productive and efficient, as well as making eighteenth century life more comfortable. From a local context, Singaporeans learn how nationalists David Marshall and Lee Kuan Yew fought for our independence from the British Colonial masters, the hardships our ancestors had to go through during the Japanese Occupation and during the post-independence years. We learnt the importance of racial harmony, for fear of a repeat of the violent racial riots of the past. In doing so, a national identity is formed amongst the citizens; a sense of belonging to a country that accepts and respects people of different ethnicity with different religions, languages, beliefs and cultures. Therefore, war is not the only topic that is learnt, but also the political and cultural development of countries too.

Economic booms and recessions make up part of our global history; different strategies and policies employed by countries to survive in an ever-changing economic climate. The development of new large economies, such as India, can show us how the rise of a superpower can effect the global economy as a whole in the coming decade. Measures to avoid or at least prepare for a recession can be put in place by the government as man learn from mistakes and failures in policies employed in the past. Such events like the Great Depression and the Asian Financial Crisis have had severe effects on many people in many countries, and a repeat of such events will want to be avoided at all costs. Referring to Singapore, we learn that its lack of natural resources and its comparative advantage in importing and exporting foreign goods allows the country to strive on the growth of other economies, having such an open market. Therefore, it can be said that there is a lot to be learned from history from an economic standpoint, as it helps new economies develop, while avoiding past errors and mistakes.

Above all, history allows us to be better prepared for the future on many levels. In many circumstances, learning from past experiences improves our lives, and can even save them. For example, from the bad experience from dealing with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Singapore is now more prepared, mentally and medically, to deal with such a situation, as shown with the recent cases of the H1N1 virus. After the horrific events in New York on September the eleventh in the year 2001, the world is aware of terrorist organisations, and Singapore has successfully foiled bomb attacks on our soil. With lessons learnt form the past, we are more aware of our surroundings, and are able to use this knowledge to our benefit.

History entails so much more than merely the study of warfare, as shown above. Its study makes us prepared for future crisis, and therefore makes our lives better and more comfortable.

Al-Olympia A1: “Too much attention is given to criminals, not enough to their victims.”

Amidst the chaos and rapidly changing world, crimes committed seem to be increasing at a steady rate. Advanced technology has somewhat aided criminals and they have become increasingly bolder. In a bid to rehabilitate criminals and help them “get back” into the world, some societies often give too much of their attention to criminals. Such societies thus end up spending and investing large amounts of money into helping them. However this warrants the speculation of the need for such attention to criminals, after all they were the ones who committed the crime. Furthermore their victims, assumed not to need rehabilitation, are not given such treatment and are simply left to resign to living with the traumatic experience etched in their minds. Therefore, although some may argue that today victims are attended to, I feel it is not sufficient and still to a large extent it is true that too much attention is given to helping, educating and even defending criminals today.


With the increasing need to uphold justice, criminals are indeed given too much attention. In the past, heinous crimes were committed and the criminal was immediately given the death sentence. However in this modern day and with societies that adhere to the notion of parties being “innocent until proven guilty” have allowed even the most heinous crime cases to have a fair hearing in court. The time of the judge, the money to gather the jury and that given to employ the lawyers are all spent to settle such criminal cases. For example, one of Singapore’s leading criminal lawyers, Subhas Anandan has represented many accused, from murder and kidnapping to drug trafficking and white collar crimes. Subhas is one example that proves too much attention is given to criminals. This man and many around the world make a living from defending accused criminals. The fact that there are such people who are paid to help criminals shows too much attention is given to them.


Contrary to my view, there are some who argue that in the developed world, victims do get their fair share of attention from society. In an increasingly caring world, emphasis on raising public awareness for victims does take place on a relatively large scale. For example, each April since 1981, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has helped lead communities throughout countries in their observances of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). A host of commemorative activities are held each year to promote victims' rights and to honour crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. Even in the age of the Internet, online surveys and forums for victim advocates are active. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) acts as America’s primary source of information on criminal victimization. The survey enables the estimation of the likelihood of victimization by crimes such as sexual assaults and robberies for the population as a whole as well as for segments of the population such as women, the elderly, members of various racial and other groups. Such groups and many more to help victims are in existence and these increase public awareness or victims and give them the attention they need.


However, this argument has its loopholes. Firstly only recently has public awareness of criminal victims increased. Plus, these help-groups are pushed by society and the people and not by governments who with the largest influence still fail to place emphasis on helping victims. Furthermore, the idea of raising awareness does seem to help victims but it is only on the surface. In actual fact, raising awareness cannot and does not provide concrete aid to psychologically help and rehabilitate them. Unless governments take more efforts to subsidize victims or protect them heavily, the attention given to them will continue to be relatively less than that given to criminals.


Also, others argue that unlike criminals who have lost all credibility, victims do not need as much attention since they are still fully capable to “return” to the world on their own. As is always the case for criminals, society often shuns and looks upon them condescendingly while victims on the other hand have won the majority’s favour and are pitied. It thus becomes much easier for the victim after the assault to be employed, earn a decent keep and in that sense, return to living a normal life. The perpetrator on the other hand, no matter how sorry, is rarely given another chance by society. Therefore, a lot more attention is needed to help such criminals return to being self-sufficient and thus the expenditure on rehabilitation centres and on educating criminals becomes justified. For example, the Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs Division in Texas helps offenders by educating and treating them to reduce the potential for further deviant behaviour and to identify and change the behavioural patterns of their offense. Such programs under the umbrella of sexual crimes include the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) which is an eighteen-month intensive therapeutic treatment to move the participant toward a more pro-social lifestyle. Other programs like the “Yellow Ribbon” also help criminals re-earn their credibility in society’s eye and help them be accepted. Such attention for criminals is thus necessary.


However, this is based on the assumption that victims have not been traumatized by the crime committed unto them. In fact in reality, victims subjected to crimes do go through a traumatic experience as well and in worst case scenarios are psychologically hurt and are unable to do much to help themselves either. Rendered useless and without any attention, these victims are left to their own devices and may possibly turn into criminals themselves. For example, earlier this year, the horror case of Josef Fritzl was made known to the public. Fritzl had fathered seven children by his daughter Elisabeth after imprisoning her in a dungeon beneath his home for 24 years. He pleaded guilty to rape, incest, false imprisonment and coercion. It was known that he had suffered a traumatic childhood himself and was frequently abused by his unmarried mother. In court he explicitly blamed his childhood for making him commit the crimes he had. Though Fritzl may be just one case in many other abused children, there have been increasing links with victims who have not received help becoming perpetrators of crimes. This proves that indeed not enough attention is given to victims who in fact do need help as well.


Thus on the whole, based on the current situation, indeed it is true to a large extent that with the efforts taken to increase awareness for criminals and the large expenditure to facilitate their integration back into society, too much attention is given to them. Furthermore, victims are assumed to be able to help themselves and thus in no need of attention and are left to their own devices when they are the ones that the crime has been done to.

Muhammed S04: ‘If people become ill it is largely their own fault.’ How far do you agree?

In this era, personal responsibility is very important in helping oneself stay healthy and not fall sick. It is often being said that you are what you eat. This is certainly true when one’s lifestyle can be responsible for his or her health. However, blaming an individual solely or to a great extent for becoming ill is deluding because the responsibility in keeping an individual healthy is split among the individual, government, society and private sector. The government is responsible in intervening to encourage people to lead a healthy lifestyle whereas society needs to be socially responsible in preventing the spread of contagious disease. The private sector on the other hand should always put consumers’ health first before profit. However, in a totally different scenario where illnesses are passed on from one generation to another, no one is to be blamed if an individual inherit the disease. So, it is not right to blame an individual largely if they become ill.

Firstly, we must acknowledge that getting ill can be an individuals’ fault because today, more than ever, personal health responsibility or taking charge of one’s own health is a vital phase in disease prevention as well as protocols for recovery and healing from disease. Personal health responsibility encompasses active participation in one’s own health, keeping fit with regular exercises and watching a healthy diet. Therefore, a person who does not lead a healthy lifestyle can be at fault if he or she falls sick. Moreover, lifestyle plays a huge part in most of the illnesses in developed countries. Six of the ten major factors responsible for the global burden of illnesses are linked to lifestyles. These lifestyles include smoking and high consumption of tobacco-related products, consumption of alcohol, indulging in unsafe copulation and having high intake of cholesterol. Thus, if individuals lead these lifestyles and then fall sick, they can be at fault.

Nonetheless, individuals do not hold full responsibility of their health because the government plays a crucial role and holds the responsibility in preventing their people from getting sick. In countries like the United States of America where huge commercialisation of fast-food has caused a great problem of obesity among its citizens, the state has a responsibility to step in and enforce a healthier diet and restrict excessive marketing campaigns by fast-food companies. Methods such as educating can be utilised by the government to educate people of the negative impacts of consuming too much unhealthy food. Although having a healthy diet lies in the hands of an individual, the state plays an important role in this because the government is the one who sets laws and determine prices for the food products. It is in the power of the state to regulate the prices of various healthy food products. The government can provide incentives or subsidies to farmers and other food producers to lower the prices of healthy food products so that it is very affordable and comes to the reach of every individual. Thus, this shows that the government can prevent its citizens and its people from getting ill by leading a healthy lifestyle. So, if the government does not play its role, then if people become ill it can be partly the governments’ fault.

Apart from the government, society is also responsible in preventing people from becoming ill. In this period of global H1N1 flu pandemic, employers have the responsibility in providing a clean working environment for its employees. Employers always have to be ready and prepared with the necessary solutions for cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation. For example, diluted household can be use for disinfect and clean common areas like counter surfaces, telephones, computer keyboards and door knobs on a regular basis. Moreover, when people are infected with the contagious diseases like the H1N1 flu or develop its symptoms, they should call the non-emergency ambulance and not take public transport or get close to anyone to prevent the spread of the disease. Infected people should also control their mobility and stay home from work. These are part of social responsibility which if neglected can be responsible if people become ill.

Often overlooked, the private sector also holds responsibility in preventing people from falling sick. Private sectors involve in producing food products should not sacrifice consumers’ health in profit-making. This is seen in the recent Chinese milk scandal where a chemical appeared to have been added to milk in order to cause it to appear to have higher protein content. As a result, it has caused deaths of six infants and hospitalising another eight hundred and sixty babies. Thus for this reason, the private sector is at fault when consumers become ill.

It is undeniable that many figures are responsible for a person’s health. However, in a few cases where people become ill, nobody is to be blamed. If people are infected with hereditary diseases, nobody is at fault because this is linked to fate which cannot be controlled. Most hereditary diseases such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension are passed on within families from one generation to the next generation. Thus, just as children can inherit facial features like thick eyebrows or blue eyes from their parents, they can also acquire certain disorders and hereditary diseases. So, are they to be blamed for having these hereditary illnesses when they cannot prevent themselves from inheriting it?

In conclusion, to say that it is largely an individual’s fault when he or she becomes ill is fallacious. This is because health responsibility not only lies on the shoulders of the individual but the responsibility is also split among the state, society and private sector. Moreover in cases like hereditary disease as discussed earlier, we can only blame fate.

Rebecca S04: How important are dreams? 2008 A Levels Q2

When the word ‘dreams’ is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is more often than not the desire to be rich, the aspiration to be like someone successful or even the hope to banish poverty from the face of the earth. Most of the time, these dreams play a crucial role in everybody’s life. However, in certain cases, dreams may not be entirely necessary because they provide a false sense of happiness.

At the individual level, aspirations are necessary because it will motivate individuals to work hard. This is because individuals can envision events in the long term and in order to achieve it, they will need to direct a great deal of effort. Take for instance, the newly appointed President of the United States of America Barack Obama, he had a childhood dream of being the first African-American President of the United States. He worked hard as a student and eventually enrolled at Harvard Law School where he also served as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review and was a member of the Executive Board of the Black Law Students Association. This goes to show that dreams have indeed played a major role in Obama’s life in providing the motivation and encouragement he needs to achieve his ultimate goal of being one of the most influential people in the world.

However, many may argue that dreams are necessary, but the chances of them becoming reality are largely debatable. This may be due to unforeseen circumstances that may occur and impede one’s effort to achieve his dreams. Renowned science-fiction author Jules Verne wrote the novel “A Journey to the Center of the Earth” in hope to educate the readers by placing the different extinct creatures the characters meet in their correct geological era, to show how the world looked a long time ago, stretching from the ice age to the dinosaurs. But, most of his ideas about what the interior of the Earth contains have since been proven wrong. This suggests that while Verne wanted to achieve his goal of educating his readers, the obstacle he faced were to prove that his visions of the ‘center of the Earth’ were actually true.

Perhaps to some, dreams may simply be an illusion which deceives many. However, many of these illusions, so to speak, have the capacity to bring happiness and contentment. Since the desire to be happy is central to human nature, dreams are indeed crucial. Almost everybody was brought up by listening to fairytales with happy endings and no doubt that from that moment onwards, we continue to dream that problems will solve themselves and we could have our happy ending as well. It is also likely that we picture ourselves as the person we admire the most and gain gratification from the very images that whiz across our minds.

At the national level, governments have to craft dreams as well in order for their countries to progress in the long run. This would involve a lot of foresight and accurate predictions which would piece the government’s desires and hopes. For instance, Singapore had a dispute with Malaya over the closing down of the Bank of China in Singapore because the Malays suspected that it had been providing support to the communists in China. However, the Singapore government displayed excellent foresight by realising the potential of the Chinese market and did not close down the Bank of China and eventually when the market. Eventually when the Chinese market opened up in the 1980s, Singapore reaped tremendous benefits and enjoyed prosperity.

More often than not, these predictions may be largely accurate but it is more important for the government to address the pressing needs of the people at present. The big plans for the country’s progress could be carried out more effectively only if the basic needs to the people are met. These big plans should also be carried out in stages so as to counter any minor problems that may arise before it snowballs into bigger problems. Singapore has established the SPUR (Skills Programming for Upgrading and Resilience) program to counter the problem of unemployment as the global recession sweeps across the nation, SPUR will equip workers with the necessary skills when the economy picks up in time to come. In addition, Singapore also has set goals for the country through the Singapore Masterplan 2 which is set to be achieved by 2015. This suggests that if Singapore does not address the issue of unemployment first, she will not have the skilled labour force needed to propel Singapore to achieve her goals. Moreover, if the issue of unemployment is not tackled, it would lead to widespread unhappiness among the citizens and the government would have to deal with even more issues.

Dreams have inspired people to fight for a cause and address issues such as those concerning humanity, all in hope that there would be a higher standard of living as well as fairness in the world. Notable figures such as Muhammad Yunus who developed the concept of microcredit which allows the impoverished who are too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans to make small loans without requiring collateral. Another figure is Jeffery Sachs who is the founder and co-President of the Millennium Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty and hunger. This suggests that these dreams are important because they affect the equality of mankind in the world positively by ensuring that the impoverished are not left stagnant in their financial status and giving them ample opportunities to make a proper living.However, even if the dreams and desires to fight for a cause may appear meaningful, the effectiveness of the actions carried out may be severely undermined with the presence of those who do not share the same belief. For example, while Nelson Mandela was campaigning against apartheid in the 1980s, he was met with resistance which resulted in a guerrilla war against the apartheid regime in which many civilians became casualties. Instead of making the situation better, it took a turn for the worse when Mandela was eventually thrown into jail and was labeled a terrorist