Social Commentary 2

I stared at the television screen as scenes of tear gas canisters exploding through the alleyways, angry mobs armed with knives roaming the streets, and clashes with the police flashed on. Then, the terrible truth struck me: this was 21st century Xinjiang, China. In the month of July 2009, Xinjiang was the battleground between the ethnic Uyghurs and Han Chinese, in the form of the Ürümqi riots. The Ürümqi riots had started out as a peaceful demonstration of 1000-3000 protestors, but sadly, it soon escalated into attacks on Hans after confrontations with the police. The riots left at least 197 people dead, and 1721 injured.
I feel that the Ürümqi riots is a reflection of two major issues plaguing not just China, but the world as a whole; that racial and ethnic conflicts are still present today, and that our governments have not developed sufficiently efficient methods to deal with them.

Firstly, this incident has served as a stark reminder that ethnic issues are still present today. Tensions between Uyghurs and Han have existed in the area for several decades, especially in recent years. Over the years, with the increasing pace of influx of Han, the Uyghurs’ culture is whittling away. Government authorities have limited the Uyghurs’ rights to practice religion as well as the teaching of the Uyghur language in the Arabic script. The Hans are also starting to dominate the economy, and Han companies are reportedly practicing discrimination against Uyghurs. The Uyghurs believe that they are gradually being squeezed out, both economically and politically, and the result is resentment, unrest, and animosity. As a minority group, the Uyghurs are furious at the Han’s encroachment as this makes them second-class citizens. Furthermore, the restrictions of freedom, religion, and culture have fuelled the flame of discontent and ethnic tensions. This oppression of Uyghurs is a reflection of the bigger picture of the world’s multiethnic landscape; such conflicts are common and have deep impacts on distinct communities with differences that are difficult to settle. Clearly, if we allow these differences to propagate, our world would be an extremely volatile place. If left unchecked, these differences would lead us to separation, and eventually, a spiralling descend to anarchy.

Secondly, this incident has echoed the inability of our government to effectively sort out ethnic and racial differences in society. The protests started out as peaceful demonstrations; however, it is suspected that the police have resorted to baton-charging and forceful means to disperse the crowds. As for the ongoing ethnic tensions between the Han majority and Uyghur minority, the Beijing government has only been willing to contemplate severe punishment and tighter control on the Uyghurs as plausible solutions. This strategy leaves the Uyghurs even more trapped and desperate for a way out. The government has also mounted an aggressive campaign that has led to the arrest of Uyghurs on charges of 'terrorism, separatism and religious extremism', when all they were doing was peacefully exercising their human rights. The government has also shown a lack of care for the Uyghurs, by failing to protect them from employment discrimination and forced labour. This presents a picture of hopelessness and despair to the Uyghurs, as they struggle for survival, and will go all way out for self-preservation. In this case, the government has failed to look at the situation from the point of view of the Uyghurs, and sympathize with them. Quite the contrary, they have prevented them from exercising their rights, and to speak out and voice their problems. In consequence, the Uyghurs resent the Han and government even more, and the problem has failed to be resolved.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the points that ethnic and racial tensions are still present in our world, and that we have yet to display competency in resolving them. Now, whenever I witness ethnic clashes on television, I can only sigh and look on helplessly as scenes of violence unfold before my eyes. I sincerely hope that we can resolve our ethnic issues, for the sake of world peace and harmony.

ERP Question 4. a)

“Ring ring…” a bunch of door chimes tinkled as I pushed the door open and entered the staff room. Walking down the long corridor, I came to a stop in front of the discipline master’s office.

Knocking upon the door, I heard the devil grunting “Enter!” I trudged slowly into the darkened office, and came face to face with the discipline master for the umpteenth time. Today, I had been caught cheating in an examination, and was promptly sent for disciplinary action. The discipline master bore down on me with his deep-set eyes, contemplating what to do. The man had a reputation of instilling fear in pupils, and I was all too familiar with it.

I stared boldly back, defiant in the face of punishment. The many trips to this office had hardened me and punishment no longer scared me or did me any good. I became angrier with each session, and never accepted the lessons. To me, punishment served no purpose and was useless. Over the years, I had become increasingly rascally and this had led to sliding grades.

At this moment, a teacher entered the room, ushering in a primary six boy. She murmured something about the boy cheating in the examinations, and exited. “I shall deal with you later”, the discipline master remarked sharply, turning his attention to the new-comer. He strode up to him, and gave a long, hard, stare. The boy seemed to have adopted an indifferent attitude.

The discipline master interrogated the boy, firing a plethora of questions. The whole office was still, and time seemed to have frozen. The man’s demanding voice created an aura of authority and danger about him. Above me, the periodic, near-silent “whir” of the air-conditioner amplified the tense atmosphere. The man, eyes blazing, reprimanded the boy, who stubbornly refused to give in.

Inside my heart, I was egging the boy on: “Do not fear the cruel man; you must not give in!” Finally, the boy’s unrepentant manner turned the man off. Eyes still fixed on him; he retrieved the dreadful torture weapon, a rattan cane. With deft flicks of his hand, he dealt several blows to the boy. The boy howled with pain, and begged the discipline master to stop. Seeing a change in attitude, the discipline master sat down with the boy, and surprisingly, talked to him in a gentle, concerned, tone.

At that particular moment, I could see care and kindness in the man’s eyes. It suddenly dawned upon me that the discipline master truly wanted the boy to accept the punishment and its lessons, and turn over a new leaf. In the end, the boy, still snivelling softly, was given an encouraging pat on the back, and sent back to class.

That day, I too was subjected to the rattan cane’s wrath. However, I left the office with a different attitude, one of acceptance rather than resentment. I realized that punishment was dished out for a purpose. Punishment serves as a teacher; it is a process of reflection for our wrongdoings. We should learn from it, and never make the same mistakes again. The person who “prescribes” it has no intention of harming us, but instead wishes to patch up the flaws in our character. The punisher always hopes for the punished to recognize this purpose, and from there, make a conscientious effort to change for the better. Witnessing the punishment of the boy, I understood this purpose for the first time. Indeed, this session has made me think deeply about punishment’s purpose. From now on, I decided to accept whatever lessons it taught me, and become a better person.

Commentary test- Deafness Due To Electronic Devices

1. The central issue raised by the article is that some people, especially youngsters, are so glued to their cell phones, iPods, and other electronic devices that they become oblivious to their surroundings. These people pay too much attention to their entertainment devices, adopting an indifferent attitude, and are a danger to the public and to themselves. This will lead to a higher risk of accidents occurring. The causes for the risk of accidents rising is because the electronic devices will cause reaction time to be reduced significantly and also because these electronic devices act as a distraction to them.

2. Deafness due to electronic devices
Just a week ago, on the way home from school, I was cycling along a particularly busy street. I spotted a teenager in front of me, and started ringing my bicycle bell to signal for him to step aside. However, the teenager did not react in any way. I then realized that he was listening to music on his iPod, and texting messages on his cell phone. In the end, I had to swerve sharply to the side in order to avoid him.

Let’s face facts: The usage of electronic devices by pedestrians is wrong as it can cause accidents to occur. This is because through the use of electronic devices, the reaction time of a person can decrease significantly and the person will be greatly distracted as well.

Firstly, the use of electronic devices such as cell phones and music players can actually reduce a person’s reaction time. For example, the RAC Foundation, a British non-profit organization, found that sending messages while driving simultaneously reduced reaction time by 35 percent. That means that a person sending text messages would take one-third more time to react. Also, in an experiment conducted by the Sunday Times, when thirty pedestrians texting messages were deliberately walked into by reporters, five pedestrians bumped into the reporters, and six dodged them only at the last minute. This shows that their reaction time was reduced due to them being absorbed in their message texting. A reduced reaction time is certainly an open invitation for accidents to occur. In the unfortunate occurrence of an accident, the pedestrian would need to be sharp and alert, and they need to be on their toes to prevent an accident from happening. This decrease in reaction time is no comfort to them as every split second lost in the time they take to react could mean a difference between life and death. Thus, a decrease in reaction time caused by electronic devices would lead to a greater chance of an accident happening, and the use of electronic devices by pedestrians is wrong.

Next, some people might be thinking that the usage of these electronic devices while engaging in another activity is not wrong as they can, in fact, increase alertness and concentration. An example would be the security guards, as, having a rather monotonous job, electronic devices such as music players can help them stay awake and focused. These people claim that electronic devices actually lessen the chances of an accident occurring as they increase a person’s awareness.

However, these people did not realize that these electronic devices actually distract the person instead of helping them to stay alert. It is a widely known fact that noise-cancelling earphones can silence almost hundred percent of ambient noise. This means that the pedestrians will be so engrossed in listening to their music, that they will not take note of their surroundings. The music will also shut out any warnings that people around us might be trying to give, and the person is essentially “deaf”. The Sunday times also conducted another test, in which a bicycle bell was rung behind thirty people listening to music. The results showed that twelve people could not hear the bicycle bell, and failed to get out of the way. This proves beyond any doubt that electronic devices can distract a person to such a point in which they are totally oblivious to their surroundings. Electronic devices serve as a distraction to people, and seem to cut off their senses from the real world, creating a situation in which nothing can get through to them. This creates a dangerous situation in which accidents can occur easily. Thus, the use of electronic devices by pedestrians is wrong as it can cause accidents by distracting people.

In conclusion, the use of electronic devices by pedestrians is wrong as it can cause accidents due to a reduced reaction time of the pedestrians, and because pedestrians are deeply distracted by such devices.

Now, whenever I cycle and encounter someone engrossed in their electronic devices, I do not just cycle past them. Instead, I stop and give them a lesson on safety. Without such inconsiderate behavior from some pedestrians, this world would be an accident-free place.

Personal response to the article The Evolution of Goodness (Handout 4)

Drawing from this article and your personal experience, say why you believe human beings are willing to do good to others.



For the past four thousand millennia, man has evolved from primitive tree swinging beasts to the upright walking intellect of today’s modern standards. How is it that an originally average species of mammals has sustained itself throughout these years to become the masters of today’s planet Earth? The answer, I believe, is that this particular community has been sustaining each other in times of dire circumstances. In other words, they have been “doing good” to each other. The origin of this act can be classified into two categories, one of them is blood kinship, and the other is reciprocity.

Firstly, the roots of doing good can be traced back to blood kinship. By blood kinship, I mean that a person is related to another through blood, or even genetically. When a person’s family members or relatives are in danger, they feel obliged to support and provide aid to them. This sense of responsibility is brought about as one has feelings of love and care for his own family members, and does not want them to suffer. They will thus do their best to intervene in the hope of saving their loved ones. An example in the real world would be worker bees. Worker bees are altruistic, meaning that they would sacrifice themselves to protect their hives. This originally went against Darwin’s theory of evolution, but it was later found that the bees were actually protecting blood relatives in the hives. These blood relatives are genetically similar to the worker bees, and by practicing altruism, they could potentially save the lives of hundreds of blood relatives. These bees indirectly ensured the continuity of the passing down of its own genes. This example shows that good deeds can be done in the hope of protecting one’s family. Personally, my mother has also displayed such behavior, and she has stood up to numerous bullies that harassed me, just to make sure that I am safe.

The second motive of doing good is reciprocity. Reciprocity, put simply, means “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. Humans might sometimes help others, hoping that someday, the recipient might return the favour. This kind of doing good, although being calculative and somewhat untrue in nature, is still a form of doing good. In such a relationship, both parties will receive mutual benefits, and this in turn helps in their survival. An example would be the clown fish and the sea anemone. The clownfish, being territorial, protects the anemone from anemone eating fish, and the anemone provides shelter for the clown fish. I, too, have had such experiences. Being a water polo player, I know that the key to playing well is teamwork. By coordinating our passing, shooting, and defending, we will be able to defeat the opponent as a united body. Whereas if we were to solo, we would definitely be crushed. As can be seen, reciprocity is an extremely strong reason for a person to do good. Both parties profit, and at the end of the day, everyone is happy.

In conclusion, I believe that human beings are willing to do good to others because of the factor of blood kinship, and reciprocity. In helping others, some people bear their family in mind, and others might be thinking about their own well being. However, if everyone does good to each other, this world would be a better place.

Orchard Road Makeover Completed

Using money as though it is toilet paper is often frowned upon. However, that is exactly what the government did. They spent 40 million dollars on a few pots of flowers, some lamp posts, glass panels and disco lights, claiming that this beautifies the landscape. To put it quite frankly, almost nobody could appreciate, let alone tell the difference. Would you, the taxpayer, want your money to be wasted? I think not. It is apparent that the Orchard Road makeover was not worth it as it brought no obvious benefits and the money could be spent somewhere else instead.

Firstly, the whole process of the Orchard Road makeover, and the outcome itself, brought about some undesirable results. Some people might argue that the 40 million dollars spent on infrastructure works alone cannot energize and enhance Orchard Road, and that this is a long-term investment, requiring other combined factors to make the Orchard Road experience an enjoyable one. However, 40 million dollars is certainly a large amount of money, and if it brings about negative impacts, I would say that it was not worth it. For example, the unbearable noise pollution coming from the numerous construction sites of the shopping district was enough to put some shoppers off. Many areas of construction were blocked off too, and limited the shopper’s access to certain areas. The temporary structures that have been put up have also obscured small businesses from the shopping crowd, thus affecting their business. On a whole, tourists, and even the locals were extremely annoyed by the renovation process, and this inevitably affected their impression and the image of Orchard Road. The supposedly large scale revamp of Orchard Road, though costly, failed to achieve its desired outcome. Few of those surveyed along Orchard’s streets could notice the new features, and some even thought that the renovation was still in progress. From the point of view of an average Singaporean, the only improvements to the district were several glass panels with flashing lights, widened walkways, new lamp posts, and a few flower totems. For such a pricey make over, one cannot help but feel that it was unsatisfactory.

Secondly, I feel that the huge sum of money spent on the makeover should be used for other more meaningful purposes. One such area where the money can be spent is the maintenance of the place. What for built a whole range of new facilities when one has problems maintaining the current ones? Several shoppers have noted that the walkways were littered by dead leaves, and this paints a picture contrary to a “clean and green Singapore”. More could be done to clean up the walkways and maintain the place as a whole. Also, in view of the bleak economical situation that Singapore faces, would it not be wiser to spend money on solving more immediate problems such as shortage of jobs and a shrinking economy? The money used for non-vital decorations could go into the economy. After all, 40 million dollars is indeed a large sum of money. Therefore, I feel that the money could be spent in other more pressing issues.

In conclusion, I feel that the 40 million dollars make-over was not worth it in that it did not bring about immediate positive effects, but instead brought about negative ones. The money spent could also be used for other more important matters.This controversial issue leaves us thinking-Is the Orchard Road makeover really all that it is cracked up to be? Are the flower pots, flashing lights and glass panels really all that necessary? At the end of the day, the huge sum of money used was actually wasted.

New Introduction (Modified)

Using money as though it is toilet paper is often frowned upon. However, that is exactly what the government did. They spent 40 million dollars on a few pots of flowers, some lamp posts, glass panels and disco lights, claiming that this beautifies the landscape. To put it quite frankly, almost nobody could appreciate, let alone tell the difference. Would you, the taxpayer, want your money to be wasted? I think not. Therefore, the Orchard Road makeover is not worth it.

New introduction

Using money as though its toilet paper is often frowned upon. As such, spending 40 million dollars on a few pots of flowers, some lamp posts, glass panels and disco lights is definitely wrong. These pointless upgrades should not have been made in the first place, given that they bring no obvious benifits. Such thoughtless waste of money is unacceptable given today's financial crisis. Therefore, the Orchard Road makeover is not worth it.

“Ouch-ard” Road Makeover?

I feel that the 40 million dollars makeover of Orchard Road was not worth it. This is so as the changes and the process of change brought about negative impacts, and the money could have been used to tackle some other more pressing problems.

Firstly, the whole process of the Orchard Road makeover, and the outcome itself, brought about some undesirable results. Some people might argue that the 40 million dollars spent on infrastructure works alone cannot energize and enhance Orchard Road, and that this is a long-term investment. However, 40 million dollars is certainly a large amount of money, and if it brings about negative impacts, I would say that it was not worth it. For example, the unbearable noise pollution coming from the numerous construction sites of the shopping district was enough to put some shoppers off. Many areas of construction were blocked off too, and limited the shopper’s access to certain areas. The temporary structures that have been put up have also obscured small businesses from the shopping crowd, thus affecting their business. On a whole, tourists, and even the locals were extremely annoyed by the renovation process, and this inevitably affected their impression and the image of Orchard Road. The supposedly large scale revamp of Orchard Road, though costly, failed to achieve its desired outcome. Few of those surveyed along Orchard’s streets could notice the new features, and some even thought that the renovation was still in progress. From the point of view of an average Singaporean, the only improvements to the district were several glass panels with flashing lights, widened walkways, new lamp posts, and a few flower totems. For such a pricey make over, one cannot help but feel that it was unsatisfactory.

Secondly, I feel that the huge sum of money spent on the makeover should be used for other more meaningful purposes. One such area where the money can be spent is the maintenance of the place. What for built a whole range of new facilities when one has problems maintaining the current ones? Several shoppers have noted that the walkways were littered by dead leaves, and this paints a picture contrary to a “clean and green Singapore”. More could be done to clean up the walkways and maintain the place as a whole. Also, in view of the bleak economical situation that Singapore faces, would it not be wiser to spend money on solving more immediate problems such as shortage of jobs and a shrinking economy? The money used for non-vital decorations could go into the economy. After all, 40 million dollars is indeed a large sum of money. Therefore, I feel that the money could be spent in other more pressing issues.

In conclusion, I feel that the 40 million dollars make-over was not worth it in that it did not bring about immediate positive effects, but instead brought about negative ones. The money spent could also be used for other more important matters. This controversial issue leaves us thinking-Is Orchard Road really all that it is cracked up to be?

Should the CCTs be scrapped?

I do not agree that we should scrap the CCTs as CCTs do more good than harm to the average Rafflesian. Firstly, the amount of learning that an average Rafflesian goes through is tremendous, with concepts such as remainder theorem, Kantian Ethics, Socrates Reasoning, and Pythagoras theorem. With this in mind, the students definitely need to constantly keep track of and revise their work, so that they can process and commit them to memory. The CCTs, in a way, make them obliged to study in order to achieve good grades. Thus, the CCTs are critical to a student’s learning. Secondly, students will, every now and then, want to know their standard of academic performance relative to their peers. The CCTs act as a common platform for all students and give them the chance to gauge their academic progress. Thirdly, the learning process is about making mistakes and learning from them. The CCTs are thus a great opportunity for the students to spot any loopholes in their understanding of certain concepts, and at the same time strengthen these concepts. Without the CCTs, the students will repeatedly make the same mistakes, without even being aware of it. Some of us might argue that CCTs bring about stress to the student. However, the advantages of CCTs far outweigh the disadvantages. Thus, the CCTs should not be scrapped.

What is an exposition?

An exposition is a literary technique used to inform, explain, analyze, or define. The technique is used in the writing of texts such as textbooks, how-to essays, recipes, cook books, business letters, personal letters, news stories, press releases, research reports, scientific reports, term papers, wills, and encyclopedias. There are several types of expositional writing, and they are as follows:

-Sequence writing lists events or steps in chronological order.

-Descriptive essays use the senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste to provide the reader with a mental image or feeling about the subject.

-Classification writing uses an organizational strategy to arrange groups of objects or ideas according to a common theme.

-Comparison writing shows the similarities and differences between two or more subjects.

-Cause-and-effect writing, also known as analysis, identifies the reasons for an event or situation.

The technique of exposition writing is used in both fictional and non-fictional works.