Saturday, February 17, 2007
Hello, ego-massager
And now to my nit-pick of the day. I think years of CIP and hao gong ming have only reinforced a terribly condescending attitude to people who are less well-off than I am.
"We should help the less fortunate."
Yes, I agree.
But perhaps I am being cynical. Are there any other places in the world where community service is made mandatory for students? Perhaps it is a lot more common than I think. But are there any other places in the world where a set number of community service hours is required in order to gain a pass for one's cca grade? I think it reinforces a disturbing mindset among our students: "I should only help someone else when there's something in it for me. In this case, a nice little reference on my testimonial. Or the difference betwen a B3 and an A2 for my PE grade." Maybe ol' PAP(a) is hammering the message that we should help our fellow men, via such practices as charity and philanthropy, so the government doesn't have to spend a cent on welfare. Because, yeah, if we have a welfare state, the whole country will fall into a productivity glug, with people lining up at their welfare offices to collect their checks for a week of insane boozing. [/sarcasm]
Then there are those who volunteer or contribute to charity because it makes them feel good about themselves, makes them feel fortunate in comparison, or just boosts their credentials.
Schmucks.
Look, if you feel good about yourself by helping other people, well and good. That's not a bad thing. If you feel a oneness with your fellow man by reaching out to them, excellent. If you can recognise your own comparative privilege, that's good too. Nothing worse than a prvileged schmuck than a privileged schmuck who doesn't recognise how much things are skewed in his favour, and how much he takes that for granted.
But poor/disabled/unfortunate people don't exist just to teach you a lesson on not taking things for granted. They aren't a series of lectures to make ourselves feel better in comparison. I especially get this vibe off people who work with disabled people and who go, "actually, they're a lot smarter than you think.../ actually, they're quite capable you know... if we give them a chance" Yeah, because their survival so much depends on our magnimity... if only we give them a chance. No, they're not objects to massage your ego, they are actualy living, breathing entities. Some of them just don't happen to have as much money as you and I. Some of them don't have the resources to get a good education. Some of them are disadvantaged because of the way they are born. Whatever it is, it is our responsibility to correct these injustices, not because hao gong ming tells us to, or because we want an A1 for our PE grade, or because we want to be presented with a philanthropy trophy at some fancy cocktail party, or because we want to feel a little less guilty about the new Lexus we just bought when millions of people all over the world are struggling just to get something to eat. Basic human rights - the right to food, clean water, shelter, an education, a decent living - all these trump all the silly, frivolous reasons.
"We should help the less fortunate."
Yes, I agree.
But perhaps I am being cynical. Are there any other places in the world where community service is made mandatory for students? Perhaps it is a lot more common than I think. But are there any other places in the world where a set number of community service hours is required in order to gain a pass for one's cca grade? I think it reinforces a disturbing mindset among our students: "I should only help someone else when there's something in it for me. In this case, a nice little reference on my testimonial. Or the difference betwen a B3 and an A2 for my PE grade." Maybe ol' PAP(a) is hammering the message that we should help our fellow men, via such practices as charity and philanthropy, so the government doesn't have to spend a cent on welfare. Because, yeah, if we have a welfare state, the whole country will fall into a productivity glug, with people lining up at their welfare offices to collect their checks for a week of insane boozing. [/sarcasm]
Then there are those who volunteer or contribute to charity because it makes them feel good about themselves, makes them feel fortunate in comparison, or just boosts their credentials.
Schmucks.
Look, if you feel good about yourself by helping other people, well and good. That's not a bad thing. If you feel a oneness with your fellow man by reaching out to them, excellent. If you can recognise your own comparative privilege, that's good too. Nothing worse than a prvileged schmuck than a privileged schmuck who doesn't recognise how much things are skewed in his favour, and how much he takes that for granted.
But poor/disabled/unfortunate people don't exist just to teach you a lesson on not taking things for granted. They aren't a series of lectures to make ourselves feel better in comparison. I especially get this vibe off people who work with disabled people and who go, "actually, they're a lot smarter than you think.../ actually, they're quite capable you know... if we give them a chance" Yeah, because their survival so much depends on our magnimity... if only we give them a chance. No, they're not objects to massage your ego, they are actualy living, breathing entities. Some of them just don't happen to have as much money as you and I. Some of them don't have the resources to get a good education. Some of them are disadvantaged because of the way they are born. Whatever it is, it is our responsibility to correct these injustices, not because hao gong ming tells us to, or because we want an A1 for our PE grade, or because we want to be presented with a philanthropy trophy at some fancy cocktail party, or because we want to feel a little less guilty about the new Lexus we just bought when millions of people all over the world are struggling just to get something to eat. Basic human rights - the right to food, clean water, shelter, an education, a decent living - all these trump all the silly, frivolous reasons.
Labels: Society
# posted by me lah @ 11:20 pm 
