Surveys Show Many Americans Prejudiced Against Muslims
Americans like to think of their nation as a bastion of liberty and equality, and while America's political principles have certainly been based upon such ideas the truth is that Americans themselves have often been willing to abandon those ideals. Today, for example, many Americans are inclined to deny equality and liberty to the Muslims neighbors simply because they are Muslims.
Editor & Publisher reports on a recent survey which reveals the extent to which Americans are prejudiced against Muslims and would endorse official discrimination against Muslims:
Almost four in ten, 39%, advocate that Muslims here should carry special I.D. That same number admit that they do hold some “prejudice” against Muslims. Forty-four percent say their religious views are too “extreme.”
In addition, 34% believe that Muslims in America support al-Qaeda while just 49% believe that American Muslims are loyal to the United States. Almost a quarter don’t want Muslims as neighbors, but people who actually know Muslims are less likely to hold any of these prejudices. So, when a person actually knows Muslims, they are less likely to be prejudiced against Muslims — this isn’t surprising because prejudice is often the product of ignorance and fear.
At the same time, this indicates that all those who are so willing to see Muslims discriminated against probably don’t know any Muslims themselves. It’s easy to endorse discrimination when you don’t have to personally witness the harm it causes or when you don’t have toe feel empathy for those who must suffer because of it. Think about it: coming up on half of all Americans think that the religious views of American Muslims are too “extreme,” but most of these people probably don’t know any Muslims personally and so can’t claim to know what Muslims really do believe.
Where did they get their information if they don’t know any Muslims themselves? I think we can easily come up with examples of heavily biased “news” sources, both traditional media and web sites, which encourage people to developed biased perceptions of Muslims — and other minorities, too. Does anyone want to take a bet on how many in that 44% are regular readers of Ann Coulter and regular listeners of Bill O’Reilly?
Showing posts with label discrimination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discrimination. Show all posts
Racism in America
Racism in America is live and well. Racism will always exist even if Obama becomes President of the U.S.It has always been a problem in my lifetime. I do think things are better than fifty years ago. There have been many times when older white women clutched their pocketbooks when I walked pass them. I have seen White people receive better customer service than blacks. I have heard all races make negative comments about Hispanics. I have heard people talk about how Mexicans don't pay any taxes.I have been mistreated By Mexicans and Whites alike. There will always be racism because of so many different races. I don't think that people can look past skin color. Skin color is the first thing you notice about a person. Racism is part of everyone's life. Racism has always been around since slavery.I would like to see the day when it doesn't exist. Is racism the biggest problem in the world? I don't think it is the biggest problem. I think terrorism caused more racism against the Arabs. I think they have been stereotyped. Racism can happen in many ways. I think most people encounter racism. What is the solution to racism? I don't know what the answer is to racism. Racism affects every part of my life. There is also racism within the black community based on skin color.I don't think it exists in any other race. It should not exist in the black community. I'm not qualified to speak on other races. Racism causes problems in every community. Racism causes a chain reaction including violence. I think racism plays a part in housing and car financing. It also plays a part in how a person is perceived. I think it plays a part in simple things like table seating at a restaurant. Racism affects how you are accepted in communities. I think racism affects the quality of customer service you receive.I think there is a stereotype that Blacks don't tip well. I don't know if anyone believes racism will never exist. There is no quick fix for racism. It will take many years to fix.Racism shouldn't be an issue nowadays but it is a problem. Would racism exist if we were all equal financially. My definition of racism may be different from someone who is a Mexican or White. I only think about racism when I encounter racism.It is not hard for me to personally recognize racism. I don't think anyone knows what the world would be like without racism.
Racism in America is live and well. Racism will always exist even if Obama becomes President of the U.S.It has always been a problem in my lifetime. I do think things are better than fifty years ago. There have been many times when older white women clutched their pocketbooks when I walked pass them. I have seen White people receive better customer service than blacks. I have heard all races make negative comments about Hispanics. I have heard people talk about how Mexicans don't pay any taxes.I have been mistreated By Mexicans and Whites alike. There will always be racism because of so many different races. I don't think that people can look past skin color. Skin color is the first thing you notice about a person. Racism is part of everyone's life. Racism has always been around since slavery.I would like to see the day when it doesn't exist. Is racism the biggest problem in the world? I don't think it is the biggest problem. I think terrorism caused more racism against the Arabs. I think they have been stereotyped. Racism can happen in many ways. I think most people encounter racism. What is the solution to racism? I don't know what the answer is to racism. Racism affects every part of my life. There is also racism within the black community based on skin color.I don't think it exists in any other race. It should not exist in the black community. I'm not qualified to speak on other races. Racism causes problems in every community. Racism causes a chain reaction including violence. I think racism plays a part in housing and car financing. It also plays a part in how a person is perceived. I think it plays a part in simple things like table seating at a restaurant. Racism affects how you are accepted in communities. I think racism affects the quality of customer service you receive.I think there is a stereotype that Blacks don't tip well. I don't know if anyone believes racism will never exist. There is no quick fix for racism. It will take many years to fix.Racism shouldn't be an issue nowadays but it is a problem. Would racism exist if we were all equal financially. My definition of racism may be different from someone who is a Mexican or White. I only think about racism when I encounter racism.It is not hard for me to personally recognize racism. I don't think anyone knows what the world would be like without racism.
Adverse effects of media on America
Women in America are one of the largest and highly influenced populations of our society. Whether young or old American women are adversely effected by media in many ways. Young girls and women are highly influenced by images of models, from clothing styles and makeup to lifestyles of the rich and famous. Young girls are dying in large numbers from starving themselves, because the media sells thinness as beauty. Middle aged women are maxing out credits cards to live up to societal standards according to advertising in magazines and on TV. Adverse effects of media on American society are shown increasingly in aging women. The emphasis on youth today as presented by the media, on television, in books and magazines affects not only how the youth of today perceive older individuals, but especially how older women perceive themselves. Women who identify with physical appearance are more likely to suffer a lack of self-esteem with declining youth.
Ageism, prejudice and discrimination based on age and fueled by stereotypes and myths concerning older adults, contribute to a negative image of aging.
Additionally, Western Society views death as a loss of control rather than a natural part of the cycle of life, which can induce a negative cultural stereotype, and aging may suffer more from social isolation in the future. Growing numbers of elderly result in a greater economic burden, not just on their families, a rapidly aging population poses serious challenges to public policy today. This creates a fear of uselessness and becoming a burden on society, which initiates and perpetuates negative bias and stereotypical attitudes regarding aging.
Ageism in this country has had a major effect on women's health and well-being as a whole. The life expectancy for women today is eighty, and increasing dramatically. One third of these women are impoverished and half of them die in nursing homes. Of those, money spent on medical costs is the predominant cause of bankruptcy and suicide. Some may face homelessness.
The needs and problems of older women as well as their strengths are being recognized and addressed due to the increase in research and studies over the past two decades. However, largely influenced by the media there is still negative influence on ageist attitudes today. Until addressed, these attitudes and the consequences of ageism on the elderly population will continue be a detriment to women and society as a whole.
Women in America are one of the largest and highly influenced populations of our society. Whether young or old American women are adversely effected by media in many ways. Young girls and women are highly influenced by images of models, from clothing styles and makeup to lifestyles of the rich and famous. Young girls are dying in large numbers from starving themselves, because the media sells thinness as beauty. Middle aged women are maxing out credits cards to live up to societal standards according to advertising in magazines and on TV. Adverse effects of media on American society are shown increasingly in aging women. The emphasis on youth today as presented by the media, on television, in books and magazines affects not only how the youth of today perceive older individuals, but especially how older women perceive themselves. Women who identify with physical appearance are more likely to suffer a lack of self-esteem with declining youth.
Ageism, prejudice and discrimination based on age and fueled by stereotypes and myths concerning older adults, contribute to a negative image of aging.
Additionally, Western Society views death as a loss of control rather than a natural part of the cycle of life, which can induce a negative cultural stereotype, and aging may suffer more from social isolation in the future. Growing numbers of elderly result in a greater economic burden, not just on their families, a rapidly aging population poses serious challenges to public policy today. This creates a fear of uselessness and becoming a burden on society, which initiates and perpetuates negative bias and stereotypical attitudes regarding aging.
Ageism in this country has had a major effect on women's health and well-being as a whole. The life expectancy for women today is eighty, and increasing dramatically. One third of these women are impoverished and half of them die in nursing homes. Of those, money spent on medical costs is the predominant cause of bankruptcy and suicide. Some may face homelessness.
The needs and problems of older women as well as their strengths are being recognized and addressed due to the increase in research and studies over the past two decades. However, largely influenced by the media there is still negative influence on ageist attitudes today. Until addressed, these attitudes and the consequences of ageism on the elderly population will continue be a detriment to women and society as a whole.
Elitism in the United States
Elitism is contrary to the American Ideal and stands in opposition to American values. This is not to say that elitism doesn't exist in the United States. To the contrary, there are a number of Elite enclaves scattered throughout the country.
There are elitist running the universities of our country. They try to indoctrinate the students into a socialist mindset, preach against religious values and cultural norms of established society. It's most disturbing in that they are entirely supported by the taxes and donations of the very people they hope to destroy.
There are elitist in the boardrooms of many of the major corporations working to dominate both this country and the world. They flout the laws of the land, squander human and national resources out of personal greed. More importantly, they count the average working class person is less than a valued part of society; nothing more than a tool for production to be discarded when worn out.
We find elitist running our government and at the top of political parties. For example, the leadership of the Democratic party treats minorities like invalids; unfinished humanoids who are incapable of functioning on their own. Most of us rankle at the assumption that we are limited because of skin color.
The problem with elitist is that they actively work to depower the people. The American citizen is independent, capable of making his or her own decisions and choose who they want to represent them in government. If we dislike a government leader, we can replace him. If we dislike a candidate for office, we don't vote for him.
More than anything else this is proof of the limited power of the Elites in America. The elites supporting Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 were surprised when they lost. The Elites pushing Hillary Clinton on us had better learn to respect the voting public or the next candidate will fail all the same.
American citizens don't need an elite class to make decisions. We don't need elites to tell us how to live. We are a representative democracy made up of empowered citizens. The elites have their place and purpose, but they only survive as long as they stay out of the way.
Elitism is contrary to the American Ideal and stands in opposition to American values. This is not to say that elitism doesn't exist in the United States. To the contrary, there are a number of Elite enclaves scattered throughout the country.
There are elitist running the universities of our country. They try to indoctrinate the students into a socialist mindset, preach against religious values and cultural norms of established society. It's most disturbing in that they are entirely supported by the taxes and donations of the very people they hope to destroy.
There are elitist in the boardrooms of many of the major corporations working to dominate both this country and the world. They flout the laws of the land, squander human and national resources out of personal greed. More importantly, they count the average working class person is less than a valued part of society; nothing more than a tool for production to be discarded when worn out.
We find elitist running our government and at the top of political parties. For example, the leadership of the Democratic party treats minorities like invalids; unfinished humanoids who are incapable of functioning on their own. Most of us rankle at the assumption that we are limited because of skin color.
The problem with elitist is that they actively work to depower the people. The American citizen is independent, capable of making his or her own decisions and choose who they want to represent them in government. If we dislike a government leader, we can replace him. If we dislike a candidate for office, we don't vote for him.
More than anything else this is proof of the limited power of the Elites in America. The elites supporting Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 were surprised when they lost. The Elites pushing Hillary Clinton on us had better learn to respect the voting public or the next candidate will fail all the same.
American citizens don't need an elite class to make decisions. We don't need elites to tell us how to live. We are a representative democracy made up of empowered citizens. The elites have their place and purpose, but they only survive as long as they stay out of the way.
Racism, sexism persist on U.S. college campuses
A new study shows large numbers of female and minority faculty experience a particularly challenging and sometimes hostile campus climate, even as universities across the United States seek to create an academic environment free of such hindrances as racism and sexism.
"We found that the lack of accountability and responsibility throughout the university hinders the achievement of an equitable climate for all," says Jennifer Hart, assistant professor of education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who used the University of Arizona as the focus of the study. "This campus climate is defined as the current perceptions, attitudes and expectations that define the institution and its members."
Hart was a member of a team that interviewed 274 faculty members using an open-ended interview questionnaire, which provided the faculty a chance to express their views in detail. The participants represented all 15 of the university's colleges and professional schools, with 214 women and 59 men.
The researchers found that when faculty were asked how they perceived the treatment of women, more than 90 percent of the male faculty said that women were treated fairly, but only 57 percent of the female faculty believed the same. Also, while 87 percent of the White faculty believed minority faculty were treated fairly, only 56 percent of minority faculty felt the same. Hart noted that almost all the faculty believed that the lesbian/gay/bisexual faculty were even less likely to be treated fairly at the university than the female faculty.The research team also looked at subtle discrimination among the faculty members. Subtle discrimination, the study said, involves unconscious sexism, often expressed by making off-handed remarks, ignoring the ideas of some groups, and expecting women to take on the role of nurturer and other stereotypical gender roles. They found that 46 percent of the women faculty indicated that subtle discrimination was a source of stress and that nearly half of all minority faculty reported experiencing the same stress.
A new study shows large numbers of female and minority faculty experience a particularly challenging and sometimes hostile campus climate, even as universities across the United States seek to create an academic environment free of such hindrances as racism and sexism.
"We found that the lack of accountability and responsibility throughout the university hinders the achievement of an equitable climate for all," says Jennifer Hart, assistant professor of education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who used the University of Arizona as the focus of the study. "This campus climate is defined as the current perceptions, attitudes and expectations that define the institution and its members."
Hart was a member of a team that interviewed 274 faculty members using an open-ended interview questionnaire, which provided the faculty a chance to express their views in detail. The participants represented all 15 of the university's colleges and professional schools, with 214 women and 59 men.
The researchers found that when faculty were asked how they perceived the treatment of women, more than 90 percent of the male faculty said that women were treated fairly, but only 57 percent of the female faculty believed the same. Also, while 87 percent of the White faculty believed minority faculty were treated fairly, only 56 percent of minority faculty felt the same. Hart noted that almost all the faculty believed that the lesbian/gay/bisexual faculty were even less likely to be treated fairly at the university than the female faculty.The research team also looked at subtle discrimination among the faculty members. Subtle discrimination, the study said, involves unconscious sexism, often expressed by making off-handed remarks, ignoring the ideas of some groups, and expecting women to take on the role of nurturer and other stereotypical gender roles. They found that 46 percent of the women faculty indicated that subtle discrimination was a source of stress and that nearly half of all minority faculty reported experiencing the same stress.
Racism in America's Schools.
An eight-year-old black girl in South Africa recently told Ted Koppel on Nightline, "White people are better than black people. Whites know more, have more, and get more. I wish I was white but I am not." American children of color do not have to contend with apartheid, but they still do not live in a prejudice-free society.
A quarter century of desegregation has not yet solved the self-deprecation, low levels of educational performance, or overall quality of life for America's people of color. Racism in any measure undermines children's self-esteem and erodes the educational process.
What role can schools play in combatting racism? As children grow up racist, the schools still have a chance to reeducate them. Some exemplary schools are training students to create a climate of antiracist peer pressure. And in a growing number of schools, new curricula promoting racial and ethnic awareness through multicultural education are turning diversity into opportunity.
An eight-year-old black girl in South Africa recently told Ted Koppel on Nightline, "White people are better than black people. Whites know more, have more, and get more. I wish I was white but I am not." American children of color do not have to contend with apartheid, but they still do not live in a prejudice-free society.
A quarter century of desegregation has not yet solved the self-deprecation, low levels of educational performance, or overall quality of life for America's people of color. Racism in any measure undermines children's self-esteem and erodes the educational process.
What role can schools play in combatting racism? As children grow up racist, the schools still have a chance to reeducate them. Some exemplary schools are training students to create a climate of antiracist peer pressure. And in a growing number of schools, new curricula promoting racial and ethnic awareness through multicultural education are turning diversity into opportunity.
Heavyweights panic as woman dives for sumo ring
A woman invaded a sumo ring -- a sacred arena from which females are banned -- in Tokyo during a major tournament, domestic media said on Thursday, then was pulled down by a referee and one of the sport's huge wrestlers.
The middle-aged woman dashed from the side of the Kokugikan sumo stadium on Wednesday and shoved away a female security guard before rolling onto the ring just as a bout was set to begin, the Yomiuri newspaper said.
The Japan Sumo Association insisted that though the woman did enter the raised platform around the batting ring, she did not set foot on the ring, or dohyo, itself.
"It's bad for the heart," said Takamisakari, a popular wrestler who helped catch the woman, told the Sports Nippon daily. "What was the person trying to do while we were wrestling seriously?"
It was not clear why she had attempted to reach the ring during one of the sport's heavily televised six big tournaments, but she was carrying a bundle of flyers saying "help, bad spirits," Nikkan Sports daily reported.
Such an intrusion would be a severe faux pas for the ancient sport, which is so serious about keeping females out that a female governor of Osaka had to delegate prize-giving duties to a male subordinate at a 2001 tournament.
Japan's giant wrestlers battle it out in a ring with a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet) set in the centre of a sand stage raised around 50 centimeters (19 inches) from the ground.
Tradition forbids women from entering the ring on the grounds that it is sacred and their presence, considered unclean, would pollute it.
"It's just the way it's been from the past," an official from the sumo association said.
Women were also banned in the past from climbing mountains or entering mines in Japan.
The middle-aged woman dashed from the side of the Kokugikan sumo stadium on Wednesday and shoved away a female security guard before rolling onto the ring just as a bout was set to begin, the Yomiuri newspaper said.
The Japan Sumo Association insisted that though the woman did enter the raised platform around the batting ring, she did not set foot on the ring, or dohyo, itself.
"It's bad for the heart," said Takamisakari, a popular wrestler who helped catch the woman, told the Sports Nippon daily. "What was the person trying to do while we were wrestling seriously?"
It was not clear why she had attempted to reach the ring during one of the sport's heavily televised six big tournaments, but she was carrying a bundle of flyers saying "help, bad spirits," Nikkan Sports daily reported.
Such an intrusion would be a severe faux pas for the ancient sport, which is so serious about keeping females out that a female governor of Osaka had to delegate prize-giving duties to a male subordinate at a 2001 tournament.
Japan's giant wrestlers battle it out in a ring with a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet) set in the centre of a sand stage raised around 50 centimeters (19 inches) from the ground.
Tradition forbids women from entering the ring on the grounds that it is sacred and their presence, considered unclean, would pollute it.
"It's just the way it's been from the past," an official from the sumo association said.
Women were also banned in the past from climbing mountains or entering mines in Japan.
JAPAN: SEXISM OK WITH MOST COEDS
Feminism has a way to go in Japan. A survey of female seniors attending 561 universities and junior colleges in the Tokyo area shows that coeds not only expect sexism in the workplace, most of them don't seem to mind it. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government surveyed 5,000 female students on what they anticipate when they start their first full-time jobs in April. Fully 3,783 responded. Among the surprising answers: -- More than 91% said they would not mind being treated as ''office flowers.'' Nearly 25% considered that to be a woman's role.
Over 66% said acting like an office flower would make the atmosphere more pleasant. -- Nearly 27% thought women are better at such zatsuyoo, or chores, as serving tea and cleaning desks. -- Nearly 12% said they were content sticking to such traditional jobs as flight attendant and office lady. Moreover, 60% said they'd be happy in a situation where the man goes to work while the woman stays home. But a wish for sexual equality showed in some of the young women's answers. For example, 56% thought men should do their share of office chores. Fatalism affects opinions too, if Hosei University student Miki Tokoh, 23, is at all typical. She was not interviewed for the survey but says, ''If my boss were to call me an office flower, I'd probably just follow along. I'd hope to change things a little. But it's just so difficult.''
Over 66% said acting like an office flower would make the atmosphere more pleasant. -- Nearly 27% thought women are better at such zatsuyoo, or chores, as serving tea and cleaning desks. -- Nearly 12% said they were content sticking to such traditional jobs as flight attendant and office lady. Moreover, 60% said they'd be happy in a situation where the man goes to work while the woman stays home. But a wish for sexual equality showed in some of the young women's answers. For example, 56% thought men should do their share of office chores. Fatalism affects opinions too, if Hosei University student Miki Tokoh, 23, is at all typical. She was not interviewed for the survey but says, ''If my boss were to call me an office flower, I'd probably just follow along. I'd hope to change things a little. But it's just so difficult.''
Female workers sue Japanese bank for sexism in Britain
LONDON — Two female employees are suing Japanese bank Nomura in Britain for three million pounds after claiming they suffered sexist and racist behaviour from male colleagues, reports said Tuesday.
Maureen Murphy, 30, and Anna Francis, 37, claim they endured sexist comments from co-workers at Japan's top securities firm, one of whom described a woman's breasts as "honkers," the reports said.
Murphy alleges she was also told women belonged at "home cleaning the floors," the Daily Telegraph said.
The women are suing the bank in the employment tribunal in London for 1.5 million pounds each in compensation for loss of earnings and injury to feelings.
Murphy, a senior analyst, and Francis, a director who speaks fluent Japanese, moved to Nomura after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September last year as part of a buyout by the Japanese bank.
But the pair claimed their Japanese bosses withheld work and sacked them within weeks because they were female and non-Japanese, the Evening Standard newspaper said.
Their barrister Michael Duggan told the tribunal: "This organisation is institutionally racist and sexist in the way it behaves."
Normura denies the allegations and says they lost their jobs as part of a fair redundancy process.
"To suggest they were selected (for redundancy) on the basis of their race or sex is wholly unfounded," a Nomura spokesman said.
In legal papers, Murphy claimed that during a business meeting one male client said to her female colleague: "Oh, you don't have your honkers out today I see."
The documents said: "Miss Murphy was initially not sure what he was referring to but clarified honkers referred to her breasts.
"She went on to say there was no point in standing up to him as he would smear your reputation in the entire market and that ultimately it was better just to accept it."
Murphy also claimed that when she was chatting to a trader about hiring a cleaner he allegedly said "Well, you're a woman. That's where you belong - at home cleaning the floors".
At a team dinner, another male colleague allegedly said: "Everyone knows the key to cheating on your wife is not getting caught," the Daily Telegraph said.
Maureen Murphy, 30, and Anna Francis, 37, claim they endured sexist comments from co-workers at Japan's top securities firm, one of whom described a woman's breasts as "honkers," the reports said.
Murphy alleges she was also told women belonged at "home cleaning the floors," the Daily Telegraph said.
The women are suing the bank in the employment tribunal in London for 1.5 million pounds each in compensation for loss of earnings and injury to feelings.
Murphy, a senior analyst, and Francis, a director who speaks fluent Japanese, moved to Nomura after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September last year as part of a buyout by the Japanese bank.
But the pair claimed their Japanese bosses withheld work and sacked them within weeks because they were female and non-Japanese, the Evening Standard newspaper said.
Their barrister Michael Duggan told the tribunal: "This organisation is institutionally racist and sexist in the way it behaves."
Normura denies the allegations and says they lost their jobs as part of a fair redundancy process.
"To suggest they were selected (for redundancy) on the basis of their race or sex is wholly unfounded," a Nomura spokesman said.
In legal papers, Murphy claimed that during a business meeting one male client said to her female colleague: "Oh, you don't have your honkers out today I see."
The documents said: "Miss Murphy was initially not sure what he was referring to but clarified honkers referred to her breasts.
"She went on to say there was no point in standing up to him as he would smear your reputation in the entire market and that ultimately it was better just to accept it."
Murphy also claimed that when she was chatting to a trader about hiring a cleaner he allegedly said "Well, you're a woman. That's where you belong - at home cleaning the floors".
At a team dinner, another male colleague allegedly said: "Everyone knows the key to cheating on your wife is not getting caught," the Daily Telegraph said.
History of Racism
Antiquity
Racism dates as far back as the mature period of 2600–1900 BCE during the Indus Valley Civilization, which centered mostly in the western part of the Indian subcontinent. According to the Indo-Aryan migrations theory, Indo-Aryans migrated from Central Asia to India sometime after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization. Following the discovery of the Indo-European languages in the 19th century, British historians put forth the Aryan invasion theory which argued that it was "Aryans" who established the caste system, an elitist form of social organization that (according to the British) separated the "light-skinned" Indo-Aryan conquerors from the "conquered dark-skinned" indigenous Dravidian tribes through enforcement of "racial endogamy". This claim was used by the British, defining themselves as "purely Aryan", to justify British Rule in India. Much of this was simply conjecture, fueled by British imperialism. This shows the practice of racial segregation during the Antiquity times.
Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Richard E. Nisbett, a professor of social psychology, has said that the question of racial superiority may go back at least a thousand years, to the time when the Umayyad Caliphate invaded Hispania, occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula for six centuries, where they founded the advanced civilization of Al-Andalus (711-1492). Al-Andalus coincided with La Convivencia, an era of religious tolerance, and with the Golden age of Jewish culture in Iberia (912, the rule of Abd-ar-Rahman III - 1066, Granada massacre). It was followed by a violent Reconquista under the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Kings), Ferdinand V and Isabella I. The Catholic Spaniards then created the Cleanliness of blood policy. It was during this time in history that the Western concept of aristocratic "blue blood" emerged in a highly racial and implicitly white supremacist context, as author Robert Lacey explains:
It was the Spaniards who gave the world the notion that an aristocrat's blood is not red but blue. The Spanish nobility started taking shape around the ninth century in classic military fashion, occupying land as warriors on horseback. They were to continue the process for more than five hundred years, clawing back sections of the peninsula from its Moorish occupiers, and a nobleman demonstrated his pedigree by holding up his sword arm to display the filigree of blue-blooded veins beneath his pale skin--proof that his birth had not been contaminated by the dark-skinned enemy. Sangre azul, blue blood, was thus a euphemism for being a white man--Spain's own particular reminder that the refined footsteps of the aristocracy through history carry the rather less refined spoor of racism.
20th Century
Japan proposed racial equality at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. A large majority supported the Japanese racial equality proposal, however a few countries’ strong oppositions declined it.
Burma, China, India and Japan held Greater East Asia Conference in 1943. The conference declared working for the abolition of racial discrimination. Imperial Japanese Army general Kiichiro Higuchi and colonel Norihiro Yasue saved 20,000 Jews from Germans genocide. Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara saved 6,000 Jews from Germans genocide. According to Herbert Bix, Racial discrimination against other Asians was habitual in Imperial Japan.
The Nazis considered Jews, Gypsies, Poles along with other Slavic people like the Russians, Ukrainians, Czechs and anyone else who was not an "Aryan" according to the contemporary Nazi race terminology to be subhuman (Untermensch). The Nazis reasoned that the Germans, being a super human (Übermenschlich) race, had a biological right to displace, eliminate and enslave inferiors. The Nazis killed approximately 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.
After the war, under the "Big Plan", Generalplan Ost foresaw the eventual expulsion of more than 50 million non-Germanized Slavs of Eastern Europe through forced migration, as well as some of the Balts, beyond the Ural Mountains and into Siberia. In their place, Germans would be settled in an extended "living space" (Lebensraum) of the 1000-Year Empire (Tausendjähriges Reich). Herbert Backe was one of the orchestrators of the Hunger Plan - the plan to starve tens of millions of Slavs in order to ensure steady food supplies for the German people and troops.
Heinrich Himmler speech to about 100 SS Group Leaders in Posen, occupied Poland, 1943:
"What happens to the Russians, what happens to the Czechs, is a matter of utter indifference to me... Whether the other peoples live in comfort or perish of hunger interests me only in so far as we need them as slaves for our culture; apart from that it does not interest me. Whether or not 10,000 Russian women collapse from exhaustion while digging a tank ditch interests me only in so far as the tank ditch is completed for Germany... We Germans, who are the only people in the world who have a decent attitude to animals, will also adopt a decent attitude to these human animals, but it is a crime against our own blood to worry about them and to bring them ideals... I shall speak to you here with all frankness of a very serious subject. We shall now discuss it absolutely openly among ourselves, nevertheless we shall never speak of it in public. I mean the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race."
Racism dates as far back as the mature period of 2600–1900 BCE during the Indus Valley Civilization, which centered mostly in the western part of the Indian subcontinent. According to the Indo-Aryan migrations theory, Indo-Aryans migrated from Central Asia to India sometime after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization. Following the discovery of the Indo-European languages in the 19th century, British historians put forth the Aryan invasion theory which argued that it was "Aryans" who established the caste system, an elitist form of social organization that (according to the British) separated the "light-skinned" Indo-Aryan conquerors from the "conquered dark-skinned" indigenous Dravidian tribes through enforcement of "racial endogamy". This claim was used by the British, defining themselves as "purely Aryan", to justify British Rule in India. Much of this was simply conjecture, fueled by British imperialism. This shows the practice of racial segregation during the Antiquity times.
Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Richard E. Nisbett, a professor of social psychology, has said that the question of racial superiority may go back at least a thousand years, to the time when the Umayyad Caliphate invaded Hispania, occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula for six centuries, where they founded the advanced civilization of Al-Andalus (711-1492). Al-Andalus coincided with La Convivencia, an era of religious tolerance, and with the Golden age of Jewish culture in Iberia (912, the rule of Abd-ar-Rahman III - 1066, Granada massacre). It was followed by a violent Reconquista under the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Kings), Ferdinand V and Isabella I. The Catholic Spaniards then created the Cleanliness of blood policy. It was during this time in history that the Western concept of aristocratic "blue blood" emerged in a highly racial and implicitly white supremacist context, as author Robert Lacey explains:
It was the Spaniards who gave the world the notion that an aristocrat's blood is not red but blue. The Spanish nobility started taking shape around the ninth century in classic military fashion, occupying land as warriors on horseback. They were to continue the process for more than five hundred years, clawing back sections of the peninsula from its Moorish occupiers, and a nobleman demonstrated his pedigree by holding up his sword arm to display the filigree of blue-blooded veins beneath his pale skin--proof that his birth had not been contaminated by the dark-skinned enemy. Sangre azul, blue blood, was thus a euphemism for being a white man--Spain's own particular reminder that the refined footsteps of the aristocracy through history carry the rather less refined spoor of racism.
20th Century
Japan proposed racial equality at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. A large majority supported the Japanese racial equality proposal, however a few countries’ strong oppositions declined it.
Burma, China, India and Japan held Greater East Asia Conference in 1943. The conference declared working for the abolition of racial discrimination. Imperial Japanese Army general Kiichiro Higuchi and colonel Norihiro Yasue saved 20,000 Jews from Germans genocide. Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara saved 6,000 Jews from Germans genocide. According to Herbert Bix, Racial discrimination against other Asians was habitual in Imperial Japan.
The Nazis considered Jews, Gypsies, Poles along with other Slavic people like the Russians, Ukrainians, Czechs and anyone else who was not an "Aryan" according to the contemporary Nazi race terminology to be subhuman (Untermensch). The Nazis reasoned that the Germans, being a super human (Übermenschlich) race, had a biological right to displace, eliminate and enslave inferiors. The Nazis killed approximately 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.
After the war, under the "Big Plan", Generalplan Ost foresaw the eventual expulsion of more than 50 million non-Germanized Slavs of Eastern Europe through forced migration, as well as some of the Balts, beyond the Ural Mountains and into Siberia. In their place, Germans would be settled in an extended "living space" (Lebensraum) of the 1000-Year Empire (Tausendjähriges Reich). Herbert Backe was one of the orchestrators of the Hunger Plan - the plan to starve tens of millions of Slavs in order to ensure steady food supplies for the German people and troops.
Heinrich Himmler speech to about 100 SS Group Leaders in Posen, occupied Poland, 1943:
"What happens to the Russians, what happens to the Czechs, is a matter of utter indifference to me... Whether the other peoples live in comfort or perish of hunger interests me only in so far as we need them as slaves for our culture; apart from that it does not interest me. Whether or not 10,000 Russian women collapse from exhaustion while digging a tank ditch interests me only in so far as the tank ditch is completed for Germany... We Germans, who are the only people in the world who have a decent attitude to animals, will also adopt a decent attitude to these human animals, but it is a crime against our own blood to worry about them and to bring them ideals... I shall speak to you here with all frankness of a very serious subject. We shall now discuss it absolutely openly among ourselves, nevertheless we shall never speak of it in public. I mean the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race."
"Instant Marriage" in India Another Result of Gender Discrimination
Movement or displacement of women after marriage is a phenomenon commonly linked to exploitation and trafficking of women. Forced prostitution and labor feed on the relationship between marriage and migration as many women find themselves inextricably trapped in these often exploitative relationships.
In India, the traditional patriarchal set-up demands that the woman moves into the matrimonial home of her husband, which also houses her in-laws and new extended family. A huge number of migrant women in the country move away from their natal homes after their marriage, which is hardly surprising since girls and women are viewed as someone's else property to be given up by way of marriage in any case. According to the 2001 census, women account for almost three quarters, or 65 percent, of the total migration reported in the country.
While female migrant labor remains invisible for many reasons, it is also often tied to the migration of the spouses so there is more opportunity for exploitation and vulnerability to occur.
In a trafficking situation, after being sold off to the next buyer by a fake husband who is involved in the sex trafficking network, women find themselves in fraternal polyandrous marriages. When they reach their matrimonial homes, they are abandoned for various reasons, and are put in abusive conditions working for little or no remuneration.
Women's position in Indian society and how they continue to be viewed determines the decisions that are made for them in marriage, whether real or contrived marriages. In many cases, they simply have become the currency of exchange. It is just the terms of engagement that get modified according to the situation.
The conditions change with the social factors driving them at that time. In many parts of India, girls are devalued and often are unwelcome in most households, especially if a second child is a female born into a home where the first-born child is already a girl. In these settings, sex selection abortion, female infanticide, or neglect of girl children through denial of food and medical care may be routine. Higher rates of mortality among girl children lead to skewed sex ratios in which boys far outnumber girls. As a result, India has fewer females per thousand males than is the norm biologically or socially in most other countries. The national average in the country, as per the 2001 census, is 933 females per 1,000 males. In some states, however, the ratio is far worse. Uttar Pradesh, for example, has a gender ratio of 898 females to 1000 males, ranking only slightly better than Punjab, Haryana and Sikkim, the worst affected states.
Yet the near-drought of young, marriageable women that results in regions such as Punjab and Haryana where gender discrimination is most pronounced has driven prospective suitors in these areas to resort to "buying" their brides from other more impoverished regions. So the skewed gender ratio in these states leads to sourcing brides from faraway eastern states of India like West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.
Even as sex selection extracts its price, communities have devised their own means of dealing with the situation of uneven gender ratios. In a country where marriages thrive on regional, caste and class, and the chastity of the girl, new means of driving marriage arrangements have been prompted by the scarcity of girls and driven by poverty of a substantial bulk of the population.
For example, a pre-assembled baraat, or wedding procession, consists of a ready groom and willing parents. All that's missing in this perfect wedding scenario is the bride, who has to be found somewhere. These are the essential ingredients of what is being increasingly referred to as chatpat shaadi or instant wedding, an increasingly common practice in some districts of the north state Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Unorthodox at the very least and excessively pragmatic at the most, families engage in these instant weddings to fulfill the socially indispensable requirement of marriage, a community pressure that bears upon eligible girls and boys and their families, though sooner for girls than boys.
What the eastern parts of this state have been witnessing over the years is the arrival of boys in groups of ten or more with their families in tow. The destination villages conduct guided tours, on the basis of locally collected data about eligible girls and acquiescent parents. Initially the practice involved cross-checking the antecedents of both families, but it's now a practice the girls' families are doing away with.
The ceremony's immediacy is reflected by the hurried, exchanged vows at the local temple, and the groom's party's return home in a matter of days, with a very young bride in tow.
To some extent, these marriages bear the imprint of mass marriages conducted in almost every rural or semi-urban part of the country. It's a quick fix community work model practised by local politicians. In many of these mass marriages, young girls have been married in clear violation of the law. These marriages can be seen as just another local version of marriage with poverty being the guiding factor.
What is even more interesting is that while the female to male ratio is below 900 in the western districts, it is above 1,000 in some of the eastern districts guiding the flow of women from eastern UP to the western part of the state via matrimony.
Weddings in small towns and villages were traditionally arranged by the community's priest, who had access to information about eligible girls and boys and willing parents. Today's instant weddings are now arranged by a local facilitator. While frequently a middle-man, the facilitator could also be a woman, who by virtue of marriage, has family in the villages of both the bride and the groom. The facilitator is the person who verifies the antecedents of both sides, and arranges the modalities and logistics of the wedding. Despite the financial burden the dowry system places on the bride's side, these weddings have become attractive because of the limited economic burden placed on the parents. Often the absence of a dowry demand is what makes the groom acceptable, no questions asked. In fact, the financial insecurity of the bride's family implies that the groom's side bears a substantial part of the wedding expenses - the bride price for the girl. Often the lucrative offer of a dowry-less alliance is the first step into a life built on deceit and various levels of exploitation as the girl is taken to far off villages and towns, isolated from her own support systems and family.The pressure the institution of marriage places on the social fabric and its denizens only widens the scope of exploitation of girls, and often her family. Innumerable narratives center around the lack of information and naiveté of the victims, with women realizing they have been duped after they are a long distance from their homes.
Low literacy levels only worsen their situations as they rarely know whom to approach for redress in a completely alien and hostile environment. The amount of deceit involves cases when the groom's side have built an entire façade of home, relatives and assets for the bride, and reality strikes only when the bride reaches her new home.
What could follow is physical and sexual abuse apart from being confined to prevent women from returning to their families. The social ostracism associated with an abandoned or divorced wife forces women to continue living in this environment.
These instant marriages that are occurring in India spells nothing but bad news. The first thing that it implies is that gender discrimination in India is worsening, however, it has further implications that limits it to more than just gender discrimination. True, with these instant marriages going on, the female party would then be on the losing end, being treated as nothing more than a commodity, no feelings attached. However, the true implication behind this is that how criminal organisations may choose to abuse this system and make use of instant marriages to carry out human trafficking, crime rates in India may rise to new heights.
Malnutrition; A gender issue in India
KOLARAS, India, 30 October 2007 – When nine-month-old twins Devki and Rahul were brought by their mother to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre in Kolaras – located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh – Rahul was a normal weight and size for his age, yet his sister Devki weighed just over half of what she should have. Devki’s condition was the result of severe malnutrition.
Both babies showed such varied weight and health that doctors suspected less food was given to Devki, a common occurrence in some areas of India where boys are often given more attention than girls.
When Devki was initially brought to the centre she was severely underweight, and doctors said she was a week away from death. Experts believe this case exemplifies a far more widespread social problem in cities and villages where, in many cases, the birth of boys is celebrated while newborn girls are at best tolerated and at worst, treated harshly.
Ask ourselves, is this a humane act, or one of the devil? Gender discrimination in India has taken a new face, it has escalated from what seemed to be a tiny spark to a huge forest fire. In the past, gender discrimination was limited to what seemed only to be inequality but now, girls are being abused to the extent of death, is this what we truly desire? Furthermore, are the alarming malnutrition rates in India is it due to India being undeveloped or is it due to gender discrimination? As this goes on, it is hard to say that gender discrimination in India is not headed straight to the abyss, and along with it, malnutrition in India.
Women in Science face discrimination
An IPS investigation reveals that women scientists are sidelined by male-centric selection committees for awards and for appointments to research and development (R&D) positions in government funded organisations. A gender-wise breakup of data related to three important national awards - SSB, Young Scientist and National Bio Science award - shows a consistent marginalisation of female scientists and technologists. There were very few females among the recipients of the Young Scientist awards since it was instituted in 1987. Of the total 133 people who won the award up to 2009, only 17 were females. Equally the National Bio Science awards have been prejudicial to women. Between 1999-2008, 70 scientists received the award which carries a cash prize of 100,000 rupees (2,200 dollars) and a research grant of 300,000 rupees (6,400 dollars) per year for a maximum of three years. Only 10 women scientists were chosen.
The Indian National Science Academy report on 'Science Career for Indian Women' substantiates the IPS investigation, and says that "male-centric decision making bodies in S&T (science and technology) have often worked against women and S&T has hurt rather than helped women (advance)." "A few women receive recognition through awards and academy fellowships. Bias against women leading to the much talked about 'glass ceiling' does operate and needs to be addressed," the report said. Commenting on gender discrimination in Indian science and technology, Dr. Vineeta Bal, a senior scientist at the New Delhi-based National Institute of Immunology and a member of the government's task force for women in science, told IPS that a male-centered line of thinking has been dominant in S&T award selections for several years.
"In the history of SSB awards, very few women have been considered worthy of the prize award in any field of science. There is only one women recipient of the SSB award in medicine in the past 15 years and none in biology," she added. Statistics/data availed from major R&D institutions showed that gender disparity in male-female staff selection process was continuing, and females were marginalised in recruitments. The government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has 950 women among its scientific work force of 7,000. The organisation had suffered a major set back in 2003-07 due to an exodus of young scientists/technologists; as many as 1,007 people left DRDO for better scientific jobs. The percentage of women scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - which awards the SSB and Young Scientist prize every year - is considerably fewer than male scientists. Of the total 4,297 scientists, the number of women is 703.
Though many women have reached top positions in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), under the Department of Space, the percentage of women scientists is very low; the percentage of women employees in the administration is 17.6 percent, while strength of women in scientific/technical positions is 7.18 percent only. The percentage of women scientists employed at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore is also less than 20. According to data, 15,338 people are working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, where the percentage of women scientists/engineers is less than five. "Female representation in science faculty in major national institutes/ some central universities showed a disproportion in the selection of women teachers/scientists with respect to the higher numbers of males", said Gopika Chandran, who teaches science in a university in Chennai (previously Madras).
In July 2009, S&T minister Prithviraj Chauhan told a meeting of 27 senior women scientists in New Delhi that he was "not happy about the number of women scientists in the country. There are many problems." "Attempt will be made to make gender audit in scientific establishment obligatory. Out of 37 institutes of CSIR, not a single lab is headed by a woman," he added. There are few female fellows in national science academies like the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore. "Becoming a fellow in an academy is considered as a stepping stone to higher positions. Therefore, every scientist aspires to become a fellow," admitted Rajan Mathur, a scientist in a government research institute in Mumbai. IPS's investigation also found out that a few academies have nominated more women scientists to its list of fellows due to growing dissatisfaction among women scientists.
The prominent Indian Academy of Sciences, which was founded in 1934 by Nobel Laureate Prof. C.V. Raman, presently has over 800 fellows. Between 1994-2004, the number of males selected as fellows in all disciplines was 236 while the number of females was 17. The academy enlisted more women fellows, and their numbers increased to 51 in 2007. Women's representation in government constituted research advisory bodies also worries women scientists; data shows a range between 0-21 percent.
According to Dr. Bal, many unstated considerations were factors in the selection/nomination of fellows/members in research institutions/committees. "When personal connections matter in achieving targets, women scientists can easily lose out, since personal interactions of women scientists with male colleagues would be deeply constrained by standard patriarchal cultural barriers of so-called morality."
The Indian National Science Academy report on 'Science Career for Indian Women' substantiates the IPS investigation, and says that "male-centric decision making bodies in S&T (science and technology) have often worked against women and S&T has hurt rather than helped women (advance)." "A few women receive recognition through awards and academy fellowships. Bias against women leading to the much talked about 'glass ceiling' does operate and needs to be addressed," the report said. Commenting on gender discrimination in Indian science and technology, Dr. Vineeta Bal, a senior scientist at the New Delhi-based National Institute of Immunology and a member of the government's task force for women in science, told IPS that a male-centered line of thinking has been dominant in S&T award selections for several years.
"In the history of SSB awards, very few women have been considered worthy of the prize award in any field of science. There is only one women recipient of the SSB award in medicine in the past 15 years and none in biology," she added. Statistics/data availed from major R&D institutions showed that gender disparity in male-female staff selection process was continuing, and females were marginalised in recruitments. The government's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has 950 women among its scientific work force of 7,000. The organisation had suffered a major set back in 2003-07 due to an exodus of young scientists/technologists; as many as 1,007 people left DRDO for better scientific jobs. The percentage of women scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - which awards the SSB and Young Scientist prize every year - is considerably fewer than male scientists. Of the total 4,297 scientists, the number of women is 703.
Though many women have reached top positions in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), under the Department of Space, the percentage of women scientists is very low; the percentage of women employees in the administration is 17.6 percent, while strength of women in scientific/technical positions is 7.18 percent only. The percentage of women scientists employed at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore is also less than 20. According to data, 15,338 people are working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, where the percentage of women scientists/engineers is less than five. "Female representation in science faculty in major national institutes/ some central universities showed a disproportion in the selection of women teachers/scientists with respect to the higher numbers of males", said Gopika Chandran, who teaches science in a university in Chennai (previously Madras).
In July 2009, S&T minister Prithviraj Chauhan told a meeting of 27 senior women scientists in New Delhi that he was "not happy about the number of women scientists in the country. There are many problems." "Attempt will be made to make gender audit in scientific establishment obligatory. Out of 37 institutes of CSIR, not a single lab is headed by a woman," he added. There are few female fellows in national science academies like the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore. "Becoming a fellow in an academy is considered as a stepping stone to higher positions. Therefore, every scientist aspires to become a fellow," admitted Rajan Mathur, a scientist in a government research institute in Mumbai. IPS's investigation also found out that a few academies have nominated more women scientists to its list of fellows due to growing dissatisfaction among women scientists.
The prominent Indian Academy of Sciences, which was founded in 1934 by Nobel Laureate Prof. C.V. Raman, presently has over 800 fellows. Between 1994-2004, the number of males selected as fellows in all disciplines was 236 while the number of females was 17. The academy enlisted more women fellows, and their numbers increased to 51 in 2007. Women's representation in government constituted research advisory bodies also worries women scientists; data shows a range between 0-21 percent.
According to Dr. Bal, many unstated considerations were factors in the selection/nomination of fellows/members in research institutions/committees. "When personal connections matter in achieving targets, women scientists can easily lose out, since personal interactions of women scientists with male colleagues would be deeply constrained by standard patriarchal cultural barriers of so-called morality."
This discrimination against women in the field of science is one worthy of concern. As women are being discriminated in the field of science, they do not gain the recognition they deserve. This not only denies these women from the honour they deserve but also at the same time worsening the issue of gender discrimination, locking it in a cycle. As these women are being denied of the honour and recognition they deserve, it also means that other females in the nation are at the same time losing a role model or inspiration for them to look forward to that women can succeed in India and are no longer discriminated, as a result, they are constantly being repressed and are stuck in the cycle where they are born to be discriminated, give birth to another one who would live the same life as them.
Transexuals gaining their own gender: O (Others), India
Indian election authorities Thursday granted an independent identity to intersex and transsexuals in the country's voter lists. Before, members of these groups were referred to as male or female in the voter rolls. But now, they will have the choice to tick "O" -- for others -- when indicating their gender in voter forms, the Indian election commission said in a statement. India, home to more than 1 billion people, has 714 million registered voters. Intersexual people are seen as a marginalized community in India. Many end up begging on the streets, becoming prostitutes or earning their livelihood by dancing at celebrations.In July, an Indian court delivered a landmark ruling legalizing gay sex between consenting partners in the country.
The July verdict meant the law -- Indian penal code section 377, which had previously criminalized consensual homosexual acts between adults -- was partly struck down but remains in place as far as forced homosexual acts are concerned. It was not clear whether the ruling -- which was later challenged by an astrologer in India's highest court -- would eventually lead to legalization of gay marriages in the country.
This notion made in India may be one of significance as these members of the public gain an identity of their own, it also means one thing, India is slowly becoming more liberal and at the same time it meant that these individuals would slowly become integrated into India's society and become a part of them, making them less discriminated as they are being accepted. Furthermore, as more doors are being opened to these individuals, they may no longer need to work as those jobs in the red light district and thus reducing the number of vices present in India.
Ageism in Thailand - On Teachers
Thailand discriminates against older English teachers who are over 45 Years of Age. People who are over the age of 45 need not apply for teacher as they are seen as unwanted in the profession.
More English teachers in Thailand are seeing Advertisements saying "Teachers Under 45 Wanted”. In Thailand, these discriminatory advertisements are completely acceptable and legal. Even the job advertisements in the local newspaper do state that teachers must be “25 years of age or younger, female and attractive”. English teachers that have spent their life teaching in Thailand are not surprised to see the job advertisements as it is common in the country. Furthermore, more job advertisements for western English teachers are stating that they “must be under 45 years of age”.
There are reasons why the Thais discriminate are against teachers who are over the age of 45.
Firstly, if a teacher were to teach English in Thailand, he or she must be an entertainer as well as an educator. For a teacher to be entertaining and fun, the Thais’ mindset of the criteria for one to be a teacher is that the teacher must be young. The Thais dislike being bored during the lesson and they assume that young teachers would make the lesson more lively and fun.
Secondly, it is due to that the citizens have a mindset that older people are weak as many eld
erly are suffering from poor health in Thailand due to poor healthcare and infrastructure. Although the retirement age in Thailand is 60 years of age, the Thais would retire earlier as they want to enjoy retirement age. Besides that, they also added discrimination against western teachers that are older than 45 years old. The Thais also assume that the westerns in the range of 50s-60s years old are weak and thus unable to teach.
A good teacher does not necessarily have to be young. In fact, in my opinion, younger teachers are not as experience as an old teacher who has been in the profession for a long time. Hence , older teachers may be as good as younger teachers or even better than them.
More English teachers in Thailand are seeing Advertisements saying "Teachers Under 45 Wanted”. In Thailand, these discriminatory advertisements are completely acceptable and legal. Even the job advertisements in the local newspaper do state that teachers must be “25 years of age or younger, female and attractive”. English teachers that have spent their life teaching in Thailand are not surprised to see the job advertisements as it is common in the country. Furthermore, more job advertisements for western English teachers are stating that they “must be under 45 years of age”.
There are reasons why the Thais discriminate are against teachers who are over the age of 45.
Firstly, if a teacher were to teach English in Thailand, he or she must be an entertainer as well as an educator. For a teacher to be entertaining and fun, the Thais’ mindset of the criteria for one to be a teacher is that the teacher must be young. The Thais dislike being bored during the lesson and they assume that young teachers would make the lesson more lively and fun.
Secondly, it is due to that the citizens have a mindset that older people are weak as many eld
erly are suffering from poor health in Thailand due to poor healthcare and infrastructure. Although the retirement age in Thailand is 60 years of age, the Thais would retire earlier as they want to enjoy retirement age. Besides that, they also added discrimination against western teachers that are older than 45 years old. The Thais also assume that the westerns in the range of 50s-60s years old are weak and thus unable to teach.
A good teacher does not necessarily have to be young. In fact, in my opinion, younger teachers are not as experience as an old teacher who has been in the profession for a long time. Hence , older teachers may be as good as younger teachers or even better than them.
Singapore - Ageism led to Employment discrimination
An increase ageing population in Singapore has led to ageism in the workforce. It has unfortunately contributed to the rise of employment discrimination. However, Singapore government has come out with solutions to reduce the discrimination.
A report has highlighted a recent survey by staffing solutions firm Kelly Services. That survey found that out of the 1,500 respondents polled in Singapore, two thirds of them complained of having experienced prejudice of some sort when applying for a job in the last five years. Age was cited as the top reason for discrimination (29 per cent), followed by race (19 per cent), gender (11 per cent) and disability (2 per cent). Age was posed as the largest factor to the discrimination.
Furthermore, Singapore also faces the issue of the quality of jobs for older workers. There are concerns that the increase in employment of older workers had been mainly in low-skilled jobs. In 2006, 68% of workers aged 50 and above were employed in lower skilled jobs.
To tackle this problem, the government has taken the first tentative steps towards stemming this discrimination. It has collaborated the NTUC and SNEF (the Singapore National Employers’ Federation) to set up a “tripartite” committee to look into discrimination issues, known as the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Fair Employment Practices (or TAFEP)The committee has come up with revised guidelines on non-discriminatory job advertisements and a seminar, where a number of public and private sector employers pledged to adhere to non-discriminatory practices. Advertisements on bus stops around the island extolling the virtues of hiring older people were also being carried out.
They have made progress in raising the employment rate for older workers by giving employment opportunities to all Singaporeans. In 2006, 61% of those aged 55 to 59 were employed, a 5 percentage point improvement from year 2004. For those aged 60 to 64, the improvement is even more marked – up 8 percentage points to 42% in 2006. Increasingly, older workers are being employed as professionals, managers, executives and technicians as well and the trend would continue as the educational profile of the older workers improves.
By giving more acceptance towards the elderlys in Singapore, it would ensure that they would be active and continue to contribute to the society.
A report has highlighted a recent survey by staffing solutions firm Kelly Services. That survey found that out of the 1,500 respondents polled in Singapore, two thirds of them complained of having experienced prejudice of some sort when applying for a job in the last five years. Age was cited as the top reason for discrimination (29 per cent), followed by race (19 per cent), gender (11 per cent) and disability (2 per cent). Age was posed as the largest factor to the discrimination.
Furthermore, Singapore also faces the issue of the quality of jobs for older workers. There are concerns that the increase in employment of older workers had been mainly in low-skilled jobs. In 2006, 68% of workers aged 50 and above were employed in lower skilled jobs.
To tackle this problem, the government has taken the first tentative steps towards stemming this discrimination. It has collaborated the NTUC and SNEF (the Singapore National Employers’ Federation) to set up a “tripartite” committee to look into discrimination issues, known as the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Fair Employment Practices (or TAFEP)The committee has come up with revised guidelines on non-discriminatory job advertisements and a seminar, where a number of public and private sector employers pledged to adhere to non-discriminatory practices. Advertisements on bus stops around the island extolling the virtues of hiring older people were also being carried out.
They have made progress in raising the employment rate for older workers by giving employment opportunities to all Singaporeans. In 2006, 61% of those aged 55 to 59 were employed, a 5 percentage point improvement from year 2004. For those aged 60 to 64, the improvement is even more marked – up 8 percentage points to 42% in 2006. Increasingly, older workers are being employed as professionals, managers, executives and technicians as well and the trend would continue as the educational profile of the older workers improves.
By giving more acceptance towards the elderlys in Singapore, it would ensure that they would be active and continue to contribute to the society.
Elitism in Singapore
School streaming
Shaping elitist mindset
Streaming helps create arrogant elitism among students.
By Seah Chiang Nee. Feb 15, 2004
WHAT began as a jealous boy-girl dating complaint has developed into a full-blown Internet debate that highlights the divisive impact of Singapore's school ranking system.
It was an innocuous message of a student from the elite Raffles Girls' School dating a boy from an under-achieving neighbourhood school.
Few people could have anticipated anything worth to comment about, but it provoked a Raffles Junior College student - RJCdude - to call on lower-ranking students to "quit trying to climb the social ladder by dating students from top schools."
The explosive discussion pitched the present, and former, students of top-ranking schools against those of neighbourhood schools, to which average or below-average students generally are streamed.
They end up - at best - with a diploma rather than a university degree. The Web debate stretched over a period of four months, attracting more than 400 postings in two chatsites.
Cynic, who suggested that the couple break up, said: "It's not going to work out. She's going to be ashamed of introducing him to her friends and her family."
What about the future? he asked. "Will he be happy wallowing in her shadow when she starts earning three times more than him? Inferiority complex will soon kick in.
"There also will be a great communication problem. I mean, what has a graduate from Cornell in common with Ah Beng on the streets?"
Cordonbluu wrote of the different social class and intellectual mentalities and the ability to provide.
"The one weaker in academics will not be able to provide nourishment for the mind and cannot engage in intelligent discussion on politics, for example," he said.
"And the more intelligent one will probably have to lower his/her standards and eventually will degenerate to the same level."
He added this bombshell: "We are afraid of genetic dilution."
"Leave the RGS girl alone-lah! Leave her to other high-flying guys. It's good to know one's limits once in a while," declared Get Real.
One forum participant said the Raffles schoolgirl was earmarked for higher things in life, so the guy should not spoil it for her.
Another "elite" student, Super-infector, said he would never go out with a girl from a neighbourhood school because of "social and intellectual disparity." Declared another: "You guys should know your place in society."
But underneath all the juvenile froth is something more important to the nation. It raises a crucial question about character-building of our top students.
While the education system can produce excellent engineers and scientists, can the same be said of raising potential leaders who are sensitive to society's needs?
The views of some of Singapore's "elite" students are revealing and disturbing. They lend weight to an observation by some foreigners that the new generation of Singaporeans is arrogant and self-centred.
One is the former Chinese ambassador here, Chen Bioliu, who said Singaporeans need to shed their "arrogance" and "air of superiority" if they were to further improve relations with China. According to her, some Singapo- reans, with their superiority in English, tend to look down on Chinese nationals.
Her comment reflects the fears of some leaders who have been warning people they must do more to drop the "ugly Singaporean" image that some neighbouring countries have of them.
One of Singapore's (retired) top bureaucrats, Ngiam Tong Dow, recently said some civil servants had behaved like mini-Lee Kuan Yews but without his achievements.
The current crop of highly-paid bureaucrats comes from elite colleges through government scholarships to study in the best universities.
The consistent top two have been Raffles Junior College and Hwa Chong Junior College. Their academic results have been breathtaking because the crème de la crème in secondary schools scramble to study there.
Some 80% of all government and government-linked scholarship awardees are from the top five junior colleges (2002) - Raffles, Hwa Chong, Victoria, National and Temasek.
But if the debate is reflective of our best scholars and potential leaders, it doesn't offer much hope for optimism in the future.
Many come across as arrogant and self-centred, looking down on others who are less academically capable. They seem to have a jaundiced view of life, believing that their distinctions somehow guarantee them success.
Not all the "elite" ex-students, of course, share this arrogance; in fact a few condemn the arguments. But there are enough of those who agree with RJCdude.
If they are insensitive to the less capable in college, can they be depended upon to provide leadership and compassion to the needy when they become adults?
Ultimately, the question arises as to whether the ranking system is shaping an elitist mentality, breeding a class division in Singapore.
Sgstvoy, who admits he came from a top school, argues that students with limited capacity, or the lower class, "exist for the service of the upper class."
To the lesser students, he advised: "Know your limits and develop your other niche abilities for I do believe an academically inept person will have other abilities that may not be valued by the current system."
The arguments against these views were overwhelming, describing them as "worrying" - which explains why the government is bringing in foreign talent.
"No creativity, no analytical skill, arrogant and think too highly of themselves but yet is in fact a pathetic bunch who live in their own small little world. This is really sad," one declared.
"You guys are terribly childish," said Jenn. "If you think you're going to make it big with that attitude, you're in for a big surprise."
In the working world, nobody cares what college you come from, only how well you perform, says another.
"This thread has gotten out of control. The school ranking system has gone all wrong." Finally, from ex-elite ExRGS: "One day when these arrogant bigots have to step out into the real world where no one knows what your old school name means, you will finally learn to grow up."
(This article was first published in Sunday Star, Feb 15, 2004)
Evalutaion: Judging from the comments and opinions found in this article, we find that there is a handful of elitists in Singapore. Most of these elitists seem to be students from elite schools such as RJC. Teachers should warn them against elitism and change their mindsets, lest a class division really results in our future society.
Shaping elitist mindset
Streaming helps create arrogant elitism among students.
By Seah Chiang Nee. Feb 15, 2004
WHAT began as a jealous boy-girl dating complaint has developed into a full-blown Internet debate that highlights the divisive impact of Singapore's school ranking system.
It was an innocuous message of a student from the elite Raffles Girls' School dating a boy from an under-achieving neighbourhood school.
Few people could have anticipated anything worth to comment about, but it provoked a Raffles Junior College student - RJCdude - to call on lower-ranking students to "quit trying to climb the social ladder by dating students from top schools."
The explosive discussion pitched the present, and former, students of top-ranking schools against those of neighbourhood schools, to which average or below-average students generally are streamed.
They end up - at best - with a diploma rather than a university degree. The Web debate stretched over a period of four months, attracting more than 400 postings in two chatsites.
Cynic, who suggested that the couple break up, said: "It's not going to work out. She's going to be ashamed of introducing him to her friends and her family."
What about the future? he asked. "Will he be happy wallowing in her shadow when she starts earning three times more than him? Inferiority complex will soon kick in.
"There also will be a great communication problem. I mean, what has a graduate from Cornell in common with Ah Beng on the streets?"
Cordonbluu wrote of the different social class and intellectual mentalities and the ability to provide.
"The one weaker in academics will not be able to provide nourishment for the mind and cannot engage in intelligent discussion on politics, for example," he said.
"And the more intelligent one will probably have to lower his/her standards and eventually will degenerate to the same level."
He added this bombshell: "We are afraid of genetic dilution."
"Leave the RGS girl alone-lah! Leave her to other high-flying guys. It's good to know one's limits once in a while," declared Get Real.
One forum participant said the Raffles schoolgirl was earmarked for higher things in life, so the guy should not spoil it for her.
Another "elite" student, Super-infector, said he would never go out with a girl from a neighbourhood school because of "social and intellectual disparity." Declared another: "You guys should know your place in society."
But underneath all the juvenile froth is something more important to the nation. It raises a crucial question about character-building of our top students.
While the education system can produce excellent engineers and scientists, can the same be said of raising potential leaders who are sensitive to society's needs?
The views of some of Singapore's "elite" students are revealing and disturbing. They lend weight to an observation by some foreigners that the new generation of Singaporeans is arrogant and self-centred.
One is the former Chinese ambassador here, Chen Bioliu, who said Singaporeans need to shed their "arrogance" and "air of superiority" if they were to further improve relations with China. According to her, some Singapo- reans, with their superiority in English, tend to look down on Chinese nationals.
Her comment reflects the fears of some leaders who have been warning people they must do more to drop the "ugly Singaporean" image that some neighbouring countries have of them.
One of Singapore's (retired) top bureaucrats, Ngiam Tong Dow, recently said some civil servants had behaved like mini-Lee Kuan Yews but without his achievements.
The current crop of highly-paid bureaucrats comes from elite colleges through government scholarships to study in the best universities.
The consistent top two have been Raffles Junior College and Hwa Chong Junior College. Their academic results have been breathtaking because the crème de la crème in secondary schools scramble to study there.
Some 80% of all government and government-linked scholarship awardees are from the top five junior colleges (2002) - Raffles, Hwa Chong, Victoria, National and Temasek.
But if the debate is reflective of our best scholars and potential leaders, it doesn't offer much hope for optimism in the future.
Many come across as arrogant and self-centred, looking down on others who are less academically capable. They seem to have a jaundiced view of life, believing that their distinctions somehow guarantee them success.
Not all the "elite" ex-students, of course, share this arrogance; in fact a few condemn the arguments. But there are enough of those who agree with RJCdude.
If they are insensitive to the less capable in college, can they be depended upon to provide leadership and compassion to the needy when they become adults?
Ultimately, the question arises as to whether the ranking system is shaping an elitist mentality, breeding a class division in Singapore.
Sgstvoy, who admits he came from a top school, argues that students with limited capacity, or the lower class, "exist for the service of the upper class."
To the lesser students, he advised: "Know your limits and develop your other niche abilities for I do believe an academically inept person will have other abilities that may not be valued by the current system."
The arguments against these views were overwhelming, describing them as "worrying" - which explains why the government is bringing in foreign talent.
"No creativity, no analytical skill, arrogant and think too highly of themselves but yet is in fact a pathetic bunch who live in their own small little world. This is really sad," one declared.
"You guys are terribly childish," said Jenn. "If you think you're going to make it big with that attitude, you're in for a big surprise."
In the working world, nobody cares what college you come from, only how well you perform, says another.
"This thread has gotten out of control. The school ranking system has gone all wrong." Finally, from ex-elite ExRGS: "One day when these arrogant bigots have to step out into the real world where no one knows what your old school name means, you will finally learn to grow up."
(This article was first published in Sunday Star, Feb 15, 2004)
Evalutaion: Judging from the comments and opinions found in this article, we find that there is a handful of elitists in Singapore. Most of these elitists seem to be students from elite schools such as RJC. Teachers should warn them against elitism and change their mindsets, lest a class division really results in our future society.
Justice delayed for Dalit girl burnt alive in Uttar Pradesh
A 6 year old girl was thrown into burning bush by the upper caste villagers in Uttar Pradesh in April 2008.
Her right hand was crippled, right leg and skin all over the body was cracked and unhealed. No proper medication was given to her.
Justice to Kamlesh and her family was uncertain because the accused and the upper caste family are wealthier and have better connections with government authorities and so, they can easily manipulate things to their advantage.
The chances of winning this case is very low for Kamlesh and her family because only 1 out every 4 culprits are put to jail and thus, the victim's family might be forced to withdraw the complaint against the culpirts to compromise the case.
Once again, justice is not fair here. The culprits were not found gulity because of their good connection with the government and they are left scott free to commit similar crimes again.
Her right hand was crippled, right leg and skin all over the body was cracked and unhealed. No proper medication was given to her.
Justice to Kamlesh and her family was uncertain because the accused and the upper caste family are wealthier and have better connections with government authorities and so, they can easily manipulate things to their advantage.
The chances of winning this case is very low for Kamlesh and her family because only 1 out every 4 culprits are put to jail and thus, the victim's family might be forced to withdraw the complaint against the culpirts to compromise the case.
Once again, justice is not fair here. The culprits were not found gulity because of their good connection with the government and they are left scott free to commit similar crimes again.
Elitism in Singapore
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HK23Ae02.html
Mixing welfare and elitism in Singapore
By Alex Au SINGAPORE Nov 23, 2006
Is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong moving to soften the island state's time-tested capitalist credentials with state welfare policies for the poor? Growing economic inequality has put Lee to the political test, one that is challenging his economic lieutenants to devise ways to redistribute national wealth consistent with Singapore's strong laissez-faire capitalist tradition. The formula they've arrived at, however, seems likely to widen rather than bridge the divide. In mid-November, Lee announced government plans to raise the goods and service tax (GST) from 5% to 7%. The tax hike is designed to generate about S$1.5 billion (US$960 million) annually, funds that will be earmarked to develop a more generous social safety net. "It's essential for us to tilt the balance [of spending] in favor of lower-income Singaporeans because globalization is going to strain our social compact," Lee said upon announcing the policy. It was an unusually candid admission for the leader of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), the political machine that Lee's father, former premier and current Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew, founded and that has ruled Singapore uninterrupted since the country's founding in 1959. Strict adherence to neo-liberal economic prescriptions and policy promotion of an export-oriented economy contributed to Singapore's emergence as one of Asia's richest countries in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, it appears those same policies are disproportionately lifting the top tier of society while leaving a growing number of lower-wage earners in the economic lurch. That trend arguably began with the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis when, government statistics show, the wages of lower-skilled workers fell by about one-third. Despite economic recovery, the income gap has continued to widen as Singapore's past advantage in manufacturing industries has been eroded by China and other lower-cost countries in the region. Over the past five years, about 20% of Singapore's households have suffered from declining incomes. And that's arguably starting to take a toll on the PAP's popularity.
Evaluation: The widening income gap between the rich and the poor in Singapore could be one of the signs of subtle elitism present in our society.
Mixing welfare and elitism in Singapore
By Alex Au SINGAPORE Nov 23, 2006
Is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong moving to soften the island state's time-tested capitalist credentials with state welfare policies for the poor? Growing economic inequality has put Lee to the political test, one that is challenging his economic lieutenants to devise ways to redistribute national wealth consistent with Singapore's strong laissez-faire capitalist tradition. The formula they've arrived at, however, seems likely to widen rather than bridge the divide. In mid-November, Lee announced government plans to raise the goods and service tax (GST) from 5% to 7%. The tax hike is designed to generate about S$1.5 billion (US$960 million) annually, funds that will be earmarked to develop a more generous social safety net. "It's essential for us to tilt the balance [of spending] in favor of lower-income Singaporeans because globalization is going to strain our social compact," Lee said upon announcing the policy. It was an unusually candid admission for the leader of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), the political machine that Lee's father, former premier and current Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew, founded and that has ruled Singapore uninterrupted since the country's founding in 1959. Strict adherence to neo-liberal economic prescriptions and policy promotion of an export-oriented economy contributed to Singapore's emergence as one of Asia's richest countries in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, it appears those same policies are disproportionately lifting the top tier of society while leaving a growing number of lower-wage earners in the economic lurch. That trend arguably began with the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis when, government statistics show, the wages of lower-skilled workers fell by about one-third. Despite economic recovery, the income gap has continued to widen as Singapore's past advantage in manufacturing industries has been eroded by China and other lower-cost countries in the region. Over the past five years, about 20% of Singapore's households have suffered from declining incomes. And that's arguably starting to take a toll on the PAP's popularity.
Evaluation: The widening income gap between the rich and the poor in Singapore could be one of the signs of subtle elitism present in our society.
Political elitism
Takes an emotive turn
The term is becoming synonymous with ‘privileged class’ and ‘leadership arrogance’, threatening PAP’s long-term rule.
By Seah Chiang NeeOct 29, 2006
Singapore’s People’s Action Party is confronted with a widening class divide and a creeping political elitism that could drive it from power, if they are allowed to fester. Inter-related, these problems are shaping up into the ruling party’s biggest challenge in the next election in 2011 – and probably beyond.
They are neither new nor unique in the world, having prevailed in advanced nations like the United States, Britain and even Japan – except in Singapore, the small size and meagre safety net are exacerbating matters.The General Household Survey revealed that the top 20% of Singapore’s households last year earned 31 times that of the bottom 20%. And the gap is widening.
Two events last week showed up how much disconnect there is between a segment of the political elite and the citizens it has to represent. The problem is serious. “We have a crop of well-off MPs who have little empathy for the poor or needy, seeing failure is an individual’s fault. Political elitism and arrogance are undoing the PAP’s strong record of achievements,” one party grassroots worker said, calling for political reforms.
“Otherwise, the PAP cannot survive a one-man-one-vote democracy for no more than two or three elections.”
“The stability of a society depends on how people feel. If there is a group which is unhappy, such that they rebel against the system, that can lead to all kinds of trouble,” warned Labour chief and a PMO minister Lim Boon Heng.
For some time, party workers have been giving feedback to the leadership that public feelings are rising against what they say is a system that favours the elite and the rich. The first advice: Change the criteria and selection of PAP Members of Parliament (from whom Cabinet ministers are selected).
Laid down by Lee Kuan Yew, the system measures political ability by academic, professional or business achievements, particularly those who are related to past achievers.
This could be attributed to Lee’s belief that intelligence – or alternatively mental subnormality – is inherited from parents’ genes.
Only a few newer MPs are social workers or people with good community links, but compassion, charity and humility generally rank low in priority in a candidate’s qualities.
For decades, the party leaders have tended to come from the ranks of scholars and technocrats, described by Lee Senior as “among the best in Singapore.”
In a different era, the system had worked well in building an efficient, modern city. That was the good part.
But in the new Singapore, elitism breeds resentment and friction. Many of these MPs, raised in wealthy homes, are simply too removed from the plight of poor Singaporeans they are supposed to represent.
Unlike politicians elsewhere, the MPs in Singapore are co-opted into politics without party experience or having to campaign hard to win votes.
During Lee’s popular past, this posed few problems. PAP candidates were virtually always automatically elected. A popular joke in those days was “Even if it fields a monkey, it will win.”
Today, with the unfettered reach of a critical Internet and an educated electorate, every comment or behaviour of an MP comes under intense scrutiny.
Last week provided evidence of this.
It began when Wee Shu Min, 18-year-old scholar-daughter of a PAP MP, launched a scathing attack on Singaporean Derek Wee for voicing concerns on job security and age discrimination.
She described Derek as a “stupid crackpot”, “the sadder class”, over-reliant on the government in Singapore where society is “far too survival of the fittest” and signed off with: “Get out of my elite uncaring face”.
Other condescending terms: Derek is a typical “wretched, under-motivated, over-assuming leeches” specimen of Singapore. He has a “middle-class under-educated penchant” for complaining and should get on with life.
It was political dynamite for several reasons.
Firstly, she was a scholar (10 A’s in O-level, strong bilingual, French) in elitist Raffles Junior College, the sort that is earmarked for an easy road to high office.
Secondly, her father Wee Siew Kim is an executive of Singapore Engineering and MP in PM Lee Hsieng Loong’s Ang Mo Kio group constituency, so whatever he does affects the PM’s political fortune.
Hundreds of angry Singaporeans consider her remarks as elitist and insensitive against the common people.
To make matters worse, the MP issued a statement that appeared to support her elitist remarks.
The controversy may have sealed his political career; there is little prospect of Wee standing again in the next election.
Unfortunately for the PAP, it occurred at almost the same time as news broke of a 40-year-old
unemployed father of two teenagers jumping in front of a moving train.
After failing to get a job for four months, he committed suicide with S$16 in his pocket and a pile of debts.
Shu Min had written, “If you’re not good enough, life will kick you in the balls. That’s just how things go.”
Critics connect the two with devastating effect for the system.
Her comments have divided Singaporeans. Some of the more successful elements back her argument that Singapore’s capitalist system supports the “survival of the fittest” theory. One asked, “What’s wrong with being elitist?”
At least one saw the debate positively.
“In fact, we are already unintentionally preparing ourselves to enter the post-Lee Kuan Yew era by creating a bit of chaos here and there,” he wrote.
“When Lee finally goes, we would already have got used to the chaos; we can (then) re-make our beloved Singapore.”
(This article was specially written for The Sunday Star, Oct 29, 2006)
Evaluation: These elites who tend to be elitists ironically need more education. Their attitude and mindset has to change, lest elitism in Singapore becomes serious and full blown, causing segregation in our society.
Takes an emotive turn
The term is becoming synonymous with ‘privileged class’ and ‘leadership arrogance’, threatening PAP’s long-term rule.
By Seah Chiang NeeOct 29, 2006
Singapore’s People’s Action Party is confronted with a widening class divide and a creeping political elitism that could drive it from power, if they are allowed to fester. Inter-related, these problems are shaping up into the ruling party’s biggest challenge in the next election in 2011 – and probably beyond.
They are neither new nor unique in the world, having prevailed in advanced nations like the United States, Britain and even Japan – except in Singapore, the small size and meagre safety net are exacerbating matters.The General Household Survey revealed that the top 20% of Singapore’s households last year earned 31 times that of the bottom 20%. And the gap is widening.
Two events last week showed up how much disconnect there is between a segment of the political elite and the citizens it has to represent. The problem is serious. “We have a crop of well-off MPs who have little empathy for the poor or needy, seeing failure is an individual’s fault. Political elitism and arrogance are undoing the PAP’s strong record of achievements,” one party grassroots worker said, calling for political reforms.
“Otherwise, the PAP cannot survive a one-man-one-vote democracy for no more than two or three elections.”
“The stability of a society depends on how people feel. If there is a group which is unhappy, such that they rebel against the system, that can lead to all kinds of trouble,” warned Labour chief and a PMO minister Lim Boon Heng.
For some time, party workers have been giving feedback to the leadership that public feelings are rising against what they say is a system that favours the elite and the rich. The first advice: Change the criteria and selection of PAP Members of Parliament (from whom Cabinet ministers are selected).
Laid down by Lee Kuan Yew, the system measures political ability by academic, professional or business achievements, particularly those who are related to past achievers.
This could be attributed to Lee’s belief that intelligence – or alternatively mental subnormality – is inherited from parents’ genes.
Only a few newer MPs are social workers or people with good community links, but compassion, charity and humility generally rank low in priority in a candidate’s qualities.
For decades, the party leaders have tended to come from the ranks of scholars and technocrats, described by Lee Senior as “among the best in Singapore.”
In a different era, the system had worked well in building an efficient, modern city. That was the good part.
But in the new Singapore, elitism breeds resentment and friction. Many of these MPs, raised in wealthy homes, are simply too removed from the plight of poor Singaporeans they are supposed to represent.
Unlike politicians elsewhere, the MPs in Singapore are co-opted into politics without party experience or having to campaign hard to win votes.
During Lee’s popular past, this posed few problems. PAP candidates were virtually always automatically elected. A popular joke in those days was “Even if it fields a monkey, it will win.”
Today, with the unfettered reach of a critical Internet and an educated electorate, every comment or behaviour of an MP comes under intense scrutiny.
Last week provided evidence of this.
It began when Wee Shu Min, 18-year-old scholar-daughter of a PAP MP, launched a scathing attack on Singaporean Derek Wee for voicing concerns on job security and age discrimination.
She described Derek as a “stupid crackpot”, “the sadder class”, over-reliant on the government in Singapore where society is “far too survival of the fittest” and signed off with: “Get out of my elite uncaring face”.
Other condescending terms: Derek is a typical “wretched, under-motivated, over-assuming leeches” specimen of Singapore. He has a “middle-class under-educated penchant” for complaining and should get on with life.
It was political dynamite for several reasons.
Firstly, she was a scholar (10 A’s in O-level, strong bilingual, French) in elitist Raffles Junior College, the sort that is earmarked for an easy road to high office.
Secondly, her father Wee Siew Kim is an executive of Singapore Engineering and MP in PM Lee Hsieng Loong’s Ang Mo Kio group constituency, so whatever he does affects the PM’s political fortune.
Hundreds of angry Singaporeans consider her remarks as elitist and insensitive against the common people.
To make matters worse, the MP issued a statement that appeared to support her elitist remarks.
The controversy may have sealed his political career; there is little prospect of Wee standing again in the next election.
Unfortunately for the PAP, it occurred at almost the same time as news broke of a 40-year-old
unemployed father of two teenagers jumping in front of a moving train.
After failing to get a job for four months, he committed suicide with S$16 in his pocket and a pile of debts.
Shu Min had written, “If you’re not good enough, life will kick you in the balls. That’s just how things go.”
Critics connect the two with devastating effect for the system.
Her comments have divided Singaporeans. Some of the more successful elements back her argument that Singapore’s capitalist system supports the “survival of the fittest” theory. One asked, “What’s wrong with being elitist?”
At least one saw the debate positively.
“In fact, we are already unintentionally preparing ourselves to enter the post-Lee Kuan Yew era by creating a bit of chaos here and there,” he wrote.
“When Lee finally goes, we would already have got used to the chaos; we can (then) re-make our beloved Singapore.”
(This article was specially written for The Sunday Star, Oct 29, 2006)
Evaluation: These elites who tend to be elitists ironically need more education. Their attitude and mindset has to change, lest elitism in Singapore becomes serious and full blown, causing segregation in our society.
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