We do not have a culture of tolerating alternative viewpoints and this is a hindrance to getting students to speak up.
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Is it a culture if not tolerating alternative viewpoints or a culture without a hunger for knowledge? When I was in school, sure there were some who were not interested, had not clue or dared not ask questions. But there were many of us who took on the teacher and each other vociferously.
my feel is that many old and young people
do not know or have not learnt how to question ,
what to question even when there are so many things that are not transparent.
and they get what they asked for.
creativity is stiffled.
many people do not know the need to ask.
they resort to assuming. trusting. believing instead of
question and digging out the TRUTH, which many could not handle.
2) the inability to question leads to nothing spoken
That is why we need foreign talents who are not restrained in their countries for being expressive (either verbal or by action) – unless we are talking about those who are actually coming in as cheap labour to boost up our “competitive energy”.
That is why the top elites who talk one-way with no grand-standing posture are classified as talented and well we are classified as …………
“We do not have a culture of tolerating alternative viewpoints and this is a hindrance to getting students to speak up.”
How about those late middle-aged or old people who have been conditioned all throughout their lives to only listen and not talk back to authorities.
It is not easy to go against your own biological programming when you have already thrown away the piece of paper on which the 20-string passwords was written.
IMHO, it is not just the lack of culture of tolerating alternative viewpoints. It is also about being kiasu (don’t want to share knowledge with others) and kiasi (don’t want risk to be perceived negatively by peers and teachers). Kiasu and/or kiasi explains the “crowd” of students who will raise questions to the teachers at a 1-1 level, after the lesson is over.
“Kiasu and/or kiasi explains the “crowd” of students who will raise questions to the teachers at a 1-1 level, after the lesson is over.”
Yah lo, 1-1 level. So if teacher wrong, still can protect face lah.
kiasu-kiasi culture, authority must be right, other just kuai-kuai listen. so emperor no clothes, still must say clothes nice. even if emperor passes air, must say air smells like rose lah. you know some culture says emperor is son of heaven and sometimes emperor really thinks so. and lesser mortal people got to suffer if emperor starts to passes more air bcos he really thinks that people like the smell of rose.
only salvation – that guy must kick the buck.
Let’s just say that students don’t care enough to question.
What’s the motivation for these students to ask question? Nothing.
Create motivation and you fix the problem. Simple as that.
Perhaps home-schooled children will be better at speaking up:.
Will the teachers welcome and encourage students to speak up? They don’t because if they do that, they will fall behind schedule. Very often, teachers cut non-main subjects to have more time teaching students the main subjects.
Singapore Culture Is a Wrong Culture!
Abilities to ask sensible question will enhance our knowledge!
Singaporeans are just like the Singapore fishes, keep quite and let things swept under the carpet!
pattern —if one speaks up and those don’t like it , one could be shut up and shut out.
Not only we do not have the culture of tolerating alternative viewpoints, the population has been conditioned over the last 4 decades to shun away from politics and current affairs, leaving what is politics to the “politicians” and ordinary citizens just kept busy with “filling their stomachs” and ” keep their heads empty”. I got very disappointed when I entered into a simple conversation with an average Singapore youth, so empty and so apathetic to current affairs. They only knew the 5Cs, where to eat and shop and where to find money-making lobangs. As for the future of the nation and the world, they simply brushed aside with ” do not get into trouble lah !, These politicians are paid to do their jobs for us”. The stiffling environment back home is also no help for them to express their alternative views. Comparing an average 14-18 years old in any western country, our youths are way behind in civic consciousness, let alone politics and current affairs. sad, we lost a generation.
13) Very Damn Disillusioned on March 10th, 2009 10.29 am
but have singaporeans admitted to this yet? can they handle the truth about themselves?