TLM: Do psychological experiments today, e.g. visual world paradigm, validly test the way we comprehned language?

I do believe that the psychological experiments today, for example visual

world paradigm, validly test the way we comprehend language. This is because

it provides a deep analysis into the way we understand language: meaning of

the words, grammar, plausibility … However, since the way each individual

interprets language and image differ greatly, attributed to many factors such

as level/circumstances of education, context, previous experiences … it

seems to not be able to provide an adequate answer. And also, the degree to which each of these factors affect the way we comprehend language also differ from language to language. Thus the results yielded is often very much questionable. But it is the model that provides us a glimpse into how we comprehend language, and thus flawed now, I believe in due course it will evolve into a much more complete and accurate model.

TLM Session 2: Should Singlish be considered a language?

“Singlish” should not be considered a language. It comprises of many borrowed words from other “proper” languages (Malay), dialects (Hokkien). These words are used because what they represent may not have an equivalent English translation (kiasu?), or are simply preferred to their verbose and inaccurate English counterparts for ease of use and convenience. As it was derived from English, Singlish can be considered a unique proper language, because it has a sound phonology and semantics structure. It has all the makings of a language. But sometimes, for ease of use and convenience, as with how new words were borrowed and used to create a whole new meaning, new grammatical structures have arisen. And by “new”, I mean short, often ignoring the strict rules of grammar in English. These structures only have the key verbs, vocabularies: “sure can one”. (?!) In this aspect, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to label “Singlish” as a pidgin, an imperfect creole? Also, as all other languages have literature to enrich them, does “Singlish” have any? Literature can be considered as a benchmark as to whether a “language” is a true language: only when a language is rich and deep enough can literature be produced. Has there been any literature work in “Singlish”? With all the “lah”, “leh”, “lor” and all the undefinable terms? Should Singlish really be treated with all the respect and love that English or French rightfully deserve?

PoP Session 2: Should IQ tesing be allowed for job applications?

IQ testing should be allowed for job applications. Although not all-rounded and is very much limited, it provides the employer with a rough estimation of the employee’s intellectual capacity, which does play an important part in his/her employment (or not). IQ testing also provides the employer a glimpse into the employee’s strengths and weaknesses, and hence can help him/her to get the right job, instead of a job which he/she likes but is not suitable for, which would be counter-productive. IQ testing does not cover the emotional intelligence of a person, just purely logical and radical. Hence it can be used in applications for posts which require the employee to be firm and not emotional, especially posts that require decisiveness and deliberation, such as stockbrokers. IQ testing should be allowed, however it should not be made compulsory, as ultimately, it is simply a test to gauge a person’s ability and is not 100% reliable. The decision should lie with the employer.

PoP Session 1

I find the Traits approach the most sensible. The assumption that genetic dispositions largely dictate most personality traits agrees with a recent scientific discovery that genes affect up to 70% of a person’s physique, the rest nutritional and environmental. True, there are exceptions where the child of a 1.6m tall couple can measure up to 1.9m tall, but these cases are few, and most of them are caused by genetic mutation, or else have professional help on dieting and exercising. The lexical method investigates how personality traits, or rather, our perceptions of personality traits, are reflected in the language we use. Language is manmade, not fixed, and hence as we and our personality traits evolve, language will also evolve. This ensures that language will not be out-of-date in the long run, and hence will be a consistent and reliable database of man’s perceptions of personality traits.

NS in Singapore - Justifiable?

Conscription army is an appropriate and suitable policy for Singapore, a small nation with limited manpower and resources, with different racial and ethnic groups. NS is justifiable in the case of Singapore because it is not only beneficial in the military sense, but also economically and socially.

Firstly, since Singapore is a small nation with limited manpower, it cannot afford to have an regular army of adequate size for deterrence, nor does it have the economic capacity to maintain such a force during times of peace. NS allows a whole nation to bo mobilised quickly in times of war, solving the problem of insufficient manpower, and it is also cost-effective, because unlike a regular army force, during times of peace, NSmen can resume their normal lives as citizens and take up civilian jobs, playing their parts in contributing to the nation’s economy, rather than living on government’s funds.

Secondly, NS promotes a sense of patriotism. In some ways, it helps to to educate the young generation on National Education, instil a spirit of nationalism and foster national integration. This is especially crucial in the case of Singapore. With a multiracial and multicultural society, the first thing the government needed to do was to forge a common sense of identity among all ethnic groups. Through NS, a social bond was developed between a generation of NSmen, a sense of camaderie and mutual understanding through sharing of the same experience and hardships. This bond contrbuted an important part to the scial harmony in Singapore today.

On the other hand, NS has become a burden and a source of resentment towards the government. There is a lot of truth behind it. In times of war, when the lives of Singaporeans and the future of Singapore is at stake, NS would undoubtedly prove to be very helpful, but in to wriggle out of it, even going as far as falsifying their medical records to evade NS. Why is this? NS takes up two years of a man’s life, causes an interruption to his education, and may deprive him of any lifetime opportunity which might occur during his times in NS. For example, if an offer for a place in a prestigious university comes during a student’s service time in NS, he would have no choice but either to defer it, or abandon it, if the offer does not stand after two years. And not only is his education is affected, but also his prospect for the future, his career options. This is a reason many people are against NS: NS deters their career.

In conclusion, although the disadvantages of NS have to be put into consideration, I feel that its advantages outweigh them. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said, “being a small nation in a sometime turbulent region, we cannot count on anyone but ourselves to protect us. And considering Singapore’s limited manpower and resources, NS is the way to go”.times of peace, it is usually deemed as unnecessary by citizens and they would try to find ways

Democracy - Tyranny of the Majority?

Abraham Lincoln said, “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people”. It is considered the most effective form of government, because it values individual rights and freedom above all. Up to 80% of the countries in the world practice democracy, including powerful countries such as the USA and the UK. But whether or not democracy creates stability in a society is still an ongoing argument. Personally, I feel that democracy is able to create stability in a society to a certain extent, but that needs not always be the case.

One of the most important features of democracy is that it places power into the hands of the people, in forms of voting. The people have the power to decide which authority they think promise them what they want, and hence themselves to that authority. Should a government become ineffective or corrupted, democracy grants the people the power to remove that government from the authority, and elect a new government which they believe will be suitable. This guarantees the government will cater to the people’s needs and interests.

Freedom of speech and media promotes this even further. The people are allowed to publicly criticize the government, hence bringing the government’s shortcomings to light, and help the government to improve. This also allows the people to openly protest should they feel that an inappropriate bill is passed, and with sufficient number of people against the bill, the government would have to reconsider it. This further ensures the needs and interests of the people being catered to, and enables liberal and healthy progress for a society.

However, in some cases where democracy is abused, it does not create stability, but rather pandemonium. A prominent example would be what people usually call “tyranny of the majority”. Since democracy is based on the will of the people, the majority has the upper hand compared to the minority, and hence, it is usually the will of the majority that is practiced, and the will of the minority undermined. In America for example, even after they were granted the right to vote, the coloured were still outnumbered and their rights were disregarded for decades afterwards. Racism is one of the many forms of inequality, of the prejudice of the majority over the minority, that still exist in our society today.

Furthermore, the majority’s decision needs not always be right or beneficial. The people’s mind is often prone to influences, usually from the media or propaganda. This could be exploited to give a party the upper hand. The most famous case of this exploited weakness is the government of Nazi-Germany. When Adolf Hitler was running for presidential election, the media was mostly in control of the Nazis. Any literature works, music, movies, newspapers that remotely threaten the position of the Nazis were prohibited and banned. In such a society where the media is so biased, how can one make a rational judgement? The people’s mindset was affected, their decision and votes were also affected, Hitler won the election, and the Holocaust annihilated six million innocent Jews from this Earth. Was the majority’s decision to support Hitler’s government a moral and beneficial one?

Economically speaking, democracy endorses laisser faire, free market trading, promotes healthy competition, which, theoretically, breeds excellence, and motivates the people to work their hardest. This allows the economy to prosper and flourish, with appropriate measures taken by the government. But without the government’s economic policies to curb the economy, in extreme cases, such competitiveness will surely create a big gap between the winners and the losers, and will gradually result in the divide of the society into the rich and the poor. Technically speaking, the rich have won fair and square, but in reality, resentment will start to build up in the poorer class, and will eventually lead to protests and riots, and ultimately, conflict. Such societies cannot be considered stable.

In conclusion, I believe that democracy can create stability, but only in certain society. According to Maslow’s hierarchy, food and life are the basic needs, thus we cannot expect democracy to succeed in a nation where poverty still reigns, such as developing South African countries. Democracy can only succeed if there is active citizen participation, the will and rights of the minority protected by the Constitution, and elections held fair and regular. If any of these requirements cannot be fulfilled, then democracy will be more likely to cause instability than stability, most often in the form of “tyranny of the majority”.

Obese children face widespread stigma

Know any obese people? Do any of them tend to spend more time with themselves than with others? Are they more of the introverted type? Do they usually think little of themselves and seem to lack self-confidence? If that’s the case, they might have faced discrimination during their early years.
A recently-conducted analysis shows that overweight children are discriminated against as early as age 3. The discrimination against these kids, originating from their teachers and peers, is often consistent and so unbearable that these children are two to three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, researches said. They are also more prone to health issues such as high blood pressure and eating disorders. Their life quality is comparable to that of people suffering from cancer.

It came as an surprise to me that an considerable amount of the teasing or rejection that these children face come from their parents.

Instead of helping out their children or sorting things out, some of the parents are actually taking out some of their frustation on their stigmatized children. These parents make pessimistic comments toward their child, further damaging their child’s confidence, which is already at an alarmingly low level.

Because of this treatment from the society, especially from parents, these children have life quality comparable to those who have cancer. They feel inferior, less popular. They struggled from early on in their lives. They feel they are a different species.

As campaigns to prevent childhood obesity are growing strong, there should also be more programs to help these children to improve their conditions.

Parents can help by encouraging their child, emphasizing their strengths. In class, teachers can put students in groups for activities instead of letting them choose their own groups, which will inevitably result in the overweight children being left out.

However, it may not just be those individuals who are at fault. We are living in a society, where this discrimination has long existed and yet, remains subtle to the public’s attention, and even though it has been documented for decades, it still persists. These individuals have grown up in this society where weight-based discrimination is considered a normal behaviour. The children, having suffered it from a young age, think of it as a standard suffering for obese people, and thus they generally do not stand up for themselves, as opposed to the case of racial discrimination or sexism.

I feel that weight-based discrimination is as serious as racial discrimination, sexism or discrimination against people with disabilities, mentally and physically. It needs to be treated seriously, so that obese children could have a normal life, a life without weight-based stigma and discrimination, like any other children. As one’s childhood would have a profound effect on his later years, it is crucial that he has a happy and peaceful one.

Reference:

ABC News: Stigma Starts Early for Obese Kids. Retrieved March 03, 2008 from the ABC New website. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/wireStory?id=3369232