[Final] Essay

Online Racism towards the minority races in Singapore

With the widespread use of social media, people are increasingly expressing their opinions publicly online. Some of these opinions lack respect and sensitivity, especially when they become racist. Racist commentary about minority groups on the social media is no longer rare in Singapore because users take their internet freedom for granted and the consequences of their irresponsible use of social media are not being heavily monitored by the Media Development Authority (MDA). Racism is the idea or belief that characteristics and abilities are attributed to people on the basis of their race, and that some racial groups are superior to others (Shah, 2010). The increase in the number of racist commentaries on the minority races in Singapore is worrying as this will threaten the racial harmony and social cohesion that the Singaporean government wants to preserve. The internet provides a platform for people to voice out their opinions without revealing their true identity. They feel “empowered to be far more insulting when communicating through a modem than in real life” (Younge, 2012). This problem may be tackled if MDA can collaborate with social media agencies like SMC4 to automatically remove racist comments or block users who use the social media irresponsibly. The Ministry of Education in Singapore can also urge schools or academic institutions to stress on educating students about online racism.  

An example of an irresponsible use of social media is when Ms Amy Cheong posted a profanity-laced remark on her Facebook account slamming Malay void deck weddings and also mocking the divorce rates of the Malay community (Tan, 2012). For the racist remarks she posted, Cheong was given a warning from the police and was also fired from her job as Assistant Director of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). For racism in Singapore, a law was introduced by the Singapore Legislative Council. According to Chapter 290 of the Sedition Act 1964 (SIN), anyone that “promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore…shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both”. The punishment Cheong received from the police and law was deemed insufficient to compensate for her irresponsible actions, which had threatened the social cohesion and racial harmony in Singapore. There were also not many follow-ups on the consequences she faced, which might have given people the impression that posting racist commentaries online is acceptable. As a result, the internet regulations addressing racism in Singapore have also been regarded as a myth (Yip, 2013). MDA can only monitor a few out of the 5.47 million people in Singapore. In order to tackle this issue, MDA can work with social media agencies such as Facebook as well as SMC4 that provides protection against social media abuse and brand damage. SMC4 instantly removes inappropriate online commentaries, including profanity, racism and sexist posted on social media platforms (SMC4, 2015). SMC4’s protection may help to reduce the increasing number of racist commentaries in Singapore. Singaporeans or Media Development Authority need not have to go through the hassle of filtering the internet or reporting any irresponsible users as the racist comments will be removed immediately. If malicious users persistently attempt to post racist commentaries, Facebook has the authority to remove them (Facebook, 2015).

Since the law has been insufficient to curb the problem of online racism in Singapore, another possible solution is that the Ministry of Education (MOE) should continue to urge schools to stress on educating students about the responsible use of internet focusing towards online racism in social media. During the Cyber Wellness Student Ambassador Programme (CWSAP) 2014 Conference, Ms Ho Peng, Director-General of Education addressed the potential risks of Internet despite its opportunities for learning especially for students who are active participants of the cyber space. She also continued with the importance of peer education to raise “understanding of various cyber wellness issues such as cyber bullying and Internet safety” (Cyber wellness, 2014). This initiative should be carried on as it is easier and will be more effective to approach students via their peers who belong to the same age group (Briggs, 2013). Schools can also design talks or quizzes to get an idea of how much do the students know about online racism on social media.

This approach is meant for an early prevention. It is imperative to start educating people on internet ethics when they are of a young age as they have the ability to remember and apply it for the rest of their lives (Garrett, 2003). There have been cases of online racism such as the case on two 17 year old youths who were arrested for posting racist remarks on their respective Facebook and Twitter accounts (Singapore Police Force, 2012). Schools can use real life cases to illustrate the impact of online racism on the society as well as the consequences of the irresponsible use of social media. Schools can also work together with parents to educate their children about online racism at home as some students might prefer listening to their parents instead. When students start engaging in the use of social media, they might become more conscious of what they can or cannot post on their social media accounts, and they might also know how to react to racist commentaries they encounter on the internet in the future.

In conclusion, early prevention provides a better solution to the responsible use of internet which affects online racism. Although the law is one way to curb online racism from occurring, it is still insufficient to compensate for the damage online racism may potentially cause. It is then necessary to inculcate the impact and consequences of online racism onto young minds to prevent Singaporeans from posting online commentaries on the social media in the future. 

[983 words]

References

Briggs, S. (2013, June 7). How peer teaching improves student learning and 10 ways to encourage it. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/peer-teaching/

Cyber Wellness Student Ambassador Programme (CWSAP) 2014 Conference. (2014, February 12). [Speech]. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2014/02/12/speech-by-ms-ho-peng-at-the-cyber-wellness-student-ambassador-programme-2014-conference.php

Facebook. (2015). Information for Law Enforcement Authorities. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/safety/groups/law/guidelines/ 

Parrett, W.G. (2003, May 2). The importance of teaching ethics at an early age [Letter]. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-05-02/news/0305020217_1_business-leaders-ethics-business-decisions

Singapore Police Force.  (2012, July 1). Police arrest two for racist remarks online. Retrieved from http://www.spf.gov.sg/mic/2012/07/20120701_online_racist_G.html

Sedition Act 1964 s. 290 (SIN.). Retrieved from http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;page=0;query=DocId%3A%221f6d9e4b-1cf1-4575-9480-da4bdeff9ef4%22%20Status%3Apublished%20Depth%3A0;rec=0

Shah, A. (2010, August 8). Racism [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism 

SMC4. (2015). Social media profanity- protect social media communications. Retrieved from http://www.smcapture.com/smc4_brand.php 

Tan, J. (2012, October 8). NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments. Yahoo! News. Retrieved from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html

Yip, Y.H.J. (2013, November 30). Internet regulation – a myth in Singapore. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.singaporelawreview.org/2013/11/internet-regulation-a-myth-in-singapore/

Younge, G. (2012, July 12). Who thinks about the consequences of online racism? The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/12/consequences-of-online-racism

Individual Presentation Reflection

When I found out that I had to do a presentation on my essay topic, I became anxious. I do not feel comfortable having the idea of talking in front of an audience, in a formal setting. Time was also not on my side as I was busy finishing up projects from other modules while trying to prepare for this presentation.

At the start of my presentation, I felt that my pace was good and I had the confidence of delivering my presentation. However, I started stumbling in the middle of my presentation. I had an inner conflict of trying to remember my content but at the same time trying to make my presentation as engaging as possible. Thankfully, I had my slides to back me up when my mind blanked out all of a sudden. The rest of the presentation went smoothly and I managed to present everything I intended to share to my audience.

The feedback session at the end of my presentation was really helpful for me. Brad and my tutorial mates pointed out not only my faults but also the strength in my presentation. Honestly, I felt really horrible because I failed to do a smooth and flawless presentation which I expected myself to do. I even regretted not preparing enough for it. They also suggested on specific ways which I could improve on, in my presentation. Pointing out my good points lifted my spirit too as I realised that I'm not a complete failure at presentations. Also, the feedback allowed me to immediately internalize the improvements suggested which will enable me to amend the mistakes I made during my presentations, in mind.

All in all, the presentation might have not been a graded section of this module. However, I cannot deny that it helped me in various ways. I learned various techniques and effective methods of presentations while watching my other tutorial mates present their topic ideas. For example, the colour of your fonts, the use of videos, the use of personal stories and many more. This experience will undeniably benefit me in my future presentations.

[Final] Reader Response

Parker-Pope (2015) mentions in her article “Writing Your Way to Happiness” that writing down thoughts and problems (in expressive writing) improves physical and mental health. It can change people's perception of life positively which makes them happier. Parker-Pope quotes a study performed on 40 Duke University freshmen which demonstrated that those who engage in expressive writing achieved better results and is less likely to quit college. Also, expressive writing allows people to identify problems and tackle them. The author cites a story of Siri, a client at the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, who discovered the actual cause of her failure in achieving her fitness goal. The author’s claim that expressive writing enables people to identify problems and tackle them is justified because writing down will allow people to eliminate their emotional distress, which can guide them to concentrate on the appropriate solutions to their problems and change their perceptions of these problems that will enable them to be more objective and optimistic.

Another positive aspect of expressive writing is its ability to allow people to convey their thoughts and feelings that are disturbed by the problems they face in their daily lives. Often, when people are burdened with problems, they tend to hide those problems, which may lead to emotional instabilities (“In brief”, 2013). Park et al. (cited in Power, 2014), demonstrated how “Writing can also alleviate students' anxiety about mathematics”. Students who often had performed badly in mathematics due to the high anxiety they had on mathematics had to write down their feelings before sitting for the following mathematics test. The experiment demonstrated that students who expressed their anxiety on the paper performed as well as their peers who were not anxious before the test and some even outdid their peers. Writing down their feelings could have made the anxious students’ minds free from the anxiousness they had earlier on, allowing them to completely focus on solving the mathematical problems in front of them. The unnecessary stress may slow down people’s minds, which will deter them from concentrating on finding the solutions to their problems (Bressert, 2006). They will be calmer after writing down their problems and will be physically and emotionally ready to face their problems.

Writing down problems and thoughts can positively change people's perceptions of the problems they face. Problems are commonly connoted as negative. Negative feelings will be relieved as people write their problems down. Klowsowski (2014) mentioned a quote by a “Mr Wilson,” which goes, “Some researchers have developed a method where they say, if something is nagging at us, write about it in the third person so we can look at it as objectively as we can as opposed to immersing ourselves in a negative experience.” People will steer away from their original perceptions and view their problems positively. For instance, problems will then be seen as a challenge to help them improve themselves instead of being viewed as a burden. Also, a study by Lyubomirsky et al. (2005) has shown that those who often reflect on their lives were more positive and motivated in their lives. Optimism gives people the strength to tackle their problems and obstacles easily (Sasson, n.d.). The tendency to avoid problems will reduce as people see their problems from a wider perspective. In this case, expressive writing manifests the role of exploring people’s point of view to help them overcome their problems with an optimistic attitude.

In conclusion, expressive writing helps to eliminate the stress that can affect people’s concentration while trying to solve their problems. People’s minds can become free of unnecessary worries and their calm state will enable them to come up with useful solutions to their problems. On top of that, expressive writing may change people’s perceptions of the problems they face making them more objective in looking at their problems as well as more optimistic when encountering problems.

References

Bressert, S. (2006). The impact of stress. Psych Central [Web log post].  Retrieved on February 17, 2015, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-impact-of-stress/000104

Psychological Care & Healing Treatment Centre. (2013). Emotional dysregulation [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.pchtreatment.com/emotional-dysregulation/

Klosowski, T (2014, June 20). Recalibrate your reality [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://lifehacker.com/5891564/recalibrate-your-reality

Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon,KM., Schkade, D. (June, 2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131.

Park, D., Ramirez, G. & Beilock, S. (2014). The role of expressive writing in math anxiety. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20(2), 103-111.

Parker-Pope, T. (2015, January 19). Writing your way to happiness. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/writing-your-way-to-happiness/?hpw&rref=health&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

Powers, S.K. (2014, August 7). What writing does? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.scottkpowers.com/2014/08/what-writing-does.html

Sasson, R. (n.d.). The power of positive attitude can change your life. Success Consciousness. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.successconsciousness.com/positive_attitude.htm 

Critical Reflection

ES1102 is a module that will always be valuable to me. Before, I rarely did any peer feedback or even if I did so, the feedback were general and not specific to any aspects of the writing. I even felt that peer feedback was abundant as I did not trust anyone else editing my work.

When we were told to give a formal peer feedback for each other’s readers’ response, I was afraid because I did not know what type of review Brad was expecting from us. Thankfully, we were given a template to guide us the appropriate way of writing a feedback. I became more aware of the importance of a clear thesis statement, coherent ideas as well as the organization of an academic writing. The feedback that I received from my peers also helped me improve my writings. Mistakes that I failed to notice before submission were noticed by my peers such as my error in the references section.

As time goes by, I felt that my academic writings improved. The constant feedback from Brad and my peers alarmed me of the mistakes I often make without realization. I will remember their feedback and avoid those mistakes when I start writing on a new draft. My own feedback towards my peers' academic writings have also improved. They are no longer general but much more specific and I could even come up with suggestions that can help them write better.

In other modules, I started practicing peer feedback on the essays especially when it is a group essay. I became sharper in spotting errors and changing them. Most importantly, my knowledge of APA citation style from ES1102 have helped me tremendously. I finally understood proper in-text citations and also the appropriate way to list my references. This is something I will keep in mind every time I work on an academic essay.

Looking back 13 weeks ago, I was grudging about having to take this module. I thought that ES1102 was going to be another mundane General Paper tutorial, just like when I was studying in Junior College. However, my perception towards ES1102 had a turnover. This module have benefited me more than I ever expected. I realized the importance of peer review and I would prefer if I have a friend checking my work before submission. When I compare my new essays to my essays before I took this module, there are definitely a vast difference.

[Draft 3] Essay

With the widespread of the use of social media, people are increasingly expressing their opinions publicly online. Some of these opinions lack respect and sensitivity especially racist commentaries. Racist commentary about minority groups on the social media is no longer rare in Singapore because users take their internet freedom for granted and the consequences of their irresponsible use of social media are not being heavily monitored by the Media Development Authority (MDA). Racism is the idea or belief that characteristics and abilities are attributed to people on the basis of their race, and that some racial groups are superior to others (Shah, 2010). The increase in the number of racist commentaries on the minority races in Singapore is worrying as this will threaten the racial harmony and social cohesion that the Singaporean government wants to preserve. The internet provides a platform for people to voice out their opinions without revealing their true identity. They feel “empowered to be far more insulting when communicating through a modem than in real life” (Younge, 2012). This problem may be tackled if MDA can collaborate with social media agencies like SMC4 to automatically remove racist comments or block users who use the social media irresponsibly. The Ministry of Education in Singapore can also urge schools or academic institutions to stress on educating students about online racism. 

An example of an irresponsible use of social media is when Ms Amy Cheong posted her profanity-laced remark on her Facebook account slamming Malay void deck weddings and also mocking the divorce rates of the Malay community (Tan, 2012). For the racist remarks she posted, Cheong was given a warning from the police and was also fired from her job as Assistant Director of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

The legislative council of Singapore has a law against racist commentaries. According to Chapter 290 of the Sedition Act 1964 (SIN), anyone who post remarks or comments that “promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore…shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both”. The punishment she received from the authorities was deemed insufficient to compensate for her irresponsible actions, which had threatened the social cohesion and racial harmony in Singapore. There were also not many follow-ups on the consequences she faced, which might have given people the impression that posting racist commentaries online is acceptable. As a result, the internet regulations in Singapore have also been regarded as a myth (Yip, 2013). MDA can only monitor a few out of the 5.47 million people in Singapore. In order to tackle this issue, MDA can work with social media agencies such as Facebook as well as SMC4 that provides protection against social media abuse and brand damage. SMC4 instantly removes inappropriate online commentaries, including profanity, racism and sexist posted on social media platforms (SMC4, 2015). SMC4’s protection may help to reduce the increasing number of racist commentaries in Singapore. Singaporeans or Media Development Authority need not have to go through the hassle of filtering the internet or reporting any irresponsible users as the racist comments will be removed immediately. If malicious users persistently attempt to post racist commentaries, Facebook has the authority to remove them (Facebook, 2015).

Since the law was insufficient to curb the problem of racist commentaries, another possible solution is that the Ministry of Education (MOE) should continue to urge schools to stress on educating students about the responsible use of internet focusing towards online racism in social media. During the Cyber Wellness Student Ambassador Programme (CWSAP) 2014 Conference, Ms Ho Peng, Director-General of Education addressed the potential risks of Internet despite its opportunities for learning especially for students who are active participants of the cyber space. She also emphasized on the importance of peer education to raise “understanding of various cyber wellness issues such as cyber bullying and Internet safety” (Cyber wellness, 2014). This initiative should be carried on as it is easier and will be more effective to approach students via their peers who belong to the same age group (Briggs, 2013). Schools can also design talks or quizzes to get an idea of how much do the students know about online racism on social media.

This approach is meant for an early prevention. It is imperative to start educating people on internet ethics when they are of a young age as they have the ability to remember and apply it for the rest of their lives (Garrett, 2003). There have been cases of online racism such as the case on two 17 year old youths who were arrested for posting racist remarks on their respective Facebook and Twitter accounts (Singapore Police Force, 2012). Schools can use real life cases to illustrate the impact of online racism on the society as well as the consequences of the irresponsible use of social media. Schools can also work together with parents to educate their children about online racism at home as some students might prefer listening to their parents instead. When students start engaging in the use of social media, they might become more conscious of what they can or cannot post on their social media accounts, and they might also know how to react to racist commentaries they encounter on the internet in the future.

In conclusion, early prevention provides a better solution to the responsible use of internet which affects online racism. Although the law is one way to curb online racism from occurring, it is still insufficient to compensate for the damage online racism may potentially cause. It is then necessary to inculcate the impact and consequences of online racism onto young minds to prevent Singaporeans from posting online commentaries on the social media in the future.

[981 words]

References

Briggs, S. (2013, June 7). How peer teaching improves student learning and 10 ways to encourage it. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/peer-teaching/

Cyber Wellness Student Ambassador Programme (CWSAP) 2014 Conference. (2014, February 12). [Speech]. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2014/02/12/speech-by-ms-ho-peng-at-the-cyber-wellness-student-ambassador-programme-2014-conference.php

Facebook. (2015). Information for Law Enforcement Authorities. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/safety/groups/law/guidelines/ 

Parrett, W.G. (2003, May 2). The importance of teaching ethics at an early age [Letter]. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-05-02/news/0305020217_1_business-leaders-ethics-business-decisions

Singapore Police Force.  (2012, July 1). Police arrest two for racist remarks online. Retrieved from http://www.spf.gov.sg/mic/2012/07/20120701_online_racist_G.html

Sedition Act 1964 s. 290 (SIN.). Retrieved from http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;page=0;query=DocId%3A%221f6d9e4b-1cf1-4575-9480-da4bdeff9ef4%22%20Status%3Apublished%20Depth%3A0;rec=0

Shah, A. (2010, August 8). Racism [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism 

SMC4. (2015). Social media profanity- protect social media communications. Retrieved from http://www.smcapture.com/smc4_brand.php  

Tan, J. (2012, October 8). NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments. Yahoo! News. Retrieved from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html

Yip, Y.H.J. (2013, November 30). Internet regulation – a myth in Singapore. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.singaporelawreview.org/2013/11/internet-regulation-a-myth-in-singapore/

Younge, G. (2012, July 12). Who thinks about the consequences of online racism? The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/12/consequences-of-online-racism