ST Forum
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Interesting..
Students show what it's like to be truly race-blind
RECENTLY, I was having lunch at KFC Far East Plaza when a group of St Joseph's Institution (SJI) students came in. They were rowdy, like many teenagers, so I thought nothing more of it. After all, boys will be boys. However, before long, I noticed something intriguing. In the midst of all the noise they generated, I saw Chinese, Malay, Indian and Caucasian boys in the group and they were all obviously 'colour blind'. It was a multicultural group but, remarkably, they were interacting interculturally.
Being multicultural isn't quite the same as being intercultural. We have achieved multicultural harmony, but that doesn't mean we are intercultural. A Chinese may not discriminate against, say, an Indian, but it doesn't mean he will treat the Indian as he would a fellow Chinese.
For example, as a Chinese, I may be more careful with my jokes when interacting with an Indian friend, lest my jokes, which are shaped by Chinese culture, offend him. I will bear in mind that he is an Indian and try my best to be culturally sensitive. While this is intuitively a good thing, I believe it can sometimes become an obstacle to intercultural interaction.
Looking at those SJI boys from where I was, if not for their physical appearance, I could not tell who was Chinese, Malay, Indian or Caucasian. I couldn't detect any sign they were aware of one another's skin colour. They behaved like there was only one Singaporean culture, and not many different cultures among them. I think that's something many adults cannot achieve, ironically because of our emphasis on being sensitive to other cultures.
It was amazing watching these kids. While we often define ourselves in terms of our race, the concept of race is scarcely germane to their fraternity, which to me is what it should be.
If how those boys interacted reflects an aspect of SJI's school culture, I think the school has done an excellent job in facilitating a truly intercultural community. I congratulate SJI's principal and hope Singaporeans can increasingly interact like those SJI boys, for whom race obviously means very, very little.
Wong Jock Onnhttp://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_217038.html
On today's ST forum page as well
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i've read that article too...
i kinda had the impression josephians are pretty racsist. haha~
oh well... I won't congratulate the principal, but rather acknowledge the hard work of the staff and brothers throughout the years.
156 years to be exact
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Originally posted by sir sickolot II:
i've read that article too...
i kinda had the impression josephians are pretty racsist. haha~
oh well... I won't congratulate the principal, but rather acknowledge the hard work of the staff and brothers throughout the years.
156 years to be exact
Same sentiments. I tot this article was rather ironic.But then again, for random muse: it could be the plethora of racist jokes in SJI that led to this 'culture' of no barriers in communication btw the diff races in SJI. The minority races are like, not taking this type of jokes packed with racial connotaions seriously and the prepertrators dont mean it seriously as well. So when they start accepting the fact that racist jokes will always exist, why not just be open minded and just accept it? In fact quite a number of my friends from the minority races even laugh along with it. This just opens up communication btw everyone.
I'm not sure if people can understand the essence of my point but oh wells
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sji and my alma mater vs share many common things. im glad that this racial harmony is one of them. i have noticed that at the higher end of society people are more colour blind probably because they are more educated and place less value on a person just based from the colour of their skin.
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From my experience of class of '04 graduation, i still think that SJI is bloody racist, the only reason why there is harmony is because the chinese guys (usually the jocks/"social elite") think its cool to adopt some "Mutt" cultures of pseudo rap and low hung pants. My class once bullied a kid so badly just because he descended from a "pariah" ancestry (that means he is blacker than normal subcontinental Indians). Caucasian people cop the most shit if they don't try and fit in, or if they are not cool enough to offset their racial differences.
This version of SJI is not racial harmony, or cultural tolerance. Like any other school with teenage hormones and the alpha male culture, you are not encouraged to bring any form of uniqueness, but you must conform to the social elite standards to fit in. In other words, there is absolutely no respect for unique qualities, something that is a must have for cultural tolerance.