Sunday, July 8, 2007 @9:13 AM
JUNE HOL HW (ASSIGNMENT 1):Singer believes that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. He has even quoted from article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.”
Yes, it is true that everyone should have freedom of expression, but not in the context of Singapore.
When the Danish paper published cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad, it provoked rage in the Muslim world and the Danish paper had to issue a statement to apologize about the offense the cartoons had caused to Muslims around the world. If freedom of speech cannot even be tolerated between countries, the situation would be much worse in a small multi-racial country.
If freedom of speech were to be practiced in Singapore, there would be attacks on the different racial groups. As mentioned by Szilagyi, “In our networked world, existing societal and political tensions can be inflamed instantly through the transfer of messages from one cultural context to another”. The attacks would be spread around, blown out of proportion. Then, there would be incitement to racial, religious, or ethnic hatred and it may, in turn, lead to violence and racial riots. The memory of the 1964 race riots is painful enough and I am sure that Singaporeans would not wish to endure that kind of pain a second time.
There is no doubt that freedom of speech is an essential foundation of any democracy. But when newspapers insist on this right, they have to understand that they do not – alone – create the context and lifespan of their messages. They have to place more emphasis on the media’s responsibility in leading an informed, high-quality discussion, with due respect for minority rights.
Therefore, in the context of Singapore, I feel that Szilagyi’s believe, that more focus should be placed on social responsibility, should be adopted.
♥ there's not a place
in heaven that we cant reach
Sunday, April 22, 2007 @6:34 AM
1. the technique the author used was irony. usually, when a person knows that he will be sent to the gallows soon, he would be very nervous and would be panicking. yet, the hindu prisoner "stood quite unresisting", "as though he hardly noticed what was happening". also, the prisoners in the cells, who were due to be hanged soon, could still laugh and joke with each other. in both cases, the prisoners appear very calm and seem to have accepted their fates. the author uses these illustrations to stir the feelings of his readers as he showed that the prisoners can do nothing about it other than waiting for death. this causes the readers to sympathize with the prisoners and hence, agree with the author's viewpoint and start to condemn capital punishment.
2. capital punishment is a controversial issue and people are unable to make an unanimous decision to this matter.
firstly, one of the pros of capital punishment is that it will be more economical and humane than life sentence. rather than keeping the prisoner alive, it would be better to end his life so he would not while his time away. also, the money which was supposed to keep the prisoner alive if he gets the life sentence can be put to better use on other resources. also, some people believe in Lex Talionis, the law of retribution, which also means a life for a life. lastly, capital punishment can maximize public safety as it ensures that the deadly criminal will never be able to harm anyone again.
the strongest argument against using capital punishment for retributive purposes, is the argument that capital punishment is cruel and unusual punishment. the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, condemning cruel and unusual punishment, is used to protest capital punishment. next, studies have shown that capital punishment doesnt deter crimes as experts "have emphasized and emphasized the lack of correlation between the threat of the death penalty and the occurrence of violent crime". lastly and most importantly, the death penalty is irrevocable and there are always possibilities of innocent deaths. in such cases, the executed prisoner will not have another chance and cannot be brought to life again.
[resources:
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~tonya/spring/cap/group1.htm]
3. personally, i feel that capital punishment should be carried out. i agree to the law of retribution, that everyone should be punished for the crimes he has committed. if everyone can escape from punishment after committing a crime, the world would be in chaos. in my opinion, the death penalty can be justified in cases of murder and drug trafficking.
♥ there's not a place
in heaven that we cant reach
Sunday, March 25, 2007 @3:01 AM
hmms. for people who know me, i've always said that blogs are stupid and a waste of time. ironically, i have my own blog now. =S BUT not out of my own will. it's for GP! hahas. well, who knows. i might just fall in love with blogging after this? =D
well, we're supposed to intro ourselves but i seriously dont know what to say? i guess people who knows me will say that i am a narcissist. =D and people's first impression of me would be dao, qianbian. hahas. well, i AM at times. BUT when you really know me, you'd know that i'm not! =D yupps. i'm now in anderson junior college, 22/07 and am missing 07/07! ='( also, squash rocks! yupp. and your eyes are perfectly fine. i AM in squash. =) i can imagine people's eyeballs popping out. =D dont really know what else to say. so that's all for my intro. =))
♥ there's not a place
in heaven that we cant reach