Dear Straits Times,
I refer to your report dated 20 Jul 2010.
In the report, it is said that the 40,000 resident births in the mid-1980s cannot make up for the 221,600 new jobs created in 2008. But there were 62,900 residents who were unemployed in 2008 so ideally, we should be looking at importing 221,600 – 40,000 – 62,900 = 118,700 workers. But we ended up importing 157,000 workers in 2008 or a surplus of 38,300 workers. Add to that the tens of thousands of ‘invisible jobless’ as reported by your good paper on 28 Dec 2009 and Singaporeans’ concern for jobs may not be so misplaced after all.
The diversity that Lynda Gratton referred to which leads to more innovative products and services is the diversity of disciplines, not the diversity of nationalities. She used the example of the diversity of engineers, mathematicians, code breakers, cryptographers, crossword puzzle experts and others that cracked the Enigma code during World War II to illustrate her idea of diversity. The spanning of nationalities is incidental, not key to diversity.
July 26, 2010 at 1:42 pm |
You got your logic a bit flawed there mate. The diversity of nationality, if synonymous with the diversity of culture, leads to the development of critical mindedness, and expands one’s imaginative and even emotive horizon. Simply put, variation in culture contributes to variation in the way a person might look at things, enhances collective empathy, logical skills, vibrancy and passion, etc. Chinese culture does not, relatively speaking, promote such variation. Look at its history, and even how the singapore of today is quite different from the relatively more multicultural singapore of the 70s and 80s.
Variation in disciplines is significantly dependent on variation and interaction between cultural diversity. I suppose, living in a highly ‘chinesified’ society, you wouldn’t know any better. Take a look out side once in a while.
Also remember, that monoculturalism and cultural fascism engenders self-absorption and narrow-mindedness. Check on these tendencies and force yourself to look beyond the perspectively constricted borders of your socio-cultural and national boundaries. Always remember the golden rule, ‘s/he who knows not more, knows no better’. If you have enough humility to check on yourself and constantly critically introspect, you will realise more in the future than you do now. If not, you remain a significant part of the problem which you bemoan as you will serve as the foundation of the structure whose shabby state you complain about.
Whilst you are at it, ask yourself why when India is, relatively at the forefront of IT and why China is simply the sweatshop. Look at how Chinese history has frequently seen the people being forced to leave the thinking to the elite. Look at the Qingapore of today. Look at the Chinese family and village system. Look at the how chinese employers seek to ‘control’ as opposed to ‘reason’. Look at how the opposition mindlessly follow their leaders. You will then realise that greater evils are supported and perpetuated by such evil be mirrored at all levels of society. Prove the latter to be untrue, than you can blame the government. But if the latter is proven to be true, then you descend to being nothing more than a symbiotic part of the problem.
I wonder if you can understand any of the above, or would even be inclined to given the chinese tend to think that what is right is what is believed by the majority to be true as opposed to what can be reasoned through.
To all, i would say, try to be less ‘chinese’ and more ‘singaporean’. In other words, become the best of all cultures as opposed to ignoring all to the point that the only culture left recognised becomes the best for want of any others.
May 20, 2011 at 8:10 pm |
Politely disagree. The Japanese is culturally homogenous. That doesn’t prevent them from being innovative. Germany is culturally homogenous, that doesn’t prevent them from being innovative. Same thing can be said of other European nations. So innovation can come without diversity.
America is the most inventive society but we can’t conclude that it is due to diversity in Amercian society. When we look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Google founders, Facebook founders and so on, they are all culturally similar. Even the Russian immigrant founder of Google was Americanised since 12 years of age.
Also, this post isn’t about complaining but mere reasoning and pointing out factual inaccuracies.
India is at the forefront of IT just as Philippines too is famous for exporting IT professionals. English is the reason and that is why the Chinese are striving to improve their English.
The mindless following of leaders happens not only for the opposition but for PAP too when you consider most of the PAP MPs merely rubber stamping ministerial proposals. This mindless following comes from a subsevient culture that is more uniquely Singaporean than Chinese. Because when you look at Taiwan or Hong Kong, the people do not just accept things as they are, they voice out. Our mindless following is more like North Korea’s, due simply to autocracy or authoritarianism. So our problem has a lot to do with our authoritarian government. Not wrong blaming the govt and seeing it as the root of the problem.
Many of the things I write here are contrarian to main stream ideologies. So I can’t be accused of being inclined to believe in what the majority believes in.
There is no need to be less Chinese to be wiser just as there is no need to be less Indian or less Japanese or less French to be wiser. Cultural variation in focus, interests, achievements is simply an observed reality, not a right or a wrong. The Africans are the best runners. The blacks are the best basketballers in America. The South Americans are the most gifted footballers. The East Asians are best at making money. The Westerners made all the scientific discoveries and continue to be the most innovative till this day.