69Tribe said:

Coming from a multiracial country, where racial discrimination happens discreetly or indiscreetly, obvious or subtle, it is almost too simple to fall for the pitfall and reach a quick conclusion that if all people were of the same race, there would not be any discrimination.

However on further analysis, this notion can be considered completely false and untrue. There are many other parameters and viewpoints that points to the conclusion that if all people were of the same race, discrimination DO happen.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "It opens up a new point of view on discrimination...."

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mitokondrion said:

The workshop helped bring so many issues to the open, attitudes that are just accepted unhappily, notions that are perpetuated for want of a questioning voice, practices that go unnoticed or shoved under "what can I do? Anyway I'm not affected what".

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "How many of you knew that Singapore organizes workshops on race issues? I certainly didn't!
Also, watch the linked video Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes... scary but effective! Would our teachers ever try such techniques ?"

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twostepsfromtwilight said:

The whole trouble of the racial harmony campaign is not the message, but its focus. Rather than placing a focus on the detriments of race classification, it goes a different track, insisting that Singaporeans actively learn about the cultures of other creeds and religions, by ‘celebrating the diversity’ of the races.

Recommended by gecko: "Must harmony by defined by race?"

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Azimin said...

We sat down, crossed legged in a sea of black heads arranged in neat rows and I was pleasantly surprised to meet soft eyes with accompanying welcome nods that soothed my initial worries. What he told me was true afterall; Sikhism is a true egalitarian religion.

This is a well written piece by a Singaporean Malay Muslim talking about his experience in a gurudwara, or a Sikh temple. A pretty sincere piece I think, as he really appreciates the people and the little things he experienced during his visit.

Sorry editors for posting this twice cuz I forgot all about the link in the previous one. =P

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uniquelysingaporeclipper said:

We are a week into the 2nd Leg and Brazil is some 1,300 miles behind us.

...

On a sad note, we were sad to see three of our crew (leggers) leave the boat in Salvador. Sharon, Woan Ling and Keith had all become wonderful members of the Uniquely Singapore Crew/Family and are greatly missed as we continue our journey. We will be catching up with them all when we arrive in our home port - Singapore in January 2006. Which naturally is going to be one of the highlights of the trip.

Recommended by ssf: "A blog from onboard a clipper participating in the Clipper 05/06 Round the World Yacht Race, a 35,000 nautical mile race."

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coup de grace said:

Why celebrate diversity only through multiculturalism- and then limit it to four races? Reaching towards a unique Singaporean identity, a melting pot rather than collection of exclusive races, a more human identity, would indeed be a laudable goal. Why perpetuate race?

should the government put an end to classifying and separating by race? To what end would that serve?

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ningx said:

Think of yourself as a parent. And you earn enough to make ends meet every month. Then your kid comes up to you and say, "Mom(or Dad), can you please buy me a _________(insert item)? Pleaseeeee?" You know that you can't afford to buy something so expensive for your kid right now, even though you would like to. You tell her/him no, you can't. Your kid's unhappy. You're unahppy too, because your kid doesn't understand that she/he can't be like other better-off kids, getting whatever they want without much difficulty. You then feel bad you can't fufill their wishes.

I don't want my parents to feel bad.

Ningx is such a sensible teenager. In this post, she wonders what she might have been like if she had been born into a rich family instead, and feels grateful that being poor has instilled different values into her. There may be hope for the human race after all.

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Oikono examines if racial harmony is an illusion:

So this is Singapore’s multi-cultural paradise. We do not have riots or beatings; our newspapers do not talk down races (but we definitely lavish praise on Chinese culture); but is it such a Utopia? Most Singaporeans are Chinese so perhaps they don’t realize this iniquity. My Malay friends, my Indian friends, definitely do.

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