In an ideal world, do we need to celebrate Racial Harmony day ?
We are fortunate in Singapore, we celebrate our multi-cultural traits and ethnicity, we love the food from different cultures. Our kids play with friends from all over the world π
However, we are not saints and we sometimes stereotype (skinny, fat, pretty, ugly, homos etc), we each have our own racist streak. Daddy is not saying it is healthy to have these negative traits, but to deny otherwise would sound like a Hypocrite.
Why tolerate each other, when we should embrace? Tolerate seems to imply there is a threshold, and what happens when we breach the OB marker?
Are we mature enough to handle racial slurs? Can we give and take? We can definitely be magnanimous enough to forgive, if someone is truly sorry.
Of course, if someone is harbouring ill intention, and sowing inter-racial discord, most Singaporeans will have no qualms sending him to Guantanamo Bay camp.
Unfortunately, Social Media cuts both way, good news spread fast, bad news become frontpage material ! Is it more practical to teach Social Media users to be careful? or to teach the next generation to recognise and embrace racial differences?
Daddy would gladly pick option 2 any day.
Why should one race be superior over another?
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DPM Teo mentioned 40% of marriages involve one spouse who is non-citizen (Further breakdowns indicate 70% Singaporean males have a foreign wife). It does mean our grandchildren could very well form a UN (United Nation) at Sengkang :p
(blonde hair, darker pigments, green eyes etc etc )
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Meanwhile, we can jolly well expect more “racial incidences” to surface, online or offline.
The youngsters today subscribe to a different philosophy, often more vocal and brash, sometimes lacking empathy.
If and when racial slurs happen again, Daddy believe we can settle most issues at the community level, without invoking draconian laws or the police.
Chill.
Food for thought ?
