Question: The media is corrupting our society. Do you agree???

Answer:
To begin my arguement, i would like to explain the term "media". To put it simply, media is a means of mass communication, through the various mediums such as television, newspapers, radios and so on. Lately, there have been many newspaper reports making claims about the negative impacts that the media, namely the television, has on the society. The age group in which i believe the media has the greatest impacts on is mainly the youths of the society, aging from around 13 to 18. My stand towards this arguement is that i agree to a large extent that the media is corrupting the society, and hence i will be discussing my views in the following paragraphs.

I do not deny that the media do have its uses. Up to date, one of the most efficient way of disseminating critical information to the public is still through the media. One example was the Sars crisis that took place in Singapore a few years ago. To prevent the widespread of the virus, the Government called off school for several days where this information was effectively transmitted to all students through the mass media as with the flourishing economy in Singapore, many are able to gain access to the many forms of media in Singapore. Also, we are also able to make use of media to educate the public regarding issues, as well as allowing the messes to gain awareness should there be an outbreak of disease and so on.

However, the negative impacts brought about by media outweighs its positive impacts. One widely debated effect of the media is the negative influence that media has on the public, namely the significant influence that television has on the youths aging from 13 to 18. The various violent television programs screened in USA exposes the youths in USA towards violent content, where according to studies, youths exposed to violent content at a young age are likely to evolve into violent individuals, who maybe possible criminals when they grow up. This is so as these youths are rather vulnerable to external threats, and being in puberty, they are normally rebellious individuals who have the tendency to want to explore forbidden boundaries. Also, since many parents nowadays are too caught up with their work to pay much attention towards the education and guiding of their children, wide exposure to violent content available in media will exert a negative inflence on these youths, causing them to learn and behave according to what they view as they do not have the ability to differenciate right from wrong at this young age, as well as the ability to filter out unappropriate information they view on media. The intrduction of violence into the pure abd untainted mines of these teens is hence considered a form of corruption of their minds.

Question: Censorship can never be justified. Discuss.

Answer:

To begin my arguement, i would first like to explain the word "censorship". The word "censorship" is the deleting of parts of publications or correspondence or theatrical performances. To put it simply, it revolves around the idea of suppressing images, subjects, or opinions deemed as socially unacceptable, where regulatory boards take up the parental role of deciding what can be shown as well as what cannot be shown. hence, i agree with the statement, "censorship can never be justified."

The reason why i personally feel that censorship can never be justified is because it restricts freedom, where the form of restriction on freedom is not only limited to the freedom of speech, but the restriction imposed also infringes on the rights and freedom of people to view certain content. The public has a right to view everything, no matter how obscene or disgusting the content is, where they should be entitled to the freedom of deciding how they feel about a certain content. The idea of censorship, which ultimately revolves around the idea of a group of individuals deciding what the public can or should view, is a infringement on the "freedom of viewership", as it imposes a restriction that prevents the public from gaining access to certain information. Also, as mentioned earlier, censorship restricts the freedom of speech as people may not feel free to express their views and opinions for fear of breaking the censorship law. Censorships prevent anyone from challenging prevailing ideas and instituitions. This form of suppression restricts the thoughts of the public, affects their creativity as they are only limiyed to a certaion set of rules and ideas. Hence, i feel that the practice of censorship is simply unfair and inappropriate.

Besides, there is no fixed rules guiding censorship, where as mentioned earlier, the decision of what to censor is dependent on the regulatory boards, as they are the ones who determine if content is suitable for viewing. Hence, censorship is based on the opinions of these regulatory boards, there is simply no fixed rules governing censorship. What a person deem as unappropriate might not apply to another individual. Since there is no defined rules behind the carrying out of censorship, it is impossible to carry out censorship in a fair and unbiased manner, therefore censorshiip can never be justified.

My Opinions On The Ministers' Pay Hike

links:
http://news.asiaone.com.sg/a1news/20070410_story8_1.html
http://www.asia1.com/specials/government_payhike/


The recent statistics revealed that the top private-sector salaries have surged ahead of those in the public sector, resulting in an urgent need to increase the salaries of those working in the civil service so as to narrow the wide income gap. Many disgruntled citizens are most concerned with the increase in the ministers' pay, where this controversial issue have sparked off many fierce debates regarding the need for the ministerial pay hike. Even though the conclusion of this issue is set, but i would like to revisit this issue and offer my humble views regarding this event.

The reasons given by the government to substantiate the pay hike are the need to keep the salaries of government officials attractive so as to retain the able ones, in order to prevent the outflow of talents from the government. The attractive pay can also act as an incentive to bring in a continuing flow of able and successful people to the government, ensuring a first class government. i do not deny the need for the pay hike, but the extent of the increase is questionable. What irks me is the fact that as many aged are starving because the miserly assistance they receive every month is insufficient for their subsistence, and many Singaporeans are trying to make a living as they battle with the realities of life-retrenchment, no pay rise for long periods of time, lack of lob securites, ministers are debating on the pay hike when their pays are already pitched at a level far greater than what most Singaporeans are earning currently. It does seem a little too insensitive and callous to carry out this debate admist the many struggling when the ministers are currently earning 1.2 million already. what in their opinion is enough then?

While the government officers claim that the use of the pays of the private sectors as a benchmark is reasonable as many of the ministers hold high paying jobs before they entered the government, i however, beg to differ. Civil service is publice service. The same should apply to the government, where in my opinion, government officials should serve from a sense of idealism and duty to the country. The attractive pays offered by the government may cause people to forgo their noble ideals, and work in the government purely for monetary gains. This might affect the moral authority of the government.

Question: Nowdays, the media do not report the news, they make the news. Discuss with reference to recent events.

Answer:

I strongly agree with this statement. The corporate structure and commercial nature of the media, together with the overwhelming power that higher positions and the government authority has on the media, have greatly altered the reporting of news, affecting the quality of the news presented by journalists, leading to many questioning questioning the credibility of the news reports by the various sources of media nowadays.

The higher powers, as well as the government authorities also exert a certain influence on the news reported by journalists nowadays. The pressure exerted by higher authorities governing the media has caused journalists to exist in a state of dielemma, where they are forced to choose between their jobs and their responsibility of providing readers with unbiased and truthful accounts of critical news. The selfish human nature present in journalists will result in them choosing to protect their own interests, allowing the positions of power and authority to shape the angle and direction of their coverage. One example where the higher authorities influence the news coverage of journalists is the suppressed war news regarding Iraq in U.S.A. The negative aspects of the war, such as the casualties involved, costs incurred, as well as the sufferings of the people are intentionally omitted, whereas a certain media features the great improvements in Iraq, post-Saddam: People have electricity, schools, the right to vote, and a number of things they didn't have before. This clearly shows manipulation of the news to eradicate the negative impressions that the public might have of the war, and to massage public opinions of the war.

Also, due to the commercialisation of media, the aim of media is now centred mainly on the making of profits, where there is a lack of emphasis nowadays on providing unbiased news reports for readers. Journalists, may sometimes weave stories to spice up the content of their news reports to make them more interesting, and appealing for readers, to increase the number of readers. What is most ridiculous is the fact that there are even reports nowadays which are entirely made up of lies. One recent event which i am referring to, is the case where the famous actor, Tom Cruise, is sueing a certain media for the newspaper reports they have published about him, where he claims that the reports regarding his private life are entirely made up by the press. Another example, is the incident, where the media is accused of intentionally concealing information regarding the many food poisoning incidents that have occured on the Quantas airlines.

It is the responsiblity of the media to present news in a truthful and unbiased manner. Readers trust that the media will behave responsibly when reporting news and it;d really be very unethical if journalists to allow profits as well as government authorities to shape the direction of their coverage, and to go against the trust of fellow readers.

Question: YouTube has no ethics, its been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money. Do you agree?

Answer:

In the recent weeks, You Tube has made headlines several times on the local newspapers. Several videos were claimed to have been uploaded on You Tube, featuring images of graffiti over the face of the king of Thailand, where the film too showed feet being placed over the king's face which sigifies a form of disrespect towards the country's monarchy. Earlier on, You Tube has also been accused of infringing copyright laws due to the display of several clips consisting of copyrighted material. Various videos with sexual content, together with the numerous scandals regarding this online website have also set many thinking whether You Tube indeed has no ethics, and that the sole purpose of its creation is purely for entertainment and money.

To gain a better idea of this arguement, one has to first understand what this online website is all about. You Tube, to put it simply, is an online website, where videos can either be uploaded for mass sharing, or downloaded for personal viewing during leisure for one's personal pleasure. I personally agree with the claim that You Tube has no ethics and that it has been created purely for the sole purpose of entertainment and money.

I am sure many young teenagers like me frequent You Tube, and through the downloading of videos, satisfy their hunger for the latest drama series, and keep themselves occupied through the viewing this of this form of visual entertainment. Yet, as we enjoy the use of this online entertainment, do we ever consider the fact that we are enjoying ourselves at the expense of others? I refer to the many video clips of various latest drama series, originating from various countries such as Japan, Korea, as well as Taiwan, that has already been uploaded on You Tube whilst the drama series itself is still being screened on local television network. Since these drama series can be easily accessible, and viewed via the You Tube, many developed the mindset of simply downloading the series from the Internet, instead of spending money to buy a copy of it. Many of the artistes who took part in the production, depend on the profits obtained from the sale of the vcds of these drama series to earn a living. Hence, the existence of this online website, where it claimed to exist as a medium for people to share their videos freely, will result in the diminishing sales of such vcds. The provision of entertainment to the masses is therefore carried out without consideration of others, at the expense of the livelihood of others, where it is an act i would deem as unethical, lsupporting my view that the You Tube indeed only exists for entertainment and money.

Also, despite claims that overtly sexual material is flagged by users and removed by YouTube, there are still a variety of video clips which features content such as the effective use of condom and so on. As i mentioned earlier on, many youths frequent this online website. the accessibilty to such video clips available on the You Tube may send a wrong signal to these ignorant youths. By demonstrating the proper way of using condoms, these video clips may arouse their curiosity towards sex and may even seem like a form of encouragement, giving them the impression that it is alright to partake in underage sex, and acceptable to commit such immoral acts. The change in mentality of these youngsters may lead to disastrous effects in the society-the rapid increase in the number of teenagers taking part in underage sex, an increase in the abortion cases as well as in the number of abandoned babies when young female teenagers do not have the abilty to to bring up the children they conceived during a night of passion. By not filtering out these videos which contain a certain amount of sexual content, and allowing the rampant spread of this video via the Internet, You Tube clearly does not consider the impacts that is inflicted on these teens, and hence is unethical as it is not concerned about the consequences that may result in its broadcasting of the video.

Hence, You Tube is clearly unethical.

Tough Being A Teen

Question: The teenage years are the best years of one's life. Discuss.

Answer:

I do not agree with the statement. At least in the local context, the teenage years are definately not the best years of one's life.

To begin my arguement, I'd first like to provide a defination for the terms 'teenage years'. In short, 'teenage years' actually refer to the period of time from between 13 to 19, where most teens would either be schooling in secondary schools or junior colleges.

In recent months, there have been many newspaper reports about the alarming increase of teenagers who resort to self-multilation such as slashing themselves, where they have also attempted to commit sucide, writing down their sucidal attempts. There have also been a significant rise in the number of teenagers who face Net addiction when they choose to take refuge in the fictional world online to escape their problems. The actions taken bythese modern troubled teens to "release" themselves, clearly reflect on their immense unhappiness and the torture they feel within them.

Indeed, as compared to the older generations, we are definately far more fortunate than them. As the economy of Singapore transformed from a vulnerable to a vibrant one over the years, gone are the worries of not having enough to eat or even not having a roof over our heads. Equipped with practically everything, many wonder about the problems faced by local teens. Yet, the challenges that awaits the youths of the 21st century are more than what meets the eye.

In an academically oriented country like Singapore, where university qualifications are viewed as a vital tool towards securing a stable and high-paying job when youths enter the working world, there have been an overemphasis on good grades so as to survive in this competitive society. On an individual level, an average youth usually end school in the late afternoon. Not only is there a need for them to cope with their schoolwork-revising daily as well as to complete the homework given, there have also been a recent emphasis for youths in both secondary schools and junior colleges to take part actively in Co-Cirricular Activities, so as to obtain a good CCA record or a portfolio,which can aid them in entering a prestigious junior college or a local university. Many of these activities take place after school and end mostly in the late evenings. As a result, students are exhausted mentally during the weekdays, having to work till late hours at night just to rush out their homework. The weekends are definately not a time for students to relax as they have to catch up with their work. Between juggling their schoolwork and their CCAs, the students barely have time to sleep, much less indulge in entertainment to soothe their minds. Deprived of a social life, where most of their time is spent burying themselves in books, and memorising countless facts, how can the teenage years of the youths in Singapore be deemed as fufilling or even "the best years" of their lives.

Besides the stressful lifestyles they lead, youths nowadays also face pressure from their parents. As mentioned earlier, the overemphasis on good grades, has led to parents' constant reiteration for the need to work hard so as to perform well academically. Not only so, youths too face societal pressures of being deemed "useless or worthless" if they are not capable enough to enter good institutes of education. Besides keeping up to the expectations of their parents, they also have to compete with the recent influx of foreign students, who are vying with them for places at the various institutes of education. These youths might be under the impression that even if they are amongst the best in Singapore, they may not be the best in the world, adding to the pressure for them to work twice as hard to perform better than their peers. The constant pressure they are in might add to their stress mentally. The stressful environment they exist in takes the fun out of being a teenager, making it hard for youths to claim that their teenage years are the best years of their lives.

Lastly, the youths of Singapore always seem to be under the scrutiny of the media. Just last Sunday, there were several newspaper reports comparing the abilities of Singapore youths, in areas such as debating as well as academically, to various foreign students. Not only are the academic abilities of the youths under the scrutiny of the media, the behaviour and actions of local youths seem to be closely monitered by the media. Once in awhile, there have always been publications of newspaper reports, critising the behaviour and actions displayed by local youths. e.g local youths being weak mentally, not being able to withstand hardships, local youths not being considerate and many more other instances where the youths are being pin-pointed at by the various medias. This might result in youths being restricted, and not having sufficient freedom to do whatever pleases them for fear of further criticism. This unnecessary restriction creates additional pressure on these youths, contributing to the stressful envuronment they live in

Constantly under great pressure from be it their parents, the society and the media, where these youths should be able to lead a carefree life, making use of their youth to pursue their interests, they are instead burying themselves in books, constant memorising and constantly being on their best behaviour, making it hard for them to to experience the thrill and fun of being a teenager. With few beautiful memories of their teenage years, how can this period of time be considered the best years of their lives? Hence, in the local context and in my opinion, the teenage years are not the best years of one's life.