NTU Sociological Society ♥

Monday, 21 July 2008

"There are no slogans, just the word ‘family’ at the end of this commercial shot by critically acclaimed Malaysian film-maker Yasmin Ahmad.

What happened to the beaming two-parent families and winsome little tykes that laughed and frolicked their way through previous commercials produced by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)?

Singaporeans nowadays have less appetite for such overt messages, much less the didactic ‘Girl or boy, two is enough’ slogans of the 1970s family-planning advertisements, said a veteran of such campaigns.

‘People are more sophisticated now through travel and the Internet and we thought we could take a leaf from how film-makers use storytelling to engage audiences,’ said Mr Richard Tan, the ministry’s director of communications and international relations.

So is the Government’s new tack - a more reality- based soft-sell of the importance of family - working?

Going by responses on the Internet and interviews done by Insight Special, it would seem to be. Many found the commercial moving and not overly cloying."
-
An excerpt from: The Straits Times
Clarissa Oon
July 12, 2008 Saturday

Contrary to the report, I think the new approach along with other existing approaches are going to remain ineffective. The ad may be something new and it may indeed be moving. But there has been no real solutions being offered to address the concerns that is occupying Singaporeans' minds. These concerns I think, include economic and social values.

We have baby bonuses and what not to address economic concerns. And despite ongoing complaints that such shemes are inadequate, I think the current policies are already sufficient. Demands for more financial assitance are fundamentally the consequences of Singaporeans wanting to buy the best of everything - the best education AND the best (read: most expensive) holiday resorts in Europe during school holidays. With this being said, the other area of concern that has not yet been addressed is social values.

By social values, I mean the perception that Singaporeans are lacking moral values. I think a significant number of Singaporeans are indeed worried about raising children in a world that is not compassionate. This however, is a false worry. Singaporeans are in fact, in no shortage of ethical conduct and pleasant behaviour. I still hear Thank Yous and Please. We are still smiling and we still say "Excuse Me" when alighting the crowded bus/MRT. But due to the mass amount of negative news (formal and informal) that we are bombarded with, we hold the belief that Singaporeans are lacking good character. To add on to this, we are also exposed to the idea of the demise of social values on a global scale. We often hear of humans killing or abusing one another. We hear of corrupt politicians and we hear of countries forging wars with one another. And of course, we have global warming. "The world and its inhabitants are sick and humans are to be blamed" seems to be embedded in our minds to the extent that we do not want to raise a child in this cruel world.

But are people really cruel and do Singaporeans really lack moral values? These are some of the concerns that need to be addressed if the Government wants to see the local population grow.

Labels: social issues

Saturday, 12 July 2008

Do you enjoy being drowned in classical theories?
Do you enjoy soccer?

If your answer is a resounding YES to both, then the following video is definitely for you!

(Spoiler Alert!)
I am wee bit disappointed that Marx did not cause further 'chaos' to the match. After all, he did champion for change through praxis.

Anyway... I wonder how a match between sociologists would turn out to be...
We could have the French vs the Americans!
Now, that would be a awesome!
:p

Labels: misc

Wednesday, 9 July 2008

(No offense intended towards the students from the Humanities department. I just found this really funny because, well, we DID discuss it once. Rather heatedly over yong tau foo in Can B)

I have been a fan of phdcomics (read PhD comics) for the longest time. I first chanced upon it while web surfing in my hall a few years back and spent a grand total of 3 days, back to back, reading strip 1 to strip 890. Yes, I am a geek and I am proud of it.

So anyway, I've been following the strip since then because it revolves around the characters at a grad school (presumably Standford, because more than one strip featured the famous Standford clock tower), the work they do, the lives they lead, and interestingly, an analysis of what it means to be a grad student.

Now I for one am not a grad student yet, but I totally relate to the characters and the storyline. Specifically, the re-occurring theme of procrastination and the value of ones work.

Yes, all of us have at one time stared at our term papers and readings, wishing them away into some alternate universe. Or perhaps, even skipping a couple of lectures and tutorials to slack away in the hidden depths of NTU (or on the busy streets of Orchard Road). Procrastination is part and parcel of university life. No uni life is complete without procrastination (but shh, do not let them know that we told you that).

All of us too, have screamed bloody murder when we feel that the value of our work is inversely related to the grade that we have been bestowed upon by our professors. We get dejected, we argue, sulk, cry and drown our sorrows on the beer that Al Fresco carries after 6pm (and shh again, we did not tell you that). Still, we press on when the next term paper swings by, ever so idealistic that we WILL get that A+ (alas, only to realise that it was not to be - again).

Well, phdcomics has taken a spin on the two things we students engage in - procrastinating and fretting over the value of our work - and turned it into something that we all can laugh at, and in turn, laugh at ourselves.

To Jorge Cham and all grad students out there, three cheers to the power of procrastination and the Anova test (do I hear second and third years screaming? brings back memories no?)

Labels: misc

Thursday, 3 July 2008

Well, technically, there should be an RA file for this month. However, due to the majority of our undergraduates running around in various offices around Singapore for their internships, we thought that we should give them a break from writing and re-writing their entries for The RA Files.

Instead, this month we bring to you... updates! Or at least some form of update about what is to come in the new academic year.

Meetings are in progress to bring you:

MOVIE SCREENINGS!
Hello indie films and films with a twist! Foreign films (with subtitles of course), musicals. Drop us a note to let us know what would YOU like to see and we will try our very best to get it screened. Promise.

ANNUAL BBQ!
Francis - our dear professor, also defending champion of twister for the second year running - watch out. We won't let you win again for the third time! And we promise that we will get the grill going before the men try to take over.

OUR FIRST EVER ELECTIONS!
Interested candidates please drop us an email via this site to indicate your interest. More details up soon! Persons who are interested to form the Election Committee, please contact us as well!

SOCIETY BOOTH DURING ORIENTATION WEEK!
Do drop by! Shop, hang out, talk and sign yourselves up for FREE!

and...

OUR SUPER DUPER TOP SECRET PROJECT.
We can't say much now... but it'll be big. VERY big. Watch this space.

Well, in a nutshell, expect a BLAST once we return for academic year 08/09.

SEE YA'LL!

(and why is the chatbox so quiet? don't be shy!!!)

Labels: misc

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