CMIO

Uncategorized

I think one of the most important things Singapore will need to do in the coming years and decades is wean itself off the CMIO (Chinese-Malay-Indian-Other) framework. The CMIO framework may perhaps have been necessary in the post-war nation-building years (this is disputable), but it is increasingly irrelevant as we head towards SG100. We live […]

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2050

Uncategorized

I don’t believe that the CMIO framework will remain relevant. Singapore’s long term future has to involve welcoming the best and brightest from the region, and the world. There has to be something more compelling than “Singapore is safe and clean and you can make a lot of money” in order for Singapore to not […]

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conversation

Uncategorized

Saw this ad a while back and was thinking about how there was a Singapore Conversation years ago. What was that about? What did that end up leading to?

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Make Some Noise


fiction

(This is the working title for a book I’m working on.) “The title is based on a phrase that, if you grew up in Singapore in the 90s and 2000s, you’d have heard Gurmit Singh yell out at National Day Parades. “Maaaaake soooome nooooise!!” It’s an interesting thing to hear, in Singapore. Make some noise. […]

September 12, 2017

OB Markers


Chenghu, media

Originally posted on Facebook: If you read ex ST editor Cheong Yip Seng’s memoir OB Markers, you’ll hear some very interesting things about LKY’s perspective on the media. Two things come to mind: 1: When the Israeli PM Chiam Herzog visited Singapore, the Malay press in Malaysia was livid, and wrote very angry things. LKY […]

August 31, 2017

SAP schools


Education

Should SAP schools be allowed to exist? What about madrasahs? Why is it that SAP schools are under the purview or MOE, and given specialist teachers, while madrasahs are private institutions under MUIS, with most teachers untrained by NIE? SAP schools are given extra funding, madrasahs raise their own funds, are allowed to use them […]

July 22, 2017

Examples of Racism in Singapore


Race

This page is an attempt to collect all of the news articles and significant blogposts relating to racism in Singapore. Not all of these posts are describing racist incidents – some are noteworthy discussions about racism. I’ve been pretty busy in 2021 so I haven’t been keeping up with the news as much since. If […]

July 15, 2017

Attention Whores


sg mentality

(In response to this post on Rice Media) What’s always fascinating to me is how so many socially awkward keyboard warriors like to call people like Kristen “attention whores”. Same for Amos, Roy, and basically any public figure who isn’t a public official. My guess is that these people are so deeply socialized to be […]

July 4, 2017

index


meta

Singlish Amos Yee Apathy – This is meant to be a post about how and why Singaporeans tend to be politically apathetic. Particularly, I want to examine why people consistently make the mistake of assuming that superficial shows of support (Facebook Likes, rally attendance, etc) will translate into some sort of real impact and change, when […]

July 2, 2017

Suicide reporting in the media


media

Channel News Asia – Suicide not usually result of single source of stress, says IMH doctor – discussion on /r/singapore I want to address /u/skipshentaiscene ‘s comment, which I think is a useful jumping-off point for a good conversation about the utility of news media: I read the article and didn’t find anything flagrantly wrong with what […]

July 2, 2017

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Behave


sg mentality

Work in progress. “Why is nobody helping me?” Amos Yee isn’t the first person to say the things he’s said. He isn’t the first person to call Lee Kuan Yew a dictator. He isn’t the first person to mock religion. He isn’t the first person to talk about NS in derogatory terms. – It’s interesting […]

July 2, 2017

Anti-SJW


social media

“The anti social justice (SJW) bro wants to have his chocolate cake and eat it. He will accept your hurt and shame and anger only if you argue for it, and make a dance of facts and point so view, because that way he can rebut you. That is the crux: as long as he […]

May 31, 2017