Reflective Journal 5

It seems as though we just embarked on the new elective yesterday. But the truth is that as the term comes to a close, so will this elective. However, this elective has not been for naught. My perceptions and conclusions about China and America have been changed with the new knowledge that I have obtained, and I can now better discuss pertinent issues regarding the two superpowers.

The curriculum of SES was actually surprisingly refreshing. Since students, instead of teachers, were the ones who facilitated the discussion, speaking up in class felt somewhat less intimidating. Another plus point about the curriculum of SES was that it nurtured the ability of students to think on their feet and articulate their thoughts well, especially during their term presentation. Most importantly, I felt that this actually helped me to see the flaws in my argument more clearly.  Of course, the downside was then that there is increased burden on students, which I felt quite acutely during the first term of the year. The assigning of questions to each student was quite the lifesaver. Overall, the curriculum and the method of teaching were effective and interesting.

I mentioned in my first reflective journal that the mode of assessment was the most daunting. However, I now understand what the mode of assessment aims to achieve. Crafting my argument for the term presentation, although tough, offered me a brief insight into what humanities research entails. Sorting through all those books and online journals for relevant information was hard, but I realized there was still much knowledge to be uncovered, compared to what schools teach us. I understood that what we do in schools is just the tip of the iceberg; what we really need to do is to explore the iceberg ourselves. Even though I probably did not get a good grade, at least I took away an understanding of what learning really is.

I did face difficulties during the elective too, and I think my main difficulty lay in writing reflective journals. Probably my thought structure and organization is not up to par; I have never been able to write good expository essays. But coming through the elective, I was able to improve gradually on my reflective journals and grasp the concept of a reflective journal well. From the first graded reflective journal to this one, I think I have come a long way. But there is still a longer road to travel.

Looking back at this elective, I realize that indeed, I have gained a lot. It might sound cliché, but it is true. I have learnt about the context of Confucianism in China, and what it means to both the people and the government. I have learnt about the various revolutions in the Western world, and how they shaped the laws which govern us today. I have even learnt about how Singapore might be affected by these two cultures, or how Singapore completely defies these ideologies.

And looking forward to the future, I think that SES will help us to do our own research on various countries. By going through the elective, I think that we actually gained research skills such as knowing where to look for reliable information about a country, and how to analyze its ideology and look at its society or economy in the context of the ideology. Such skills will be needed for a globalised economy, and in this manner, SES actually helps quite a lot.

My goals for SES at the start of the year were to 1) gain new insights and 2) achieve a passable grade. Although 2) could be improved upon, I actually surpassed my expectations for 1). Not only did I learn about China or America, but I also gained other skills like researching, and speaking up.

Of course, SES could be improved further. One point I noted was that for some tutorials that were more difficult in nature, I thought that more elaboration and background information would be needed for students to better absorb the knowledge. Some of these tutorials included the topic Western ideology. Another important downside was the very prominent lack of time. I think that we should be given more time for SES lessons, instead of having to stay back in school for extra lessons. This will also aid in helping students understand the topics better.

Although the elective was just two terms long, I feel that I have learnt a lot of things. It was an enjoyable elective. And for that, thank you, Ms Yeo. 

Reflective Journal 4

It is no longer uncommon to see rioting people in China. Or in America, for that matter. The anger against land seizures. The resentment of the 1%. Both point to fundamental and potentially fatal flaws in Chinese and American society - increasing anger, be it from disillusionment with the government or from social polarisation.

A number of factors contribute to the state of affairs in China today, namely, labour discontent, social polarisation and disillusionment with the government among others. Migrant labourers are very discontent with their wages and the second-class treatment they receive in urban areas. Most Chinese feel that only a trickle of China's spectacular economic growth falls to them; and it's not fair. Government corruption, in the forms of land grabs, cause people to either get angry or lose hope; both ways, the government finds a rioting crowd in their ever-growing mountain of problems to address. Top it all off with the Internet, which has allowed people to fuel each other's rage, eventually causing the fury to boil over, and China has a serious problem.

Such an acute anger shown by the Chinese is difficult to control, but last year, analysts noted that the rioting in China has not only increased in amount, but was also more confrontational, and better organised. All of which spell trouble for the Chinese government in ensuring its continued economic growth.

Perhaps the most immediate and striking solution would be to give the people whatever they want. And the thing is, some of their desires are not actually so hard to grant; freedom to organise, and basic rights to pensions, education and healthcare. The Chinese government could consider loosening the grip on their stronghold a little, and they probably would surprise themselves. Even giving citizens more of their share of the economic growth could contribute back to the country; a domestic market would be developed for self-reliance. Of course, the flip side is that people will keep on demanding more and more, until what's left of China resembles America. Joke. But anyway.

Other desires are not so simply granted. Such as tricky situations about restoring previously wild borrowing in China. Because of the impact on the global economy a move on bank lending might have, there will have to be some sort of a compromise between governments and the people about loss of jobs in China. People will need to accept that there is not going to be any form of restoration of their jobs, and will have to return to their rural homes. And on the government's part, more effort can be put into investing in the rural areas, and more can be done to improve the living conditions in rural areas. The word here is decentralisation.

Now for America, the social polarisation poses more of an issue than do the rest. The recent Occupy Wall Street movement, where the rioters angrily demonstrated their unhappiness that the 99% were not getting the bulk of the wealth, and coupled with the laxer income tax imposed on the richer people, it is quite obvious why these people are angry. Almost 50% of healthcare spending every year comprises the richest 5% of the population. Whereas the lowest 50% spend about 381 times less than the top 1%. How fair could that be?

America, being a welfare state, should be able to look out for all its people, but instead, from the example of healthcare, how are the people fairing? Poorly. Food Inc. shows how the poorer population have trouble turning away from cheap junk food to more costly and troublesome healthy home-cooked food. And there Michelle Obama is on her campaign against obesity. In my opinion, America needs to solve the root problems, and others will follow. Like Lee Kuan Yew once said, Westerners have the idea that if you solve things at the top, the things at the bottom like a magic trick turn out fine, but things don’t work that way, and has never proven to.

Follow Warren Buffet's advice. Tax the rich, and help the poverty break from their cycle of poverty. Robin Hood is no longer just a game; it's a necessity for America to make its turnaround into the global stage. Once the issue of social polarisation has been eradicated, the anger will diminish. More educated people come out ready for the workforce, and less people do drugs, commit crimes. Keep with this virtuous cycle and eventually, America, hopefully, can become a welfare state to learn from.

Although China and America both seem to face the same problems, there is no doubt that the approach has to be different when solving issues in each culture. Cultural differences still have a say. Just because people are in trouble doesn’t mean they are willing to go against their values.

797 words

Reflective Journal 3

In the travel memoir Eat, Pray, Love, the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, has an interesting conversation with an Italian friend, Giulio, and Giulio puts forth this idea that each society in the world has a word which tallies with its beliefs and values. For example, the word in the Vatican City could be “power”. Similarly, I think that America and China each have their own word; America’s being “freedom”, and China’s being “collective”. In my opinion, America is a nation which stresses on the rights of every individual, with liberty being the most highly regarded value amongst the nation. Many monuments have the word liberty in their names, like The Statue of Liberty, or Liberty Bell, etc. Whereas, China, under the guidance of selected Confucianism values, is more of a pluralistic nation, and people share a common goal. For example, under Mao Zedong’s regime, China moved together in one direction, like during the “Great Leap Forward” campaign.  Although the values upheld by China and America do not directly coincide, I think that America’s values focus on the power of the individual, while China’s emphasises the need to work as one. This is further reflected in the work cultures of each nation; in Google, a rather representative company of the USA, the employee feels that he/she is able to make a difference and that is very important to the individual. I am not sure whether this is felt in China too, but when we studied Lenovo, I realised that the way of management was the typical “big boss” method, a very paternalistic one with a figure of authority at the top and minions slaving away without question. In my opinion, this doesn’t really empower the individual.

Singapore is affected very much by China, because of economic interest and cultural roots. For example, as a nation, our education system is largely Chinese; children sit in a classroom and are expected to listen to the teacher but not ask questions, as the teacher holds authority over them. This is a very clear example of the Confucian value of “mandate of heaven”: obey your superiors totally, without questioning their authority. Furthermore, from my experience, studying was more of a moral obligation, or a duty to the family and country, than a desire to improve oneself and this is a manifestation of how society comes before self. People should serve the society more than they should serve their own needs. Even if one does not want to do something expected of them, they eventually will do it. In the book Wild Swans, an autobiography of life in China from the 1910s to the 1980s, it was written that betrayal of family was tantamount to treason. This shows how important duty is to the Chinese, and his duty overrules the desires of the individual.

There are also upsides to these Chinese values, such as gratitude, and modesty, both of which come from the Chinese perception that the self is a beneficiary of the education bestowed on by the society. Modesty is practiced in Singapore very often, according to JoAnn Meriwether Craig in her book Culture Shock!, and it is good that such values are inculcated in Singaporeans from a young age.

Of course, the impact American values have on our lives is very significant too. Democracy is an American value, and so is freedom of speech. Individual rights are also American, and even societies like AWARE or Singapore’s Women’s Association are influenced by American values; in the Chinese hierarchy, women rank the lowest. All the above mentioned could not have come about without influence from the American perceptions of self. More than legislature or individual rights, our economy is also American in nature; Adam Smith’s ideas about free market are applied to our economy, and protectionism is abolished.

Again, there are downsides to these American values. People nowadays seek more self-fulfilment and pleasure than in the past, a result of the self-seeking industry America has created from promoting the “pursuit of happiness”. Furthermore, youths nowadays do not face problems, but rather escape from them, as evident from the article Pathological Video-Gaming among Singaporean Youths, which states that 30% of youths responded yes to using “video-gaming to escape from problems bad feelings or stress”, with an additional 24% responding sometimes.

I think that the Chinese perceptions of self impact my life more than the American perceptions. This is because firstly, as a predominantly Chinese population, we uphold the traditional Chinese values passed down to us from our ancestors, and secondly, our government also puts in place certain Confucian values to guide our development as a nation, such as making education compulsory, which further reinforces the Confucian idea that knowledge and education is very important. Thus, we as a nation are able to absorb the Chinese perceptions of self.

800 words

Reflective Journal 2

The management styles of Google and Lenovo are distinctly different, yet it is interesting how both companies manage to do so well in their respective fields. In my opinion, the reason these companies are both thriving despite their differences is because of the way they each cater to their own societies. This would cause them to lose out when competing in distinctly different societies; as we know, Lenovo is facing trouble reaching out to the global market, while Google has been banned in China.

Google's management style is an echo of the American values of liberty and freedom. Although many companies in America still do not do things the way Google does, many things in America reflect the importance of freedom to Americans. For example, the US Constitution places heavy emphasis on the need for liberty in the government and the law. This is also why Google is deemed as one of the top places to work in America, and I think that it is this openness and freedom that particularly attracts consumers to Google products. As Steve Rubel, a senior vice-president at Edelman Digital said, openness facilitates trust, and trust drives sales. 

Whereas when we compare Lenovo to Google, Lenovo fits snugly with traditional Chinese values. First enshrined by Confucius, the idea of 'mandate of heaven' or ultimate authority, is very comfortable with the Chinese, even though this creates a serious handicap on their creativity. Lenovo employees do not ask questions but instead just follow instructions. This is deemed as a sign of respect, a requirement in the complex Chinese hierarchy system. This way of legalist management is very efficient, just what the Chinese want, and in line with this management, Lenovo’s laptops are cheaper than foreign brands’ and even of quality but are simply not as innovative. This won over the Chinese market and Lenovo controls much of the Chinese market even today.

Personally, I prefer the Lenovo way of management. Even though it seriously lacks in creativity, I think that it is more suitable for me and the majority of Singaporeans, or, I might even say, Asians. Because of Lee Kuan Yew’s method of governance, we are brought up and educated with Chinese values, and exposure to true Western values is limited. This limited interaction with Western values such as beyond the classroom learning and problem solving is a terribly complicated issue, as it disables our youth from having the skills necessary to tackle an increasingly globalised world. We lack the self-discipline to function in Google’s freewheeling method of management; in spite of all the benefits that it offers, Singaporean youths are simply not ready for such a radical change. For example, in Secondary 2, we had Online Lessons period, but during those in-curriculum periods, many students, instead of completing their work or doing extra research, were indulging in computer games and to be honest, I also did indulge in such activities most times. I saw many of my friends’ ruined by this, and thus it has deeply impacted me that Singapore’s education will not be able to see many radical changes for at least the next five years.

On the other hand, Lenovo’s style of authoritarian command is more suitable to Singapore, and it is the model we have been adapting for a long time. Lenovo’s style of management reflects the industrialisation happening in China, and Singapore, when industrialising, too used a similar method. Blind learning and clever manipulation of the exams could give one a bright future. But times are changing and we can no longer rely on Lenovo’s backdated methods. Even Lenovo is trying to change its methods to look more into the 21^st century.

However, although I prefer working in a Lenovo-style culture, I still particularly admire the Google style of management and one day hope that Asian society could become like that. A real example of Google’s management style in Asia would be the autobiography of Tetsuke Kuroyanagi, otherwise known as “Totto-chan: The Little Girl by the Window”. Her elementary school was a fine example of the ability that people have to use freedom to achieve great things, even young schoolchildren. I sincerely hope for such a method of education to be adapted in Asia, as this would lift the creativity handicap from our Asian societies.

711 words

Reflective Journal 1

The lesson last Monday marked a good start to the year of SES electives, and I think that despite the difficulty, SES is going to be an interesting elective. It will also be a useful elective, further honing our ability to be bicultural.

First of all, I think that the syllabus for SES is very focused, and the aim, straightforward: to hone our multiculturalism, especially in the American and Chinese context. This is especially relevant, and equipping us with adequate cultural intelligence is going to be a strategic move, as in an increasingly globalised society, we will have to interact with people from many different cultures, and how well we interact with these people with different cultural background will determine how successful we will become, both in and out of the workspace. In the area of work, as postulated by Glenn Lopis, we need to tap on our cultural intelligence in order to retain talents of different cultural background. Some examples of difficult situations requiring cultural intelligence include whether to exclude Muslim employees during Ramadan or not. Thus, I feel that the SES syllabus is very focused and relevant to our needs.

I also feel that the syllabus is rather interesting, choosing to focus on clashes, especially the possible lack thereof, in ideologies instead. I find it interesting that instead of bombarding us with clichés such as China and America are different, etc, we are taught to question otherwise, whether it is simply an urban myth or the real reflected situation. This will be especially useful for us when we are faced with societal stereotypes, and are tasked with breaking such stereotypes down. I really look forward to learning about the lack of difference between China and America.

The mode of assessment in SES is one of my most pressing concerns. I think that given the environment that I was brought up in, leading a class discussion will not come naturally to me. It will indeed be tough to score well for SES, or so I think, but hope otherwise. But of course, the mode of assessment came about for pragmatic reasons; to help us speak up more and to improve our command of speech. Thus, I really need to practice more to score well, and to be better at making oral presentations.

I am also rather intimidated by the research paper. Although I have no problem with writing, I have a little problem with researching. I tend to do minimal research but fill my essays with presumptuous fallacies. The thought of being judged based on HRP standards honestly does make me much more apprehensive too. I am rather fearful for my grades; but of course, grades are not everything and these assessments are to train our critical thinking and research skills.

Grades, as I said, are not everything, and I sincerely believe that there are other aspects to a good education. I think my fear for the assessments arise from my desire to achieve a very strong MSG at the end of the year.

Lastly, I think that the teaching style of this elective is rather interesting. Instead of being an average teacher-led knowledge cramming session, it is a class discussion; nothing is right or wrong, and we are expected to build knowledge instead of simple absorb knowledge. It will be interesting to see how the first student-led tutorial takes off and to see how little the teacher needs to take charge over the tutorial. Personally, I felt quite incredulous when I first saw that the lesson would be run in this order, because it is quite a new concept in Singapore, and perhaps fifteen would be a little too young to be exposed to such a liberating concept. But now I see that it is meant to be a challenge for us to steer our own learning; become independent learners.

I really hope that I can learn many new things from SES, especially since I have never been exposed to such a concept of learning or such a subject before. Firstly, as we discussed on Monday, I really hope to improve on my CQ-Drive. I ranked myself as 2 for my CQ-Drive, as beyond the necessary needs to function amongst Singaporean Chinese, I rarely make myself read up on other cultures and how they behave, etc. I can already foresee the trouble this lack of motivation will bring me, and I hope to amend this as soon as possible. I also wish to learn more about the different cultural practices between America and China, especially about how these two practices can be married and the best of each combined to create a whole new working environment.

All in all, I really hope to enjoy SES as much as I can, and I really hope that the pressure on assessment will not be too unbearable. SES looks to be rather enjoyable and I really do not want it to be tainted by a bad grade.