I'm sure all the JC students will take a new subject that they will either love or hate. This wonderful subject is known as General Paper, or more affectionately known as GP to many of us.
As you can see by now, this post is going to be a rant/constructive argument on the subject known as GP. (Thanks piaroh for classifying my blog's argument as partial rant)
GP is one of the few subjects that I had looked forward to when I was in secondary school. The reason why I was looking forward to it was due to the fact that I found English lessons in secondary school to be too restrictive when it comes to writing about various issues and social studies to be too politically-correct. GP seems like a beacon of light in a dark tunnel which provides us, students, with a chance to express our own views and opinions on a wide variety of issues that affect our daily lives...
After entering JC and taking GP however, you could say that this "dream" about GP for me has been shattered by a 15 ton hammer, pounded into dust and left to be blown away by the wind into nothingness...
As a GP student, I find myself not evaluating and commenting on what is happening in the world around us, but more on trivial details such as "how to answer this type of question?" and "how to write an essay based on some topic that will not really concern me..."
Is this GP?
What are the aims of GP? The aim of GP is to
a) Create an awareness in students of the world around us
b) Look at the situations objectively
c) Think critically about these issues
Are these aims fulfilled? As far as I can see, this is not that aims of GP that my teacher believes in. Apparently, it is this set of aims:
a) Methods to answer a question
b) Get an A for GP at the A levels
c) Discussion of issues based on strict adherence to the syllables
Why do I say that the teacher has adopted the above set of pseudo aim for GP? Pseudo aims that will not result in imparting of skills to the students that are learning it.
Firstly, we spend more then 90% of our lessons on how to answer questions in the GP exams. Sure, this is a good thing, through constantly going on on how to answer questions in the exam, we would definitely score well for the GP exams. What happens is that we spend each lesson staring at the teacher as she drone on and on on how to answer the question. "You cannot do this...."
Sure we can score well, but I ask how is that going to help us? Through knowing how to answer question, is it true that we will thus learn how to think objectively? What would happen when we go out to the real world? Is everyone going to answer question put to them about current issues in exactly the same way? Is our training now of answering questions sufficient for future events, when all we focus on is answering questions in a fixed set of way?
Face it, questions given in a GP exam would most probably never ever come up again in real life. Just knowing how to answer the questions would probably not do you any good. As society changes, current issues changes as well. The Internet may no longer be a menace in the future to quote an example, but are we still going to say that because we only learnt how to answer questions in a fixed sort of way?
Secondly, through all these discussions on how to answer questions, our GP teacher seem to be only aiming to make sure that all of us get an A for A level and that's that. Then what's the point of me studying GP when it will become a useless subject because we do not learn the skills that are being emphasised in GP? We become a generation of Singaporeans that are only capable of answering fixed sets of question about current issues 10 years ago by the time we step out to work. Isn't that sad?
Thirdly, there is a freaking strict adherence to the GP syllables. Our GP syllables do cover a lot of aspects in our society, but what happens is that the only thing that the teacher does is that she goes on and on on how to answer questions from each topic. Ask yourself, how is that going to help you?
Primary aim of GP: To allow students to think objectively about issues surrounding us. If we don't even go into discussion on the issues surrounding us, how are we going to ever ACHIEVE that?! Through discussion on issues that are already researched for a long long time and which already have a logical conclusion? Oh, WOW!! Internet is a menace, has always been a menace, menace menace menace. Is there any objective thinking available in discussing about whether Internet is a menace when it is so ... overly discussed?
Over the period of five months, so many things had been happening around us. From natural disasters to raise in salary, from Iraq to National Day Rally 2007. These are all the current issues that are happening all around us, but yet, have we ever went to think about them in our GP class? These are the issues where we can feel the impact on our daily lives, that interests us and makes us want to think more about the world all around us.
Isn't GP about current affairs, about the world around us? If so, why are we not having discussions on these issues? Paradox? You got it...
When we go to school, it is not just about learning knowledge and content on our subjects. It is so much more then just plain learning about stuff. Imparting values, becoming good citizens, these are all part of the education of the young. Education isn't just about the mind, it is about the soul as well.
GP isn't so much about the mind, but the soul. The soul that is to be filled up with being able to think critically about issues around us. If GP became a content subject instead, what is the point of us learning GP then? So that we can tell the world that Internet is a menace 50 years ago?
I've heard GP lessons that are extremely interesting, with long and heated discussions on current issues around us. GP lessons where no one falls asleep and though there is a greater emphasis on discussion of issues, their results for the GP exams are not affected. GP is not a methodical feeding of the brain with knowledge that is irrelevant 50 years from now, but life skills that are to be learned, that will stay relevant, no matter where you may be in the world.
Some people argue that it is through touching on these long-gone issues that have been thoroughly researched that we gain the life skills that I had described above.
Yes, it is possible that you can gain the skill... but why not you take a look at this example:
How are we going to think objectively about an issue when it has been researched by scholars, researches and other people. They would have generated their own set of "objective" opinion covering both sides of the story. How on earth then are you going to think objectively, when it has already been done for you? Its like just copying what others had said for a really long time...
Internet is a menace, has always been one, and will probably still be for some more time. We all know that... I have even lost count of the amount of times I had read that Internet is a menace or is not a menace in various mediums. Do you think you can think independently, critically and objectively when the issue has been so thoroughly discussed?
GP is supposed to be a very interesting subject, with lots of discussion on current affairs and independent thinking. At the rate things are going, we will soon have a generation of scholars that don't think, leaders that don't realise...
Remind me again, what is the purpose of education?
Discmon
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Legal/Illegal anime
The Straits Times
Downloaded pirated anime?
Starhub ordered to disclose your identity
The Singapore distributor of popular Japanese animated cartoons called anime has won the right to track down StarHub subscribers who downloaded the programmes illegally from the Internet.
A Subdorinate Court ordered StarHub recently to disclose the identity of what The Straits Times understands are one thousand subscribers identified as having downloaded pirated anime.
StarHub has resisted the company's efforts to get its customer data, but the court ruled that Odex had "satisfied the court of their need for the information".
I am not going to go on the rant of why this is wrong blah blah blah, cause it'll be dumb and I'll probably kill myself more in the process...
But a thought just popped into my mind and I feel like sharing it out...
First question, who are the people who creates the anime?
Its those artists and screenwriters and whatever that are mostly based in Japan. (I'm assuming that they are based there) Notice that it is these group of people that do most of the hardwork of drawing, coming up with ideas on how the series should progress and how to create interest among the audience so that their anime can be a sucessful one.
Second question, who are the people that are earning the most money from this?
It turns out that most of the revenue that is earned isn't exactly supporting the original creative group of people whoa re working on the anime. Most of the revenue is earned rather by the publishing companies. You know you always see on some websites that we should buy this buy that so as to support the original singers and whatsoever, but when it comes down to it, how much really goes back to the singer? More of it would go to the publishing company right?
Third question, who are the people going after those law cases whatsoever?
It turns out that it is also the publisher's too. Just wanted to point out an irony that I see:
The people who creates the anime originally isn't the publisher, however, when their works are being copied, it isn't the original group of people being furious, but rather by some company who has brought the work, done the exact same thing of copying it and then distributing it to the people...
So what does it mean? Don't you find it weird, that it is some company that is doing the same thing as what a lot of people out there are doing, but for the company it is legal, but for the others it is illegal? Especially when the money doesn't really go back to those poor creative people doing all the hardwork...
Also, just a bit of sidenote:
From what I know, apparently, downloading anime isn't illegal as long as
a) No company in your country has license it (ie. use money so that they can do the exact same thing as those people who download anime)
b) You do not charge anyone for downloading it as those animes are usually free fansubs.
Sounds ironical that all it does is a bit money for some thing to become illegal when it originally isn't?
Just some thoughts that I have in my brain over this issue...
Discmon
Downloaded pirated anime?
Starhub ordered to disclose your identity
The Singapore distributor of popular Japanese animated cartoons called anime has won the right to track down StarHub subscribers who downloaded the programmes illegally from the Internet.
A Subdorinate Court ordered StarHub recently to disclose the identity of what The Straits Times understands are one thousand subscribers identified as having downloaded pirated anime.
StarHub has resisted the company's efforts to get its customer data, but the court ruled that Odex had "satisfied the court of their need for the information".
I am not going to go on the rant of why this is wrong blah blah blah, cause it'll be dumb and I'll probably kill myself more in the process...
But a thought just popped into my mind and I feel like sharing it out...
First question, who are the people who creates the anime?
Its those artists and screenwriters and whatever that are mostly based in Japan. (I'm assuming that they are based there) Notice that it is these group of people that do most of the hardwork of drawing, coming up with ideas on how the series should progress and how to create interest among the audience so that their anime can be a sucessful one.
Second question, who are the people that are earning the most money from this?
It turns out that most of the revenue that is earned isn't exactly supporting the original creative group of people whoa re working on the anime. Most of the revenue is earned rather by the publishing companies. You know you always see on some websites that we should buy this buy that so as to support the original singers and whatsoever, but when it comes down to it, how much really goes back to the singer? More of it would go to the publishing company right?
Third question, who are the people going after those law cases whatsoever?
It turns out that it is also the publisher's too. Just wanted to point out an irony that I see:
The people who creates the anime originally isn't the publisher, however, when their works are being copied, it isn't the original group of people being furious, but rather by some company who has brought the work, done the exact same thing of copying it and then distributing it to the people...
So what does it mean? Don't you find it weird, that it is some company that is doing the same thing as what a lot of people out there are doing, but for the company it is legal, but for the others it is illegal? Especially when the money doesn't really go back to those poor creative people doing all the hardwork...
Also, just a bit of sidenote:
From what I know, apparently, downloading anime isn't illegal as long as
a) No company in your country has license it (ie. use money so that they can do the exact same thing as those people who download anime)
b) You do not charge anyone for downloading it as those animes are usually free fansubs.
Sounds ironical that all it does is a bit money for some thing to become illegal when it originally isn't?
Just some thoughts that I have in my brain over this issue...
Discmon
Thursday, August 09, 2007
The meaning behind flags...
And its the 9th of August, National day is here again haha...
Before we continue, lets go and wish Singapore a Happy National Day haha ^^ Like what all other people would say...
As we are watching the National Day live broadcast on TV, we will always see the Singapore flag fluttering here and there, being waved around by people who are there or the performers themselves. Of course, many people would dismiss it as simply a sign of showing love to Singapore and blah blah blah. I mean, come on, other countries would probably have the same thing too. Flags fluttering everywhere, people wearing red T-Shirt, to a lot of people, this is all standard stuff...
But is it really just standard stuff?
When we look back into history, the flag is more then just a simple design on a piece of cloth, it is a symbol to many different people at different times.
In times of war, the flag is always one of the most important symbol in the heart of the soldier. Once the flag falls, it is inevitable that the morale of the army falls along with the flag and before you know it, the entire battle could be lost and the soldiers could have been wiped off the surface of the Earth. In fact, one of the highest honour that could be given to a soldier would be the flag bearer. In certain war films, you always see that the flag bearers receive the flag with the greatest sense of pride and in the battle that ensues, they are the one that charges all the way to the front, to the heat of the battle, leading their commrades on...
There have also been various stories of people dying for a single flag. I heard a story that a brother and sister lost their life when they country was at war. The story goes like this: The flag is falling, and then the sister grabs the flag and keep it flying. The enemy then shot her. As the flag drops to the ground, her brother grabs the flag before being shot by another enemy soldier...
There have been countless other stories, such as the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima...
All these goes to show how important the flag is to a soldier's heart...
Of course, it isn't just restricted to wars, there are also other places where the flag is a symbol. The sporting arena is one such other place. Notice that after the medals are awarded, the winner countries flags are raised along with the National Anthem. As it is being raised, you can feel the pride of the athelete. From the way the athlete look at the flag...
Also, when there are protests against a certain country, notice that the flag of the country that is being targetted is burnt. It goes to show that the flag means a lot to many people, and it can even be used to unleash a form of hatred and anger against that country.
We'll skip all those foreign exchanges that countries participate in...
I think one of the reason why we don't feel much for the flag is due to the fact that we see it everyday during morning assembly. Everday, we see the flag being raised without fail and it seems as though the act of the flag being raised is just a common everyday stuff. But when you get down to it, it isn't really that ordinary. The only thing that sustains the flag is the sovereignty of our country. If we lose independence, would we still see the flag being raised?
It is always during times of crisis and uncertainty that we feels all the strong sense of feelings that can come out from very simple symbols. Flags, National Anthem, Pledge... this symbols are all simple symbols that bring out that feeling when we are put into those situation...
The flag isn't just a piece of cloth that we raise everyday, it is a symbol of our sovereignty...
Just a piece of thought that has been echoing around in my brain during National Day.
Discmon
Before we continue, lets go and wish Singapore a Happy National Day haha ^^ Like what all other people would say...
As we are watching the National Day live broadcast on TV, we will always see the Singapore flag fluttering here and there, being waved around by people who are there or the performers themselves. Of course, many people would dismiss it as simply a sign of showing love to Singapore and blah blah blah. I mean, come on, other countries would probably have the same thing too. Flags fluttering everywhere, people wearing red T-Shirt, to a lot of people, this is all standard stuff...
But is it really just standard stuff?
When we look back into history, the flag is more then just a simple design on a piece of cloth, it is a symbol to many different people at different times.
In times of war, the flag is always one of the most important symbol in the heart of the soldier. Once the flag falls, it is inevitable that the morale of the army falls along with the flag and before you know it, the entire battle could be lost and the soldiers could have been wiped off the surface of the Earth. In fact, one of the highest honour that could be given to a soldier would be the flag bearer. In certain war films, you always see that the flag bearers receive the flag with the greatest sense of pride and in the battle that ensues, they are the one that charges all the way to the front, to the heat of the battle, leading their commrades on...
There have also been various stories of people dying for a single flag. I heard a story that a brother and sister lost their life when they country was at war. The story goes like this: The flag is falling, and then the sister grabs the flag and keep it flying. The enemy then shot her. As the flag drops to the ground, her brother grabs the flag before being shot by another enemy soldier...
There have been countless other stories, such as the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima...
All these goes to show how important the flag is to a soldier's heart...
Of course, it isn't just restricted to wars, there are also other places where the flag is a symbol. The sporting arena is one such other place. Notice that after the medals are awarded, the winner countries flags are raised along with the National Anthem. As it is being raised, you can feel the pride of the athelete. From the way the athlete look at the flag...Also, when there are protests against a certain country, notice that the flag of the country that is being targetted is burnt. It goes to show that the flag means a lot to many people, and it can even be used to unleash a form of hatred and anger against that country.
We'll skip all those foreign exchanges that countries participate in...
I think one of the reason why we don't feel much for the flag is due to the fact that we see it everyday during morning assembly. Everday, we see the flag being raised without fail and it seems as though the act of the flag being raised is just a common everyday stuff. But when you get down to it, it isn't really that ordinary. The only thing that sustains the flag is the sovereignty of our country. If we lose independence, would we still see the flag being raised?
It is always during times of crisis and uncertainty that we feels all the strong sense of feelings that can come out from very simple symbols. Flags, National Anthem, Pledge... this symbols are all simple symbols that bring out that feeling when we are put into those situation...The flag isn't just a piece of cloth that we raise everyday, it is a symbol of our sovereignty...
Just a piece of thought that has been echoing around in my brain during National Day.
Discmon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)