17 June 2012:
I actually wanted to blog something only tomorrow.
But today I had a few experiences that impressed on me greatly.1. The first would be this report on LGBT people in Singapore.
In case you didn't know, the rainbow coloured circle is a representation of the LGBT flag below:
It's true. LGBT people in Singapore are still facing discrimination from others.
I really don't get where homophobia comes from. Why are some people so scared of LGBTs?
In the report, it was mentioned that one boy who was gay was groped when he was in secondary school. His attackers said that since he was gay, he would enjoy being touched by other guys.
Are these people sick or nuts? In my opinion they should be the ones being discriminated against, for being so perverted. LGBT does not equals to being slutty, yeah? Being LGBT doesn't mean that they would enjoy any man / woman touching them. They too wish that they would find their other half, and stay faithful with them.
Others think of LGBTs as infected by disease. Seriously? Where did they get this ridiculous misconception from? Just because you have a gay friend, for example, it doesn't mean that you would 'turn gay'. If you did, chances are, you're subconsciously gay, he just made you realise your sexual orientation.
... There are so many misconceptions or misunderstandings against LGBTs, and yet nothing is done to stop this in Singapore. This is mainly because, as the report mentioned, the Ministry of Education is very careful not to mention anything on homosexuality at all during sexuality education.
PM Lee often touches on having an inclusive society for Singaporeans. How is this inclusive when homosexuality is silenced during proper educational settings? I'm not saying that you teach primary school kids such stuff; maybe it's too complicated for them. But perhaps at secondary 4, it's time to introduce them this alternative lifestyle that some people adopt.
Of course, you wouldn't glamorise or promote it, just lay out the facts regarding this LGBT issue. At least, get students to understand that there are some people who are LGBT. They are no different from anyone, besides their sexual orientation. The students should learn that these people should not be discriminated against, but live, work, and interact with them harmoniously.
Singapore still retains Section 377A of the penal code, which criminalises gay sex between men. I read from somewhere that this section of the penal code was from Victorian era, where Singapore was under the British and it was illegal to be homosexual.
It's 2012 now; perhaps time for some change. I believe that society is ready for some slight changes over the years. For one, a repeal would help to loosen the discrimination suffered by LGBTs, especially gays, for that matter. Imagine when people say "even in the law it's illegal for you to have sex" to a gay guy, how hurtful would that be.
Then again, it's not as if a repeal would work wonders and all discrimination would disappear. The government (possibly with the help of civil groups) needs to educate its citizens, the conservative ones, that they should learn to accept them. Misconceptions and doubts should be cleared; that would make acceptance much easier.
In 1998, Lee Kuan Yew mentioned
And as you know, Singaporeans are by and large a very conservative, orthodox society, a very, I would say, completely different from, say, the United States and I don't think an aggressive gay rights movement would help. But what we are doing as a government is to leave people to live their own lives so long as they don't impinge on other people. I mean, we don't harass anybody.
Frankly speaking, I'm not very upset at his remark. Although it certainly hurt the LGBT community when he told them to "live their own lives", I'm not very upset. Well, it's because it was 1998. Frankly speaking, Singapore was very conservative in the past. Partly, it was due to an overpowered government who pressured citizens to diam-diam and stick to traditions.
In 2011, in his book (I don't even need to type its name here; everyone should know his book right), he answered
That's life. They're born with that genetic code, that's that. Dick Cheney didn't like gays but his daughter was born like that. He says, "I still love her, full stop." It's happened to his family. So on principle he's against it, but it's his daughter. Do you throw the daughter out? That's life. I mean none of my children is gay, but if they were, well that's that.
when asked what if one of his grandchild is gay.
What a change, isn't it? He still doesn't go all-out supporting them, but his stance towards homosexuality has shifted. He is progressing, and so should society. It should progress and accept LGBTs for what they are.
Moving on ...
2. I read Xiaxue's latest entry just now. It sure was wordy, perhaps more than mine. (But I know that people would rather read her wordy posts than mine.) Anyway, it sure had a lot of good stuff.
For anyone calling her a bimbo, you might have to change your judgement. Xiaxue was introducing some method of thinking called The Secret. The whole thing was really long, but I could tell that she was so passionate about it.
The main message I got after scanning through the article was that we should have gratitude and be more affirmatives. Gratitude. This word brought me back to November 2010.
I went to Yunnan in November 2010. (There's a post dated 24 November 2010 about it.) Throughout the three days serving the children, I could experience their gratitude. It was sincere.
It's definitely not the kind you get from kids when they say 'thank you' just cos their parents told them to. Okay, I am guilty of that too in the past. The kids were really gratuitous towards us. They really appreciated the things we did for them.
In Singapore perhaps we are generally too affluent. We have too many things. We don't really have urgent needs. (Note, it's needs, not wants.) So when we get something that we may actually require, we aren't really gratuitous. To us, it's either (1) supposed to be given to us or (2) a bonus that we take for granted.
Such isn't the way to go. It's not as if we need to kowtow to everyone that does something good for us. But certainly, saying a sincere word of thanks will enhance each other's lives.
Also, about affirmatives. "I don't want to fall sick." "I want to be healthy." Any difference in meaning? Almost none, isn't it. Yet, from these two sentences, the difference in tone is evident. It's almost like the half full-half empty theory.
Like what Xiaxue said (actually it was somebody before her), we should use more affirmatives. It has a subtle change, and it will impact others' lives. Without realising, there would be more improvements everywhere.
Of course, it's not a for-granted thing as well, that when you use more affirmatives, your life improves for the better instantly. For some it takes time, for some it doesn't at all.
A pastor said about how some people measured God using KPI. Although this is in a Christian context, I'm sure it applies to every other religion. Some Buddhists also ask 觀音娘娘 to help them accomplish some stuff. (I'm sure a large majority of requests are for striking lottery, tsk.) If God / 觀音娘娘 doesn't help you fulfil your request, do you 'black-list' them and move on to another faith?
No, you shouldn't. Even if things don't really happen after changes, you shouldn't do that. In this way, you are simply making use of whatever religion or faith you have. You are not believing it, making yourself a part of it. We shouldn't take for granted that we would obtain what we want.
A big post would be up
TTFN.