Is censorship really the way to go?
I think censorship is making things worse, actually. The more people report, the more people would think that the reaction is unnecessary. They will feel that a certain group of people just can't be offended. Why? All the more this group will be scrutinised and be under attack either in private and in public.
Racist posts may reflect a lack of understanding on the ground. We should not just ignore this and let the police handle the individuals. We definitely need to do something to educate. I mean, there are racist jokes all around that just reflects stereotypes.
Do we really want another new stereotype? That a certain racial/religious group is untouchable? Or would you rather see what happens when you bother talking to these people and find out their concerns. Maybe some concerns that they have are genuine, you know. Are we just going to shut them up and leave these concerns unaddressed? It's not up to me, you know. It's up to everyone.
If it were up to me, though, I say the best way to go about this is to just.. be friends with everyone! It's only with being close to friends of a different culture that we truly understand what the culture is about :) Yes, it sounds very childish but think about your own experiences. Doesn't this ring true?
I suggest we stop hunting down every single person who says something offensive. It's a never-ending cycle. I know our country is tolerant of other religions/races/cultures. Let us not stop there. Tolerance will not hold up. The thing about tolerance is that it's a very fragile thing. People can only tolerate things to a certain point before they break. We need racial/religious/cultural understanding amongst us to ensure that we are able to live harmoniously. Understanding, at least, is more lasting.
The writer is a 19 year old Malay/Muslim undergraduate. She believes that Singapore needs to go beyond tolerance and move towards genuine understanding towards others of different races.
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