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Chap 6: what are the experiences and effects of living in a diverse…
Chap 6: what are the experiences and effects of living in a diverse society?
interactions in a diverse society
the diversity in Sg has increased in recent times due to the
rising no. of immigrants
who have chosen to work, study or make Sg their home
immigrants comprise of
naturalised
Sg citizens and PR
immigration->diverse population->
more oppo for cultural exchange
between residents and non-residents
common space=
overlapping sphere
among ppl of diff ethnic, religious grps and nationalities to promote
social interaction and collaboration
-> allows ppl from different ethnic bgs to
understand and appreciate
one another. provided by govt and non-govt organisation
events/programmes organised by grassroots organisation
-PA -- People's Association
-PA is a statutory board to promote racial harmony and social cohesion. the PA creates common space by offering a wide range of community programmes and volunteering oppo for Sg'reans
-eg home stay oppo for a student with a host family from another ethnic grp
-creation of common space through wide range of activities
opportunities offered by educational institutions -open to ALL
-daily interaction between students provides oppo for students of diff ethnic grps to form strong friendships/bonds
-CCAs--promote closer bonds between youths of diff ethnic grps
Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs)
-provide common space to foster greater understanding among diff ethnic/ religious grps
-impt that these activities are organised for a long-term basis rather than a one-off activity
-IRCCs introduced in 2002
-provide common space (inter-faith and inter-ethnic themed activities) to foster greater racial and religious harmony among religious, ethnic and community grps
-in 2022, renamed as Racial and Religious Harmony Circles
exchanges and effects of living in a diverse society
-attitude towards interaction is impt
-the openness to interaction is impt to ensure rich exchanges between grps of ppl
-openness can be in different forms--eg open to the idea of trying out different varieties of food, can be shown when we seek to understand the meaning behind cultural practices of other socio-cultural grps
cultural exchange and appreciation
cultural exchanges can create
distinct experiences
. this diversity of our society -> provides ppl with many oppo to interact and learn from one another->allows for
cultural exchange
to take place, with the sharing of ideas, customs, and traditions among ppl from diff bgs
-one outcome for cultural exchange is a
deeper understanding and appreciation of the customs and traditions
of Sg's diverse ethnic grps
-cultural exchange also helps
deepen understanding and appreciation of the uniqueness, commonalities, and differences among ppl
-this can enable ppl to
build meaningful relationships
with others from diff bgs, and to
learn from their ideas, experiences, and cultures
-such experiences can also lead to
fusion between local cultures and foreign ideas
-the outcomes of such fusion can be seen in
food, music and fashion
while some appreciate the fusion of cultures, there are others who are concerned that fusion, could result in the
dilution of culture
and a loss of identity in affected communities
another threat to a culture's identity is
cultural appropriation
. cultural appropriation happens when
an aspect of a culture is used without permission or in an insensitive or unfair manner
Oma tribe would not have appreciated the Italian fashion company's plagiarism of their tribe's design. this is because it was inappropriate and disrespectful to the tribe
exchange of skills and knowledge
-exchange of skills and knowledge can occur due to diverse society
-for instance in the areas of R&D with overseas experts->can strengthen research competencies and collaborations with Sg'reans
success of Thermo Fisher's R&D Centre is similar to Sg's diverse society. the harmonious working relationship cultivated amongst highly qualified indivs from a wide variety of bgs has led to the company's ability to innovate and create new products. Thermo Fisher played a critical role in the fight against Covid 19, it collaborated with MOH and Temasek Holding in the production of personal equipment & PCR test kits
stereotypes, prejudices, discrimination
-oppo to interact also bring
possibilities for misunderstanding
-differences in cultural bg can lead to
differing and conflicting views
on values, beliefs, and customs
-lack of understanding and erroneous assumptions can give rise to
negative sentiments
-inaccurate and insensitive judgements and comments are often made based on ignorance and wrong assumptions
generalised thoughts about ppl are known as
stereotypes
-some of these stereotypes are
negative
and are known as
prejudices
-
prejudice
refers to attitudes and feelings towards other grps that are not based on reason or fact. it can come in the form of stereotyping, assumptions, generalisations, beliefs, or feelings about a grp
-prejudices may results in
discrimination
and
exclusion
from interactions
-
threatens
diversity
-
prejudice
can take the form of insensitive and hurtful remarks or
discriminatory actions
-feelings of prejudice and acts of discrimination because of someone's race or ethnic grp are known as
racism
. racism can be displayed by an indiv, a community, or an institution
-prejudice can also take the form of
xenophobia
, which is directed against ppl of a specific nationality or from a particular country
competition for resources
a) concerns over standards of living
-
concerns over employment, housing and transportation
due to the rising flow of foreigners
-
leads to competition
in employment, prices of goods & service
-
rising demand
on public infrastructure eg public transport, leading to
greater strain
-many Sg'reans fear that foreigners, especially those with a valid Employment Pass & S Pass who are likely to be holding a PMET position, have led to
loss of jobs
for some of the locals
-there are also some who believe that employers would rather hire foreign workers than to pay locals
what has been done to address such concerns of Sg'reans?
1) govt has
tightened the immigration framework
& have enforced
stricter foreign workforce controls
to reduce the inflow of foreign manpower into Sg
-eg quota for S Pass and Employment Pass holders have been reduced; eligibility criteria like monthly salaries were increased
2) govt has been trying to promote local hiring and ensure that employers give fair consideration to Sg'reans based on merit
-eg employers submitting EP & S Pass applications must first advertise their job vacancies on MyCareersFuture, on online portal that facilitates job searches for SCs and PRs
3) govt also addressed concerns over rising congestion in public transport, competition over healthcare resources & public housing
-
more public housing & hospitals were built
-
the rail network will expand
by 100 km by 2021 eg the circle line and dt line
it is essential to remain open and continue to attract highly skilled foreign manpower to
sustain Sg's economic growth
:
-indivs who can bring in skills, knowledge & expertise to specific fields eg in academic, ICT
-foreign entrepreneurs who invest in Sg and create jobs
b) concerns over social mobility -social mobility: movement of indivs between different socio-economic status
-
rising income gap
between the lower and higher income grps in recent yrs
-Sg'reans
questioning if social mobility is limited
-industrial restructuring and movement of labour-intensive industries to countries which offer lower labour costs-> could have led to loss of jobs esp for the lower income grps
what has been done to address such concerns of Sg'reans?
1) Sg govt
emphasises re-training & learning of new skills
to ensure that Sg'reans esp those from the low income grps stay relevant and remain employed
2)
meritocracy
as one of the guiding principles -means a system that
rewards hard work and talent and encourages ppl to do well
-
helps to keep everybody in the society an equal opportunity
to achieve their best and be rewarded for their performance
bursaries, scholarships and money packages given out
eg1. students who perform well in their studies and CCAs are rewarded with
scholarships & bursaries.
for instance, Edusave Scholarship and Merit Bursary schemes reward the top 10-20% of students in schs
eg2.
Progress Package
: surplus from good economic growth given out to reward Sg'reans. to ensure that those from the lower income grp are not neglected, more resources are also channeled into govt initiatives & financial aid packages
eg3.
Workfare bonus schemes
are also planned to reward older, lower-wage workers for regular and productive work. the govt assistance will be partly paid in cash and most will go into the ppl's CPF funds for healthcare and retirement