Hit Drink Drivers where it hurts. Today Newspaper 16th May 2007
The author started off with her own personal experience of her driving her drunken friend home even though her friend insisted she could drive herself back. Although I am not yet of age to drink, I have heard such stories about my own relatives encountering these types of situations, as the drunk person nonetheless.
People often think that they are in control of themselves, that they are able to handle their driving properly and are not like those people who are involved in those drink driving accidents. They feel that they are special, and cannot be compared to those other “lousy drivers”. As such, whenever people to go to a pub to drink, they tend to forget, in their moment of foolishness, that they are able to drive back home safely even after downing three to four mugs of beer. These are also the people that often cause the drink driving accidents that we see in the newspapers every so often, and they often involved casualties of innocent drivers, who drank coke while their other friends downed mug after mug of beer. What is even more ridiculous is that the convicted drink drivers get away with only a meager fine and perhaps a short jail term. Is this a fair exchange? I think not. If you shatter a persons leg it could take half a year to heal, while you spend less that a quarter of that time the person agony the person has to go through in jail.
I agree with the author, that we should hit the drink drivers where it hurts them the most, which is much longer suspension of their license them to reflect on what they have done while taking the bus or the MRT. Being a student, I know what agony they will have to go through when they take one hour to reach their destination while the car could get them there in fifteen minutes. Heavier fines and a longer jail term would also serve well in deterring people from drink driving. But, I think for the best impact we would have to blow the whole event up in the media. This would cause the convicted person shame and humiliation, and would also serve the purpose of deterring many from drink driving. For example, after actor Cristopher Lee’s conviction which was so talked about in the media, how will he ever get a good role in any show again? Everyone will go “ That’s the guy who went to jail because he drunk and drove.” His reputation would be ruined and to an actor that is the most crucial factor for him to earn a living.
All in all, punishments nowadays are not sufficient to deter potential threats on the road. Heavier fines, a much longer jail term , and a longer suspension of their license should be enough to deter them from drink driving. And for those celebrities, the event should be emphasized on in the media for much greater impact. Now that, would be a fair exchange.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
All Societies have elites, but some become elitist.
All Societies have elites, but some become elitist. The Straits Times, 19th May 2007
Referring to this article that was published in The Straits Times, I fully agree with the writer’s concept. In any society, one will always be able to find elites among them. However, the elites are not considered elitists until they seek to promote and support themselves, to be this exclusive group of privileged people, while looking down on those who are not as well to do as them.
I feel that this article is particularly relevant to me, as being from a student from Raffles Institution, I am always given second glances whenever I walk past a coffee shop, library or even at a bus stop. I am regarded as a snobbish and rich student who looks down on people from other schools, or in other words, an elitist. Already just by looking at my badge everyone automatically classifies me as an elitist, without even letting me show them I am certainly not one.
This article’s purpose from my point of view is that it is trying to change the longstanding stereotype that all students from top schools are elitist. Indeed, I was shocked to find out that those from elite schools were affected much more by elitism as compared to those from non elite schools. I was shocked was because that I initially felt that elitism was supposed to affect non elite schools more, such as feeling inferior as they were not in top schools. However, after reading the passage and reflecting on it, I realize that being from an elite school, the mindset of one becoming an elite mindset is already planted in you the moment you step into the school compound.
To me in any case, being elite is one who has the most amounts of money and having best grades. When one doesn’t achieve those targets, even when he has given it his all, he naturally feels much more inferior as compared to those he lost out to. In contrast, those from non elite schools do not have this mindset of “I must become the best”, with emphasis on must, and thus they just do their best at everything they do and are generally not affected by the outcome, as they know they have tried.
Nowadays, it is not only about getting good grades that matters for one to get into a desired job, it is about one’s emotional quotient, how one can relate with other people and to interact with them well. I feel that elitism has not affected Singapore much on the whole, but it is just the fact that the few who are elitist have been discussed about so much that people are starting to feel the presence of elitism. In order to prevent elitism from happening in Singapore, top schools in Singapore should be open and accessible to all, and not based on who the father is or how much money he posseses.
Referring to this article that was published in The Straits Times, I fully agree with the writer’s concept. In any society, one will always be able to find elites among them. However, the elites are not considered elitists until they seek to promote and support themselves, to be this exclusive group of privileged people, while looking down on those who are not as well to do as them.
I feel that this article is particularly relevant to me, as being from a student from Raffles Institution, I am always given second glances whenever I walk past a coffee shop, library or even at a bus stop. I am regarded as a snobbish and rich student who looks down on people from other schools, or in other words, an elitist. Already just by looking at my badge everyone automatically classifies me as an elitist, without even letting me show them I am certainly not one.
This article’s purpose from my point of view is that it is trying to change the longstanding stereotype that all students from top schools are elitist. Indeed, I was shocked to find out that those from elite schools were affected much more by elitism as compared to those from non elite schools. I was shocked was because that I initially felt that elitism was supposed to affect non elite schools more, such as feeling inferior as they were not in top schools. However, after reading the passage and reflecting on it, I realize that being from an elite school, the mindset of one becoming an elite mindset is already planted in you the moment you step into the school compound.
To me in any case, being elite is one who has the most amounts of money and having best grades. When one doesn’t achieve those targets, even when he has given it his all, he naturally feels much more inferior as compared to those he lost out to. In contrast, those from non elite schools do not have this mindset of “I must become the best”, with emphasis on must, and thus they just do their best at everything they do and are generally not affected by the outcome, as they know they have tried.
Nowadays, it is not only about getting good grades that matters for one to get into a desired job, it is about one’s emotional quotient, how one can relate with other people and to interact with them well. I feel that elitism has not affected Singapore much on the whole, but it is just the fact that the few who are elitist have been discussed about so much that people are starting to feel the presence of elitism. In order to prevent elitism from happening in Singapore, top schools in Singapore should be open and accessible to all, and not based on who the father is or how much money he posseses.
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