How We View The World
Amos Yee.
For those who doesn’t know who he is, he is just a person who randomly spewed his thoughts in his youtube channel, which in turn garnered responses from furious viewers. This subsequently led him to be charged.
I have only decided to review this “topic” now after the whole matter has died down because emotions do get in the way of peoples’ judgement. To obtain a more objective view of how people see the whole (in particular, how Amos sees Mr LKY), I have to do so.
Before I delve into the content of this Lens Theory (that what I would like to call it), I would like to clarify that this materials did not originate from me. It came from one of the lectures from Mr Tong Yee on why we see the same issues differently.
Different people view the same issue differently because of the varying contexts each of us is raised in.
We have different perception of a certain issue due to the fact that we are simply brought up in different environments. These environments of differing contexts shape our “lenses” and hence in turn shapes how we see certain issues.
For example: Honor/Shame Society in Countries like India VS Countries that promotes individualism like US.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30125116
Police in the Indian capital, Delhi, have arrested the parents of a woman who they say was killed for marrying a man against her family's wishes. Bhawna Yadav was allegedly strangled and later cremated without her family informing the police.
The woman's parents are yet to comment, but police say they have confessed.
The case has shocked many because even though "honour crimes" are common in India, they rarely involve middle-class educated families in big cities.
It is indeed grotesque and disturbing to know that there are cases in the world where parents kill their own children because they are “ashamed” of them. What even terrified me more was this quote:“ "honour crimes" are common in India, they rarely involve middle-class educated families in big cities.“.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/05/28/in-pakistan-honor-killings-claim-1000-womens-lives-annually-why-is-this-still-happening/
“I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it,” her father told police, adding that it had been an “honor killing.”
Don’t you feel thoroughly disturbed to find out that having a daughter that had ”insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent” is a legitimate personal reason to deny his own daughter the right to live?
Taking a step back to see the bigger picture, we have to realise that the context that one lives in shapes his view of the world. How particular groups of people in India views honor killing as “common” and largely “acceptable”. but how it is completely appalling and outright revolting in more liberal groups like, for instance, UK.
Bringing back into Singapore context, within the same society, you can even see how different groups respond differently to the same issue of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s death: how the elders from the older stratus of Singapore see Mr Lee as a reverent leader, crying during his funeral while some people from the younger generations simply take his death less seriously.
This beautiful, convenient word “Context” explains it all.
Whenever one sees an issue, their opinions and views are altered by lenses. These lenses are shaped (concaved, convexed, whatever floats your boat) according to the contexts and environments you were brought up in.
There are a few categories of lenses that I would like to discuss, mainly 6 of them:
1) Individual (Gender, Personality)
Despite what some extreme feminists say, the differences in genetic constitution between genders do bring about distinctions between the 2 genders, be it in terms of personality, etc.
2) Family (Family Values, State of Family)
The emphasis of different family values exist among families. This uniquely shapes the “family” lens of an individual.
3) Community (Different groups of communities within the same country has distinct values)
Within the same country, there are numerous communities: Christians, Islam, Interest Groups, Political Groups, etc. These shapes the “community” lens of an individual.
4) National (Rich VS Poor, East VS West, Young VS Old, Small VS Big, Religious VS Secular, Free/Controlled)
Rich countries behaves differently from poorer ones. (budget allocation, priorities of a country, values emphasis, etc)
Countries in West generally promotes greater individualism and liberty while countries in the East generally promotes community-based values (honor/Shame/Guilt-driven)
Older countries tend to treasure and place more emphasis on preserving history and heritage than younger ones.
Size of the country do affect how it operates (differences in opportunity costs)
Religious countries tend to consider values/character/beliefs in their policy-making, ie Sharia Law
Developed countries tend to be more politically-free than the less developed counterparts.
5) Global (Tech Advancement, Political Decentralisation, Economic Globalisation, Cultural Globalisation, Media Change)
The changes in the contexts at a global level changes one’s view as well, ie how tech advancement can make seemingly impossible things possible, how political decentralisation and the yearn for transparency makes us understand why events such as the Arab Spring/Snowden scandal happens, etc
6) Universal (Broad universal ideas such as honor virtue, Maximising of Happiness, Maximising of Liberty)
These are the universal values which many of us hold at a higher level. Some people are able to comprehend and empathise with the plight and actions of others from this “universal perspective”, ie reasons for pro-choice abortion, reasons for assisted suicide, etc.
Your experiences, values, personality cause you to place different emphasis on different lenses, which ultimately forms your opinion.
The whole idea of freedom of speech is not really about being able to say whatever you want whenever you want, but more about how your views/opinions should be respected because you should not demean and look down on others’ experiences, values and the environments that they have grown up in.
That being said, it does not mean that you are free from bearing the consequences of your actions/speech. If exercising your freedom of speech infringes the right of others to do so (demean their experiences, values, environments that are raised in), there will naturally be consequences you have to bear.
Sorry Amos.