if i can do it, why can't you?
When I first started this LJ I was seriously like, I'M NEVER GONNA POST I HAVE A BLOGGER.
Now I check my LJ like 5x the number of times I check my Blogger? And I check my Blogger every 5 minutes. Yes, this means I'm permanently on LJ, refreshing it every minute. I should not spend half my life on LJ |:
Also, NCC day is best because we are all, "Let's huddle together and avoid seniors so we won't have to sedia in the middle of no where and greet them okay okay?" and you walk around and suddenly juniors are screaming, "OHMYGOD QUICK WHAT RANK IS THAT UH FUMBLEFUMBLE GOOD MORNING!?" and laughing at platoonmates who have bio that day and sir is taking them and they salute to them in the middle of the bio lab 8D We are sadistic, sadistic people and we're proud of that fact(:
Anyway, our Social Studies/English Performance Task thingy? Screwed. Task? Advocate change in one of the existing laws/policies in Singapore with a speech. Simple? No.
1) The SS and Eng dept cannot communicate.
When asking SS teachers what to do, we are turned to the English! When asking the English, we are brought over to the SS. "We're still arguing over which department will mark the content", "I'm not sure, I thought your [other subject] teacher briefed you?", "Let me go back and discuss with the department". WE ARE TIRED OF THIS CRAP. I'd rather have 2 PTs with understandable guidelines then 1 PT the whole cohort is destined to fail because even the people who set it don't know what they're asking for.
2) SS teacher wants us to speak with the board to convince them to change a policy. English teacher wants us to give a heartfelt, overwhelming speech.
The target audience is two seperate sets, they barely even overlap, you want us to use speech skills where debate skills are concerned. Although I admit they have something in common, they might be similar, but not identical. You can use a speech for a debate, you can debate in a speech, but you cannot make a speech in lieu of debating, and vice versa. I may not make sense now, but the moment the word processor is open, you'll realise that debates and speeches may share a common gray area, there's still the black and white you need to touch on,
3) "No, we're not homophobic, we just don't want our students to talk about gays!"
I refer you to Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore, which basically says gay men cannot have sex, even in private.
Student: But this is obvious discrimination against those of different sexual orientation!
Teacher: Uh huh yea YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO IT.
Student: You asked for us to advocate change regarding a pertinent social issue. I don't see how homophobia demonstrated on an official, national level is not a pertinent social issue.
In which case the teacher gives one of the following replies.
a) "You're not gay, you don't understand how they feel!" -- sorry, what if I know a few homosexual couples and I'm personally bisexual (albeit closeted IRL) and face unintentional discrimination on a daily basis?
b) "One person has to blog about it, and this will get out. This is a sensitive topic." -- OH, GUESS WHAT AM I DOING NOW. My Blogger has 5 posts worth of this, by the way. So does about 5 other people who decided on this topic. AND I, WE, WILL KEEP BLOGGING.
c) "It's too sensitive to touch on." -- Um, so was GEP, GST, ERP, chewing gum and pretty much everything?
d) "You shouldn't even be considering this..." -- Because, you see, the country is completely void of homosexuals and this law affects no one and is entirely not discriminatory!
We're not asking for you to seriously change the law -- we're asking for you to lend us a ear, let us talk about something we feel strongly about, not something about HDB that doesn't affect us and will leave us completely dead of any passion and determination while speaking. I could act, pretend, lie that I'm concerned -- or you could hear something from me that I really, honestly believe in. We're not choosing this topic 'cos OOOOOOHHHHHH, GAAAY♥, we're choosing this topic because homosexuals do not ever deserve to be discriminated against -- they didn't do any wrong, they aren't doing any wrong, they never will do any wrong. They don't harm people. They don't do ANYTHING except love, so are you banning love? I applaud you then, what's next? Thoughtcrime?
I'm not saying we always make mistakes. We have an awesome system here. A lot is right. I just don't think this is. So do a lot of people, for that matter. And now my school's telling me we can't speak on it. Is my whole school homophobic?
I give up. What is in life.
I feel totally wasted after ranting that much but feels WAY GOOD to get it out of my system.
I have about 12 hours left to find a new policy that I feel at least a third as strongly about. Failure is imminent.
Now I check my LJ like 5x the number of times I check my Blogger? And I check my Blogger every 5 minutes. Yes, this means I'm permanently on LJ, refreshing it every minute. I should not spend half my life on LJ |:
Also, NCC day is best because we are all, "Let's huddle together and avoid seniors so we won't have to sedia in the middle of no where and greet them okay okay?" and you walk around and suddenly juniors are screaming, "OHMYGOD QUICK WHAT RANK IS THAT UH FUMBLEFUMBLE GOOD MORNING!?" and laughing at platoonmates who have bio that day and sir is taking them and they salute to them in the middle of the bio lab 8D We are sadistic, sadistic people and we're proud of that fact(:
Anyway, our Social Studies/English Performance Task thingy? Screwed. Task? Advocate change in one of the existing laws/policies in Singapore with a speech. Simple? No.
1) The SS and Eng dept cannot communicate.
When asking SS teachers what to do, we are turned to the English! When asking the English, we are brought over to the SS. "We're still arguing over which department will mark the content", "I'm not sure, I thought your [other subject] teacher briefed you?", "Let me go back and discuss with the department". WE ARE TIRED OF THIS CRAP. I'd rather have 2 PTs with understandable guidelines then 1 PT the whole cohort is destined to fail because even the people who set it don't know what they're asking for.
2) SS teacher wants us to speak with the board to convince them to change a policy. English teacher wants us to give a heartfelt, overwhelming speech.
The target audience is two seperate sets, they barely even overlap, you want us to use speech skills where debate skills are concerned. Although I admit they have something in common, they might be similar, but not identical. You can use a speech for a debate, you can debate in a speech, but you cannot make a speech in lieu of debating, and vice versa. I may not make sense now, but the moment the word processor is open, you'll realise that debates and speeches may share a common gray area, there's still the black and white you need to touch on,
3) "No, we're not homophobic, we just don't want our students to talk about gays!"
I refer you to Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore, which basically says gay men cannot have sex, even in private.
Student: But this is obvious discrimination against those of different sexual orientation!
Teacher: Uh huh yea YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO IT.
Student: You asked for us to advocate change regarding a pertinent social issue. I don't see how homophobia demonstrated on an official, national level is not a pertinent social issue.
In which case the teacher gives one of the following replies.
a) "You're not gay, you don't understand how they feel!" -- sorry, what if I know a few homosexual couples and I'm personally bisexual (albeit closeted IRL) and face unintentional discrimination on a daily basis?
b) "One person has to blog about it, and this will get out. This is a sensitive topic." -- OH, GUESS WHAT AM I DOING NOW. My Blogger has 5 posts worth of this, by the way. So does about 5 other people who decided on this topic. AND I, WE, WILL KEEP BLOGGING.
c) "It's too sensitive to touch on." -- Um, so was GEP, GST, ERP, chewing gum and pretty much everything?
d) "You shouldn't even be considering this..." -- Because, you see, the country is completely void of homosexuals and this law affects no one and is entirely not discriminatory!
We're not asking for you to seriously change the law -- we're asking for you to lend us a ear, let us talk about something we feel strongly about, not something about HDB that doesn't affect us and will leave us completely dead of any passion and determination while speaking. I could act, pretend, lie that I'm concerned -- or you could hear something from me that I really, honestly believe in. We're not choosing this topic 'cos OOOOOOHHHHHH, GAAAY♥, we're choosing this topic because homosexuals do not ever deserve to be discriminated against -- they didn't do any wrong, they aren't doing any wrong, they never will do any wrong. They don't harm people. They don't do ANYTHING except love, so are you banning love? I applaud you then, what's next? Thoughtcrime?
I'm not saying we always make mistakes. We have an awesome system here. A lot is right. I just don't think this is. So do a lot of people, for that matter. And now my school's telling me we can't speak on it. Is my whole school homophobic?
I give up. What is in life.
I feel totally wasted after ranting that much but feels WAY GOOD to get it out of my system.
I have about 12 hours left to find a new policy that I feel at least a third as strongly about. Failure is imminent.