was just thinking about this thing about prejudice. read somewhere before that once we experience something, it forms a perception in our brains. When another experience happens to us, it confirms this perception. and another and another, it adds on and confirms our perception that sometimes it becomes our point of view or in extreme cases, our prejudice.
it's like i'm prejudiced against china people. this is due to many factors like business partners and how they are out to 'ketuk' (hope i spelt in correctly) us. it was a perception then 10 years back. then read about the Suzhou Industrial Park, then another thing happen to my uncle (funny, how come he never learnt his lesson), then the china gals in Singapore stories, how kiasu are china students in the educational campus, all these experiences have add on and confirm my perception about them and it has become a prejudice.
Well, dun try to tell me that our ancestors come from china, that i know, but that was like how many years ago, or at least a century ago. i'm born here, i'm bred here, of course i'm guilty of any characteristics of Singaporeans that people have of us, like our kiasu, kiasi, or our bargaining powers. i'm equally guilty of some of those, i dun deny.
so when one of my friends told me that how the china people had treated them kindly when they were in Shanghai, it was difficult for me to accept. i'm trying to accept it, but it's not going to change my perception yet, unless i get to experience it myself.
but that is how our brains and body function. our experiences are added on to our 'storage' in our brains and our brains just produce neutrons to confirm all these experiences and fused into our perception. no escaping from our 'processor' up there
6 comments:
Basically I think thatAsians as a whole take a longer time to overcome prejudices. Yet in the contex of Singaporeans, this mind set is being overcome due to the levels of education that are available to all of us.
Just my own thoughts.
waittt... i am still in shocked.... about the dinner post...... shockeddd.... shockeddd... very shockedd...
I do agreed with your view on the prejudice about the China people and as a matter of fact, even the chinese people themselves have their own same prejudice towards their own kind.
But as for me....just like to be positive about the whole thing. If I can be a better person then I am happy. So for the things that had happened...I can't change a thing, the chinese people have to improve their image and that is all I can say.
People will also have prejudice towards thing that had happen or hear-say from other people and after so many times said...will form this so-called feeling we called prejudice.
Too bad...your prejudice is about the way the chinese people's behavior or habits. Guess there are the same ways some chinese people have towards their own kinds rightly or wrongly.
You are entitled to feel the way you felt.
People will also have prejudice towards thing that had happen or hear-say from other people and after so many times said...will form this so-called feeling we called prejudice.
Too bad...your prejudice is about the way the chinese people's behavior or habits. Guess there are the same ways some chinese people have towards their own kinds rightly or wrongly.
You are entitled to feel the way you felt.
At least you also have a good heart inspite all your prejudices you have towards the china people. How I know? Well from your comment about the death of the little china girl. I am touched...I feel equally sad about it too.
Like I said before...if we have prejudice so be it. But be kind too so that our hearts are easier not harden. Our life is already too much at times and our own woes at works, at own home and our own family. So let us all....make ourselves happy and remember the good things and forget the bad and ugly ones.
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