Reflective Journal 4

In the last two lessons, we went through some of the societal problems, economic problems and political problems in America and China.

Societal problems that are prevalent in America are teenage criminals, teenage pregnancy, drugs abuse, prostitution and obesity. China also has its fair share of societal problems which include high teenage suicide rate and corporate misbehavior.

I would like to comment on America’s societal problems first. I think the three main causes are firstly, the lack of emphasis to inculcate values in the children from a young age; secondly, I think that the Western perception of self and the way the society sees certain behaviors also played a part. Lastly, I feel that media also has a big role in influencing the youths.

I believe the teaching of morals and values to children at a young age will help to bring down the crime rate in America. I want to quote what Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia said at the opening ceremony of the nation’s Good Values to Prevent Crimes programme in August 2010, “In ancient China, Confucius praised highly moral education and thought it as a core idea. And Confucius’s book written down the values pertaining to politics, history, ethics, education and arts, which I believe will serve to reduce crime rate.” In essence, Confucianism may not be what America needs, but it is clear that it needs to emphasize civic and moral education in its education system.

I also think that the Western perception of self has contributed to the problem. The Americans are strong advocates of human right. They think that they have the freedom to do anything they want. In some ways, this thinking has led the youths to do what they want without thinking much about whether it is morally right or the consequences on the society or themselves. A good example is teenage pregnancy. Pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy are not a taboo and quite readily accepted in America.

Another contributing factor is the way the society sees such behaviors. In China, peddling drugs and teenage pregnancy are unacceptable to the society and rare. In a way, this works as a psychological barrier for anyone who contemplates to do it. On the contrary, this is more common in America and not a societal taboo. Changing how the society sees these problems is a mindset change which will take time but it can be done through the teaching of morals and ethics.  

Lastly, media also plays a big part in influencing the youths. For example, Jay-Z, a famous songwriter, often brags about his criminal acts. In his song “Empire state of mind”, he wrote: “I used to kop at Harlem…” He was actually saying he used to peddle drugs. This song reached the top in the charts shortly after it was released. Can you imagine how many youths have listened to it? This song would have given them the wrong impression that peddling drugs is alright since their idol also did it before.

MTV now has shows featuring young mothers. While some hope that it will help to forewarn the youths, it may also produce undesirable results. It gives the impression that help is always there when they need it. If the youth really think there is no problem or someone will solve the problem for them when it happens, then it may not deter them at all. The media must recognize that it can play a role in educating the public the right social values. Instead, it can run commercials and programmes to portray the right values.

For China, I think the main reason for the high suicidal rate is the lack of resilience among the youths. China’s one child policy has resulted in parents being over-protective. Children have better life now and many cannot take the hardship and setbacks in life. To solve this, parents must be prepared to let go.  They should let the children make mistakes and let them learn from it. And parents must not place too much emphasis on academic grades. They need to be sensitive to the emotional needs that the children have in their growing years.

Finally, I think the low ministerial pay is the cause of the recent scandals that happened in China.  It is actually not difficult to understand why all our three prime ministers, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Goh Chok Tong and Mr Lee Hsien Loong have advocated high salaries. One reason is to discourage corruption. Mr Lee Kuan Yew said he has “always held to the belief that public servants need to be paid well, or they will succumb to corruption”.  I believe that if China pays their ministers well, they will not be enticed by bribes so easily. 

(792 words)