Battle between Freedom and Equality | Lee Yee
A netizen left a comment under my article from a couple of days ago, and said that if Trump is re-elected, he would turn “dictatorial”, and pursue “Trump thinking as mainstream”. He said that he “divides the United States and gave birth to racism, white nationalism, and xenophobia”, which is disastrous to human civilization, etc.
Under the constitutional system of the United States, one will have to step down after one re-election, and there is no way to bring about a dictatorship. Moreover, just look at all the stormy attacks mainstream media throws towards him, how is one to become a dictator? In a multicultural America, how could any almighty notion exist? As for racism and xenophobia, the cited example is him crowning the novel coronavirus “Chinese virus”, and the media claimed that this has caused a sharp increase in anti-Chinese speech online. But the virus did originate in China, did it not?
Other than the infiltration of Chinese interests that drove the U.S. media’s anti-Trump campaign, it has also been the “leftard” ideologies that have dominated academia and the press. How does one define “leftard”? Something that So Keng-chit said a few days ago was very appropriate, "the definition of “leftard” is that they replace strong and weak with “wrong and “right”; strong must be “wrong”, and weak must be “right”. Leftards uplift the weak by putting down the bullies to attain moral high grounds. The leftards must oppose the United States, for the see the United States as strong. The leftards sympathize with Saddam Hussein, because compared with the United States, Saddam Hussein is weak. They cannot see that Saddam Hussein is strong compared with the Iraqis. Hence the ‘tard’ in leftard.”
It is not that they cannot see, they are just intentionally not seeing. The mainstream media reports about Iraq after Saddam Hussein had fallen were that there was no longer a stronghold of a government, which led to the loss of societal management. Bombs were exploding daily, and blood flooded the land of the country. People lost homes and livelihoods. However, data showed that in the later phase of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq’s population was 26 million, and the per capita GDP was only US$625, not to mention that the inflation rate was high in the three digits. After the United States attacked Iraq and introduced the democratic system, the Iraqi population has risen to 35 million, the per capita GDP has increased to US$4,600, and the inflation rate has dropped to 6%. Despite the global economic slowdown, the Iraqi economy has grown by an average of 9.9% per year for more than a decade.
In addition, the mainstream media rarely reported the substantial progress in Afghanistan’s economy and people’s livelihood after the United States eradicated the Taliban regime before establishing a democratic system in Afghanistan. It is rarely reported that after South Africa got rid of the white regime, social security was horrifying. It is because such truthful reporting is not politically correct.
Shouldn’t the motto of news publishing be “all news worth reporting”? When political correctness overrides this creed, there is no longer press freedom.
The so-called political correctness stems from anti-discrimination. Anti-discrimination means upholding the concept that “all men are born equal”, and to protect vulnerable groups. Anti-discrimination used to be a kind of progress, since the starting point is not the interests of the majority of society, but the moral and spiritual demands. But when this kind of protection gradually develops into a disregard towards differences and the diversity of human life, it becomes leftards who wave around the banner of political correctness. If the welfare of new immigrants is treated the same as that of local residents, how is that different from obliterating the long-term tax payment of local residents? Using Black Lives Matter to rationalize violence and chaos, you get Black Lives Better, and ignore the fundamental problems of the root causes of issues such as the Black community’s slighting of education; with the police worrying that law enforcement will cause them trouble, the crime in the Black areas will increase. Anti-discrimination has developed into a state where even praising women for being beautiful is discrimination. Obama once praised the Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris as the most beautiful State Attorney General in the United States, and was then accused of discrimination by feminists. He was forced to apologize. To protect LGBT, many American college toilets no longer distinguish between men and women, making women fearful.
“All men are born equal” is a false proposition. Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and others are born in the slums of Africa. How are they born equal? American conservative Russel Kirk said that we must pay attention to diversity and differences. Only before God and a fair court can there be true quality; all other attempts to achieve equality will inevitably lead to societal stagnation. If the balance of natural differences and conventions is tipped in order to pursue equality for all, then it will not be long before tyrants or despicable oligarchs start to create new inequalities.
Socialism waves around the banner of equality, and has been breeding tyranny for a whole century. Modern leftards is another form of pursuit of equality, one that is destroying the freedom of human society. Freedom is more important than equality. If there is no freedom, there will be no equality among people who are not free.
This U.S. general election may as well be regarded as a battle between freedom and equality.
speech about issues in education 在 Lee Hsien Loong Facebook 的最佳貼文
The debate on the President’s Address ended yesterday. Many MPs, experienced and new, stood up to speak on a wide variety of issues. My Ang Mo Kio teammates did their part:
Nadia A. Samdin gave a heartfelt speech about helping the “sandwiched class” and vulnerable families, as well as how individuals of different generations should find common ground.
Gan Thiam Poh too, touched on how to better support the “sandwiched class”, through social assistance schemes and changes to public housing policy.
Darryl David shared passionately about how our education system should focus less on exams and more on coursework.
Ng Ling Ling 黄玲玲 proposed redesigning jobs and employment practices to help our maturing workforce.
Four very different speeches in style and subject matter, but bound by a common conviction to improve the lives of Singaporeans.
Our immediate priority is the COVID-19 situation. But as Nadia said, “In times of hardship such as this, we need to sow seeds of hope for when the rain passes, and a strong vision for the future.”
The government will continue to help those affected by the pandemic, but we must not neglect our long term plans to ensure a good future for all Singaporeans. After rain, we want to emerge stronger to a more hopeful and forward-looking Singapore.
You can watch all the speeches here (and Nadia’s in the link below):
Gan Thiam Poh: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/parliament/videos/august/debate-on-president-s-address-gan-thiam-poh-on-housing-childcare-13068696
Darryl David: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/parliament/videos/september/debate-on-president-s-address-darryl-david-on-how-singapore-s-13079722
Ng Ling Ling: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/parliament/videos/september/debate-on-president-s-address-ng-ling-ling-on-support-for-a-13076138
– LHL
speech about issues in education 在 黃耀明 Anthony Wong Facebook 的最佳解答
到時見。
今年MCS年度研討會與過去有點不同,主題是「香港文化研究的媒體、抗爭與展演」。在舉步維艱的社會政治泥沼中,我們如何理解和面對這境地?透過這次研討會,MCS表達對這個時代的關切,並在這關口中提出新概念,加入「表演研究」元素──不但帶來學術上的協同效應,而且使未來教育的路更闊、與大家走得更遠,發揮更大的潛質。
研討會將分為兩部分。第一部分的主題是「媒體的政治經濟」,以MCSian的論文為引旨,透過對話去思考在當前處境如何尋找出路。第二部分的主題是「抗爭作為一種展演」,主持鄧芝珊邀請了「新、舊香港人」黃耀明及黎明以圓桌會議形式進行。土生土長的香港人或「舊香港人」明哥致力音樂創作外,一直關注不同的社會議題,「希望有一天我們都毫無掛慮,暢所欲言」。 「新香港人」黎明在聖誕節「報佳音」請願,為的是引起社會關注性騷擾的問題。「新、舊香港人」擁抱相同價值,以敢言去捍衛信念,使這地成為展演抗爭的舞台。
文化研究碩士課程(MCS) 誠邀你參加第十五屆MCS年度研討會(以廣東話主講)。本研討會將於二月十六日(星期六),下午二時三十分至晚上六時四十五分,在塔冷通心靈書舍舉行。欲知更多詳情,請瀏覽:http://www.ln.edu.hk/cultural/programmes/MCS/mcs_symp.php
如對本研討會感興趣,請務必預先登記 https://goo.gl/forms/cQ9A84KnubLNL5Dw2 ,我們會為你提供最好的安排。對文化研究碩士(MCS)課程有興趣人士,歡迎即場查詢。
謝謝。
文化研究碩士課程(MCS)
You are cordially invited to join the 15th annual MCS Symposium (conducted in Cantonese) at Talentum Bookshop from 1430 to 1845 on 16 February 2019 (Sat).
This year's theme of the Annual Symposium is 'Media, Protest and Performance in Hong Kong Cultural Studies’. It aims to showcase outstanding MCS students' papers in the past year, which review Cultural Studies’ response to the current socio-political quagmire and juncture in Hong Kong. The symposium also explores the Programme’s initiative in the Performance Studies concentration, looking towards a synergistic academic and pedagogic future to better articulate the concerns and potentials of our time.
The symposium will address these issues in two parts: the first part, ‘Political Economy of the Media’, invites us to engage authors of outstanding MCS papers critiquing each others' work. These works in progress enter into dialogues with discussants to identify newer cause and methods of intervention in this current juncture.
The second part of the programme is a roundtable that highlights the work of prominent 'art-activists,’ who will engage in a discussion with performance studies scholars to address key issues while Hong Kong has since become a site of protest for both the new and old HongKongers. Our Deputy Director, Tang Tse-shang Denise, invites two discussants including Wong Yiu-ming Anthony (Singer and record producer) and Li Ming Minnie (Lecturer of The Education University of Hong Kong) for the roundtable. As a Hongkonger or one might say, a longtime Hongkongese, Anthony Wong or more affectionately known as Ming Gor, has been speaking out on critical social issues in the spirit of free speech. Minnie Li, who immigrated to the city for her postgraduate studies, has been at the forefront of raising the issue of sexual harassment. Her latest action of singing Christmas carols outside of Breakthrough’s office is just one of many.
We would appreciate it if you could register at https://goo.gl/forms/cQ9A84KnubLNL5Dw2 (Registration in advance required). If you are interested in the MCS programme, please feel free to make an enquiry about the programme during intermission. For details, please visit http://www.ln.edu.hk/cultural/programmes/MCS/mcs_symp.php
Thank you.
Master of Cultural Studies (MCS) Programme