Everything that is wrong with our scholar selection process
Update 2:
Huichieh dissects the entire incident with the most comprehensive recounting so far that I’ve read.
From a Singapore Angle - Anatomy of a blogospheric event
Update:
Calling for his head, or asking for his scholarship to be revoked, serves no purpose. If he is truly racist, doing those things would not change his views. What it would do however, is to make him hide those views.
From a broader perspective, making an example of him would also do nothing to change society in general. Racists will always be racists, and find reasons to be racists. Only they themselves can change their minds, not us.
So when I called out for vigilance, what was my intention?
I maintain his right to be a racist. If he thinks racist thoughts, or says racist things to himself or his friends, that is his right. But what we have to be watchful about is if his racist thoughts impacts the way he acts if and when he should ever attain public office.
That is, in essence, the point. We should not seek to punish him for his thoughts: that would be cruel and inhumane. But we should be vigilant, such that if he ever acts on his racist thoughts and puts them into action by wielding the power of a public official, THEN we have every right to call for his head.
Apology:
This is not a witchhunt! Yes, I believe that I over-reacted. And I also never expected this to become a mob. So I apologise to all those who feel that I have gone overboard. I have to emphasize that I only called for people to be watchful should he ever attain public office, and not to harass and lynch him.
Vigilance is not vigilantism.
I happened to chance upon the blog of a supposed PSC scholar through Singapore Serf, and found some very ‘interesting’ opinions in his blog.
Hate is a very ugly emotion, and I seldom experience it. The 2 classes of behaviour that bring me close to hatred are racism and overweening arrogance. And amazingly, here we have both such qualities existing in the same person.
I have already debunked the myth of racial purity here, I don’t think I need to repeat arguments already made. And this poor fool’s misguided glee at his ’sociological observation’ would promptly disappear once he steps out into the real world. Pity I won’t be the one to wake him up from his fantasy.
