SES Reflective Journal 3
Reflective Journal 3: We have discussed and debated on the Chinese and America perceptions of self. Reflect on the impact of these beliefs in your life.
In the 21st century, both China and America are economic powers of the world, yet the perceptions of people in China and America on self are very different. Many countries have tried to adopt a similar pattern but have failed to get the same outcomes.
The Chinese people believe in Confucian values such as morality, unity, respect for authority, the importance of hierarchical relationships which they think can bring harmony, another emphasis to the nation and their people.
Firstly, I shall talk about morality. As I am a Malaysian, I shall discuss my experiences in both Malaysia and Singapore. I will discuss the similarities between the education in Malaysia and Singapore. There is the demerit point system both in Malaysia and Singapore. This is pretty alike to the Chinese concept of discipline to control the student population by using fear. When students are afraid to get demerit points, even if they are tempted to commit an offence, they will at least think twice before acting. As a result, most students in Malaysia and Singapore can exercise self-control when necessary. Also, respect in my family is quite strict. Once, I did something wrong and ended up kneeling down in front of my parents for 30 minutes. I had to kneel down as a form of respect and apology to my parents. The respect for authority is emphasized throughout schools and families in China and countries influenced by China values like Malaysia and Singapore. However, in Malaysia and Singapore, some students may be a little rebellious at times and be tempted to commit offence. I am also one of them. In Singapore, I got caught for wearing ankle socks to school because I did not think through my actions. This is normal for students at my age as they are going through puberty and like to challenge conventions. These ideas of respect, discipline, morality influenced my life quite a lot and I think it is good that these ideas actually exist because I believe, without these values, the discipline in my school will be a disaster. After so many experiences, I began to realize that harmony is really brought to the society through these values and ideology which influenced the perceptions of the people.
The Americans, on the other hand, emphasize more on democracy and freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and the right to vote. These ideas are all influenced by various revolutions like the French revolution, American War Independence and the Enlightenment, and also many philosophers from different countries.
Honestly, I do not have much experience regarding to America culture. But once when my brother went on an exchange program to America and told me about his wonderful experience there. He told me that the students there were very daring to question the teacher and participate much actively compared to the students in Malaysia and Singapore. Yet the teachers do not regard their behavior as disrespectful. This shows the huge difference between the perception of respect to a Chinese and an American. Also, as punishment, the American students will have to stay back for detention. Unlike in Singapore and Malaysia, where students are sometimes, even, caned as a harsh punishment, but in America, it is very seldom that students are caned as they emphasize on human rights, in terms of education. The curriculum there is also very different from that of Singapore’s or Malaysia’s. The America curriculum develops students more broadly and holistically, where in Malaysia, the curriculum is pretty much straight forward, not requiring much critical thinking in the process. In Singapore, however, the education requires more critical thinking and understanding. For example, there is R&R in Secondary 2 in my school, which requires lots of inference skills and general knowledge; in IH, there are also source-based questions that require us to make inferences based on sources. In Malaysia, there is little or no aspect of critical thinking. It’s mostly just memorizing facts and cramming in information. The education system itself is a clear reflection of the perceptions of self. America thinks that everyone should have the right to speak and that human rights and democracy is a necessity. China thinks that respect in more important and that sometimes questioning teachers or arguing over a point maybe a little disrespectful if not said in an appropriate tone. All these are indications on what they think of themselves and what they want others to regard them as.
Both the Chinese and the American culture and beliefs have impacted my life quite a lot. From studying in Malaysia, being brought up in a Chinese family that believes in traditional Chinese ideas and now, studying in Singapore as a scholar has made me who I am. I do not fully agree with any of these ideas as all of them have their pros and cons.
