http://blogtv.channelnewsasia.com/missed/id_MDC090911-0000020.aspx
This is a link to a blog tv episode where the issue of whether singaporeans expect too much out of their beauty queens
(I would post the video here but there seems to be something wrong with the embedding code)
I think most of us would have heard about the so-called "controversy" surrounding this year's Miss Singapore World winner Ris Low. She has been slammed constantly and mocked mercilessly by the local media for her poor command of English. I think the reason for the harsh criticism she has been receiving from the general public is due to the fact that the general public is very particular about hte kind of image Singapore projects of itself as a nation. And these people are also very aware of the fact that the winner of the pageant, who will go on to compete in the Miss World competition, will be representing us as a nation on an international level.
Despite the treatment that she has been receiving from the general public and the local media, a significant number of people have stepped forward to defend Ris as well. They were quick to highlight the fact that she joined a beauty pageant, and that she did not deserve to be scrutinized by the public at this level.
While that may be true, the fact still remains that she will be representing Singapore at an international level. It is especially important for a nation like ours to be very selective in the candidate we choose to enter into competitions such as these. There are a very large number of people all over the world who generally unaware of the fact that Singapore exists. And to add insult to injury there are some who still carry the misconception that Singapore is part of China.
This makes it even more crucial for us to make sure that whoever we send out to represent us is someone that represents us as a whole. It is true that yes, she did enter a beauty competition, and therefore, she should only be judged based on her looks. However, in this case, looks, poise, speech and personality all come into play as well. Personally, I do not think that Singaporeans are being overly critical of this year's winner. If you look at this whole situation objectively, the whole reason that beauty pageants have the segment where the contestants have to answer impromtu questions is to ensure that the winner is not only beautiful, but relatively intelligent as well.
So what does all of this have to do with what we have been doing in COM 101 class over the past week? And what does this have to do with the Blog Tv link that I provided at the beginning of my entry?
Perceptions.
In the Blog Tv video, we get to see the perspectives of three different people addressing the same issue. All of them come from different backgrounds, and have been through different experiences, which has ultimately shaped their perception of what a beauty queen should be and what qualities and traits she should possess.
I do feel sorry for the poor girl who is getting trashed by the media now. But as we all know by now, the media is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. While it has proven to be a very useful tool to most of us, we are all very aware of the fact that the media can be vicious and ruthless towards specefic individuals when the opportunity arises.
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indeed alicia!the media can either break u or make u!
ReplyDeleteand besides every individual's perception is different.we cannot just judge by the front whose perception is right. It differs for each person due to the way each person looks at a scenario.
Well, i've read both Paveena and your entries. And alicia, regarding yours, i feel that the media has definitely played a crucial role in shaping our perceptions and our thinking.
ReplyDeleteOur mental sets and emotions are shared by society and sometimes, the media texts we are constantly exposed to actually builds on our logos, pathos and ethos. Seemingly credible, some news channel instill bias opinions in their reports and the audience are influenced by their bias opinions, resulting in incorrect and impulsive perceptions!
Thus, we should all try to be as objective as we can, especially when we are all communication major students, HAHA (:
AGREED PAV AND ALICIA!
ReplyDeletethere are many sides to one story and well many perspectives too look thru from.. lookin thru all the diff perspective actually gives us a clearer viewpoint on the matter as we have a broader range to look from!
indeed ti would be boring and perhaps inaacurate if everyone just saw views in just ONE angle..
media is well a standing testament to how perceptions are crucial to us as we can observe thru our everyday lives how the MEDIA shapes our opinions and sometimes, makes us think abt our own opinions..
i would have never thot that ppl would defend Ris cos well to MY opinion this a travesty to the image of our nation as i dun like the way SG might be portrayed.. this is as worse than GURMIT SINGH playing Phua Chu Kang in the episode of the amazing race that was filmed in SG... wat would the world think?
but then again...
when one of our own chooses to represent us, be it good or bad, we should stand behind her...
Paveena, thats very true. Different people have difference perceptions on different issues and there usually isnt one standard one that fits all.
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I agree whole-heartedly with the fact that even credible news channels are somewhat biased in their reports. In most instances, I think journalists dont possess as much freedom when it comes to their writing as we would like to think. Especially in the case of government owned media industries, journalists are restricted to reporting about news which supports the government, and generally dont have the luxury of publishing articles which might put the government in bad light. And YES, we should definitely try to remain objective at all times ESPECIALLY because we are communication major students (HAHAHA)
All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values.
ReplyDeleteMarshall McLuhan
All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.
Leonardo da Vinci
food for thought
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Ravin Ramakrishnan
Ravin, the media definitely plays a crucial role in shaping our opinions. It also constantly presents us with new trains of thoughts and sometimes even challenges us to think out of the box.
ReplyDeleteAnd YES
the Phua Chu Kang example is very APT in this case. But you are definitely right to say that this would be even worse than letting PCK appear on that episode of the amazing race.
However, personally I think it is not necessarily a good idea to stand behind anyone and everyone who chooses to represent the country regardless of whether they enchance or destroy the country's image. Every country should strive to portray the best image of itself possible, and if there is a possibilty that an individual might do potential damage to the country's image, I dont think it would be wise for the nation to support that individual (in terms of representing the country) In the case of Ris, I actually think the resposibility lies with the organisers of Miss Singapore World. If they wanted to choose someone who did not possess a good command if the english language, then they should have sent her for English class of some sorts to help her in one way or another.
And Ravin, thank you for sharing your quotes!
ReplyDeleteIt is very much appreciated! (:
Agree with you!
ReplyDeleteWhile I pity the poor girl for being under fire for her standard of English, it really is embarassing to have her as a representative. Beauty contests are like a guise to show off our women, and we have just representated Singapore's women with Ris Low to the rest of the world. To those who have been to Singapore, their perceptions may not be affected, but to those who have never been to or met any Singaporeans, Ris is what they see.
Indeed the media is a double-edged sword as undeniably the media is an agenda setting medium and thus has the subtle power and influence over people. And that's why people must be very selective about the messages that are put across by the media and not just absorb everything like a sponge.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, yes I do empathise with the beauty queen, but she should know that by joining an international pageant, her every move all the way to her outfit is for all to scrutinise. And yes, when representing Singapore at such an arena, there should always be a standard.
:)
why thank u alcia..
ReplyDeletesplendid blog entry!
a matter close to our hearts and home..
why venture out of this country..
this issue is indeed a siource of concern!
:)
true, true. the media today is indeed very influential. just like what I'd commented on one of my friend's blog, we become passive targets of the media when we stay glued to the telly and do not question. we just receive, allowing just the type of perception that it wants us to have, to stay stuck in our minds. =(
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThough frankly I've never really been a supporter or a viewer of the whole beauty pageant concept (mainly 2 reasons - contestants address important global issues & imply [similar to bureaucrats] change that will never happen and lastly, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder), I do agree on your viewpoints of the media & have read some of the issues concerning this year's Miss Universe Singapore via newspapers.
ReplyDeleteThough no individuals deserves 'public assualts' in any form (in this case & most likely of case media), I do have to agree that the media does serve as the voice of the people. It voices all sides of the story because all stories have a good and a bad to it. Fact. The sad truth is that bad stories are always considered juicy and will attract far more attention than etc. a story about the efforts taken to purify the waters around Singapore.
At the end of the day, the viewpoint I've always agreed is the one I've chosen to live by in all aspects of life - to hear all sides of the story and make the decision. Whether to accept and agree with the stories that the media has chose and 'filtrated' down to us as fact or to regard it as fiction (to put it in a nicer way). lol.
Nomorereruns and Myspacebar, you both are right. There definitely should be a certain standard which the winner should meet, and not just in terms of looks because she will be representing us Singaporeans out there!
ReplyDeleteRavin, thank you! (:
Min Zhi,
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about becoming passive targets of the media. Very well said. Its a good thing we are COMMUNICATIONS students then yes?(hahah) At least we are aware of the stunts the media tries to pull so we can guard ourselves against being victims of the media as well.
Jerrod,
ReplyDeleteI think your comment was very interesting and insightful! Especially the part about how you generally do not condone beauty contests in the first place.
I generally am not a supporter of beauty contests either. I think the whole idea of having women parading around to be judged be others in general, be it a small community or the rest of the world, is just not healthy. It only serves to help create a culture and society where people place all too much importance on appearances, disregarding alot of other aspects of oneself which should be considered just as important, or if not more.
Hello alicia (:
ReplyDeletei agree that we all have different perceptions. yet it is interesting also, to see that while we are trying to present our various opinions and perspectives on the matter, it is communication itself. Our similarities and differences in our perception influences the way we communication with one another.
having said this, i feel that it is important that singapore's beauty representative has to have not only the looks but of certain eloquence and intelligence as well. afterall, beauty shouldnt be based on just appearance. it is essential to have a certain eloquence in order to communicate effectively in the global arena. also, winners of beauty pageants are expected to be an advocate of world peace etc as we ve heard their "model answers" as to what they plan to do after winning the title. how can one be/or try to be an effective advocate if she is unable to communicate with the rest of the world?
Hello darrrrrrrrrrrrrling
ReplyDeleteI think its really nice of you to stand up for the poor girl.You're such a sweetie.
Well.I think its a Singaporean thing to slam everything uniquely singaporean.Be it PCK or our own unique brand of english,we desire and cannot resist but slam them.Its ironic because we yearn for our own identity yet everytime something 'singaporean' comes about,we slam it.All united as one.I wonder at times if we actually get a warped sense od satisfaction from doing this.
Hey Alicia,
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should all give this matter a look from an entire different perspective.
Yes we've looked at Ris Low being nothing but a pretty face. But have we looked at it upon the judges fault to not have single her out of the competition for being the least eleqouent of them all?
Could it also be an attempt by the organisers to stir our local's attention towards our beauty pageants and to treat our pageants with more seriousness?
Having said all this, the media frenzy over Ris Low doesn't just eye on her as an individual but with regards to the bigger picture of how insignificant Singapore supports our local representatitves and the quality of contestants we usher into such competitions. (Consider our local S.League/Singapore Idol etc)
Food for thought (:
Cheers
i agree TOTALLY. i'm here and EVERYONE who hasnt' been to singapore thinks its in china or rite next to it. And im like NO WE ARE OUR OWN COUNTRY. the other thing they keep thinking is that singapore doesnt speak english. can you IMAGINE we send her to represent singapore and ALLL my hard wrk of telling people that we speak perfectly correct british english will go down the drain. i know t's over and all but STILL, for future reference, i htink we need to pick someone better for enxt year... it's utterly embARRASSING...
ReplyDelete