Reflective journal 2(graded)

To me progress for countries means how much their economy has improved in terms of Gross Domestic Product and solving unemployment rates, society gaining more freedom, in terms of human rights and the amount of say the citizens have in the country, and the country’s political power. Should a country’s economy become stronger, with a lower unemployment rate, happier citizens, people given more freedom and the country becoming politically more powerful, then I would say this country would have progressed.
China and America are the two major powerhouses in the world right now. I would discuss about the societies of both countries and conclude which country has progressed more based on their societies.
China is a communist country with a one party regime. The people of China do not have a say in who rules the country as the Communist party have ultimate power within the country. No elections are being held at all. Many deem this as a country with a lack of freedom, as the citizens do not have the luxury in choosing their political leaders, unlike Singapore, where elections are held. Many feel that China is not making much of a progress in becoming a democratic state as the Chinese citizens are being given minimal power within the country as they do not have a say in the country. However I beg to differ. During the research and presentation, Nicholas brought a very significant case study – of rule enforced on pets in Beijing, to limit each household to a single registered animal no taller than 35cm sparked of a public demonstration, mainly by youths, which resulted in President Hu Jintao intervening. To me, this is a sign that China is taking baby steps towards becoming a democratic country. To me, the public demonstration shows that the Chinese citizens, mainly the youths, are starting to show their unhappiness when their interests are compromised. They are starting to stand up for their rights. This is an encouraging sight. The people in China are starting to understand that the party does not have absolute power. It is the people who hold the rights to decide. I feel what has caused this changed is due to the “me generation”. The “me generation” is the current Chinese youths in the developed provinces, who are mostly individualistic and materialistic. Compared to their parents and the earlier generations, the “me generation” is considered a group of selfish people, often only thinking of benefiting themselves. Whereas the older generation grew up in a time where one thinks of the majority ahead of themselves. The reason for this change could be because of the one child policy. The child is being sheltered and showered with all the love of their parents and grandparents, causing them to become spoilt and individualistic. This selfishness may not be a bad thing after all. This individualistic mindset has made the youth learn to stand up for their rights when they feel that their interests are threatened. The are more willing and more courageous compared to the previous generations. The youths of China would become the main driving force towards democracy for China.
America on the other hand, is widely known as one of the most democratic countries in the world. It is the leader of the world, both economically and politically. Even though America is a first world country while China is a developing country, America has its own societal problems too. America is facing unrest within the youths, with unemployment rife among the youth population. Fresh graduates are unable to find jobs, but they are doing nothing much about it other than being unhappy about it. Compared to the past generations, they do not stand up for their rights as much as their predecessors do. The civil rights movement and the activist movements are examples of the past generations standing up for their rights, and thus creating change, making the States a better place. Back in 2008, the youths played a big role in the presidential elections. Majority of the youths chose Obama because they felt that he would be the one that would bring about change, that he would solve their problems. But four years on, they have seemed to have lost confidence in him, but they have done nothing on their part. They were given the power to choose who would be the one to solve the problems America is facing. But they also hold the power to take him down. Even if they have tried protesting, they lack leadership and enthusiasm in their protests. I feel that the reason could be that the youths in America feel that they are powerless in changing the country’s fate. They are pessimistic towards their countries situation and have lost hope. They have lost the understanding of democracy. Democracy is a state of society characterized by the formal equality of rights and privileges (definition from dictionary.com). The youths in US are not standing up for their rights as they should be. They are not demanding change for the better even though their currently their lives are not smooth sailing. In a time when America is in an economic crisis, I feel that the youth have a huge role to play in turning the tides against themselves. They must be willing to stand up once again like their past generations, point out to the government where they are going wrong. This is essential for America to drag themselves out of this sticky situation.
In conclusion, I feel that China’s society has progressed as it is taking baby steps to becoming a democratic society. When China was known to be a state where the people have little say with the country, where people are suppressed for rising up against actions taken by the government, the “me generation” of China are starting to learn to stand up for their individual interest and not blindly follow whatever the government says. Such as in the 1960s, during the Great Leap Forward, where Chairman Mao initiated a plan for China to undergo rapid industrialization, and everyone followed blindly, even though it was a bad decision. Whereas America has in fact regressed. Their youths are not standing up for their rights like the past generations do. They do not understand that America is a free and democratic state, where one is allowed to stand up and fight for his rights when he feels that his interests have been compromised. I feel that the youths of all countries have a huge role to play in driving their countries progress. They are the future of the country. They need to know the importance of standing up for their rights. I feel that the Chinese are beginning to slowly understand the meaning of democracy and are inching towards becoming a democratic state. I feel that should China eventually become democratic, it is the “me generation” that would be the spark for this change. They would be the first ones to realize that they have the choice to not conform to whatever the party decides as it is the people who have the ultimate power within the country. America however is not moving forward. Should the America recover from the economic downturn and remain as the world’s leader, it is up to the youths to save America.

Reflective journal 1

When I realised that I was taking CDE for my IHE this year, it made me wonder what this module is actually about. Is it about understanding cultures only? In what way is it special from the other IHE modules? These kind of questions kept popping out of my head.
When I was briefed about how we are going to get assessed for this module, I knew it was going to be a tough module. A lot is required from us to do well for this lesson. We have to prepare ourselves well by reading notes in order to be able to participate actively during class, voicing our opinions about topics related to our module such as the role of women.
The first tutorial was about Cultural Quotient. This phrase is not entirely new to me, as it is part of Hwa Chong’s plan to educate students. But I have never fully understood what this actually really meant. But through our first tutorial, I was able to get a more in depth idea of what this phrase really means. There was this question posed to the class that really got me thinking - Is being efficient in CQ really necessary to survive in this constantly changing and globalized world? This made me recall when I was back in Beijing for the Beijing satellite programme a month ago.
I was in a foreign land living for 6 weeks. The Chinese in Beijing definitely have cultural differences with us Singaporeans, but how am I going to overcome these differences in order to live amicably with the local Chinese. One of the methods mentioned in the article was to prepare ourselves by reading up on the culture, getting to understand it better. That was something that I did not do in Beijing, yet I was able to live with the Chinese for six weeks without any cultural clashes. How did I do it? I certainly did not prepare myself, but how was I able to not offend anyone there? In class, it was said that language is the main factor for one to be able to interact with other cultures. But is it really true? Yes to a certain extent in my opinion. Language allows you to communicate with others, thus in this process, get to know and understand the opposite party’s culture in much more depth. When you are able to communicate, information is being transferred from one person to the other. And it is this transfer of information that allows you to be able to understand the dos and the don’ts of the particular culture.
But language is not the most important factor in my opinion. I feel that by actually immersing oneself into the culture, you are able to learn more than just by communicating with the people. By immersing one’s self, you are able to observe how one behaves. Through their behavior you can understand how their culture have affected their actions. And this was what I did in Beijing. I observed the chinese’s behavior, actions and how they interact with one another. It was like learning in an outdoor classroom. And from these observations, I am able to slowly become like one of them, thus I am able to interact with them.