Quest for an ideal society, where there are no 'Other' races

"The critical challenge of maintaining the nation's multicultural fabric: "Unless care is exercised, we could so easily be torn asunder"

On first sighting, I was bewildered by the rather clichéd metaphor of cloth for culture. However, I soon realized that the gist of the article itself wasn't much less intriguing.

As a Singaporean, I have grown used to the ordeal of listening to phrases such as 'Singapore is a peaceful multi-racial society', but it now appears that these aren't just politically correct, but also pretentious. This article hints that, in fact, the true view shared by most of us is “Wow! Singapore can manage the trouble of racial differences! No riots in recent history! Not bad!”. While we project an international image of being the role model in inter-cultural unity and understanding, there lies an undercurrent of racial tension, of which the media has done a poor job hiding.

The view presented by the article is that differences, mainly of race, in any group setting, are problems or disadvantages to be put up with, which is a trend of serious concern. The fact that several media authorities, which have great influence on people, are themselves promoting a wrong outlook is even more antagonizing. For a start, the title suggests that an ideal society is an homogenous one, which implies that cultural differences are things to be taken care of carefully, that they are potential threats if not handled carefully. However, I beg to differ, and suggest quite the contrary. Rather than wallowing in a false sense of pity, why not get real, and acknowledge the fact that such difference were causal factors, and not obstacles, to our prosperity? For a change, why not focus on how racial diversity helps Singapore as a nation do good things, instead of how problems from racial diversity can be prevented?

There are currently three types of approaches to the issue of differences, presented in the article and reflected by society.
The first is the approach of shunning differences and considering them disadvantages-
“I don’t want to join this group because it has Indians and Malays in it. It will be difficult to work together due to the differences. I think I rather join that group that has only Chinese boys because it will be easier for us to communicate and do work together.”
The second and most common one is to ignore the differences or try to put up with them, having the basic idea that it is a problem to be solved-
“I did my Research Project with the Chinese boy who was not my friend but managed to do well?”
The last and, sadly, least common approach, is one that effectively makes use of differences and looks forward to them as tools-
“How lucky Singapore is to be blessed with such a rich diversity of culture!”

When we talk about Racial Harmony or Respecting Differences in the stereotypical way it is similar to the second approach shown above. Rather, they should be looked forward to and made good use of. Racial differences add variety and much needed diversity to any community they are found in. A difference in background breeds difference in opinion or outlook, and ultimately, provides broader and enhanced views to a society, enabling it to confront problems with a variety of solutions. These solutions when put together will form another set of ideas with efficiency that squares itself. Singapore's multi-racial society means a diversity of race and people from mixed backgrounds living together. Due to each person having values and perspectives shaped by his own culture, tradition and history, when they react, they inevitably learn from each others' views, leading to a situation where each person has a wide range of values, ideas and strengths in the face of adversity.

If the idealistic 'Salad Bowl' approach is too abstract for our cynical citizens, then perhaps an insight into our own history, which we claim to be so very proud of, could help.
In the Colonial Age, when the tireless British Imperialists made our humble fishing village a colony, and introduced trade, immigrants from all over the region moved in, the foundation for our growth was set. It was when our forefathers of differing nationalities, each with their own areas of expertise, worked together, playing their part for the development of society, that we progressed. That element of multi-culturalism has remained, but our outlooks have wavered, which was probably what caused the occasional conflict.

A telephone is an excellent tool that facilitates communication, but can cause problems if we go beserk and use it as a weapon. The nature of our multi-cultural diversity is such. So perhaps, we could look to enhancing the mindsets of our people towards it, rather than to blame the issue itself, or worse, attempt to cover it up with pretentious propaganda.