Perception.

what is perception to all of you?

this was brought up in class last week. while everyone was busy shouting out their answers, the first thing that came into my mind was “how i see things/others? and what i think of them?” of course this is merely a layman’s term of the word itself. in definition, perception is the process by which we make sense of the world around us.

take a look at this video. i am certain that most of you would have seen it once, or even twice. (actually i’m sure i wont be the only one writing about this issue but i’m most willing to give you my two cents worth on the matter)

to cut the story short, Miss Ris Low, current winner of Miss Singapore World has been criticized harshly on her inability to speak well in English. her few mins of ‘fame’ on youtube has earned her a entry in Wikipedia, of which one shouldnt be very proud about actually.

“There has been scandals around Singapore forums and websites that Ris has won the crown despicably and that she is undeserving of the title. There have been calls to strip Ris’s title as Miss Singapore World 2009 as well.”

WHAT??? how can her poor speech itself lead to accusations whereby she won the crown despicably? hundreds of netizens have also commented about her ‘ah-lian‘ image and this leads to ‘slutty and cheap’. what kind of a baseless accusation is that? right in this example alone exemplifies how when situations are viewed without understanding, the mind will try to reach for something that it already recognizes, in order to process what it is viewing. in this case, the common theory that ah-lians are uneducated, hence lacking dignity.

moreover, the video above was created by an obviously insensitive Singaporean who included uncalled-for subtitles to mock her pronunciation. the extent of this hate video of her is morally unjustifiable and it only seeks attention from other critics. she’s only 19, and definitely does not deserve the intensity of the insults thrown at her. i find it commendable that she is putting in effort in improving her speech, and we should as fellow Singaporeans, show her our utmost support.

maybe learning about perception as an idea on the whole has taught me to see things at a bigger angle. it is definitely unfair to assume she is undeserving of the title just looking at a few minutes of her interview. sadly, it is true to say that our communication and behaviour are based on our perception itself rather than on reality. and this can be very deceptive indeed.

(taken from Lifestyle 130909)

i am secretly glad that the Head of the Speak Good English Movement has come to her defence. it gives others a mature view on the entire matter itself, as well as a reminder to ourselves. i quote Mr Goh, “how many people are you laughing at if you laugh at Miss Low?”

i can understand perfectly how our personal prejudices play a significant role in the way we perceive things. but nevertheless, we shouldnt view things on the surface and then perceive the situation narrowly. personally i admit that her speech is indeed poor but it gives us no right to label her as a disgrace to our country or someone who slept her way to win the title. netizens should think twice before commenting blatantly on her character as a whole. that said, we must also be aware that there will not be a time where everybody sees eye to eye when perception comes into place.

a highly educated scholar may perceive Ms Low as uneducated, withholding the mindset she will lead Singapore to further disgrace with her inadequate speech. similarly, someone who may not be well-versed in English might not understand the big uproar the video has ignited.

hopefully after all the heated exchange on different views and perception, we will learn to place facts first before merely coming to conclusions that might appear childish based on one’s belief alone.

food for thought : what is your idea of perception and how does it affect the decisions you make  in life?

S

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