June Holiday Homework

Singer believes that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. On the other hand, Szilagyi believes that more focus should be placed on social responsibility.
In the context of Singapore’s multi racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism, which author’s view should be adopted?



Singapore being a multi racial country has to maintain peace between four main ethnic groups as well as the minorities, so as to avoid any misunderstandings that could result in the downfall of the country. Currently, Singapore is a politically stable country where all races live in harmony. In order to ensure this unity continues, I think that Szilagyi’s view on the approach of social responsibility should be adopted. Freedom of expression, also known as freedom of speech, is no doubt important, especially in a democratic country. However, in Singapore’s context, it may prove to be risky.



If anyone in Singapore was allowed to speak his mind, and that person decided to make a comment that criticizes any one of the cultures or religions, havoc would be created. It is only natural that the group being offended gets angry, thus creating a drift between Singapore citizens. Even if the ideas expressed are factual and just happen to be unpopular, the feelings of others have to be taken into account as religion is an extremely sensitive issue. History has shown that clashes between different races have resulted in dreadful adversities. For example, the 1964 Race Riots in Singapore between the Chinese and Malay groups was an incident that ended up with many violent killings and injuries. Another example was the outcome of the publication of Danish cartoons ridiculing Muhammad which was a tragedy. Despite the social cohesion in Singapore, it is not guaranteed that a similar episode will not occur here. Thus, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to practice social responsibility.



Singer is right in saying that freedom of expression is crucial for individual dignity, participation of public in decision-making and accountability. Nevertheless, it should not be practiced at the expense of social responsibility. On the other hand, this method can be adopted if the citizens are socially responsible. This means that when people realize that religion is a delicate matter and needs to be handled with care, they will learn to be sensitive towards others. They will then speak with maturity because they have a responsibility towards the different communities and will not make comments that hurt others. Only then will it be possible to give them the right to express themselves.



Singer believes that imprisoning David Irving for holocaust denial was not the best way to handle the situation. I disagree because I think it is easier to prohibit one person from making such ridiculous statements then to try and make a whole group of offended individuals understand that the man was just expressing his view. In conclusion, I feel that Szilagyi’s reasoning is justified and taking into account Singapore’s multiracial background, social responsibility is the better approach.