3 ‘ISMS’ we should all pay more attention to.
Story by Sean Yeo
‘Ism’ is a word usually used to describe ‘a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory’ or ‘an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief.’ However, ‘-ism’ with the hyphen is a suffix - so its meaning changes based on the word it is attached to.
But with so many different ‘-isms’ out there, which are the most important?
Racism
Ever since the world discovered that COVID-19 originated in China, negative sentiment has risen against the Asian community worldwide. Similarly, as COVID-19 cases rose in India, the racist sentiment was also directed at the Indian community in Singapore.
Racism has become more commonplace as COVID-19 exacerbates job and health-related concerns. Reports of racist incidents have increased in recent years: From 18 in 2018 to 31 in 2019 to 60 in 2020.
So how are we dealing with this issue as a community?
The most popular approach is to make a police report and have the authorities deal with it. However, in 2016, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that only a quarter of the 2,000 Singaporeans surveyed found themselves even mildly racist. So, making police reports won’t solve the underlying lack of understanding.
Prime Minister Lee has instead suggested a different approach: one where issues of race and religion are openly discussed and where policies are re-examined to improve the status quo.
An example of this is the ‘Explorations in Ethnicity programme’ held by Onepeople.sg. This program gives participants a forum to discuss personal stories and learn about their own biases. Participants learn to empathise better with others by hearing from those who may have similar backgrounds and yet experience discrimination or problems navigating cultural minefields.
These types of community-led programs are the future when it comes to building a more inclusive, sensitive and racially tolerant society.
Sexism
Singapore is still a very traditional society where stereotypical gender roles continue to be inherited and practised.
However, some corporate and political glass ceilings have been broken, for example, the appointment of Singapore’s first female president - Halimah Yacob. Yet, the recent increase in sexual violence against women during the pandemic shows that respect for women has yet to be ingrained in our DNA.
According to gender advocacy groups and community leaders, the three biggest problems facing women are sexual violence, balancing work-life dynamics and sexism in the workplace.
The government aims to address these by commissioning a first of its kind comprehensive review of issues affecting women at home. The review titled ‘Conversations on Women’s Development’ will result in a whitepaper that aims to create a roadmap toward gender equality.
Beyond governmental action, other forms of cultural relearning and expansion are taking place.
For instance, community-led movements like ‘Dads for Life’ encourage men to take a more active role at home. At the same time, religious groups like The Islamic Council of Singapore use their platforms to educate people on gender relations in a religious context.
These steps are long overdue in the #MeToo era, but this is a good start.
Classism
For generations, social mixing has been a hallmark of our society thanks to our housing, education and National Service (NS) policies which encourage mixing between people from all backgrounds.
However, studies conducted in 2017 and 2020 by IPS on social capital showed that at least two policy levers - housing and education are not functioning as well as they should be.
These studies found that people living in public housing have fewer than one friend who lives in private housing. It also found that those who attended elite schools tend to be less close to those in non-elite schools and vice versa.
Early on, meritocracy brought people from different socio-economic groups together, but as it matured, winners and losers increasingly entered their orbits with little mixing. As a result, society has become more class segregated as the position of earlier winners becomes more entrenched.
The government has created various funds and subsidies to help the vulnerable bridge the divide between winners and losers. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) also tries to mix different socio-economic classes by hosting community events and having rental and non-rental units in the same block.
But there’s only so much the state can do, individual action will decide the future of this issue.
As Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong put it, “It is up to those of us who can, to reach back and help those behind us to climb the ladder with us, and not to pull up the ladder behind us.”