not the dripping tap 2

Dripping taps keep me up at night.

I have a bone to pick, a grouse against something that is quite in your face now.

It's the Yellow Ribbon Project.

Why? Cause it is non-discriminatory.

In this politically correct world, "discrimination" sounds like a dirty word. But it is necessary. Like you have to be above 21 to watch R21 movies. Only ladies get free booze on Ladies Night. Singaporeans will have to pay more to get into an integrated resort. Only ladies were allowed in Tampines Mall on 9 Sep from 7 to 11pm, if you are a guy and you were inside, you must have been one of them pole-dancing male topless dancers. Only guys can pee standing up.(ok, not so true)

So discrimination is necessary. But not in all cases. Discrimination at workplace (age, sex, sexuality, race, religion) is not uncommon and it is so wrong these days. But actually it can be necessary. For example, in a nursery or childcare centre, teachers are invariably females. We have exceptions. Like National Day baby Victor Lim is the only male teacher at St Margaret's Primary School. This is because members of a certain sex is perceived as being more suited in a job. Would you employ a jew to cook halal food? Unlikely right? Ok, so the examples I give are rather extreme but they exist.

Similarly for the Yellow Ribbon Project. Let's look at the goals of the Project.

* Create Awareness of giving second chances to ex-offenders.
* Generate Acceptance of ex-offenders and their families into the community.
* Inspire community Action to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.

The Yellow Ribbon Project engages the community to offer second chances to ex-offenders who sincerely want to change. It is proposed that the YRP will continue to be held every year to continue to inspire concerted community action and ownership to pave the way for community-based reintegration and aftercare.

The above was taken from their website.

In fact, at my workplace, the yellow ribbons were distributed as well.

Now my grouses, of which I have two.

1. Does every ex-offender deserve a second chance?
2. Why the hell is my "company" distributing the yellow ribbons when obviously many government ministries, agencies, institutions do not employ ex-offenders.

Politically correctness is the dirty word actually.

Tun Dr Mahathir is not politically correct. So he had American and British diplomats walking out during his speech where he questioned who the "real terrorists were.

I don't believe every ex-offender deserves a second chance. Perhaps I have a closed mind. But seriously, if a drug addict who has been in and out for 4 times or molester who upon his release molests againt. I hear people arguing that it is precisely because of this "second prison"-the social prison where these ex-offenders are un-loved, un-cared for, discriminated against that push them to commit crimes again and again.

We have to be careful here, if not we will spiral downwards into a society where offenders are as much to be blamed as the society that is around these offenders. So are we gonna to hear in future that so and so went on a killing spree because he was a fan of violent movies and violent computer games. So and so couldn't find an outlet for his sexual needs because he was rejected several times and watching too many pornographic movies corrupted his mind.

We have to draw a line somewhere right? Thousands and millions of people watch and play violent themed movies and games. Similarly, pornography can probably be found in 4 out of every 5 home computers. So shouldn't we be fending off knives and sexual attacks every other day?

There are ex-offenders and there are ex-offenders. We have to be sure who to give the second chance. And how many chances should they be given?

And to all those ministries, government bodies that are so hypocritical...BALLS to you. You don't follow a trend when you support a community project.