A video of a 17 year-old went viral last week. The boy behind the video, Amos Yee, made very insensitive comments about the death of Singapore's founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, including insulting him as a 'horrible person', and that people should rejoice over his death. Furthermore, he compared LKY with Jesus, stating that both are 'full of bull'. I don't want to elaborate on what he had said, you can read it down below in this link:
(https://jesscscott.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/amos-yees-speech/)
I was initially outraged at his insensitive comments especially during the time of national mourning. Personally, I feel that respect and a freedom of speech are 2 very different things. Let's take a look at an analogy. Parents may give their children the freedom to do 'whatever they want', but there should be basic respect for the parents (because they're given the authority). I know this argument may be quite flimsy, because it's never easy to draw the line between both. I was less upset about the criticism of LKY, but more because he did it at such an untimely manner. Plus, freedom of speech does not equate to its abuse.
Throughout the past few days, many have been blogging, sharing, talking about it on social media. I did not manage to read all of the comments, but I know many are outraged. In fact, police reports were even made by his own mother! I told myself not to participate in any forms of debate, as I didn't want to breed any negativity and disharmony. Surprisingly (or not), there were a few who stood up for him and said he made valid points, while some requesting for him to be given counselling instead of putting him in jail. It's pretty interesting to see SMRT Feedback's comments about Amos as having 'high intellect that is a little too mature (sociopolitical sense) for his age'. You know what, I do agree.
The turning point for me came when I read about his life in Zhonghua Secondary. Pretty good Chinese school, though not at the top. My initial thought was that he must be an eloquent speaker yet a spoilt brat who lacks EQ. What struck me most, out of his many points, was about the rigidity of mainstream education. He said that he refused to copy whatever his teachers had written on the board, because he believed it wasn't the right way of learning. "Copying is memorising", the teacher said. WHAT? Has our education system degenerated in such a way where we focus on what to learn instead of how to learn? That's why Amos didn't fit it. That's why he didn't have any friends. He was too different. His ideas were too radical for the masses to accept. He was suppressed for 4 years (if not more) of his life.
You know as a sociology student, I don't just see things on the surface. I look a lot on how the norms, culture and institutions shape him as a person. Imagine this. Place Amos in the US. Would he be different? I would say yes. Different in a good way, because he'll be able to explore and articulate ideas from young without being labelled as 'freak' or 'abnormal'. Or let's say, place him in one of the more established 'top school', that's more autonomous, Raffles Institution. I believe things would have been different. He is a boy, bursting with new ideas and perspective, ready to share with the world, but no one accepts or see it the same way. His present behaviour is a result of his suppression.
What I really think he needs is effective counselling. He may not be receptive at the start, especially if it's someone who is a Singaporean. He may believe that the counsellor's ideals are shaped by the 'totalitarian' and 'machiavellian' LKY. But it's the rejection stage we have to get through. Amos needs someone who is able to help him channel his creative thoughts into a good way, into changes that can progress the society. I recognise that he's actually a pretty smart and politically aware kid for someone his age. To his parents, Amos is not out of control, he just needs proper guidance. I hope the internet can see this issue in a different light, and stop bashing him and his parents. Help this poor boy who can still enjoy a bright future provided if he uses his strengths in the right way.
P.S. In no way am I agreeing to what Amos had said in his video. I respect LKY as a great leader and the founding father of our nation. Also, as a Christian, I first found his comments to be offensive, but later realised I wasn't that angry after all. Just as Christ who forgave us, we must learn to forgive as well.
