The Straits Times Forum: “‘Cancel culture’ does more harm than good”

Credit: The Straits Times

URL: https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/cancel-culture-does-more-harm-than-good

Date of letter: 4 August 2020

Ruining a person's life for making a mistake, even if it was made years ago and the person has changed for the better, has become a trend on the Internet also known as "cancel culture".

"Cancel culture" does more harm than good. There is absolutely no justification for wrongdoing, but we need to remember that nobody is immune from making mistakes and nobody is perfect.

Instead of ruining other people's lives or causing them to lose their jobs over a mistake they made in the past, we should educate them and give them a chance to change for the better.

Some people may not have known that what they did or said was wrong, especially if the mistake was made when they were much younger.

There have been cases of people being "cancelled" over past mistakes, even if they have changed for the better, which tells me that "cancel culture" encourages a refusal to forgive and accept that people can change for the better.

We have the Yellow Ribbon movement to give former convicts a second chance and reintegrate them into society, so why can't we forgive others for less serious mistakes or offences?

Society will never progress if we don't learn to forgive, give others a second chance and accept that people can change for the better. A person's past should not matter if he has changed for the better.

We should create an environment that encourages education and forgiveness to truly progress. It's time to end "cancel culture" once and for all.

Jamie Lyn Ng Jia Le

The Straits Times Forum: “It pays to give people a second chance”

Credit: The Straits Times

URL: https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/it-pays-to-give-people-a-second-chance

Date of letter: 1 August 2020

Social worker Jeremy Lau (Help those who want to turn lives around, July 24) and the Singapore Association of Social Workers (Rehab as important as punishment, July 31) raised thought-provoking points on the issues of rehabilitation and recidivism. In his best-selling autobiography Transformed: A Navy Seal's Unlikely Journey From The Throne Of Africa, To The Streets Of The Bronx, To Defying All Odds, actor, writer and film-maker Remi Adeleke relates how a US Navy recruiter once took a chance on him - despite his criminal record - because she believed Mr Adeleke when he told her that he was contrite and wanted to turn his life around. The recruiter personally accompanied Mr Adeleke to multiple court hearings to speak in favour of him, and he then went on to join the US Navy and complete the intensive elite US Navy Seal training. After his military stint, Mr Adeleke's acting career saw him work with Hollywood director Michael Bay. Closer to home, similar stories have been highlighted in the media: a former convict-turned-lawyer who started an outreach initiative to help at-risk youth, a former drug pusher who made it to university and does good by mentoring at-risk youth, and many others. Mr Lau articulated it well that it behoves a compassionate society to give those who are repentant and need help turning their lives around the chance to make things right. In the process, this could perhaps transform them into enlightened and devoted individuals who, grateful that they were given a second chance, will pay it forward and give back abundantly to society.

Woon Wee Min

History By Eisen: A new beginning

Among other things, I study the evolution of roads. This historical process is far from straightforward. Over time, some roads are lengthened or widened; others are unfortunately renamed, absorbed into other roads, or expunged. The same may happen to the passages one traverses in life. A beginning may lead to an end; an end may signify a beginning.

This is the beginning of my History By Eisen blog. I will share not just about my present research and thoughts about history, transport, and urban studies, but also snippets of my life and my past experiences.

And so the journey begins.