Farewell?

Q: You have almost completed this semester, so how do you view Critical Literacy now? If you have any comments and suggestion please do so as it helps for the betterment of the course as a whole.

There are few weeks more until I complete this semester and there are still a lot of things for me to learn. Critical Literacy have brought me into a new world where I view things more differently and more insights.

It proved how crucial our knowledge in critical thinking that we have learnt in last semester as we applied in this semester and also in future.

I did have some prejudice towards this course at first, but as I learn this through this semester, it actually helps me a lot. I never read articles in more serious way before, but Critical Literacy changed me. I can now detect the writer’s stance, positioning and the credibility of the author.

To those who are going to take Critical Literacy for the next semester, do not feel afraid. This subject is indeed challenging but you will experience a lot while learning this subject. There are more articles to be explore and knowledge to gain.

Have a little faith in yourselves, you will definitely enjoy this.

Why Do You Refuse?

PUTRAJAYA: Most parents who refuse to vaccinate their children are those who live in the cities and are highly educated, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam today.

“The ministry has detected nearly 1600 children who did not get vaccinated last year and this figure is increasing every year”. By Bernama – July 28, 2017 @ 11:37 pm

Why do you think this is happening, what are the arguments for the refusal of vaccination?

I am truly believed that parents who refuse to vaccinate their children do not see the need to do one. They thought that it is unnecessary because there are not many diseases that will affect their children in future when in reality, we can never predict what kind of diseases will appear, even doctors.

This has become a worrisome because people who live in elite area refuse to do one when they are the one who should be aware of the importance of vaccination to their children. They are highly educated people and should have taken this as a serious matter because it involved the future of their children.

We are well aware that there are also some parents who delayed the vaccination process because of their children’s sensitivity. However, they also need to know that their children are readily available and it is okay to suffer now than later.

Education is a key player in equipping parents with the necessary information so that they can make responsible immunization decisions for their children.

No doubt that people who refused to get their children vaccinated are those who are highly educated. However, they do not have the aware to do so since they do not seek for advices from the doctors and pharmacists.

It is never wrong to seek for advices and take a short break from work to bring your children to the hospital for vaccination as it is for their own good.

How do you view obesity?

“It’s clear that the progress we’ve made in fighting obesity is fragile – and that we’re at a critical juncture where continuation of the policies that show promise and increased support and resources could truly help bend the riding tide of obesity rates”, said John Auerbach, president and CEO of the Trust for America’s Health”.

Based on the above statement, how do you view obesity rates in Malaysia?

Based on the “Tackling Obesity in Asean” Report by the Economist Intelligence Unit which covered Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, our country has the dubious honor of having the highest obesity prevalence in Southeast Asia.  

Are we aware of this?

No.

Malaysians tend to see obesity as cosmetic problems not health problem which lead them to consume a lot of ‘diet pills’ which a lot of them sold in online shop. They view this as their personality problems and not health problem which is where they are wrong.

There are many things that contribute to this problem. Many of us blame the society, culture and even the fast food restaurants. I think it is time to stop pointing fingers at others and start reflecting on ourselves.

Our culture of entertaining guests with food is not wrong. It is our responsibility to give them which kind of food that is good for their health.

The fast food restaurants are not wrong. It is our responsibility to control the amount of food that we should eat whether its carbs, or desserts. They only provide us food that served in a quick way and convenient for their customers.

When we put our minds to something, it is never a problem to make it succeed. The same thing goes to this obesity problem. We have to maintain our healthy lifestyle and change our mind set.

Look around you and yourselves, do you want a change?

If that so, go for it.

Stereotypes?

Stereotyping is exaggerated generalizations associated with a categorizing system they go beyond the facts at hand and make claims that usually have no valid basis. It is also something that most people find difficult to avoid from doing. Do you agree?

I agree. This is because stereotyping happened when one makes an assumption based on the surface. They do not like to investigate and do research to get to know something more insights. In our society, in Malaysia, it is certainly complicated to change this kind of behaviour because we actually grow up with it.

Sometimes, we stereotype without we realised. This proved how deep this problem is in our society that some people do not have the guilt when they make false assumption towards something.

As a Malaysian, I find myself stereotype as well until one day I decided that it is best to remain silent cause I remember that there is one saying, “silence is golden”. I believe that it is unfair to only look at one side and ignore the other side. For instance, some people love to wear cheap and casual clothes for their everyday wear and these stereotypes assume that they are poor and did not have the money to buy more pleasant clothes.

This is stereotypes because we are judging their preferences despite having any ideas on their background. There are rich people who love to buy simple clothes and prefer casual more than anything. Being simple and casual is for everyone and does not portray poverty at all.

Some song writers nowadays made songs to mock the stereotypes in their society 

In conclusion, I believe we should stop this negativity and start to be more open minded. No doubt that it will be hard to sustain but it is better late than never.