for, for them and I think it also boils down more towards the consumer itself whether you know they think it's a need or not like for for example kenny just now mentioned that uh on the train maybe they have nothing to do they are bored so they actually start browsing like the the website and stuff to


purchase uh things that they think they might need so I guess that's an intent that they actually think that the product itself works for them and they actually do have a need for it that's why uh which is why they buy and I find that usually when


when people regret their purchases its uh more so due to the fact that uh they did not do enough research on the product itself whether the product is a good product or not uh that is when, consumers tend to regret and you know think


start to think that oh !hey! maybe I don't need this product, but the initial intent of need is there,


okay okay


okay uh, I, I think like the ultimately the the main point of advertising is to entice people to purchase the product itself so when like I mention, just now when when when a consumer actually browse through the product they must they must have an interest of to the product itself


and that added uh I mean at that instance itself it doesn't mean that you know uh they people are actually buying things that they they do not need at all because if they do not need the thing I'm sure at the back of their mind they know that they do not really need it or, if they do not need it then they will eventually not use it as well so


we we can say that we don't need uh so many clothes and stuff but, girls tends to buy like uh a bit collection of like clothings but ultimately, can they use it they can do they need it they at the end of the day they still need it, right so uh I I do not really agree that advertisement makes a human


buy like, products that they do not need , and other than that uh in general advertisements when it it's is a very big production it a lot of investment is actually poured into it so a lot of research is actually done uh so in general it actually


heavily reflects on like what the society desires because it place on human desires to market their product so by reflecting what the product uh target audience when you want in advertisements the advertised good will be seen to meet certain needs and desires so


this will enters this will in turn also makes them have the drive to buy like uh, spotting goods often appear to our desire to be better version of ourselves uh so when I say this it can mean that maybe a consumer, before looking at the advertisement itself they do not know that they do not know that they actually need this item but after looking at it they find the need for it ya


uh, uh I I I would agree to your to what you said like to a certain extent as well uh I mean it it's hard for us to debate or like uh sort of come down to uh


to to uh an agreement whether like or not that is a need for, because to them following K pop, like their their favourite like band or like celebrity is like their passion and to them it it is actually a need to have what uh these celebrity actually what have or like advertised for and to them you know it's what which which whatever things that uh


whichever brand that this their favourite idol actually advertised it's is going to be good for sure, well I I guess it is an image, ya so I think for example if you you were to tell me for example if you were to say like uh this fan they want to buy they want to go to like their favourite idol concert to them it is a need but to me I'm not a K pop fan I will I will not spend the money on like buying tickets


just to follow and you know listen to their concerts and stuff so I guess talking about needs it its a bit, it's kind of uh hard to come to, an an agreement whether or not it is truly a need


ya and like I mentioned just now it is actually like a social desire like you know wanting to have this product itself


(hm), so I guess ultimately the main point of advertising is to not just is is not I mean the main intent is really not to make people buy what they do not need but more of influencing people to


think that !hey! I actually need this and this can actually help me in my daily life and it is and it is essential like for me, and whether or not uh the product lives up to that is really, it really boils down to whether this product is well made or not


I agree to a certain extent like for example , like uh I can see advertisement of like maybe say uh watch, I can it can go on repeating and all I can see everyday but it doesn't it doesn't evoke like


uh, the need for me to actually purchase it because I really don't feel like I need it


part one debate topic one, so we will spend three minutes in silence first right


so we will start at seventeen


okay so the topic is, technology creates more problems than benefits for the society and yes I think it really, does because firstly if we look at one of the basic err forms of technology like mobile phones and the data that everyone has access to so the thing is anyone has access to it be it despite their age so all ages


and when we go out on a very regular basis if something happens uh let's say when you're dining out you notice that one of the first things that people do is they start to record things that are happening and ongoing, which I feel is not something that happen when mobile phones weren't so commonly used the time can be better spent probably helping helping the victim or the or the person that was involved in a car accident rather than to video the entire episode and then share it online


and the other thing that technology does is that it also invades into people's privacy because when you start to video things that happen and put it online for everyone to see, the victims and the people in the video they didn't really give their consent to say that oh they want to become


an overnight internet sensation everybody start to talk bad about them or everybody starts to defend them and give their pity and their compassion so, I think that that is one way that technology really creates a lot of problems uh in this society


and then even in the recent uh band for the use of those electric uh vehicles that a lot of grab drivers use, so we know there are a lot of grab drivers out there work in this occupation and a as probably income it might be their only income some of them are sole breadwinners some of them are part time workers you know but


despite uh why they chose to do that job, it's because they need the income and then when people see them riding they just take a photo and then get into trouble and then start to go to the MP and then create a a whole big hoo-ha again


so I think that yeah when it comes to mobile phones as part of technology it is really quite detrimental to the entire society


yes of course I acknowledge uh what you have shared that uh in fact having, mobile phones did introduce a few ways where it is more convenient for people for example like what you said nowadays you can even check on whether your spouse is cheating on you and


I guess, that doesn't affects the society so much but when it comes to social shaming I must say that for those who deserve it yes they do but there are a lot of people who actually don't deserve it and never asked to be in the limelight and that's where technology


has played a very big part that they didn't have a say in being exposed, uh by their identities where they work uh or even where they live so I feel that technology in that way , has really affected the society and another thing uh


apart from the mobile phones which thank you for your contributions so apart from the mobile phones I feel that the other thing that really really affects the society is the internet, because the internet as much as the internet gives us a lot of information we are all very aware that there are people who abuse the use of the internet and because of


this, form of technology , again on a very regular basis we see articles about people , uh syndicates being exposed when they do like uh,


uh live streaming uh of, abuse that they do to maybe children like pedophiles you know they're all being covered up uh behind a screen, so this, in this way right it's because technology allowed it because of technology they have a way to access the dark web where they can uh presume an anonymous status but yet they can satisfy all the


criminal acts that they would not get punished for so and also further to just , that kind of situations, uh there's also online bullying, that is obviously facilitated through the internet


and majority , oh what is that sound right, and a lot of uh bullies that bully on the internet they are also bullies in school so not only do they bully people at school at work they resumed their bully online as well that gives them double pleasure


and according to Samaritans of Singapore suicide is one of the leading causes of death for very young people between age ten to twenty nine and one of the factors leading to suicide is online bullying and again


it boils down to the internet, bryan what do you think (ppc) (ppc) oh is bryan stopped?


oh his laptop died oh okay he's coming back


so summarizing what bryan said yes indeed of course the internet has brought about a lot of uh firstly entertainment education communication, opportunities for business startups you know who startup online and it's also thanks to the internet that all that has happened but still it does not


it doesn't, deny and it doesn't cover the fact that , the internet is still a very dangerous place and children who are expected to do online learning like primary students we're looking at seven years old to twelve years old students who are in who have to use for example zoom or online learning platforms on a daily basis


even in this current COVID situation uh they are being exposed to the dangers on the internet and when we talk about entertainment uh during COVID, yes uh we're talking about us who are enjoying


really things for basic pleasure like Netflix or YouTube or downloading dramas and things like that, but still, COVID making people being locked down uh in fact I personally feel that it increases the danger that there is online well personally I did not read up or investigate on the truth uh the extent of truth to certain things that we read uh online


but we have seen uh, articles that students who attend zoom meetings online uh there are hackers that go into the portal and expose them to things that they shouldn't be exposed to so I still reiterate my point that the internet is a very dangerous place and technology has definitely


, created more problems than benefits for the society but again that doesn't ignore the benefits that uh have come about because of technology but it really does create a lot more problems that we wouldn't have had if technology uh wasn't around


oh okay, so we stop the recording on the phone okay alright okay


part two debate topic two, so again we will start at slightly


before seventeen ends ya okay


okay, so the next topic is machines make humans and their jobs obsolete, I think with, the introduction of artificial intelligence, and a lot of news and articles uh and even initial introductions about how many different jobs are going to be taken over because of AI this really does make jobs obsolete we really need to take into consideration that when humans are the ones that are doing these jobs


they are doing it to raise their household for a salary for a pay cheque, , when AI takes over these jobs like for example there are, top twelve jobs that, might be taken over by AI in the very near future some of them being telemarketers


, uh accountants receptionist, , we need we need to look at the impact that it makes on, the people who are doing these jobs, , I mean


accounting for example is a skill it's not something that we can learn overnight a lot a lot of people take certifications for this and then when they are being taken over by AI what else can they do so definitely it makes their jobs


obsolete and when it comes to making humans, uh obsolete, , I think that in time to come when machines and AI really start taking over more and more of the jobs that human are doing then it also will definitely affect family's decisions on family planning like how they are going to keep up with finding a job when everything is being taken over by machines and artificial intelligence


okay so summarizing bryan's points that , machines are actually doing us a big favour especially when we are talking about the high risk industries like oil industries and mining industries where uh machines can actually help to save the lives of workers where companies don't have to worry about providing oxygen for robots or machines


and when we don't have to worry about such a high rate of loss of life when it comes to , spillage in an oil rig or something like that so yes this is something that I acknowledge but the oil and the mining industry is just a small proportion of the number of industries uh that people are working in and uh I personally


believe that the workers who choose to go into the oil and gas or the mining industry they do so for a reason, , given that their jobs are considered slightly more high-risk, , of course I know that there are workers who are not


paid uh high enough, but there are also people who are being picked, very well to take this risk to be away from their families, and the salaries the remuneration that they bring home


, are the, uh is what keeps their families going is what puts, food on their tables, , even for those who are probably not getting as much as they should be getting whatever that they're getting is also what is uh used to put food on the tables for their families so


, oil and mining is just one part of it, , but still my point about the other industries like accounting industries or even receptionists uh computer support specialist right all these are jobs that require certain skill set


and, when machines take over, companies find it more profitable because they don't need to worry about , people taking leave or giving medical benefits uh holidays they they might not even need to pay so much on rental have air-con you know so companies they save a lot and because of that


more and more companies will choose, machinery to take over the human workforce, and therefore these machineries are really really making jobs obsolete and if we look at the number of industries that cannot be replaced by machinery


I don't think that there are many because there are a lot of things that can be done not even, by special machines but in fact there're so many things that can be done just via using your computer that, can be facilitated by an auto reply and online payment schemes that don't need a person to really sit there and facilitate this entire transaction and that again is profitable for a company so then it will make that particular job uh obsolete as well so I think that the point of uh machines making humans and uh jobs obsolete is still


there is still a valid point and, just because it saves some lives in oil and mining it still doesn't, uh, give any excuse for the fact that machines really make jobs obsolete


okay yes of course uh I acknowledge that , jobs are being created in one way while jobs are also being lost in another way I think maybe because machine itself is a very wide uh


scope in a very wide thing that we are describing there are small machines that we are talking about that Apple sells like mobile phones uh tablets computers, , and of course jobs are being created to sell those


but there are also , bigger machineries that we are talking about like robots you know that ah , all created under the artificial intelligence, , so for example in singapore let's say HDB hub right for example they have a cleaning robot


to sanitize the area uh on a very very regular basis , while that, is uh probably a good thing given the current COVID situation it took away one cleaning job


, and who are the people who usually pick up these cleaning jobs, much as we, like or don't like it right majority of them are always the elderly the aging population, and do these aging aged people do they know how to use these machines and these robots right so


firstly their jobs are being taken away because, a robot can clean probably cleaner faster much less maintenance no health problems nothing like that, , but on the other hand


what happens to that person who was once a cleaner that is now being taken over by this uh AI by this cleaning robot right so, the cleaner probably would not have the knowledge to


maintain the robot if not he or she probably wouldn't be a cleaner they would be an inventor instead, so in that way, at that scope that we are looking at, the robots the machines are definitely making jobs and the human uh obsolete


, but of course if we are looking at small machineries that you are talking about uh you know that need to be sold in the market that need to be sold in retail shop, , then of course there are some jobs created over there, , but on the other hand there are those


bigger jobs that are being taken away and of course in a nice way to put it parents you know , YOLO YOLO teenagers young people youth who are looking at flexibility to work who are looking to work from home the nice way is that okay now there is a machine to do your job for you you just need to do fifty per cent of your job so that sounds nice


, but, there is a consequence isn't it because, then, the income that they bring home, would not be the hundred per cent income that they used to bring when they were working, full force at the office so


that again has an impact uh on the entire society and that is an impact, that was being made because of the introduction uh of machines and artificial intelligence


so to summarise this discussion, I do think that uh machines, they are making a human's and uh job, obsolete, and uh while there are creation of other jobs as well it's still doesn't deny the fact that jobs are being taken away


alright


part three debate topic three


okay euthanasia should be legalized so I think before we discuss whether or not it should or shouldn't be legalized maybe we should understand exactly you know what is euthanasia so according to oxford dictionaries it is the painless killing of


someone suffering from a painful, disease or irreversible coma or an incurable disease, it is a a method of intentionally ending a life, okay , and this is the reason why uh I feel that euthanasia should be legalized because


firstly , dying is not a crime you people have, the right to live of course and people also have the right to decide that they don't want to live anymore, and I think more often than not


uh most people who are in the situation of, whether they should , choose to be, euthanized or not are people who are in pain , or people who are, suffering a prolonged medical conditions


and as long as there is a medical condition uh maybe they are being attached to life support these things cost a lot of money and it's either cost to the patient or to the patient's direct family


and I think, the amount that such medical necessities can add up to is really very hefty, it's not something that everybody might be able to afford this might be a reason why people choose uh to be euthanized


and also , it is not immoral right I mean euthanasia is not something that violates, any laws or any uh moral


rights or you know does any infringement or anything like that it is not murder you know it is something that uh, it's a choice right the patient or the patient's family decides that they want this to be implemented for the best of everyone for the best of the patient


of course there is a small very small percentage of, people who, have , uh been euthanized without their approval, uh without them saying yes I want to die


and the reason why they didn't have a chance to say ah yes I want to die is because they're probably already in a vegetative state, and for them to come around for them to get out of the state that they are in, the possibility is very very thin there is a very very only a very slight chance


so even if we put this situation in if we put ourselves, in that situation in that shoes, I think that a lot of us might, also choose euthanasia as a solution to end (ppc)


to end the suffering of a loved one , to end the, never ending medical costs, that has been accumulated, and even personally, you know me being in a very good state of mind everything is well so far


I might just give the instruction that if anything were to happen to me I do want to be euthanized I don't want to be lying there I don't want you to wait until the the miraculous day that I can wake up, uh yeah so I think that yes it should be legalized because people should be given the right to choose whether they want to continue to live or whether they don't want to live anymore


(ppc)


sorry hang on ah I cannot hear anything, sorry hang on hang on I cannot hear anything , that gives a testimony, hang hang on hang on I cannot okay okay wait ah hang on I I must disconnect for a while


uh okay can you hear me, okay okay ya please continue sorry,


okay so summarising bryan's very strong point that euthanasia should not be legalized , uh I definitely agree of course you know that there are ways to avoid ending your life especially when the government like the netherlands government is trying to uh further improve their medical system to help people


recover from any illnesses you know things like that and also that , we don't want people in the society to feel that oh okay you can end your life anytime you like, it's not an issue you know, I I completely acknowledge and I understand that uh but still the thing is if we were talking about somebody who wanted to end their life


don't you think that, whether or not there is euthanasia or, whatever asia that was available or even if there was nothing available they would still find a way, to end their life so


there are things like uh, you know people jumping off suicide bridge people people going in in japan going to what, uh suicide forest, to just to end their lives, this, creates a lot of unnecessary speculations about haunted areas it creates a lot of unnecessary


uh work for people , who you know, if if your family member was to choose to end their life would you want them to, go through a process like


euthanasia you know they having injection and then just going away peacefully or would you rather them struggle until their very last breath or would you rather them you know, jump off a tall building and disfigure their entire selves even in the last


moment of their lives, so I think because of that euthanasia should be legalized, really just to save everyone , the trouble of


uh going through the unexpected, if somebody was to choose euthanasia, for example me I will have the opportunity and the time to prepare my family for it


to, explain my decision, to at least to say my what I want to say and at least they know and they expect that okay this is going to happen to me, rather than everybody just


waiting for the unexpected to happen and when it happens nobody is prepared, so euthanasia again saves a lot of that , trauma that a family has to go through saves a lot of uh, cost right because even if the government was going to improve their healthcare system the medical system none of that is going to come for free


and if medical cost is one of the reasons why a family wants to end , the suffering then whether or not you have a miraculous cure to that sickness will not change their mind that they want the life to end because they will not be able to afford any treatment that is going to be introduced


and talking about world war two, if I was in that situation in world war two, I would also want to die so I guess it's also, it's , , if you have to take into consideration the


, yes the circumstances of the time that environment what is the person undergoing, but of course that doesn't discount the fact that there are all those act smart people that want to try such things and and just want to end their lives for nothing you know just to be cool and if that is their decision because it's cool to die under euthanasia then


at the end of the day at least they died happy, yes over to you


part one debate topic one, so this is the part where we gather our thoughts right


okay, ya he's shaking his head


okay uh so adeline uh I just want to summarize what you what you've just uh proposed so


, uh basically you you feel that, uh you know technology creates more problems, and uh one of the main one of your main point of view is that uh it's it's through the use of mobile phones where you feel that uh, by how to say


with with with the introduction of mobile phones in our daily lives it actually does more harm than good uh because you feel that, it invades people's privacy and not only that , how do I put it if uh, if if someone does something wrong uh they can be socially shamed


uh very quickly uh due to the the the speed that information uh you know is uh, it's can can be transmitted lah through the use of technology uh am am I correct, uh at the same time


uh I I do acknowledge your your your proposition here okay uh but at the same time, uh one of the points that you mentioned uh about accidents happening ah uh I think we both have to agree here that, err through the use of mobile phones err lives have err indeed been saved lah okay and uh this is because uh you know previously


, you know uh when people were not so well connected you know when when things happened uh maybe they couldn't get help easily, , uh you know and uh with with the use of mobile phones now you know especially with the iphone you know if you are in an emergency uh there's actually a a a a button where


you know your medical information can be displayed without anybody unlocking your phone so this means that you know since we always have our phones with us we will always have some form of uh identification you know if let's say uh you were hit by a car and you have your mobile phone with you, , you know somebody can just well kind of look at your mobile phone and from there uh identify your next of kin you know so that they can be informed uh of your I I personally think that that's a


that's a very key uh benefit on mobile phones there, , uh but in addition to that, , you you mentioned one more point okay uh about invasion of uh privacy, uh you know uh especially uh about the part where we socially shame people I think with


with respect to this uh I I do agree that uh your your point does uh you know does, provide some substance there but if we look at the advantages of how you know mobile phones actually help, help in in this case right


what I would actually, uh my my counter argument to this right is that, with the mobile phone being with you all the time okay, uh yes of course uh your people say they can invade you know on your


uh you know they can like eavesdrop you know on your conversation then things like that but at the same time, if let's say uh if we we if we take an example of uh let's say, very typical singaporean problem adultery okay then uh you know with the with the mobile phone is always with the with the male or female and then uh you know let's say uh


you know they're they're trying to catch the spouse for cheating one of the best ways to do that is actually to uh it's actually through the mobile phone okay and these days uh it is very true okay that let's say uh if I suspect my wife that she's cheating, uh if I can take her mobile phone for just one hour and pass it to uh to some to this uh company that does like uh how to say


a back like does like capturing of whatever happens on the mobile phone then if I give the her back the phone without her knowing this and she does whatever nonsense that she does, , whatever evidence that I get from there can be used as very substantial evidence in court to prove that you know she has uh you know been unfaithful in in the marriage and this is actually something that


, you know previously we know without the use of mobile phones, you know if in in situations like this you know will be very hard to provide evidence but now, , you know with this so called there is actually an advantage to to invasion of privacy and uh these are just some of my thoughts to


to uh uh uh counter but what you have purposed ya do let me know what you think


!wah! I do think that you present some uh very very uh logical points there especially with the part of uh the internet and how you know is the internet uh, uh is is it is it a a good or bad thing, uh I I would like to draw attention to the point where you mentioned that


the the the use of uh the dark web lah okay and of course we all of us know that a lot of very illegal and uh, sadly, you know very abusive things uh happen on the internet, but at the same time


we do need to look at uh some of the advantages of the internet then and how it it's it is actually uh, uh how how it has actually brought uh you know, uh more well uh, it has actually uplifted uh you know us as a human race and one of the main things that I find which is really you know the the best thing about the internet


uh it's education, okay and uh of course in this case education can come in all forms but, in this case , you know, , without the internet okay, uh I feel, uh you know especially with COVID nineteen situation around that uh it would've been very very difficult for people to to study


okay as well as to so called continue going to school, okay and uh of course we we don't want education system to stop and uh we have to agree here that uh you know with with the internet it has allowed for you know a lot of uh all these online learning for the students and


to it will be really really difficult to hand in assignments you know uh and and all those things if we did not have the internet in fact you know if we didn't have the internet it would have it would have completely , you know in terms of uh, uh education during this time it would have come to a to a complete standstill ah


okay, , apart from that , also since you know uh being bringing it back to to us being in the COVID nineteen world uh we have to agree that the internet uh has brought us a lot of entertainment okay so of course we have all our movies uh our online gaming our Netflix all that and you know that's really something that you know we at at at present we really cannot imagine you know a world uh without all these you know Netflix and and social media and all these stuff like that


, uh another advantage that I would like to point out about the internet is uh is communication okay so, the internet has allowed for, communication to be done, uh almost for free uh at any part of the world and this is something that would have been thought of as impossible you know uh five to ten years before because


uh quite simply you know back then we only had like those uh, like two or, two or three uh what do I put it ah, , two or three, uh three three G uh networks where you have to pay like you know a ridiculous amount of money uh every minute so I do think that you know not only has the internet allowed for people to communicate but it's has allowed us to done it uh it has allowed us to do it at a at a very cheap and uh reasonable price


uh and the last thing that I would like to to bring about okay for the internet right is that, uh, I do agree that you know people have been cheated you know and scammed on the internet uh but at the same time uh we also we can also agree that uh with the internet


a lot of people have also made a lot of money and uh it has actually brought uh you know of course it's debatable whether it has brought more people out of poverty or back into poverty but, , I do believe that the internet has on its own, uh has become a very effective platform uh for uh what is it


for income inequality to balance out okay so for example, , you know someone can just uh, sell things you know on uh those Alibaba Lazada all these, okay uh back to you


!oops!


uh hello, okay ya so uh ya as I was saying uh everything is good right, let me just check ya everything is good okay ya as I was saying uh about my point of uh the the redistribution of income inequality


the point that I made was on uh Lazada and uh all these Alibaba and this has really allowed, , you know for people at any part of the world uh who, possibly did not have any access to income, , uh to actually now, , you know with the internet find new ways for them to to earn money ya


yeah that that's my counter argument


(ppc)


like like stop stop on the phone or or, so I I stop the phone ah


okay, part two debate topic two


uh I I do agree with you that machines have actually made uh some jobs uh obsolete but in this case one of the points that uh I'd like to bring across that you know it's actually a this is actually a good thing okay is that , if we look at one of the most uh dangerous industries


to work in this world okay I would like to bring our attention to uh the oil industry as well as the mining industry kay so when we look at how uh automation is helping the oil industry right basically uh on an oil rig usually is very dangerous kay because uh you know there's oil everywhere you can set fire very easily


and not only that uh in an oil rig usually if uh if workers work there okay they are called uh uh five four workers fly in fly out and basically they are flown in for like three months and then fly out so they they don't get to see their family for three months so if we were to automate


the jobs of uh you know these people in the oil industries right uh I personally feel okay that , it will help to reduce the loss of life, okay and uh because it's really very dangerous to work on an on an oil rig and uh not only that you know especially with the part where you know people cannot see their families for three months there's actually quite a degree of a forced and human uh what is it uh like forced labour and human trafficking


kay involved in the oil industry and uh you know with machines taking over you know part of the oil processing on these rigs uh I do feel that there's less room for uh any loss of life or any uh human trafficking to take place kay, the second thing about uh you know uh machines taking over jobs uh is another industry which I mentioned uh was the mining industry so uh with the mining industry what happens is that


uh you know the miners they will go into a tunnel and when they go inside the tunnel usually they are not afraid of you know things collapsing but one of the biggest problems uh that causes loss of life in these tunnels is actually the lack of oxygen kay because uh they have to go very very deep inside these tunnels to to you know uh


mine out whatever minerals there are and usually there's a oxygen uh supply that will follow them okay and uh in many cases uh a rock or something would drop, on this err on on this tube and that will cause the oxygen to uh not be able to flow to to these workers and and that's how they die okay and uh another thing of course is that the deeper these miners go into the tunnels the more toxic gases that are inside and uh you know this is why


if we were to have uh you know a lot many many times we have like robots okay that are controlled by by humans you know and uh they can go in you know do the mining instead and uh they don't have to worry about the robots you know uh having like uh no oxygen or breathing in you know dangerous gases and all these so in that sense


you know I I I do feel that uh yes although some jobs are lost okay but uh you know if we lose a life uh is is nothing compared to uh losing a job lah, yeah that that's my point of view there


uh I I just want to provide some uh statistics here okay that , that actually proved my point okay so I want to bring out a article to uh this article from a Fox website okay and, basically the title of this article is you know artificial intelligence to create fifty eight million jobs by twenty twenty two kay so according to the uh world economic forum right uh the uh when they did a study on the future of jobs uh they identified that


uh by twenty twenty two right okay , you know we were seventy five million jobs okay uh will be lost, because of technology kay but at the same time uh one hundred and thirty three million jobs will actually be created, okay uh due to the to the introduction uh of technology and you know we we look at losing and we look at winning and you know this is actually you know a very positive uh net net growth okay because uh what the world economic forum is predicting right is that


uh there will actually be a major shift okay with regard to the uh permanency uh of these uh jobs and a lot of companies are you know they're really expecting to to to reduce it, uh a lot of those uh layman jobs and actually bring in uh you know these uh new jobs which uh technology requires now I'm just going to give uh some examples okay of uh new jobs uh that have been created okay uh as a result of uh this uh


uh this automation and uh technology okay the first is uh of course social media kay so with social media, we have uh a lot of new jobs coming out that previously didn't exist uh five or ten years ago so some examples of jobs related to social media is uh like those uh social media marketers you know especially with the rise of this new culture


called digital nomads we do have you know a lot of people that have been able to to so called work on the go you know they can actually travel to to wherever they want you know meet their own personal needs uh and at the same, time uh still maintain an income from a job that doesn't require them to to be in an be in an office kay uh another job you know that uh we have that has seen uh creation okay with regard to machines uh it's actually web developers so for web developers basically you know they they build websites


uh through coding uh as well as HTML and these are things that and these are jobs you know once again that uh previously didn't exist you know and they are jobs that actually offer a lot of flexibility so, you know if you are a a parent you know or if you are taking care of other people you know et cetera and you cannot work fixed hours you know these are the kind of contract jobs that actually allow you you know to work uh you know pretty much uh in your own timing okay


but bringing it back to the fact right that with with this kind of machines taking over a lot of jobs right we always assume that these machines will takeover layman jobs correct like our miners uh et cetera however, what one of the good things about this right is that with


the rise of these uh you know automation and you know people losing jobs, we do have people in the retail industry, uh you know uh actually getting more jobs and one of the best examples of these uh is the opening of those uh Apple shops uh as well as the uh you know all these Xiaomi shops right you know when when we open one shop to sell this kind of technology we need to hire a lot of people to be you know those uh sales representative and that really does on its own


uh create uh a lot of jobs okay and uh back to the problem about Apple as well there's one more job uh that is very very high in demand and that is an app developer okay so , and these days uh we know we all know that uh apps on our phones uh you know they're big things and uh with the you know with with machines you know on the rise you know it has actually


paved the way for for this uh new jobs where you know we hear of of a lot of stories where you know uh teenagers become millionaires uh you know uh people that design like one app and they become millionaires and those are very very true things because, you know you you you don't not that you don't need a lot of skill to to you know uh write an app but we both have to agree here that you know these things would not be possible you know if uh you know there were some people that lost their jobs elsewhere so that you know these jobs can actually be more relevant uh in our current day ya


, uh part three debate topic three


okay


so I I just want to summarise uh your points uh, basically you mentioned that, you know people should be given the the right to to decide you know I mean after all uh it is their own life, uh they should be given the choice to decide whether they want to live or whether they they don't want to and uh you know it


it should not mean anything to anyone lah correct like I mean it's it's my life not yours but at the same time, euthanasia on its own right uh it has also brought about a a lot of uh speculation and uh a lot of problems and one of the main problems right that euthanasia has brought about is not so much the the patient okay or victim in that sense


but it's actually the idea uh behind uh what we call euthanasia tourism okay and when we look at uh euthanasia, uh tourism might basically, you know this this kind of thing is is very popular right correct like euthanasia and


there are countries in the world and and tour operators uh in the world where actually they profit you know so they they bring people and they and they visit you know uh where these uh euthanasia things uh you know have uh take place lah, okay and you know this is something that we feel that people shouldn't monetize okay but at the same time you know with a with demand there is supply and uh there's actually


you know uh an increasing amount of these err tours related or rather focused on euthanasia uh which is why uh you know I feel very strongly, that uh we should not allow this uh euthanasia to to take place uh another thing about euthanasia is


it, it gives people the uh you know it it it changes the the public conscience okay because when euthanasia is if okay uh uh euthanasia is uh legal okay and accepted, uh one of the things that it does is you know people think of it as oh is a norm you know it's okay for people to


to, to end their life and this is something that uh we see it happened uh back in world war two okay uh in in germany so what happened was , you you know that you know in world war in world war two the the germans they killed a lot of uh you know killed a lot of people and a lot of the so called people in charge of killing people uh were actually doctors okay so we're talking about educated people you know that


that that do this euthanasia because you know it it it got so common back then that it just became a norm you know so at the start you know of course you know people were, they were very you know doctors were very unhappy like oh why are we doing this but you know uh over time you know as euthanasia happened more and more uh in uh in nazi germany uh the conscience of uh people started to fade away you know and before we knew it you know in a matter of years we we had


millions of people being put to death in in germany simply because uh you know public conscience changed and people just thought that oh it's okay for them to die because you know it's been going on so long so uh why not we just you know, we just uh you know let it go kay so there's actually a testimony okay from uh sadly one of the


ya ya, yup yup, ya so uh ya so there was a testimony okay uh from a medic in uh germany who was actually responsible okay for a lot of uh well he sadly he he killed a lot of people okay uh not like


uh violently but you know through euthanasia and he says here that my underlying motive okay was the desire to help individuals who could not help themselves okay and that's actually a good thing because the intention is good, okay he wanted to help people however okay he he he did also add okay that uh he did not think that what he was doing was unethical or immoral kay so what it means is that


he did it so often that at the start he felt some rejection towards the cause but as time went by, uh it was a norm lah okay and we do not want uh you know people in society to think that oh it's okay to to end your life like this your life is you know it's uh it it's yours yes but


you know you can do whatever you want with it and ending it is totally up to you no we we do not want to promote you know uh such thoughts because uh once we we demonstrate that you know it's okay to do it without feeling guilty, then, well there's a chance that you know things can go out of hand and you know we we did see a a massive loss of uh life uh in in this case uh that that I brought it up uh another reason why


uh you know I I do not think that uh this uh euthanasia should be legalized okay is uh the idea of uh alternative treatment kay so you did you did bring about an argument you know where uh if someone is sick uh you know beyond curing, uh you know they should just end their life you know and maybe save on medical bills uh you know and et cetera et cetera but


there is a substantial evidence uh these days to prove that uh voluntary uh euthanasia uh is actually unnecessary okay because uh alternative treatments uh exist okay in which case


in uh in netherlands okay where euthanasia is uh well sadly uh accepted kay so a lot of people fly to netherlands to to do this okay because over there it's completely legal , what happens is that, because of this right


, a lot of people go there okay and this is because you know their facilities there okay uh but to add on to this right right now what's happening in the netherlands is that the government is okay trying to put uh a lot of effort into uh bettering their healthcare


so that there is really a very very strong uh argument as to you know why must you end your life when there's ample uh you know healthcare services to actually prolong it, ya


, very good, circumstances of the time


kay now on the question of whether they die happy or not ah okay, I I I do think that, err in most cases okay euthanasia is not, err how to say ah it's not, the choice of the of the patient okay and uh it is because usually a patient that uh is is going for this kind of treatment they're under terminal illness and to some extent right they are not the ones that make the decision of whether or not they are euthanized or not in which case they are actually the victims okay so


the the patient itself right because of whatever symptom that they're suffering right usually they can be suffering from depression, okay and uh when a when a person is suffering from depression uh he or she uh you know makes decisions that are not objective about their situation and this is actually proven okay from people that managed these patients and


when people are suffering from depression they usually have you know a false sense of worthlessness so they're not really thinking straight you know when they decide to end their life and so because of this right, the decision making, okay by by these patients uh can be affected you know by things like you know uh confusion dementia you know things like these and they may just say like you know let me die because


!wow! that's that's pretty much the only thing they know how to say and at that time you know so, therefore the the decision you know should not be given to to people like like them you know because, they're not in the right state of mind to make it and at the same time okay of course we can say that okay the family can decide to euthanize them in that case then


aren't the family the murderers instead I mean, we we have many elderly people correct you know who feel that uh they are a a huge burden to their family uh they feel that they're a burden to their care to their carers uh as well as society and because of this you know they


they they they want to die okay elderly people, but, you know in this case they're already you know under a cloud of uh of depression uh of self worthlessness that in my opinion they're just simply not in the right state of mind, uh you know for them to make a decision about whether they should uh end their life or not you know at the same time if you're elderly person and you know you you you ask your family to do it for you


and well if your family says yes, then in my opinion they're, probably not really your family lah because that that doesn't exactly, reflect well on them, yeah that that's that's what I think


prompt one dash four, part one debate topic one


I have to disagree with what you say, although I understand they use what you have mentioned, something may be nice to you but something may not be nice to another person however you could interpret this in a very different perspective


so value in art has various meanings, you could have two different colours or styles, which appear completely different, in terms of like their look, but they have exactly the same value


in this way value can be interpreted as something else like if you think from another perspective an art piece may not express emotions or be valuable to person A but it may be valuable


and sentimental to person B, so this doesn't mean that, that piece of art, is less of a value, to one person however it means that this particular art piece is equally valuable in line with any other art piece


so maybe this person don't like this piece of art but another person will like the exact same piece of art, hence, this piece of art still has its own value


okay I have to disagree with what you say, like what you say you mentioned that most asian countries thinks that graffiti is a sign of rebellion however we are actually drifting away from this kind of traditional mindset


not only that we also have to understand that arts and culture has a wider and more measurable impact on our economy health and wellbeing as well as society and education, it is important that we recognise this impact that art in general has equal value


and it is also used as a strategic uh national resource, so art actually influenced the society by changing opinions, instill values, translating experience across time


and also research has shown that art affects the fundamental sense of self, painting sculpture music literature and all the other arts that you can name, are often considered, like a society collective memory


it preserve what is base in the historical records, that, it felt like it exists at that particular time so is able to convey with the receiver, so although different people may experience different feelings and instill different values an art is still valuable and of equal value in his own way in communicating to the receiver


hence there's no way you could say that one piece of art is more superior over another piece


okay, to add on my point I will just like to say that researcher has also been interested in the relationship between art and human brain human brain so this is from a research from newcastle university in the year twenty thirteen they actually found viewing contemporary visual arts had


positive effects on personal lives or of nursing home bound elders, so it means that, whatever that they show them it has a positive impact on their brain, so this goes to show that every piece of art is able to impact every individual regardless of how it looks or how it feels to different individual


hence I believe that the art piece itself has preserved, an equal value each art piece


okay I understand where you are coming from we are trying to say that uh if two person were to see this piece of art some someone may like it and another person may not like it however if you think from another perspective think of yourself as the art piece, so some people may like you and some people may not like you however this doesn't mean that those people that do not however this does not mean that if one party do not like you the others wouldn't like you


so I believe that the art piece itself has still, values, inside and I believe that it is of equal value, because you cannot say that oh this art piece is better than another art piece, this might just be your own prospect uh perception but might not be


what is coming of another person


I beg to defer what you have said like what you have mention you actually say that science students may not like or may not value art as much as a art student however this is not true like what you have mentioned earlier art can be in different forms like it could be arts in dance arts in music or playing it uh musical instrument so this doesn't mean that those students who choose like uh art stream


doesn't go into uh, like if they like humanities and art did it doesn't mean that they wouldn't join CCAs outside of their curriculum like dance as well as choir and all these, so you could not say that they value art differently just because they are in a science stream


because I believe that they actually have like cross, , they actually err, they they are they actually like like those science students they might actually join art CCA while those arts students my actually join CCAs that is outside of art


so I believe that art is of a equal value because no matter who views that piece of art the art itself is something that is of a value


okay I will just like to sum up the debate by saying that, I believe that art is of an equal value because every piece of art impacts every individual in different ways, which makes it


valuable, regardless of how it looks or the styles or the colour


prompt two dash four part two debate topic two


no I would like to oppose to what you have said and I believe that fantasy books and films are just an escape from realities, so for example fantasy books and films such as fairy tales are very different from reality so generally people who read these books at all watch these fantasy films already know that is fictional


I believe most people have heard this saying before reality is nothing like a fairy tale, right take for example cinderella, so cinderella live with her stepmother and two step sister and had to work hard all day long


she had to cook meals wash the dishes take care of her stepmother and also her stepsister, however one lucky day the prince was inviting all the young ladies in town to attend a ball and poor cinderella was forbidden to attend this she cried in the backyard and all of a sudden a fairy godmother appeared


made her a pretty gown a beautiful carriage driver and horses, if it when she's at the ball, the prince falls in love with her immediately and they lived happily ever after


yup so I would like to say have this kind of similar occurrence happen to before have you ever heard of it happening in real life or have you heard of this happening to like your family members or like friends , because this successful transformation from a cinderella to a princess is not going to happen in reality you are not going to lose a heel one day or losers slipper in a shopping mall and then find a prince knocking on your door to find you


hence story like this is not problem solving like what you have mentioned, I believe that it is just an escape from reality that we all know it will not happen in real life


okay I agree to your point to a certain extent you mention that how unity is strength in adventures and also marvel superheroes , and also it like what you mentioned earlier guard guardians of the galaxy where they actually uses superpower to help to deal with issues and this can be used in real life however


although it teaches us some values this, super power are all fictional, we are not going to be able to fly we're not going to be able, to uh attack monsters aliens, so I believe that fairy tales and stories fairy tales stories fantasy stories films are more towards an escape from reality


so fantasy stories and films actually received many criticism leveled because they are, actually a poor model, for people to think that life is going to be all sweet and organised


because, they are actually a very poor model for women when it comes to real life relationship, all that fairy tale nonsense the detractor say will actually be one more are wrong things from their partner if you were to say that fantasy is more than an escape from the reality


fantasy books and films do not provide an all rounder view on actual relationship take for example which of fairy tale books have you read that they actually shows divorces or abusers or arguments


they do don't show all these they only show all the things that are sweet and nice take for example rapunzel she's being she's being ah held out in a castle for many years by her stepmother, however it doesn't really show like how does the stepmother abuse her but instead it shows that the stepmother actually loved her too much that's why


she didn't want her to be anyone else and it doesn't reflect any uh fairy tale people having divorce and all that uh or arguments like daily arguments with their partners hence these stories are just literature I feel and an escape from reality


after all fairy tales or just what the world once but the hard cold truth is that is never going to be true, ok


I acknowledge that they are fantasy films and stories, that have characters across various race or religion, but this is just to entice the viewers from all around the world especially to entice those with different race to watch the film this is to generate more profit for the filmmakers after all such firms main goal is to provide an escape for reality


and for viewers to watch something or read something that is almost impossible to happen in reality, for example if one really wants to learn more about the importance of multiculturalism then documentaries and news reporting would provide better information even like tour agents travel agents


or basically just visiting another country can give you more about uh can let you learn more about multiculturalism rather than, fantasy films because as the word fantasy would suggest everything is fictional and nothing is real


so the values being taught in these firms, you don't know whether you can actually apply in real life or not, what they are trying to bring across may not be what you try you are trying to learn from it


that's why a fantasy films are merely existing to give an audience a platform to watch what is impossible in real life so they can enjoy in the cinema but when they leave the cinema they know that this is not going to happen in their life at least not this lifetime


yes I agree with you to a certain extent that if the viewer actually go deep in depth to a fantasy film or books they can actually understand the hidden meaning behind it, it may not be talking about the superpower where they could not get but it may be dealing with the real life issue and how they can apply with


into their life, if they are if they are willing and if they are if they understand and are willing to do that and explore deeper into the film, I believe that it is more than an escaped from reality but most of the time people just watch the books and the films and then go to their partner and say that


uh why are you not like this is is different from the prince that I saw in blah blah blah blah so I believe that most people are just there watching the firms and reading the stories, from at for an escape because they know that it's not going to happen


so they actually already know that is fictional


okay to sum up my stand I would like to say that fantasy books and films are very different from reality and people who read or watch these films actually know that it is fictional


because reality is nothing like a fairy tale, there is no problem solving if you do not go deeper and understand what the story is trying to say, so I believe that these stories are just literature and an escape from reality


and also I would like to end off by saying that, people who really want to know the importance of values or importance of a certain uh topic can just watch or get better information from documentaries or news reporting or online they don't have to resort


to watching fantasy films to learn these kind of values where they can learn it better elsewhere


prompt three dash four debate topic three


okay, no I oppose to what you have mentioned, I believe that the arts in our society should also focus on foreign talent, focusing on foreign talents who have necessary expertise and connections will create a platform for future local


artist to leverage on, and to develop, their own artistic potential, many of the local artist actually likes to venture overseas, or even uh surround themselves with foreign artists foreign talents


to learn from each other, so many global cities have already established their own niche area in the art scene and it is extremely difficult for singapore to break through and carve out a name in this sector without the help of some foreign expertise


furthermore, international collaboration will go a long way in ensuring that singapore makes waves in the art scene, small but impactful ways should be the main objective of singapore in order to attract some attention which can go along way for local art talents


hence I believe that local talents themselves, would like to mix and surround themselves with foreign talent, so that they can learn from one another and make their own arts and own talent more all rounded


okay, yes I agree to a certain extent that local talents should be given a chance to express their work, and I also agree that, you say that foreign producer will never be able to achieve


what local producer for example jack Neo would like to showcase because he himself understand the culture at the framework of the local society the best as compared to any other foreign talents


however this does not mean that we should deprive, talented foreigners, having world renowned foreign talents in the local arts scene will also serve as a pull factor in getting tourists into singapore


and to help to boost our economic performance considering that singapore is heavily dependent on the service and tourism industry, the arts, industry is a huge untapped potential for singapore to develop


and to attain the tourist dollar, singapore has implemented the foreign artistic talent scheme to courage international arts professional to become PR here in order to improve the arts and culture landscape in singapore


I believe or everyone knows that, singapore is not very into the arts culture but we are making a tiny little steps towards that we are trying to make it more, uh we trying to make our society more artistic


more cultural, so that we do not lose that root in us, hence I believe that, getting some foreign talents, will actually help to improve the arts and cultural landscape instead of eliminating them


although local talent should be inside and should be well considered, and should be given a chance to express their work, I believe that for having foreigners, together to work with them, it's also something, that is commendable


okay


yes I agree that singapore should groom their own talent, like what you have said, however, there is also a reason why they are leaving the nation, to pursue art in different countries, this is because they see something that the foreign talent has that singapore hasn't had it yet


hence there are going over to learn, before they come back to singapore this doesn't mean that, they do not want to be in singapore anymore or, is, or things that singapore do not have uh


potential in grooming their own talents, moreover singaporean, are likely to trust a foreign production that has been successful overseas, rather than a local production that they have not heard much about


take for example movies, I believe that, you do know that uh movies films from other country, such as hong kong, japan korea


are very well received, these films are actually successful and singaporeans, are likely to watch them, and also singaporeans in general are very skeptical and conservative hence they do not want to try anything new and would rather go for something that will make their money worth


so a popular foreign production and a sort of the artist is something that is worth it and they can make their dollar's worth they will go for it, so I believe that the whole aim here is not whether singapore is focusing on local or foreign production


rather than using this foreign productions to get singaporeans to be more interested in the art scene, so that local arts will have more recognition in the time to come, in the meantime I believe that you can't deprive talented foreigners from doing what they are good at


and also, singaporeans can learn from them so why not


I would like to stand firm on my stand that although the arts in our society should also focus on local talent, I believe that they should also pay attention to foreign talent, because I believe that focusing on


foreign talents who have the necessary expertise and connections create a, very beneficial platform for future local art talents or existing art challenge to leverage and develop their own artistic potential


as international collaboration, is very important, it goes a long way to help singapore to ensure that it makes waves in the art sector, it is very difficult for singaporeans just singaporeans to break through and carve a name in this sector


because many global cities around the world have already got their own niche and art scene and are really popular with it, so we should take this chance to learn from others be willing to learn from others


and also, personally, I like look ah I like foreign films for also although I still watch local films, I believe that, production good productions they are successful and well known of everyone is talking about it


you will be, willing and more than willing to try it, because you know that at the end of the day your money is going to be worth, so I believe that even if local talents were to travel overseas to learn


from other foreign uh talents and then come back to singapore, to make their own out ah come back, it's going be really good, it also helps those locals who has not been overseas to learn the same fundamental skills that he or she has learnt


so I would like to say that, I believe that although local talents are important, foreign talent should also be considered in the arts, of our society


prompt one slash four part one debate topic one, okay


for the first topic on uh, the debate statement that I mention anything can be considered art, but not all arts is of equal value uh being the proposition I actually have to agree that not all art is of equal value because when we talk about the value of arts and culture to society


we always start with its intrinsic value like how arts and culture can illuminate our inner lives and enrich our emotional world, so we all agree that every individual is different and no one is equal and we all have different emotions needs as as well as wants so there's a saying that goes beauty is always and will always be in the eye of the beholder


and, our decision about the beauty or lack of beauty in a particular work of art is instinctive and natural, in fact, you probably won't even have to make that decision you just either be captivated by a piece of art or you don't so it's either a yes or no


so humans being within the same social context often agree on, what's being, or deemed as beautiful, so we will be we will probably find others close by who will like the same things as we do hence I have to stand firm that anything uh


uh that I have to stand firm that, not all art is of equal value


okay, uh I agree to a certain extent to the point brought up by you, but I have to again reiterate my stance that not all art is of the same value, this is because as different societies places different emphasis on


the different art forms its creates a clears distinct difference between the value of our, for example, in most western countries like, US and australia canada graffiti is a form of artwork


a masterpiece being used to showcase the pride of youth and youth culture, so most of the youth in such societies actually are champion in graffiti and they are very proud of such masterpiece however on the eastern region of the of the world in in the asian nations


graffiti is a sign of rebellion it's a sign of doing illegal uh activity in, in many asian societies, therefore , this clearly distinguishes the value of art in different societies and how


the social structure as well as the upbringing of the local people actually impacts the so called value of art, and how art is being defined in the local context, hence not all art is of equal value as the local society plays a fundamental and crucial role in shaping the art valuation process


however I have to beg to differ that, art in, my sense as well as I guess majority they feel that, art is, a form of communication, so it actually provides people with the different cultures as well with the different times to communicate with each other via


uh, images sounds and stories, so art is often deemed as a vehicle for social change in for example the graffiti example that I've given earlier so it can actually give voice to the politically or socially disenfranchised


so for example a song a film or a novel can actually arose emotions in those who encounter it for example the recent black lives matter uh uh many of the US societies they actually uh transform black lives matter into


art forms to actually empower political change so therefore uh art is not deemed to be equal in value as the perception of people will impact, the valuation of it and one may find a film interesting but another may find it boring so this actually supports the point


that art is, never equal in its value


okay I I actually agree uh to a certain extent to the point that you brought out that the uh the recent research report actually show how art will affect majority of our human mind, and that


at that shows that how art plays a part in, shaping the social issues and the society however I have to disagree that uh by being able to shape each and every ones of our mind


does not equal to, does inculcating a equal value in each of us, uh for example because like what I brought up earlier, uh, a film may seems to be interesting to person A but it may be boring to another person


and this actually supports why certain movies that performed better than, other movies in in terms of the box office performance and again different books will actually have different sales as in they generate different sales


and this is because, person A may not love that book but person B love that book so, all this actually shows or actually produce, reports that, actually show that not all art is of equal value because we tend to have different err


preferences and as well as a different likings so this actually supports that uh not all art is of equal value


maybe for the value uh I would like to elaborate on it because value itself it's a very simple term but actually it bears a lot of different meanings to it, for example it could be monetary value it could be sentimental value so maybe for the example that you brought across earlier or just now it could be something like


more of a sentimental value but, in terms of monetary value I'm I would like to affirm that uh not all art is of the equal value because during like auctions, or like market sales you actually see different art pieces being auction for different prices


and that different people different group of people will actually auction for different masterpieces by shouting a different amount of money and increasing the amount of money as the time goes so this actually shows that different people actually will


err kind of give a different, monetary value to different art forms out in the market today, yup


yeah and another example to actually strengthen my my stance on, art considering, uh considering art not to be uh of equal value is, uh I guess you can actually look at uh, the education system in most countries they actually have


two streams science or art, uh maybe in local, context uh, so different students will actually err rate or value the art differently so for example the science stream students they will definitely feel that


science is of the upper hand and therefore they don't value art, that that important but maybe on the other spectrum, you have, have a group of arts students that actually will will champion on and, and uh


reiterated the importance of art, so this actually goes to show that different people actually once again err value art differently and they value the context of art differently they value, err films they value books and maybe art topics differently as well so I guess this is a society societal issue uh and it draws back


to, our human instinct of, having a choice and, also a human's perception of, arts, so this actually draws back, to to the point that, uh it's true that anything can be considered part because uh as long as I believe uh creativity wise


anything can be art, but, it's up to one to actually decide whether it has the same value uh as compared to another person, in in the same society


like those like


so if to conclude , I have to reaffirm my stance that, art is of uh not all art is of equal value, cause, preference


so by having a choice by having a preference you actually shows that you don't value a same object or same thing in this case art, the same way as another person so uh all in all uh


I have to agree that not all art is of the equal value


prompt zero slash four part two debate topic two


okay for the topic on whether uh can fantasy books and films, offer anything more than escape from reality, so me representing the proposition actually have to say that, uh yes fantasy books and films actually do offer


more than just providing an escape from reality for for us for humans, so because , such a genre of books and films they actually, provide uh an escape from reality for most of us but


on on top of that they actually uh let us to relate our reality problems and actually solve, uh teach us how to solve problems in in actual fact


the superhero movies like, guardians of the galaxy, uh they are very relatable, to, because the superheroes uh in those movies and books


they possess, superpowers which, the human beings may wish to to have, to help us deal with, a real world issue, uh we are dealing with, so in a hopes that it will solve the problem, and we would emerge victorious


as such it's appealing to viewers because, on top of providing just an escape from reality, it actually guides us on, how we tackle, real life issues and, actually


uh guide us on how to actually tackle problems and enhance our problem solving skills, so all in all, uh providing more than just an escape it, what I feel, fantasy books and films actually do to us


okay, so uh with regards to your point that you actually brought up uh there is some, truth to it that it could be, uh a lack of occurrence but however there there isn't a hundred percent elimination of


uh or or evidence to prove that it may not occur so I think it really leaves out to, to fit or or et cetera I guess, however , fantasy books and films do actually offer more than an escape from reality


because, it actually teaches us how, unity is strength, and it actually inculcate this value to the viewers or the readers, so for example, the end game avengers uh


so all the marvel superheroes actually reunited to battle the main villain which is thanos and his group, and so this eventually show showcase how uh, unity will result in victory


and I guess that uh many of us could actually, uh be motivated or actually encouraged by such a concept, or value, uh demonstrated, and that could be demonstrated in reality for example, sports


or for example in, at work whereby one should demonstrate, coordination with your teammate, in order to achieve success as one, so, in uh as such I feel that, uh fantasy books and films they actually


teaches us how to how to actually work together as a team, because most of the movies, fantasy films they actually showcase, how utility strength, uh as as given in an example by avengers


okay, uh okay, okay I would actually take that into account uh the point that you're brought up that, all not all fantasy and fairy tales are, are real are realistic but


but uh back to the point I I would like to say that, uh, it fantasy books and films do actually offer more, than merely an escape from reality because, uh it actually emphasizes on the importance on


racial harmony, racial harmony or actually strengthens the ideology of having peace, between uh multiple cultures and races, so one movie for example will be, the new version of jumanji


uh starring, uh dwayne johnson dwayne johnson is uh half, samoan uh american and kevin hart an african american and jack black, which is a pure white american, so these three characters actually


uh come from different backgrounds and, various places, and in the movie in the fantasy movie of jumanji they would eventually become friends, uh to accomplish a mission together and at the same time they build a strong


friendship a strong camaraderie a strong rapport between them, , but at the same time they actually inculcate values such as, racial harmony to the viewers


okay for the point that you brought up uh you mentioned that, like watching, fantasy firms in cinema it's actually, uh watching something that is impossible to happen, uh so that's a a point that I would agree, ya like, most of the fantasy story lines plots are impossible to occur in real life however


I would actually urge like viewers or actually tell viewers to actually, go in depth, go in depth into the plot to bring out some of the morals or the the values that are actually being, err hidden by the producer the film producer or or the book writer


so the the, it's not just the plot that you you are there to witness, but the values, the hidden values that you have to actually uncover yourself for viewers, so for viewers they have


uh I feel that they have an additional role, in encovering trying to encover such, values for example the the the part that I mentioned about the unity, and its strength, showcased in


avengers as well as how to tackle different problems as shown in, guardians of the galaxy and also, the point of multiculturalism in, jumanji so, so such fantasy films they actually


err have hidden values uh that is very applicable to, to real life, uh when, when ya when you uh you could actually apply those values in real life, as compared to what you say uh


the plot is being unrealistic, so it's not more of the plot but more of the values, hidden behind the plot and that's why I say, uh if you go really in depth fantasy books and films do actually offer more, much more than an escape from reality


yeah I guess to round up the entire debate session uh I have to reaffirm my stance that, fantasy books and films do actually offer more, uh much more than an escape from reality uh, because of the values that are being


brought up into the plot into the story line, the values are very important uh, I guess values are are important in every social context to actually shape how human beings uh, play plays a role in in the society


and by watching such genre of films and books they actually, help human beings to, dream of something that is impossible to happen in, real life, which is to uh provide an escape from reality, but on top of that they actually provide much more values


uh one or, in each individual viewer is going to uh, go in depth and to explore the hidden meanings of such genre books and films, so overall I feel that


uh, fantasy books and films do actually offer more, and they could actually offer much more, they have the potential to to to actually provide more than just an escape from reality


prompt one dash four part three debate topic three


okay with uh with regards to the debate topic of uh that whether the arts in our society should actually focus more on local talent and rather than foreign talent I'm actually in view of this statement that, the arts sector in our society should actually focus more on grooming local talent rather than employing or bringing in more foreign talent


okay so the first point uh yeah it's I totally agree with, that the arts in our society should focus more on, local talent, so uh I quote this statement by our prime minister #lee hsien loong#, uh he actually address the audience of


which is a school art school in singapore, he mention that, our nation would not be complete, without an appreciation of, arts and culture and without the singaporeans who create


artistic and cultural works so, with this statement he actually, has uh, he actually it's with the, idea of bringing uh grooming local talent in the art sector, and governments are actually spending


more money in grooming our local talents and providing them the platform to tap into the local market before venturing overseas, so take singapore for example the art sector it's one of


uh the industry one of the sector that actually make singapore proud of, and, even develop their nationalistic pride surrounding it, for example uh in singapore there is a a young artist award to actually encouraged the development of young artistic talents


and there's the school of the arts SOTA, which is established to actually create, better uh to create, better and to cater for uh the growing of young talent, in arts in singapore


kay again I have to strengthen the point that I feel that, arts in society should actually, focus more towards the the local sector, and instead of being in more foreign talent uh this is because I feel that locals are


actually talented as well and they should be given a voice and platform, to express their works uh otherwise it will lead to a, brain drain eventually, so local talents will be able to add a domestic angle


to productions and actually to cater better to the local audience due to their understanding of local social issues, so the local art production creates this authenticity sentiment to the public and which is the most important factor in nation building so for example in singapore uh there's this movie called Ah boys to men uh by local producer jack Neo


so a it it's a it's a movie that, play with showcases the military uh national service which uh every singaporean male will have to experience, we have to go through uh and or participate and this film actually resonates well across


the multi septic uh multi ethnic society or the multi ethnic society setup of singapore so uh again the movie has a strong sense of national pride and it brings the entire nation together through this


so this what the foreign producer also will not be able to achieve uh due to his lack of due to his or her lack of knowledge on the grounds on a local context and the lack of understanding of the framework of the local society so uh that's why I feel that


uh arts, is a medium that actually could, pull uh, the locals together and, to, uh national pride, so all in all arts in our society should actually focus more


on, the local talent rather than foreign talent


uh yes so uh I do understand your point, however uh more opportunities should be given to our locals so many foreigners are actually uh taking over the jobs, of, locals not only in the arts sector


so, therefore I feel that uh we should be focusing on grooming our own talent or for example or for any other country the government should actually focus more on grooming their local talents


so local talent should be supported to promote the arts landscape in any society, so as we are not strong uh take singapore for example, err as they are not strong in in the arts sector like what you mentioned


the more they have to grow, their local talents to be able to compete with overseas artists so this is to put, prevent them from leaving the country, thinking that there's


actually no opportunity to groom their talent, and but, having to rely on the foreign market, therefore before arts, become totally obsolete in singapore there is a greater need, to promote and groom local talents and not only to rely on foreign talents to drive the local arts


landscape, so if that's uh if that's to happen whereby the local arts industries is totally vanish, then it will be very likely, and has a impact on the local sense on belonging whereby many of us


singaporeans or locals will think that, singapore has, lost its sense of identity, therefore it's very important, I feel to actually maintain, the crowd of local talent in the arts


it's of the proposition I feel that, uh you mention correctly that uh in the local arts or the local consumers, consumer industry the consumer landscape wise uh in singapore we actually do prefer foreign foreign films and foreign productions due to a very weak local


arts sector, and I I guess this is a double edged sword in a way that uh if you continue to bring in more, foreign talent more foreign productions neglecting the local setting then one day eventually the entire local arts sector will just vanished and that's what I


have, mentioned earlier that this will lead to a loss, of, a sense of weak belonging in in singapore and also that the identity in the art sector will be totally gone and singaporeans may start to ponder


that, why the the locals are incapable of competing with the foreigners, therefore therefore there, this comes to a point that there's, a greater emphasis, to actually promote local talent


to to try to, uh at first, before before proposing a competition, err as what you mentioned the local framework in arts is very very weak so therefore there is a greater need to actually bring


the local arts, local artist at one step forward, and this will err, this will actually based on what I feel the government or the local agencies should actually pump in more funds and sponsors to actually


err promote local artists and to provide them an opportunity to actually uh beyond on the international uh level with other foreign talent in arts


, okay is this debate topic one uh how far is recycling the answer to the problem of waste


, okay adding our uh, my as an opposition ah ah what what #gui xiong# has mentioned uh he you did mention that is uh actually


part of the solution to solve the problem of waste uh which I think is the main point of my opposition that I want to cause we are not really targeting the uh issue of


waste itself because no matter what solution we propose forward, uh, recycling is actually uh one of the solution that we have propose but to say that uh it is the answer is actually not correct cause uh many years back I remember


we still have the campaign from the government of uh reduce reuse recycle and recycle is actually at the, uh, end of the chain of this uh target to reduce the uh the waste then so if we're just saying that recycling uh is the answer to the problem of waste uh we're not really targeting the problem itself


so uh at the the first step is actually to uh reduce waste, there are, this reuse if possible and then after that the last step is recycling which I felt that people always think oh I have done my uh part in uh recycling and therefore I'm helping with the problem of uh wastage uh generation


but a lot of people has uh forgot about, reduce and reuse and I contribute that mainly to you know things be getting cheaper, with the advent of uh I don't know purchasing online it makes things it it it reduce people concept of you know uh I'm actually buying more stuff so I'm generating more waste so we're actually not doing our part in reducing


uh or even reusing and actually or I I do believe that uh the, items that we make now


in fact is getting a little bit dirty I shall buy a new one so there's no concept of you know trying to buy one and then make sure it last and that's a part of what we can do for reducing waste ah so


if we just focus on uh saying recycling is the, uh, answer to the problem of waste uh we're not addressing the issue, ya that that's my take on uh I I think that recycling is still it's very very


far away from solving the problem of waste


!huh! I I think #hui xiong# brought up a good point ah uh with regards to the bins in our neighbourhood area so uh I I think that the government or, the authority ah has know that uh recycling is actually not the answer


and, they know that the problem is actually with the mentality of the people and with how the economy is uh driven that we have to generate constantly generate, on this volumes to keep the economy going so uh they cannot emphasize on uh telling people or you you have to reduce uh


your waste or reuse cause in part that will actually tell people to [orh] I actually shouldn't buy so many things I actually should reduce the amount of uh, unnecessary stuff I'm getting so therefore I should not make any purchase but that's not what uh


that's not how the economy is uh driven its a lot of our economies are especially in singapore also ah is driven by purchasing uh you know you have to buy and buy to drive the economy, so I also think that authorities also don't want to drive the fact that you better reduce your uh spending or don't buy so much


to in order to help with the problem of creating waste so they're kind of emphasizing on recycling by putting more bins and uh or recycling bin sorry uh around our neighborhood to at least say we are trying to solve the problem


uh of a lot of waste uh but I don't want you I don't want you to , reduce your buying power but I still want you to be you know in a part where or you feel that you're helping to solve the problem of uh creating waste therefore okay we go reduce the step of reduce and reuse


ah and we go on to recycling which somewhat make people feel, good that they are helping the environment in a way


but, as a singaporean uh I felt that if we don't drive the economy also uh we are not we're killing ourself you know if you don't have an economy uh we simply cannot survive in singapore


singapore has a very good uh waste uh disposal system where they incinerate the waste and then uh send it to #pulau semakau# uh to be uh


buried uh under the sea or uh with a reclaimed land ah that's a very good initiative but that's it doesn't solve the problem at all lah unless we can uh finally address , uh the main issue of trying to reduce and reuse waste


and at the same time drive our economy which is a uh a a million dollar or I I would say a billion dollar question that uh nobody can answer at the moment if there is an answer to that I think the problem of waste is uh


is a long-forgotten issue lah so, uh people has been trying to find the middle ground uh of driving economy and also uh reduce the number of waste that we regenerate ah


, and I I I think you drive a very good point that you mention about the food delivery during the


circuit breaker period, that a lot of people thought that you know uh everyone is uh staying at home and therefore uh the amount of uh waste generated will be lower, but low and behold the amount of waste we generated from all the uh the food packaging is actually three times the amount that we usually generate it is


uh, quite ironic lah to think that you know ah by right a circuit breaker would have cut down on our wastage in some way but somehow or rather it actually went up, that points to the uh problem of the mindset of the people which we don't think about reducing or reusing or trying to save the environment uh


in a way and most of us are so busy with uh our livelihood no we have very little , uh energy left to think about uh saving the environment to when you uh takeaway you should bring your own container and all this that's at the far end of our mind that you know that's something we should do


and I also ah where I then when you mentioned the word mindful ah I think there's a very important keyword lah, to be mindful of your surrounding to be mindful of the environment


thinking about your environment should not be a thought that uh should make you spend more energy to think about it should be at the, back of your mind before you make any decision without you spending enough energy or you thinking that you will feel headache thinking about uh the environmental issue it should be like how we chinese uh brought up uh our children uh filial piety


uh to always take care of our parents uh this at the back of our mind that we should do it you know we you don't have to think about uh, is it a dilemma for me that I have to take care of my parents no it is actually but it should do it lah I don't even have to think about it and then that's the thing I have to do so that's what we what he drive uh at


fair key point lah is to be mindful of environment that such that it's actually a a bag of thoughts that uh, we don't spend energy to think about it we actually naturally come to a decision that we have to reduce and reuse then


lastly uh recycle to reduce the number of waste and also, uh he you mention about money also which is also important ah that we have to drive the economy without sacrificing everything uh we


ah, it it is a billion dollar question ah it it's hard to resolve and I actually don't foresee it being uh resolve in the next few years unless we can, somehow fly to the mars and dumb all our waste up there like what we're doing now


be that the solution to the problem of waste ah but right now recycling is our middle ground uh to solving the problem of wastage


ya okay


start, , start, the claim that the world is too dependent on oil


ah #hui xiong#


uh as an opposition I suppose to, oppose what you say lah but I totally agree with what you said , so uh, is the world too dependent on oil so as a opposition uh


so I am supposed to say is, not too dependent ah, ah, , , okay okay maybe I will go to the history of energy resources ah uh many years back ah uh few centuries back we're all dependent on


trees, as fuel source, to drive everything we do like you know to heat up your water, to, to do almost anything, then uh later on we discover coal


uh that that was the next big thing back then uh its has a higher energy uh, fuel uh, cap tap inside the coal itself, so that was the next big thing after wood


then the next big thing which is what we are currently at now is uh oil, where it has more energy value as compared to coal, uh, I should say that uh where are some of the countries even uh advanced country like china they are still partly dependent on coal


, it's a transition where it will take a fair bit of time and effort from everybody to make the transition, from to be less dependent on coal and move on to oil, so now we're actually in the


mix mid phase of transiting from, uh, uh hydro uh tidal power err wind turbine all these are our next


uh, dependent energy source, so to say that we are too dependent on oil is, not true, uh we are in the transiting phase of changing our energy resources from


oil to uh renewable energy like, wind, water, and all the and solar, but uh the drive for all these renewable energy is a little bit slow I would say or because of uh


uh big corporate company like Shell BP uh, uh, uh, Rio Tinto all these uh big uh ah, multi billion billion or trillion dollar company


have so much power in their in in uh the government sector now uh I I can easily say everywhere, that uh, it makes it hard for us to transit to uh renewable energy


uh to us uh it makes sense lah the energy from uh wind from solar, from uh from hydro all these are, you can forever tap on it, uh it's forever there


but uh somehow, it is so hard to, uh transit from oil to this new advanced uh energy source, that perplexed me uh why it is so difficult


I can only think of [orh] you know all these, big company stopping us from transiting forward to all these new technology, uh so we're not that we are we are we are not that dependent on oil now uh we are making a transition to uh new technology


but is because of all these uh big companies pulling us back to, to say oh actually we are, we are still very dependent on uh, uh, they they they push this mindset to a lot of people


that , you you uh we are still dependent on uh oil, and they make it actually make it cheaper, uh, such that, oil is actually a more economical uh


alternative to renewable energy but we all know that it's not sustainable, uh , in the long run we uh definitely going to run out of oil uh there's no doubt, err we will definitely


come to a point where we will say okay, uh let's stop using oil, know everyone would say oh this not, going well we should totally phase off oil, which is what is happening to coal right now uh coal is still rather cheap but people has been starting to phase it out already


uh, but now we're still in a very, infancy stage of transiting from oil, to renewable energy which will, take another twenty thirty years, until we can make sure that uh renewable energy is actually cheaper than oil


that people would naturally make the switch to uh solar wind or hydro, uh, uh it this is also, quite difficult for , what do you call that again third world country because all these uh


renewable technology uh, but to us it's actually a very back of our mind thought that oh it's very easy to to point, but to a third world country, uh you


where their survival is their utmost important, they wouldn't think about uh, renewable energy ah, firstly whatever is cheapest they will definitely go for it lah ah I don't blame them


uh that's human nature at that survival, uh, secondly advanced technology like solar hydro and wind turbine are not available to them readily, and some of their places uh the climate ah don't allow them to utilize this uh technology


uh actually do you know that uh singapore is actually not that uh, a good place to set up solar power, and and that's because we are, we have so much cloud cover that our solar is actually


not that uh, efficient, so every now and then they have cloud cover then the solar is not generating enough uh energy, to compensate the, uh


I think solar panel is actually not very uh environmental friendly, because it uh you have to go to the forest to dig up the ground to get the raw materials the aluminium frame around it, then the it doesn't last for that long only ten years to fifteen and it's not really


that energy efficient ah the efficiency rate is only about, fifty to twenty percent ah, uh so as compared to oil is, , it still got a bit of a way to go uh, so that's why it's a bit hard to people to step up to take uh renewable energy


uh it I do say that uh, we have no choice ah that we have to, move on, uh and we are to make sure that we are not so dependent on oil


uh we have to make sure that all these renewable tech energy is cheap and readily available for everyone ah, then , so in a way we are not that, we are not that dependent we're already in, we have all the other choices already


it's just that we are, in the phase of moving towards this uh renewable technology, ya that's my thing ah


ah, ya turn a burg ah something ya #greta thunberg#,


ah


ah ya, ,


ah, uh it it's not speculation it's true ,