In the past few weeks we’ve seen the unfolding of the story that is Ris Low. For the uninitiated, it involves a 19-year old winning the title of Miss Singapore-World, her inpromptu interview and the revelation that she does not possess the eloquence expected of someone about to represent the nation on a global stage.
The public reaction was expected. You had those who made fun of her, those who created a Facebook group and those who were just dying to cast the first large boulder.
It didn’t help her cause that she was later found out to have previously committed credit card fraud, and then admitted to having suffered from a bipolar disorder.
But she’s stated that she’s still not throwing in the towel and returning the crown; how it’s been a dream of hers and she’s pursuing it, despite the overwhelming cacophony of voices maliciously denigrating her.
We Singaporeans love to play judge. Somewhere in our “you must grow up to be a lawyer” childhood we have been imprinted with the idea that power lies in the hands of those who do the judging. So we’ve acquired this over-developed ability to judge others. We are quick to deliver scathing remarks, complain if the train is a few minutes late and rant as if the universe owed us a living.
But real power doesn’t lie in judgement. It is easy to play armchair judge on Singapore idol and belittle someone elses’ lack of talent or skill. The contestants will probably tell you that going under the bright lights is a very sobering experience, and you come out of it more humbled and less likely to criticise.
So yes, Ris Low is flawed, and she probably isn’t the first choice we’d pick if we wanted to win the international competition. But I know of so many who have similar problems with diction, and my own past is as chequered as hers. The only difference is that I haven’t had the guts to subject myself to the possibility of failure in pursuit of a dream, however ludicrous others may claim.
I admire Ris for her bravery and I believe that everyone should be given chances to undo the mistakes of their youth and access to support in overcoming their personal adversity. I want my children to be brought up in an environment that believes and embodies these beliefs.
The question before us is not so much whether we will win the Miss World title, but whether we can take this chance to mature as a society and recognise that the fragmentation in society caused by being overly critical and competitive is destroying us from within. And whether we have the guts to bravely look in the mirror and accept the fact that we are all fraught with imperfections, but we are all united in the unfolding story that is Singapore.
Surely the main question is...
"Beauty pageants, why?"
A girl who's in a infantile competition to 'look pretty' should also be articulate always seems an odd conclusion to draw.
So she's pretty and inarticulate. She is competing in Miss Universe, and thus would seem to be in the right place.
I've never understood the idea that a competition that celebrates aesthetics, attempts to legitimise itself in today's world by pretending to be interested in what the girls are saying.
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The idea that she represents Singapore is a bit ridiculous, she represents herself, nothing more.
The most interesting part of the video is that is says more about the feeding of the 'I wanna be famous' bubble by media outlets.
Who? I guess Ris Low a beauty pageant contestant. I thought you meant a risk identification software program. (My management brains talking.)
I think the critics would not act too differently even if she was Miss _(enter country here)_.
We want our beauty pageant (or do they say scholarship program these days?) contestants to be beautiful, brainy, look great in a swimsuit and an evening dress, perform flawlessly in a talent show, speak eloquently and want world peace. Oh, have a clean record and no history of mental illness is probably in there with the kitchen sink.
It's a beauty pageant. Why is it even in the news?
Oops, typo.
"I guess Ris Low *is* a beauty pageant contestant."
So what (if anything) do you think should disqualify someone from participation in such tournaments?
And I don't think "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" - to suggest that she is a victim of circumstance
Agagooga, my own opinion is that Andy and Stormie are correct in pointing out the absurdity of beauty pageants putting on the pretense of being more than skin-deep. If that be the real and only criteria, Ris has the requisite skin, more if metaphorical.
She may not be a victim of circumstance as she knowingly joined the pageant, past and all. But no one should have to suffer the mad mob rage that has been heaped upon her.
No, she is not a victim of circumstance. She is a victim of the reprehensible ugliness that many of us have exhibited. Calculated and intentional, on our part.
Again, I ask: what (if anything) do you think should disqualify someone from participation in such tournaments?
Illiteracy?
Credit Card Fraud?
Shoplifting?
Perjury?
Outrage of modesty?
Rape (though female-on-male rape does not exist under the law in Singapore)?
Murder?
I don't know how many men like a girl who is at least minimally articulate, but pageants are not only about beauty so it's alright to have some weightage on non-aesthetic aspects - after all so much remains on the aesthetic ones!
I agree with trying not to be judgmental – but when one enters a pageant or actually undertake a job related to the public media, he/she should be prepared to endure the very public scrutiny. Every one has a choice.
I don't it was the diction that provoked the responses, it was the quality of answers. Honestly, I don't think people really care about the "Miss World" franchise, but this is still akin to sending a rep from Singapore and telling the world, "okay, this is the best we've got here."
Would you want your children to grow up in a country associated with women answering questions like Ris Low (seriously, it is not the diction)?
Or more importantly, do you want your children to be instilled with values that seem to convey that it is okay to make a mistake, try to hide it and hope nobody will ever notice?
It would have been a very different angle entirely if she had been honest in the very first place. It is up to the organisers whether they would still keep the faith, probably not, but she would at least be able to hold her head up high and be able to answer to herself that she has at least tried.
Everyone has a chequered past, it is only but the extent, but how many would be honest about it.
That being said, I still admire her for having the guts to own up to it now (not that she has much of a choice) and not shy away from the media scrutiny. I would have escaped to some remote island if I were in her shoes.
That still does not mean people can be encouraged to try and hide a mistake and think that they can get away with it. We want our future generations to know that it is okay to make mistakes but learn from them, be responsible for them, because mistakes and the past will always have some way of catching up with us.
I can't say I've read all the articles that have been posted regarding the saga, so correct me if I'm wrong.
1. She said she informed the organisers of her past convictions before she signed the contract to join the pageant.
2. She had already been judged in a court of law and the case is now shut.
If 1 is true, then by the organiser's discretion, she is not disqualified. And if 2 is true, then I would consider her standing restored. Again, correct me if I have my facts wrong.
To answer you Winnie, I would not want to bring my children up in a place where all women are like her, but I see the more immediate and real threat, that I am bringing up my children in a place where it is we do not bat an eyelid if someone is labelled as retarded and accused of having had sexual relations in order to land the plastic crown, solely on the basis on an online interview.
At the end of the day, we're looking at a teen, and I am more willing to concede certain bad decisions to youth than to overlook the malice so many in the online community exhibited.
Agree with you that there are too many judgemental AND malicious people out there (don't think it's just a Singaporean thing though).
And yes, nobody is perfect. But surely, we don't have to flaunt that to the rest of the world, especially in a 'beauty' contest? IMHO, the bad English I could still accept (wince), but the girl has no poise at all (and by that, I mean the natural poise that some people just seem to have, even plain girls).
While I admire her bravery, the nature of pageants is such that people expect the winner to appear perfect and flawless, even thought we all know that they aren't. It's part of the fantasy, the fairy tale, with the whole works meant to help us suspend our disbelief.
But because the fantasy is violated, the reaction is naturally negative. This doesn't just happen in Singapore.
I like the contractual perspective on this. A good issue to delve into might be how much has the contractual obligations changed for famous people in the age of many-to-many broadcasting (social/new media).
"We Singaporeans love to play judge."
Well said. As many more comments surface, I can't help but think this entire episode has developed into an acute case of schadenfreude, with the media being a magnifying glass on arguably an insignificant issue...
The whole Ris Low thing reminds me of the wimps in school who ganged up on other wimps to try to deflect the bullies' attention from themselves. Talking other people down to try to make themselves look better, in the hope of avoiding a beating. Ris Low doesn't speak English any better or worse than the vast majority of Singaporeans. It seems to me to be a spasm of collective self-hatred: criticising people for traits they share with yourself.
As for the criminal record, who cares? That's for a court of law to deal with. And there are enough people going through the courts to ensure that if Singapore disallowed every single person who had had any contact with the legal system from participating in public life, there wouldn't be a whole lot of people to choose from.
In many countries, the turnaround story - from felon to beauty queen - would be celebrated as evidence of the vibrancy and openness of that society. It's a positive, not a negative, and makes Singapore more interesting; unlike the pompous prigs who are queuing up to slaughter her, who are really doing the job of giving Singapore a bad name.