Chicken vs. Egg

According to the "Culture Onion" by Hofstede (1994), people perceive or analyze a culture by looking at certain aspects of a particular culture in this sequence:

1. Artefacts & Products
   Rituals & Behaviors
2. Systems & Institutions
3. Beliefs, Attitudes & Conventions
4. Basic Assumptions & Values

Before I begin, due to the sensitive nature of this post, I would like to first mention that the following comments are merely my humble opinions and that they mean no offense to no party.

All over Singapore, in MRT stations, Government buildings, libraries and shopping centers, we see comic strips called, Chew On It. Below are a few examples of such comic strips:



Honestly, I do not think that Singaporeans are as imbecile or as badly behaved as they are portrayed in these comic strips. Yes, they are created in the name of humor; but it carries with it as well, the puissance of International Communication.

Let's take for example the first comic strip that shows a scene in the library. It's trying to bring across the message of proper behavior in the library. I have to admit there are a handful of people who talk aloud in the library; but do Singaporeans dig their noses and flick the nose-dirt at others? I do not think so. Such exaggerations will leave a deep impression in anybody due to the intensity of the disgust portrayed that causes people to select such information more frequently. The other comic strips are no different.

These comic strips fall under the category of Artefacts in the "Culture Onion". Tourists from all over the world, when visiting our country, will come to notice these comic strips first, some even before they begin to interact with Singaporeans. Bearing these negative notions in their heads, they may tend to make judgments about the locals based on the misconception that they perceived from the comics (that the locals are dumb, lazy, inconsiderate etc.) Most of these tourists do not even stay long enough to begin looking into our Systems and Institutions, thus bringing with them such negative impressions of Singaporeans back to their countries.

What about the effects of these comic strips on Singaporeans? Generally, these comic strips have been used in government campaigns and thus have a significant level of credibility in them. Locals (especially small children who cannot discern right from wrong) ,who see these comics, subconsciously feel that they should behave like this to fit the norm in the Singaporean society; in other words, they believe that such comic strips depicts the reality they live in. Either this, or they may share similar sentiments as I do, that these comics may cause some sort of misconception of Singaporeans.

I agree that comics are meant to be looked at from a humorous perspective, but definitely not one that mocks at our very own morals and behaviors (and I'm dead sure that i don't see Singaporeans flicking nose-dirt into the mouths of others- or maybe i should hang out at the libraries more often?).

Other such forms of media includes some of Singapore's own movie productions that portray Singaporeans as uncouth, uneducated etc. Yes, these films are made to depict "reality", but how real is "real"?

It all boils down to the "Chicken vs. Egg" riddle. Did the media truly portray the image of Singaporeans? Or, did the media portray a "false reality" that Singaporeans slowly adopt as their cultural template? How then can we improve on not sending off the negative signals while reminding the public to be gracious?

*Once again, I must stress that there is no intention to offend.

If you tell us we have to give our lives now, we're ready. (Applause) [Baltimore Sun, 1979.]

On the fateful day of 18 November 1978, 909 members of the Peoples Temple, out of which 276 were children, died in Jonestown due to cyanide poisoning as a means of "revolutionary suicide", under the instructions of Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple.




How is the Peoples Temple a group?

Trenholm defined a group as "a collection of individuals who, as a result of interacting with one another over time, become interdependent, developing shared patterns of behavior and a collective identity."

• the Peoples Temple was established in 1955 and since then the members have been interacting with one another for over a period of about 20 years before moving to Jonestown
• Jonestown was a self-sufficient town thanks to the wide array of specialized skills within its community and thus, everybody became interdependent
• they all had a shared pattern of behavior: all wanted to create and maintain a "socialist utopia" and "sanctuary" away from media's scrutiny
• the collective identity they share: Peoples Temple

Why do the people join the Peoples Temple?

The main reason the members of the Peoples Temple joined the cult is because the Peoples Temple meet the member's interpersonal needs.
These needs, according to William Schutz, are:

1. Need for Inclusion
2. Need for Control
3. Need for Affection

Applying these needs to the case study of the Peoples Temple...

• The members needed to feel a sense of belonging (Need for Inclusion). The cult gave them that. They were made to believe that Jonestown was an utopia and they are all in a revolutionary mission.
• Jim Jones performed "spiritual healing" on new members to make them feel the "love" (Need for Affection) he had for them as he take on a messiah-like presence to the followers.
• As a kid, Jim Jones was born with an obsession with religion and death. He also learnt to appreciate the persuasion techniques of political leaders like Hitler and Stalin. (Need for Control)

Which aspect of a Group led to the succession of the Jonestown massacre?

One aspect that led them eventually to their demise is the blindness of Groupthink.

Irving Jarvis defined Groupthink as "Mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action."

Symptoms of Groupthink can be observed in the cult:

• All of them believe that death is not the end and it's only a transition (Illusion of Invulnerability & Collective Rationalization).
• The adults in the group aided in the suicides of their children, against the norm that parents are supposed to protect their children from any physical harm (Believe in group's own Morality). In fact, this belief is so strong that it overrides the basic instincts that have been hardwired into us since the dawn of Mankind. Evolution had no say in this.
• Each of them possess a stereotypical idea that all defectors are bad and thus preventing any of their loved ones from defecting from the Peoples Temple (Shared Stereotypes)
• Although at some point, some of the members broke away from the "trance" that they were in, they dared not voice out their discomfort, fearing that they will be ostracized or even killed (Self-Censorship)
• Due to the previous point mentioned, everybody believed that everyone else was happy the way things were and that they were still working towards achieving a "socialist paradise" (Illusion of Unanimity).
• Jim Jones actually indicated that members who wanted to leave Jonestown will be killed (Pressure on Dissenters)

According to research done up on this tragedy, moments before the suicide, dissents were immediately shot down by the crowd. Below is an excerpt of the conversation during the suicide:

Jones: I've tried my best to give you a good life. In spite of all I've tried, a handful of people, with their lies, have made our life impossible. If we cant live in peace then lets die in peace.(Applause) . . . We have been so terribly betrayed . . .
What's going to happen here in the matter of a few minutes is that one of the people on that plane is going to shoot the pilot - I know that. I didn't plan it , but I know its going to happen.. . . .So my opinion is that you used to in ancient Greece , and step over quietly, because we are not committing suicide-its a revolutionary act . . ..
We cant go back . . . .

First Woman : I feel like that as there's life, there's hope.

Jones:Well, someday everybody dies .

Crowd : That's right , that's right!

Jones: What those people gone and done, and what they get through will make our lives worse than hell... But to me, death is not a fearful thing. Its living that's cursed... Not worth living like this.

First Woman: But I'm afraid to die.

Jones: I don't think you are. I don't think you are.

First Woman: I think there were too few who left for 1,200 people to give them their lives for those people who left... I look at all the babies and I think they deserve to live.

Jones: But don't they deserve much more they deserve peace. The best testimony we can give is to leave this god-damned world.(Applause)

First Man: Its over, sister... We've made a beautiful day.(Applause)

Second Man: If you tell us we have to give our lives now, we're ready. (Applause) [Baltimore Sun, 1979.]

Above the cries of babies wailing, the tape continues, with Jones insisting upon the need for suicide and urging the people to complete the act:

Jones: Please get some medication. Simple. Its simple There's no convulsions with it... Don't be afraid to die. You'll see people land out here. They'll torture our people...

Second Woman: There's nothing to worry about. Everybody keep calm and try to keep your children calm... They're not crying from pain;its just a little bitter tasting...

Third Woman: This is nothing to cry about. This is something we could all rejoice about. (Applause)

Jones: Please, for Gods sake, lets get on with it... This is a revolutionary suicide. This is not a self-destructive suicide.(Voices praise, "Dad." Applause)

Third Man: Dad has brought us this far. My vote is to go with Dad...

Jones: We must die with dignity. Hurry, hurry, hurry. We must hurry... Stop this hysterics. Death is a million times more preferable to spending more days in this life... If you knew what was ahead, you'd be glad to be stepping over tonight...

Fourth Woman: Its been a pleasure walking with all of you in this revolutionary struggle... No other way I would rather go than to give my life for socialism. Communism, and I thank Dad very much.

Jones: Take our life from us... We didn't commit suicide. We committed an act of revolutionary suicide protesting against the conditions of an inhuman world. [Newsweek, 1978b,1979].

As seen in the Jonestown massacre, extreme Groupthink will lead to following blindly, the instructions of someone who may deal harm to us and loved ones.

Lastly, may all the souls of those who perished under the cynical and unreasonable rule of Jim Jones rest in peace.