mocharita:

Depending on the child’s age.


Take a look at this sentence, especially the last word ‘People who do stupid actions were definitely being stupid at that point in time. Period.’. To a kindy-Whatstat???!!? To an elementary- FULLSTOP, to a middle schooler-menstruation and to highschooler- sanitary napkins. There! Hope it helps though :oops:

Yes, well said. My sentence was addressed to adults, not children. To very young children, they may not fully comprehend, heck, with their level of life experience, we MUST expect them to do some stupid things. Wise people were children who did plenty of stupid actions and learnt from them. So for the very young, we should avoid admonishing them.

I only have something against the idea that \"there are no stupid people, only stupid actions.\" Really, an idea to molly-coodle weaklings. We all are stupid sometimes and occasionally, we all need a good scolding to wake us up.

Akin:

It's not about over protective or over sensitive, eventually everyone of them will learn that the world is not really a friendly place to live in after all. They will have to learn and adapt. Point here is the word \" Stupid\" should not be describing children expecially during when they are in learning stage, be in preschool, pri school or sec school. Everyone learning capablilities and pace is different, one may be slower than others but still you can't call them stupid cause this is very rude.

I agree in principle, but we do not know the exact situation, threadstarter did not elaborate. Learning problems or academic failure does not warrant such a harsh scolding. But who knows, maybe the child in question, really did something stupid, like shoplifting or fighting with a dangerous weapon or something? Until we know more, we cannot say that definitely a teacher is wrong in scolding a child as \"stupid\".

People who do stupid actions were definitely being stupid at that point in time. Period.

STan:

He is in sec 2 and is very sensitive to such remark.

He has to learn not to be too sensitive. Even though a teacher should not say such a thing just because of academic failure, we must also acknowledge the fact that the mouth belongs to other people, frankly speaking, others have the right to say whatever they want, even if it's wrong. Unless we staple the person's mouth shut, even sending them to jail will not stop them from saying whatever they want.

Because of the mentality of overprotective parents, children nowadays are growing up weak and over-sensitive, unable to take harshness. This is not good for them.

mrstng:

In any situation, a person is not stupid. But the action and behavior is.


By saying \"X is stupid\" vs \"X has done a stupid action\" has total different meaning to both kids and adult. The latter's comment justify but not the former.

Only stupid people do stupid actions. When a person, any person, is doing a stupid action, that person is stupid at that moment in time and space.

Just call a spade a spade. Stupid means stupid. What's wrong with being stupid sometimes? Get scolded, don't repeat it and move on with Life.

it really depends on the situation. If a person really did something really really stupid, then the person should be scolded as such. Our society is molly-coodling the next generation, raising a generation of weaklings that cannot be scolded even if they’re in the wrong.


Of course, if the scolding is not justified, then the teacher is in the wrong.

For example, if the student plays a dangerous prank like pull out the chair of another student as he’s about to sit down, causing him to crash onto the floor, potentially breaking the spine and causing paralysis, then the prankster should be scolded as stupid.

Need to assess the situation, the severity of the words used to scold a person must match the offense.

I will only be supportive if the tattoo is beautiful/tastefully done, and more importantly, is of great meaning. If it's gonna be her boyfriend's name, or the face of a rock-star, NEVER.


Since ancient times, tattoos have held deep meaning in many societies. It's only in recent times that tattoos have developed such a bad reputation.

In ancient China, only warriors had tattoos, a custom they copied from pirates/bandits/barbarians.

Renowed Sung Dynasty general 岳飞 was the best example. His mother tattooed 尽忠报国 on his shoulder, to remind him of his duty to serve his country. So meaningful! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei

btw, i have no tattoos LOL

There is nothing seriously wrong with our system. All systems have imperfections and flaws, but if u wanna consider \"serious flaws\", there are none.


By virtue that all academic studies require an examination, there will exist people who prefer to ace it by mugging or rote-learning, rather than through actual knowledge-acquisation. Society will weed out these losers later in life

By virtue that all systems have rules, regulations and boundaries, means there will be some level of restriction of creativity, expression and flexibility. Some people will fall through the cracks. It's just too bad. Get your own personal teacher then.

Yes, we have to fix the minor flaws and problems, like all systems. But fixing them may/may not get us a Bill Gates or Einstein. By the fact that they are geniuses, people who lie outside of normal statistical curves, means that conventional systems and thinking do not apply to them. Even for those people who routinely over-perform in society, those who rise above their circumstances, are people with extraordinary strength and willpower, not necessarily the academically smart, nor even the most creative. Creativity alone is useless. Single traits alone will not get anyone anywhere, we need to cultivate whole people.

By the fact that our population is so small, resources so limited, means even if we improve our system by leaps and bounds, statistically, we're disadvantaged already, if we want to produce an earth-shaking genius.

Don't blame everything on the system. WE make up the system. Want to blame, blame ourselves.

Blobbi:

Whatever happened to mutual respect of your fellow forummers?

I can't find anything disrespectful about her choice of words. Yeah, she did disapprove of people who peep into their children's things. So what? Must everyone approve of everything? Surely, she has her own right to disapprove of certain actions. U mean only when we compulsively approve of every action of each other, then that's real respect?

Is that Chen Xiu Huan? ooo she’s so hot…LOL


If there’s no demand, will there be supply? Shallow-minded people are abound, who price looks and material things above everything else. Heck, ours is a society which places economic progress above quality of life, what more the citizens in their private lives!

Some time ago, my wife went to the neighbourhood toy shop to buy a fake handphone for my daughter to play with.

Salesgirl, brandishing a Barbie-doll handphone: This is suitable for little girls.

Wife: I don’t want pink and girly ones…any other designs?

Salesgirl: But it’s a girl right? But…but…all girls like pink things! They’re supposed to like pink things!

Wife: yeah, but I don’t want to emphasis it too much. Here, I’ll take this Mickey Mouse one…

Salesgirl: stunned

In many people’s mentality, girls are "supposed" to want to look pretty and slim all the time, in fact, it’s "supposed" to be top of their priorities LOL

btw, my daughter abandoned the handphone and chose to play with a plastic sword instead hahaha

Every human being, other than being a public being (someone else’s son/daughter/spouse blah blah) is also a private being. I think it’s very normal for every person to have some "secrets", whether it’s benign, like having nasty thoughts about someone, or something really evil, like drugs, or a vibrator hidden somewhere. I think to expect otherwise, is to expect our children NOT to be human, but somewhat like a robot.


If we can change our mindset, to allow for some secrets, then there won’t be any need to peep through their things. It’s not pragmatic to wish for TOTAL open communication, even within a loving family, because the private person within us, will keep some thoughts secret.

If a parent manages to find "something", it’s only because the child allows it to be found. Imagine if the secrets are all bottled up inside the child? Or if the secrets are kept outside the house instead? If a child chooses to keep secrets in a diary or something, within the house, at least i will be happy that deep inside his/her heart, the home is regarded as a safe haven.

Just like when i was growing up, i always had fantasies of bashing up my bro, imagine if i had written it down in a diary and it got found out? Relations could be permanently damaged, all because of a fleeting thought of an immature mind!