poster adapted from:
http://www.prisons.gov.sg/downloads/YRP_Event%20Poster.pdf
I first saw this advertisement in one of the 'Today' newspapers. Basically, it is a poster showing one man with his whole back filled with tattoos and is using his right hand to reach to the back in hope to remove the label 'ex-offender' pinned on him. This advertisement aims to inform the readers to "help remove the label of prejudice" that was placed on these ex-offenders. The yellow ribbon project also hopes to use this advertisement to persuade the public especially the employers to give these ex-offenders a chance to enter the workforce.
My own interpretation of this poster is that it is rather stereotyping because this 'model' is pictured using his right hand to reach for the post it that was pasted on his back. Is it true that all of us use our right hand to reach out for things? Another stereotype regarding this poster is that it assumes that all ex-offenders have tattoos which is obviously not true because some people do go for tattoos because they perceived it as a form of art. My interpretation of the creator of this poster for using post it instead of some other labels could probably indicate that this 'ex-offender' label can be remove rather easily and painlessly. Well, that's the characteristic of post it isn't it?
Just like the creator of this poster, typically, most of us would probably have our own personal constructs and thus tend to associate the term 'ex-offenders' with what we have habitually notice in gangsters like dyed hair, many ear holes some of which are so large to the extent that you could actually peeped through it, thick make up and revealing clothes for the girls and very sluggish attire for the guys. Overall, they tend to walk rather menacing. Obviously the fact that most of them smoke and drink could not be omitted. Upon the sight of such appearance, we tend to predict their behaviour such as that of their sentence which tend to be made up of vulgarities and more often than not, constant hand gesture are involved. Of course, these are, as mentioned stereotype of what we normally deemed as gangsters or ex-criminal. Such stereotype occurs probably because of our mental framework which develops over time as we grow up and we will start to form our own interpretation regarding various issues. The cause of such discrimination could probably be traced back to the time when we were younger. Things that we have in contact with do leave an impression on us and depending on whether the event that occurs is positive or negative, we then develop different opinion to various issues. For example, when I was younger, i used to witness this group of people who like to gather at the void deck talking drinking and when they got drunk, they start to create troubles like picking up a fight with another group. This could be the reason as to why I would normally associate large group of people gathering at the void deck as gangsters or people who are out to create trouble. Fortunately, it is possible to move beyond our default organisational template.
Regarding the stereotype mentioned earlier, personally i feel that not all ex-criminals have tattoos, smoke or behave like a gangster. The term 'Ex-offender' is rather broad which i would personally defined it as people who have a police record whether they are caught for shoplifting, or they sell pirated CD, speed driving, drink driving etc. So long as they have been caught for acting against the rules in Singapore, in my perception will be defined as 'offenders'. Thus, it is seen that ex-offenders do not necessary need to be a gangster or someone with tattoos.
Personally i feel that though the yellow ribbon project is gaining in popularity, it might not appeal to most of the people simply because the fear that they might repeat the offence is still instill within us. Though some part within us do believe that these ex-offenders are determined to change for the better, this perception is still weaker than our fear of they repeating the crime or commit other crimes.
If i were to be a boss, i might consider giving them a second chance as I perceived that most of them have realised their mistake and would not want to go back to the prison again. However, before i were to employ them, i might make a great deal of effort to do research as to their behaviour when they are in the prison and observe them when they are working. I mean, this is to play safe isn't it? Of course there are people who will be very willing to help but the question is, how many people are really willing to offer such help?
7 comments:
I personally disagree with Huishan's entry, I personally feel that the Yellow Ribbon project does not target petty crimes committed, but rather, recalcitrant criminals who has flouted the laws in a more severe way, perhaps such as robbery, outraging a female's modesty, illegal lending of monies, or behaviors which causes harm to the society. These offenders would have then lost touch with the society after being imprisoned for years.
Since the poster designed by the Yellow Ribbon Project aims to increase awareness of the public, typically, in order to capture the attention of the targetted audience of them being aware it is an advertisement on (ex) offenders, one would need to stereotype an (ex)-offender of having tattoos.
I also feel that the post-it note on his back symbolizes the stigma of the ex-offender which he is unable to remove himself, hence he actually requires help from the society to give him a chance.
Perhaps trite, I might think that the tattoos actually represent the scars he had left on himself of his past.
Our society, in Asia at least, we are still a pretty much conservative, where tattoos very seldom take the form of art (as compared to the USA). Tattoos here still pretty much take up the idea of commitment (eg: brotherhood in gangsterism, couples, family, fashion etc.) than the appreciation of an art.
As mentioned, in Asia, or at least in Singapore, we can't help but stereotype because of our conservative nature. How many of us would have a good first impression of a person who has got dyed hair and a body filled with tattoos?
I'm not saying that ex-offenders do not deserve a second chance, but I think they should learn how to earn the trust of employers, and at the same time, employers should not be narrow-minded and give the previous offenders the benefit of the doubt.
It was recently reported in the news how Singapore Management University had produced a Business graduate with a perfect GPA who was a former offender. While an ordinary ex offender may be powerless to change the mindset of a conservative society, it is more important to change his attitude to be accepted into the society.
To say that all people with tatoos on their bodies will be stereotyping-but I do understand why the people responsible for putting up the poster use this particular picture. The tatoo itself is not the determinant medium in which we come to the conclusion that the man in the poster is supposed to be an ex-ofender, it is the writing on the 'Post-It' itself, saying "ex-offender" that makes the man's past clear to us. The tatoo is just an element to make the notion of him being what he is more convincing.
My definition of ex-offenders are people who have flouted the law and have a police record for it. However, as what Ee Chin has stated, the aim of the Yellow Ribbon Project is to help those who have committed more serious offences. But, from the point of view of the employers, they would be concerned with not only those who have have offended seriously, but also those whose crime is connected to money. Clearly, the employer might be hesitant to trust someone with his/her business if that someone has got a history of stealing from people, embezzling company funds and etc.
That being said, there is a possibility that the convicted person has repented and is in possession of a hungry passion to succeed, to make good of the second chance he is getting. Are employers going to risk passing on these ex-offenders, who will benefit the company tremendously? I guess employers must be open-minded about employing ex-offenders. They can take their time to get to know those whom they might be employing; put them on a probationary period.
Some might argue that there is a tendency for ex-offenders to offend again. However, being an optimist, I would like to see it this way; if put in a situation of desperation, what guarantee one has that one will not resort to break the law?-be he an ex-offender or not.
hey! personally i still think that ex-offenders are still treated as second class citizens.. i agree with u that just by looking at this advertisement, we are straightaway associating tatooed ppl to ex-offenders and vice versa... society is just so unforgiving... if a person does sth wrong, we will perceive them in a different light... whether or not that perception changes, it takes time.. so we need to open our hearts more, after all who doesn't make mistakes?
The advertisement has use smart non-verbal cues. The subtle implied meaning is that the ex-convict alone cannot remove his label without the help of others. Even though this is not stated explicitly, people can grasp the meaning easily. Although this is a good advertisement, i feel it probably would not do very well in eradicating the stereotype in people's minds. Perhaps more education would be required than just a simple ad.
From this poster, we are not expected to “analyze” the images that they come across, rather, we are expected to just react in a straightforward way to it. The message it shows is direct, ex-offenders are being stereotyped with tattoos.
Many "minority" groups have long complained about being judged solely on their appearance. People of these groups are automatically stereotyped into a class of certain expectations. The body art community is no exception. From schools to the work force to every day life, people with body art are generally perceived as rebellious, irresponsible, unintelligent and sometimes even criminal.
This kind of prejudice is no more acceptable than judging a person based on the color of their skin, their religion, or their gender. However, it does happen and those with body art are inspected under a close microscope of scrutiny. How we, as members of this community, react to the scrutiny is what will make the difference.
I personally feel that the advertisement isn't so much about just ex offenders alone but also about how people are judged by their appearances.
It's a natural tendency to doubt the reliability of people who have previously committed an offense. It ranges from petty crimes to severe ones, as long as someone has done something wrong, when things go wrong again, the first person we tend to point our fingers are those who have committed offenses before. As shown, judgement like these are inevitable and the ex offenders can try very hard to prove themselves changed, as long as the society remains unmoved, there is no way they can remove the invisible tag that has been placed on them.
As for people with big tattoos, it can definitely be considered a form of art but large or graphic tattoos are usually associated with organized crime groups such as Yakuza in Japan. It is not right to judge others based on what they have on their body but it is hard to avoid such stereotypes as organized crime groups are still largely present in today's society, maybe not in Singapore, but generally in the world today.
Post a Comment