Lesson 6: Compulsory Blog Entry
Author: Mattheus,MrCarLover1A133 // Category:
2.The casino being built in Singapore is supposed to be a money-maker and job creator. However, many people have spoken against it. Talk to a parent or adult and get their view on the casino. Listen to the NPR and YouTube offerings and choose one that substantiates your viewpoint and include a quote from it as well. Your blog entry has to be at least 200 words and you must either support the casino or condemn its construction and ultimately the hardships it will cause in Singapore.
From the day the plans to start a casino were announced, to this very moment the way I see the casino in Singapore is casiNO. Why? Let me explain. First of all, the building of the casino in Singapore makes gambling very accessible. By constructing a casino in Singapore, the government is actually encouraging gambling. If you actually take a closer look, there isn't much of a difference between illegal horse betting and slot machines in casinos. Only one is approved by the government; the other isn't. You cannot bet on horses illegally, but you are allowed to squander your money away in the slot machines in our very own casino. That's the message conveyed to our citizens out there. So gamblers turn from horse betting to the casino. Do they earn money? No. They continue to lose. And lose. And then perhaps they win something. And there's the rush of euphoria. They want to gamble more, win more. But, they continue to lose. The obsession never stops. It's a "one last time" last time kind of thing, but one last time never is the last. There's always another last time. It's something called obsession.
Secondly, this casino is supposedly a money maker and job creator. But let's stop and think. Money maker? The only people who make money are the government. Gamblers patronising the casino are bound to lose their money in the process of gambling. "I've lost three hundred thousand dollars. It was all of my retirement money," said an ex-compulsive gambler who has recovered. I believe that this isn't the highest amount lost, and if something is not done to discourage gambling, it could go higher. It may also be a job creator for those working at the casino, but again consider, how many more jobs are lost when creating let's say, a few hundred jobs?
Thirdly, what kind of generation is going to rise from the existence of the casino? There is an age limit, but everyone is bound to cross it one day. Everyone is going to have that chance to step into the casino and try the games in there. With the casino built, many who were initially too young, will grow old enough one day, and may get lured to it sooner or later. Curiosity, influence, peer pressure are just a few out of the many ways which may push youngsters like us to try our hand at earning big bucks at the casino. We are not encouraging good values as a country with this action taken. The casino may also cause citizens to not want to work, all in the hope of striking it rich at the casino and relaxing in the future. And when they earn something, they gamble again in hope of earning more money. Hence, the government should encourage us to be successful in a right and proper way.
"One bet. That's all it takes and I could instantly be back at that place I was before." Gambling is a bad habit, and like all other bad habits, it's easy to take up but difficult to kick.
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aQgpcxVtu0
Interview with mother.
From the day the plans to start a casino were announced, to this very moment the way I see the casino in Singapore is casiNO. Why? Let me explain. First of all, the building of the casino in Singapore makes gambling very accessible. By constructing a casino in Singapore, the government is actually encouraging gambling. If you actually take a closer look, there isn't much of a difference between illegal horse betting and slot machines in casinos. Only one is approved by the government; the other isn't. You cannot bet on horses illegally, but you are allowed to squander your money away in the slot machines in our very own casino. That's the message conveyed to our citizens out there. So gamblers turn from horse betting to the casino. Do they earn money? No. They continue to lose. And lose. And then perhaps they win something. And there's the rush of euphoria. They want to gamble more, win more. But, they continue to lose. The obsession never stops. It's a "one last time" last time kind of thing, but one last time never is the last. There's always another last time. It's something called obsession.
Secondly, this casino is supposedly a money maker and job creator. But let's stop and think. Money maker? The only people who make money are the government. Gamblers patronising the casino are bound to lose their money in the process of gambling. "I've lost three hundred thousand dollars. It was all of my retirement money," said an ex-compulsive gambler who has recovered. I believe that this isn't the highest amount lost, and if something is not done to discourage gambling, it could go higher. It may also be a job creator for those working at the casino, but again consider, how many more jobs are lost when creating let's say, a few hundred jobs?
Thirdly, what kind of generation is going to rise from the existence of the casino? There is an age limit, but everyone is bound to cross it one day. Everyone is going to have that chance to step into the casino and try the games in there. With the casino built, many who were initially too young, will grow old enough one day, and may get lured to it sooner or later. Curiosity, influence, peer pressure are just a few out of the many ways which may push youngsters like us to try our hand at earning big bucks at the casino. We are not encouraging good values as a country with this action taken. The casino may also cause citizens to not want to work, all in the hope of striking it rich at the casino and relaxing in the future. And when they earn something, they gamble again in hope of earning more money. Hence, the government should encourage us to be successful in a right and proper way.
"One bet. That's all it takes and I could instantly be back at that place I was before." Gambling is a bad habit, and like all other bad habits, it's easy to take up but difficult to kick.
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aQgpcxVtu0
Interview with mother.
I am amazed the IR is going through if most Singaporeans, and the majority of students who wrote on this topic agree with you, actually had their views publicized. The only parent who raised a good point was the one who spoke of the government in paternalistic terms. In other words, shouldn't people be allowed to make their own choices?