Observations - 7th November 2011

"The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men." - George Eliot

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Talk of respecting heritage by ghettoising historical cultural artefacts in their country of discovery (note the distinction between this and their "home" country) is a cynical attempt to cash in politically and monetarily from said artefacts. For example, take Egyptian Mummies. If Respect was really the most important factor here, you wouldn't even be excavating them and their grave goods, much less putting them on display (and almost always charging an admission fee). This is in addition to the other issues of cultural continuity (what do modern-day Turks have in common with Christian Byzantines or Classical Athenians?), genetic continuity (the Ainu were driven out of most of Japan, so the modern Japanese connection to a Ainu "heritage" is tenuous at best) and more. What we are really "respecting" is contemporary delusions and pretensions about ancestry and cultural continuity.

When people say you should be more open-minded, they mean you should agree with them - and then they proceed to refuse to listen to you.

Saving the planet is great, but first you need to save yourself.

Imaginary pound wise, penny foolish - is still foolish.

21st century emails: calling someone to send him an email.

Amused that someone told me a lot of HR practitioners he spoke to don't think much of SMU graduates.

I have grudging respect for spammers who mark their emails as "low priority".

Wondering if those who bash stereotyping take medical screening seriously.

It's better to be evil than good. Do you know how hard white robes are to maintain?

Amused teachers are a significant percentage of drug OD patients


"Karl Marx, a man who was so convinced of his rightness, and so buried in his books in the British Library, that he failed to observe the world around him. He did not bother to visit a single British factory. He refused to exchange a word with the intellectual titans of the time, including Charles Darwin and George Eliot, both of whom lived just a few miles from his front door. He ignored overwhelming statistical evidence that the working class’s share of the nation’s wealth was increasing."

[On Occupy Whatever] "you dont like the gap between rich and poor, well go and get a job then you are not getting any richer by being on the dole. if you dont like the 1% then dont use their services, go and get an ethical job, bank with the Bendigo bank and not one of the four big banks, dont buy anything from the big mutlinationals, get rid of your car and get a bike. vote with your feet not some pointless camping exercise."

RT: @fakeyarratrams: #occupymelb lobby blocking trams in the city. Don't they realise the 1% don't catch trams? Stop delaying the 99% heading home. #YarraTrams


RT: EverywhereTrip: Steve Jobs probably did more to make people happy than most religions in the world

Maybe the bad reaction to the iPhone 4S was what finally did him in

[On Jobs's passing] "My 4 year old MacBook pro died this morning. It must have been his last horcrux : ("


RT @clarissejang: "You are what you eat"..."I need to eat a skinny person"

RT: @markleggett: As the dawn sun glistens on your sweaty body, you awaken in a bed filled with coarse hairs. You are either a werewolf or an Italian.

RT @TheeBuddha The most unforgettable evenings are the ones you can't remember the next morning.

RT @edchng if you replace "penis" with "power" in everything Freud says, he becomes Foucault

RT: @mrbrown: "The trouble with quotes on the internet is that it is sometimes impossible to determine whether or not they are genuine." —Abraham Lincoln

"why do the dead deserve any special respect? If I did not respect someone when he was alive, I am certainly not going to respect him when he's dead."

SMU Advertising over the Ages - including pictures of their famous Jumps

"Most turkeys taste better the day after; my mother's tasted better the day before." - Rita Rudner

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Someone asked me why I asked she was from SMU (on seeing pictures of her jumping)

Luckily, SMU archives some of their advertisements online, so you can see how their advertising has evolved over the years.

1) 2003 January - 'SMU is different'



The emphasis is more on the quality of the education, and how different they are - which is why they do handstands, jump and do gymnastics.

Note also how they are dressed - all casually.

2) 2005 March - 'Not just.but'



Where there is still talk of their students receiving a good education, the emphasis has clearly shifted to job prospects. Note that maybe a third of the people featured here are wearing suits (up from 0% in the first ad).

Also, don't miss the following lines which are repeatedly hammered into you: "100% of SMU graduates found jobs within six months, 60% well before they even graduated, 75% receiving at least two offers."

We still see the famous SMU jump(s).

3) 2005 August - 'Make the world a richer place'

I was considering leaving this out of my analysis since it was for their specialised Masters in Wealth Management (I left out a previous ad for it despite its boasting that millionaires could count on their graduates) but I was just so disgusted by the copy that I had to include it:


"Our Vision: To Make the World a Richer Place"

See, ads in the industry (at least those that I've seen) don't openly proclaim that they seek to grow the treasure of Mammon - instead they stress things like tradition, trust, customer service or similar fuzzy-wuzzy things.

This, on the other hand, promotes naked, unabashed self-interest - with a headline that is more likely to be used by a NGO.

4) 2006 May - 'Affirmation 2006'



The SMU students have stopped doing gymnastics and jumping, but now seem to be into dance.

This edition stresses the popularity of the university, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy (hot favourites remain hot because they are highlighted as hot favourites).

Incidentally the text on all 6 pages is identical except for the names of the students.

5) 2008 March - 'Let's Make a Difference'



There is a seeming return to emphasising the quality of the education. Yet, note that the 'practical' aspect is hidden just below the surface, with key phrases like "places our graduates among employers' top choices", "business study missions, overseas internships", "many are also talented spotted" (sic)

Oh, and don't forget this great snub (coming on top of 66% finding jobs before graduation etc): "Our top 20% Business Management graduate employees take home an average salary of S$4,100 per month - 28% more than the top 20% earners from other local universities"

However, there're only 10 individuals in casual attire - versus 20 in formal. Compare this with the first ad of January 2003.

6) 2010 March - 'A Different U'



This series notable for only having two students in office attire (one of whom is selling Fish Bee Hoon to boot)

The message might appear to have become less 'pragmatic', but its motivating spirit is still clear. For example, the Fish Bee Hoon page says that: "Many found challenging careers in a variety of industries, others became budding entrepreneurs. Either way, each one has what it takes to choose their own path in life". It is significant that both highlighted paths involve business success instead of, say, becoming a social activist (perhaps volunteerism is only called for when you're in school - after you graduate, just focus on making big bucks).

Also, see the Rodin page: the primary motive talk of a good education is finally revealed - "to produce well-rounded graduates who are fully preparedfor the 'real world' demands of business, government and life in general."

I was surprised that there was talk of business ethics - but this came after the Financial Crisis, after all.

7) March-May 2011 - Various



One or two old ads (e.g. the Ballerina) are rerun, but the vast majority show graduates in office attire (even if not always suits) posing in no-nonsense poses.

You know that they're positioning themselves strongly as a business university which brings you good job prospects, as gone are the smiles, fun poses, gymnastics and interaction with professors. However, one thing puzzles me - if their top 20% Business Management graduate employees are taking home a higher average salary than the top 20% earners from other local universities, why aren't they smiling (or even looking smug?) There're two possibilities - they aren't outperforming the main two other local universities anymore (there's now a noticeable lack of statistics attacking the reader), or they're just being less hardsell in their advertising - which I can't say.

What is interesting though is the stronger emphasis on community service: the non-profit sector is now listed as a valid career ambition (the page with the ladies in red and blue dresses), "when doing business with a heart, the whole society profits" (the Third World classroom) and community service is mentioned in each graduate's cluttered CV. They seem to be trying too hard for some though ("Anti-smoking advocate"?!) And it seems CV padding is not something SMU advises against: "Winner, MAS essay competition", "Winner, beauty pageant" and above all the superbly generic "Award winner" and "Student leader" do not seem particularly suitable for the purposes of these advertisements.

I will end off by noting that it is surprising that they're featuring civil servants now (and even an Air Force officer - misleadingly dressed in a business suit).