Rag to Riches [a documentary of NUS Rag and Flag]

[multicoloredpeanuts]

Thumbs up if you are proud of our Rag and Flag tradition

[corporalcharlie]

Also! Producer could have tried getting hold of actual facts-figures & shots of wastage and stuff.

[corporalcharlie]

Omg so this is what they do at rag (Chant with tin buckets), didnt they outgrow all this sh*t in their secondary schools? Ha ha and guys join coz they want girls lol (like freshman camp). Omg.. they empty cans, it should be collected YEARs in advanced by all members shame. Some won't feel guilty nicking "public" materials for their own projects then ;). NUS can be split into 2 types of ppl: Rag-orientation camp people... and the Non-ragorientation people. Cheers

[sojourne]

@hilder

3 points.

1) I'm one of the members who did this.

2) This wasnt a FYP. We did it for fun.

3) The film isnt about environmentally friendliness and stuff like that, in fact we don't even mind if rag costs 100k and skins squirrels. Just as long as PBs stop doing it under the guise of showing appreciation to the public, or at least start to return to that. It is precisely because you are so immediately concerned with 'cheap comedies' when we speak of rag that is the point of the film.

[hilder]

@sojourne for your 3 points

1) I appreciate and respect your team for doing this. I do not shoot down the video, I just feel that more balance is needed

2) I must have heard it wrongly from sources then

3) About not minding if rag costs 100k and skins squirrels, I dont think thats what the video portrayed. The video had alot of interviews and pointers saying that RAG costing 10k per float is not justified(and 10k was cos of YOG last yr. Its 5k this year).

[hilder]

@sojourne 3) The "cheap comedies" that I am concerned about is if competition is removed, hence motivation and commitment in the float building process becomes reduced. I had only seen it mentioned only once in the several interviews.

[weedee88]

remove rag from flag, and KR will NEVER win the shield ever again.

and neither will business. lol

[area503]

As someone who have designed and build the floats before, I would like to thank all those who made this documentary possible. To me, this is a very balanced view. It is a project which brings people together, and some of my best friendship were formed durign this.

And thank you for focusing on the negative aspect of Rag which NUSSU should focus on. But NUSSU is limited to what they can and can't do. Abt the Cost... hehe, somone lied in the interview :P (silly things we do!)

[secondhandlies]

How about I ask you a question: Why don't you join rag committee next year and make a change? Sitting behind this computer and making this "documentary" does not do anything but smear the image of your own school.

[sojourne]

@secondhandlies oh how does it smear the image of my own school?

[eclecticderby]

@secondhandlies

firstly, he made this documentary not in 10 minutes. Its professionally made with a lot of hard work, and it displays both sides of the story. 2nd, he didnt JUST sit behind the computer, he was a rag dancer himself. i think it's even easier to sit behind the computer to criticize other people's good work. stop acting like you are on some higher moral ground yakking about other people hiding behind computers, when you are worse off. at least he made a documentary, what about you?

[hilder]

Biased video with only a few speakers, and only the bad part is pulled out for showcase. only 13 speakers from ~15 participating halls and faculties, and each participating body runs at least 20 people in the committee. I hope someone else make a video with people who actually has the original RAG notion in mind, and present a more balanced viewpoint of rag.

[sojourne]

@hilder Of course, I shall join you in sitting back and happily waiting for someone else to make such a fine video you just suggested. Too lazy to do it myself you see.

[hilder]

@sojourne I would if I could, but I can't, so I wouldn't

[sojourne]

@hilder :(

[hilder]

@sojourne this was an FYP. My FYP would be totally different from this. The director and members of this film took 1 year to make this film,and that I respect. But it doesnt change the fact that this video only shows 1 side of the RAG story.

[eclecticderby]

@hilder this documentary took the trouble to showcase the FOUNDER of the rag movement. i dont see how bias it is... lol... in fact its not controversial enough. There are so much more things that show that rag is nothing more than a gloried d**k measuring contest between the facs. Sure there is tradition, sure there is fun, but to pretend that it is all for environment and charity is hypocrisy to the max. Just call it a contest as it really is, and quit hiding behind this whole charity rubbish.

[hilder]

@eclecticderby It is biased as it ONLY showcase the negative aspect of it. Yes,there is huge competition,and yes, alot of money is put into making the float and all. But all in all, there is still huge earnings made in flag for charities. Remove RAG, remove competition, what will RAG and Flag become?just like your secondary school flag day. How motivated will people be in donating and working for Flag?

[hilder]

@eclecticderby In the entire school, there are so many people in RAG and Flag comm every year, it is impossible to make sure that everyone of them are very environmentally friendly and charitable in their mindset when doing RAG and Flag. What we can do is to have different aspects in RAG to attract different types of people to work on the project. Adding in competition can fuel motivation(unless you want the performances to look like total cheap comedies).

[hilder]

@eclecticderby I was a RAG dancer and also in a RAG comm. Being a dancer and a comm member, you experience totally different aspects of RAG. In MY RAG, we have seniors and fellow members working to be environmentally friendly, such as collecting used cans and really using them, reusing materials passed down by previous comms as well as reducing wastage(we scavaged for materials that we throw away in the course of float building and reuse them). Yet this video does not showcase them.

[eclecticderby]

@hilder I myself was a rag dancer. And if you think that this documentary only shows the negative aspects of rag and flag and then use this reason to attack the video, you are just disputing your own strawman. This video obviously touched on both sides of the tale. Nowhere did it suggest that rag should be removed. It's more of an observation that Rag no longer follows the original intent. And of cos, to maybe take a dig at the ultra defensive type of viewers. Like you.

[hilder]

@eclecticderby I did not attack the video, but state that it lacks balance in its arguments. Had I attacked, I would be more harsh in my words. Neither am I ultra defensive, I just took time off to comment on what I feel the video lacked. Moreover, I did not defend RAG. I defended my own views, of why I think the video lacks balance.

[hilder]

@eclecticderby The video attacked the competitive nature of RAG and mentioned that RAG is no longer for charity. I gave the situation where the competitive element is removed and speculate what will happen. I guess you were not able to see it. And by me mentioning recycling efforts that have been done, I am saying that there is still recycling(which is part of the actual meaning of RAG), but the video just only mentioned the pouring away of drinks for the cans.

[eclecticderby]

@hilder hey let's get this straight - so you do believe that cans are poured away (even though recycling supposed to be the part of the actualy meaning)? you do agree each float cost a lot more than actually reported (even though the money can be for charity)? you do agree that competitivness is now one of the main element?

I didnt thought we would be such agreeing buddies hilder! thanks for proving my points for me!

[hilder]

@eclecticderby I believe drinks in cans are being pours away.I do not know if each float cost a lot more than actually reported(because i dont know what are the actual reported amounts. The NUSSU pres and vice-pres might have made a mistake or not told the truth), and I agree that competition is 1 of the main elements,albeit finding no fault with it.

[fishzard]

Rag is a freaking waste; it's justifying a tradition with an over-used label called charity.

I salute the law fac.

Doesn't mean that we've been doing something for 50 years means we have to continue doing it.

[xdirectorate]

even without the competition, i would still do rag all over again. after participating for 4 years, this year was definitely the most enjoyable year where the halls combined to create their floats... without the competition element.

great documentary!

[tanykiat]

Thank you so much for making this video... Felt strongly against it ever since I was a freshmen. Hopefully this will unite more ppl to put an end to this madness

[wuen2001]

Honestly speaking, how much of the SGD 500,000 actually goes to charity? How much will NUSSU and NUS take from the fund students have raised?

[wirelessed]

@wuen2001 according to a NUSSU report in 2006, 6% will be used for administrative costs (~$30,000), of which 1% will be used for operational coin counting costs and the rest reimbursed to participating bodies.

[wuen2001]

@wirelessed I see, i heard from someone that only 30% goes to charity. not sure how true it is.

[wirelessed]

@wuen2001 probably a wrong figure. the commissioner of charities in Singapore has a cap on how much goes to administrative costs.

[wuen2001]

@wirelessed erm...good to know that, thanks!

[pissa2]

surprisingly honest, very well done!

[nathaliefern]

After watching this video, I think that NUSSU is disgusting.

[chocton]

The NUSSU Pres from the start to the end justified Rag by saying that its the only means that can hold the tradition of halls/faculties togeter, and Its like the only way for people to bond ..

what about the values and original intentions of rag?

[joshuatj]

Hmmm... I thought the "competition" element has also been scraped, at least for the halls.

[wirelessed]

@KEVIIFlag Hi, thanks for pointing out the error!

[moonshiry]

Why got Pylon music!

[sojourne]

my life for aiur!

I wouldnt actually mind seeing a SC themed float.

[LianYL]

10:11 Pylons are building.

[caizhixiong]

Thought-provoking!