do the loving ourselves

 

“IT IS ironic that with the days off for maids, employers with young children and the elderly must now have to work even harder (‘Weekly day off for maids a must from next year’; Tuesday).

Otherwise, who will do the chores and look after the children and the elderly when the maids are enjoying their days off?

My annual leave allocation will not increase, so if no one does the chores, it will only mean that the maid will have to do double the amount of work the day after her day off.”

- Chew Kum Chung (source)

 

Many foreign domestic workers are abused by Singaporeans. In order to ensure their nuts’ worth every month, the job scope of a foreign maid, more like slave, reads somewhat like this:

 

• Lick the house clean, until it is dust-free, every day. We have young children in the house.
• Prepare breakfast for, bathe and clothe the children for school. Put on their shoes too. We have to prepare and rush to the office.
• Prepare dinner for, bathe and clothe the children when they come home. Help them with their pyjamas, please.
• Fetch the children to and from school every day. Please carry the outrageously heavy school bags for them – they are only kids.
• When the son reaches the age to fulfil his military obligations, please help him carry his field bag too – poor child has a tender back.
• Sorry, we have no vacant rooms or beds for you. You have to sleep in the store room.
• Please have your meals only after the WHOLE family has finished so that you can serve us when we are having ours.
• You are not welcome to join us for trips to the cinema. When we dine in restaurants, you are welcome to feast on the leftovers. Help us feed the baby and please, keep the children in order. You know we are incompetent in looking after our own children.
• We also go for weekly dates as a couple – so please keep the children in order! Get them to do their homework! We love our weekly pleasures and do not want the parental responsibilities to get in the way.
• Oh for goodness’ sake, no mobile phones please. We will confiscate them if we catch you using it when you are supposed to do the chores.
• By the way, there is no day’s off for you. We don’t want you to have a break so that you can go shopping with your friends and maybe even hook a boyfriend. We don’t want to pay for your syphillis treatment, or your abortion.
• Remember, we are your boss. We paid peanuts for your work and we expect no monkey business!

 

Shame on Singaporeans and the very system that violates the UN Declaration of Human Rights by detaining people without trial, its fabulously totalitarian defamation laws and its maniacal tendency to criminalise people for publishing books and opinions that criticises the autocracy. Shame on the great Yale University for collaborating with the National University of Singapore to start the shamelessly named Yale-NUS liberal arts college. Liberal Arts? Are the academics and students allowed to discuss and criticise any subject under the sun, which includes the ruling regime of PAP and religion?

 

Shame on Singaporean parents. I have three very young children – and I do not employ a domestic helper. I clean my youngest boy when he poops. I bathe my two darlings every night and adore my eldest five-year-old for showering himself. All three put on their own shoes before I fetch them to the childcare. When we eat out, all three will eat by themselves, including the two-year-old who uses the spoon relatively well.

 

We enjoy company with our friends regularly. We bring our children along, yes, we DO NOT conveniently discard them at our parents’. Besides, we are simple hedonists who delight in conversation, coffee and the occasional wine at the verandah or the coffeeclub with our friends. We read, talk with each other (and with friends) and watch films instead of shopping, swinging and dancing insanely to noise for therapy. We fuck like rabbits before the children come back and have quickies after they are asleep.

 

She is my best friend and mate.

 

We, and not someone else, mother our own children, feeding, showering, clothing and loving them. Parents do not just coin up the family coffers. We are also not Clausian incarnates who conjure up iPads and iPhones at the winter solstice and then disappear until the next year. We are not PAP-taught pragmatists who pay and blame others to do the loving.

 

We do the loving ourselves.

 

Besides, Singaporeans are working their domestic workers like lonely and starved bitches on spiked leashes while they themselves whine like castrated swine about being overworked and underpaid.

 

A rabble of hypocrites and hooligans are what these middle-incomed, middle-kingdomed scrooges really are.

 

*******

 

the problem with public relations

Government agencies are often guilty of writing very dense, and hence very dodgy prose which tends to hinder communication. Although the intended reader is the public, these agencies seem to NOT WANT the public to understand what they are saying.

 

A typical example is the following, written by the public relations branch of the Singapore Police Force, and taken from yesterday’s edition of The Straits Times in the Forum pages.

 

WE THANK Mr Rohan Langley for his views (‘Cross-border crooks a cause for concern’; Feb 15). Globalisation, the ease of travel and growing inter-connectivity between countries over the years have facilitated mass movements of people and travellers across borders. With them come the attendant challenges for law enforcement agencies to identify, monitor and deal with cross- border and opportunistic criminals who also traverse international boundaries to conduct their criminal activities.

Working closely with foreign enforcement agencies to share information, conduct joint operations and nab criminals is an ongoing process in crime fighting. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has an established network of close cooperation and collaboration with our foreign police counterparts, including the Royal Malaysia Police. The success of our cooperation can be seen from the mutual exchanges of information and the various joint operations that have been conducted over the years to nab cross-border criminals and bust transnational syndicates.

We assure Mr Langley that the same approach is being taken for the case that he has raised in his letter. Every case differs in complexity and challenges; and hence the different timeframe and efforts. Notwithstanding this, the SPF will spare no effort to track down and locate the whereabouts of culprits and bring them to justice.

The woman in this case was a victim of an online scam, a crime concern which the police constantly remind the public to guard against. Such scams prey on human weaknesses like greed, fear, loneliness and lack of vigilance.

The police take this opportunity to remind the public to exercise caution when interacting with persons whom they befriend over the Internet. Most of these ‘love scams’ are perpetrated by suspects from overseas. They use various modus operandi to gain the confidence of the victims and deceive victims into parting with their cash and valuables. Be vigilant.

(source) 303 words.

 

It is so common for PR folk to write this way which reinforces my personal bias against the profession for deceptive communication. Verbose language, disguised as “offical speech”, creates an artificial distance between the reader and the writer which inhibites understanding. Verbose prose is also vague, and hence allows the writer some leeway to play word games with the reader if questioned.

 

The passage can be written easily as such:

 

We thank Mr Rohan Langley for his views (“Cross-border crooks a cause for concern.” Feb 15). People in the 21st century are now able to travel between countries easily. Police agencies now have to be able to spot, monitor and deal with criminals who cross international boundaries to commit crime.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) works closely with foreign police agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police to share information and conduct operations together. As a result, we have arrested cross-border criminals and international gangs over the years.

We assure Mr Langley that we are doing the same thing for the case he raised in his letter. Even though every case is different, we are doing our best to locate the culprits and bring them to justice.

The woman in this case was a victim of an online scam, which we have been reminding the public to guard against. They prey on human greed, fear, loneliness and lack of vigilance.

We remind the public to be careful when making friends over the Internet. Most of the culprits of these “love scams” are from overseas. They use many ways to earn the trust of the victims and then deceive them into parting with their money and valuables. Be vigilant.

(208 words)

 

It amuses me that I could eliminate almost 100 words from the original letter while retaining the same meaning. This shows that much of what was written in the original had been extraneous and irrelevant – probably to add bulk and “meat” to the paragraphs. Government agencies love to do this in the attempt to appear more “officious”, pompous or substantial.

 

There are also words and phrases that could be easily substituted with simpler words that a primary 6 student could understand.

 

As members of the public, we should indeed be discerning in what we read and hear, especially from public relations people. They tend to use vague and ambiguous language so as to allow a multiciplity of interpretations in the case of conflict. Personally, that is not ethical.

 

Now, let me say upfront that the above case has no ethical implications. I am highlighting it as an object lesson on clear prose. 

 

*******

 

when will the singapore government (PAP) stop its bullying??

 

Our Great Leader, the Holy Prime Minister, successor to the Holy Father of our beloved Lee Dynasty – all praise and honour to Him – exposes his real nature last Sunday when he issued a legal letter to the editors of sociopolitical website, TR Emeritus (TRE), commanding them to withdraw an article which apparently accused the government of partiality (cronyism), when it appointed Our Great First Lady as head of the Asian investment firm, Temasek Holdings.

 

PM Lee sends lawyer’s letter to editors of TR Emeritus

 

The Great Leader, in the letter, reminded TRE of the government’s (the People’s Action Party) terrible and awesome powers, as was demonstrated by the numerous defamation suits it waged against international newspapers and periodicals, such as the Far Eastern Economic Review, and won.

 

And so our Great Leader warned TRE that a similar fate would await them unless they withdraw the article and post an apology on the website.

 

This is Singapore, my motherland and my home. An autocracy which masquerades as a democracy only in theory. Our people has no power at all in deciding how the country is run. Isn’t this what democracy is all about – power of the people? Although I do not suspect any foul play during vote counts, it does not take a rocket scientist to realise how disparate the arena is during election campaigns, with the ruling regime having an obvious advantage over the opposition by constantly fiddling with electoral boundaries as well as having more press and media coverage.

 

TRE has withdrawn the article although it has yet to post an apology, as our Alex Au had done in his blog, Yawning Bread, when a very insecure Minister decided to play the defamation game on him over some rumours about his moral indiscretions. Competent and intelligent as he is, the minister does not realise he is digging his own grave, at least in the eyes of netizens, by using the law to bully Yawning Bread into silence.

 

Dear PAP, if you are innocent, just say so – and debunk the allegations once and for all by speaking the truth. There is no need to emotionally and psychologically abuse and bully Singaporeans into withdrawing their comments. Where is civil discourse in all of this? Why the need to use the law to threaten and frighten us?

 

WHEN WILL THE RULING REGIME STOP ITS BULLYING TACTICS?? When will the PAP stop its thuggish ways on its people like a hysterical parent brandishing a chopper over mischievous children?

 

The Holy Father, peace be upon Him, claimed in the past that any political accusation against the government taints their reputation and as such a legal victory, via defamation suit, would always be the right thing to do as it vindicates the ruling regime. Besides, this is politics. Shouldn’t we be unscrupulous against our political “enemies”?

 

Our Holy Father thinks he is Cao Cao living in ancient China.

 

On the contrary, the megalomaniacal antics of the PAP has time and again allows itself to be exposed to the world as a strangely first world country with third world ethics.

 

Mature individuals pay attention to constructive criticism and simply ignore unwarranted and unjustified ones. One does not see the governments in the US or UK lash out against all the rude and critical comments made of them by the many newspapers and tabloids.

 

Human beings have the right to say anything they want, even if such speech is irresponsible and rude. This is life.

 

And it takes a mature and self-secure government to accept it.

 

*******

 

what is “natural” may not be good

 

We were sitting at a table outside the church hall, chatting over a cup of coffee and some biscuits. The homily was still going on but what the heck – local christian sermons bore me to death with their irrelevant drivel that is often anti-science, anti-human knowledge, anti-evolution and anti-pluralism.

 

Anyhow, our conversation veered towards Sir Elton John’s visit to Singapore. My friend Peter (not his real name) mentioned how the Straits Times could be so “open” about the issue by mentioning Sir Elton’s partner as well as “their” son. He commented that any child who reads such a report would come away with the idea that having a partner of the same sex is normal.

 

I quipped about the existence of homosexual intercourse among other species of animals, of which the other friend Jimmy (not his real name too) became mildly surprised. Okay, he didn’t know. And I reckon so would many Singaporeans who are ignorant about issues that they think they know enough about to criticise.

 

Undaunted, Peter still believes that whether it occurs in the animal kingdom or among the human species (human beings are animals too, by the way), it is still “unnatural”. He offered the crude analogy of the vaginal hole and the male phallic pole – isn’t it obvious that somehow nature created both sexes to copulate – what is the pole used for but to insert into the hole??

 

The anus is for defecation and that is that.

 

I agree that for biological procreation to occur, heterosexual copulation has to take place. Homosexual copulation will definitely not lead to the propagation of the species. But then again, is procreation the only good thing for humankind? What about human bonding? What about romance? What about love? What about physical pleasure?

 

Anyhow, what is “natural” may not be good for humanity as a whole. Vaginal childbirth is NATURAL for the woman, but it might not be the right thing to go for if there are complications such as a breech case (the baby has not engaged into the position suitable for delivery at full-term) or when the woman is not physiologically able to do so (pelvis too small).

 

Experiencing labour pain is NATURAL for the woman to go through, but hundreds of thousands even millions prefer the use of anaesthesia. Hmm.

 

Copulation is the NATURAL process to conceive one’s offspring but for some couples, it may not be possible. And thus ARTIFICIAL methods of conception are used.

 

Procreation is always the NATURAL end result for any fertile couple but because of modern society, situations have changed. And thus the prevalent use of birth control methods, which are definitely ARTIFICIAL.

 

Wearing spectacles is NOT NATURAL since you have to add a contraption to your eyes. But it is needed if a myopic individual wants to have a better quality of life.

 

And so on and so forth.

 

There are many issues in modern life that is NOT NATURAL but are beneficial for humankind in order to progress. So in order to be consistent with the “natural vs unnatural” argument, one has to forgo a lot of things in the 21st century.

 

Okay, back to homosexual intercourse. Even though homosexual copulation will not lead to procreation, and it may appear to be “abnormal” or “unnatural” to many, one cannot argue with the FACT that there has always been a minority in any given population throughout history who are homosexual. And this minority DID NOT choose to be this way. If they could, homosexuals in the past would have opted for heterosexuality in order to escape all the inconveniences of discrimination, religious backlash, witchhunts, criminalisations, etc.

 

So do we have a right, as fellow human beings, to demonise people for simply being who they are, by no conscious choice of their own?? Do we have a right to refuse happiness for these people just because they were born homosexual?? (Yes – to argue for a homosexual who is cultivated to be that way is to argue for scientific nonsense)

 

For the sake of human well-being and flourishing, for the sake of the progress of humanity, for the sake of the very values that religion upholds – love, equality, compassion and acceptance – forbidding same-sex marriage or homosexual sex – is tantamount to a vicious crime against humanity.

 

*******

 

not religion?

 

It was a good thing that CEO Isabella Loh, of Wildlife Reserve Singapore (WRS), clarified that she was NOT a christian, of which many netizens were suspecting her of, due to some comments she had made about “devil worship”.

 

She clarified that she is a buddhist.

 

Wildlife Reserves Singapore apologises to President

 

Halloween event cancelled not due to Religious reasons

 

But the statement that WRS gave to the press that the event was cancelled NOT due to religious reasons is somewhat dubious.

 

It is dubious because Ms Loh has yet to elaborate on the exact content of the feedback, of which I suspect have to do with “reasons” that are not coherent with current global standards of humanistic morality, secular humanism and empirical research; but loosely based on so-called traditional “family values”, “wholesomeness”, what is “good for society and family” (as though harmless horror fun can be detrimental to the moral fabric of society), etc.

 

It is a no-brainer that perhaps those “feedback” did not actually contain words like “religion” or “christian values” or “islamic principles” as Singapore, thanfully, is a strictly SECULAR country where issues regarding the public have to be discussed rationally, with alternative views defended based on publicly available evidence and reason, NOT sacred texts or sacred principles. Such appeal to authority is no argument at all.

 

Then again – the folks who often espouse “traditional family values” are usually the religiously motivated. Thus I will still reject the claim of WRS that reasons to cancel Halloween Horrors are not religious.

 

Ms Loh apparently also commented to her management team regarding the “controversial” nature of Halloween, citing the example of some schools in the United States that banned its celebration.

 

How ignorant can she get – the United States, for goodness’ sake – much of their population even think that evolution is controversial! She should have realised that although the US is a secular nation with a secular constitution, in all practical terms, it is still a thoroughly “christian” country with christians having a lot of power in the political arena. There are schools in the US who still teach pseudoscientific stuff like Intelligent Design! It is no surprise that some of these evangelical idiots might want to ban Halloween at all costs! I know for a fact that some christians, even in Singapore, who will believe that all the gore, blood and spook in Halloween, is somehow inspired and instigated by the devil so that he can have an influence on the people through their innocent celebrations.

 

Bah!

 

Halloween aside, it is now almost a well-attested public knowledge that European countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland have one of the most peaceful societies in the world. But they also have one of the least religious societies in the world – compare them with the United States – and it seems that religion is doing the US more harm than good.

 

And surprise, surprise, some of these Scandinavian nations have one of the most anarchic, brutal and “devilish” (if you want to use that term) death metal bands around! Death metal is a genre of music that is often characterised by lots of gothic, dark and biblical imagery of devils and demons, gore and blood, etc. But these bands do not go around spreading the message of evil and murder to their fans! It is a very ignorant stereotype which religious people make of alternative lifestyles like goth and such.

 

In fact, it is mostly the zealously religious who spread the message of hate and evil – who are the ones who love to oppose same-sex marriage? Who are the ones who love to see “God’s Law” imposed on the societies of the world? Who are the ones who believe that everyone who does not follow their code of beliefs will go to hell? Who are the ones who burn people at the stake just for contradicting them? Who are the ones who would kill people like death metal band members if they were living in the middle ages? Who are the ones who would rather obey their “gods” than love their fellow humanity?

 

You and I know the answer.

 

I suppose I got carried away again. Sheesh. Back to the WRS and Halloween Horrors.

 

It isn’t the apologies that we want to hear, Ms Loh. It is the REINSTATEMENT of the event, Halloween Horrors, for at least this year, if not the next. Although this cancellation would not have any detrimental result on the Singapore Polytechnic students’ gradings, THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE! The emotional abuse has already been executed. All the hard work that have been put – and they cannot even showcase it to the public! The pleasure of an artist is twofold – the pleasure of the creation and the process as well as the pleasure of interacting with the audience. By cancelling the event, the public can never get to enjoy the fruits of the students’ labour.

 

I have a family too – and my children are all young, too young I reckon, to appreciate and enjoy the fictional horrors of halloween. But that does not mean that I have to forbid them from doing so with the reason that it will harm them morally. There is nothing unwholesome about fiction and make-believe. Such art is neutral and it often takes an idiot to interpret such art and turn it into the rubbish and decadence that some moral pedants love.

 

It might be a shock to some parents, but I expose my young children to films like The Walking Dead. Of course it is not something I relish doing in the sense that I allow them to watch every episode. But I would not switch the channel if the kids happened to be still awake. And I would explain to them that IT IS ALL MAKE-BELIEVE. The zombies, or “monsters” as kids would like to call them, are NOT REAL monsters.

 

And you know what, my five-year-old son and four-year-old daughter understands. By explaining it to them, and exposing it that it is NOT REAL, I am telling them that ALL HORROR is fiction. And so are any supposedly paranormal phenomena – they are all bullshit.

 

I am appalled by some parents who create a climate of fear for their kids by telling them not to go into the dark, for it is scary, there are ghosts there. For Holy Mother’s sake! There is no such thing as ghosts. Full stop.

 

By the way, Ms Loh also made a statement regarding her feelings about the event, that she found it too scary.

 

What??! Since when Halloween has to be sugar and nice, meek and mild? Sigh. I am trying darn hard not to sound sexist now, but it seems that if she is a bloke, she would not have made such a silly remark. No bloke who’s worth his prick would think of cancelling something just because he finds it too scary for his taste!

 

Personal taste and business do not mix, my dear.

 

*******

 

 

is this advertisement distasteful?

 

 

I got this picture from Yawning Bread blog, with the following letter published in The Straits Times Forum, dated 27 August, 2011:

 

Is this ad too indecent for Orchard Road?

I am am writing to request the removal of an indecent, giant poster plastered across the new Knightsbridge mall building along Orchard Road.

It not only makes no sense as an advertisement for a clothing brand (the man in it has virtually no clothes on), but it is also plain lewd.

A girl gets berated for letting slip the F-word in a speech (‘NTU regrets use of expletive during speech’; Aug 1), but it is all right to plaster the giant picture highlighting a part of the male anatomy that should remain private, on the busiest shopping stretch on the island!

I have stood at the crossing between Ngee Ann City and Paragon watching passers-by as they catch sight of it, and every single person I have noticed has either looked away quickly, in what can only be embarrassment, or pointed it out to a friend for a quick giggle.

And let me pre-empt the usual counter eagerly dismissing Singaporeans for being so ‘sexually repressed’ as to tear it down.

This is a matter of common decency, plain and simple.

Ong Ker-Yu (Ms)

 

What do you think?

 

I admittedly have not been to Orchard Road for a significant period of time and hence have no knowledge of the state of advertising in the area. As a heterosexual adult bloke, I do not find the above picture neither distasteful nor indecent in any way. In fact, I opine that it is rather artful in its photography. The depiction of the male abdominal muscles is beautiful.

 

Ms Ong claimed that the picture highlights the male genitalia but is it so? Other than perhaps a shadow of the pubic region, I cannot fathom how on earth she could see the penis in all of its glory, shaft, glans and all.

 

Hmm.

 

She has a rather vivid imagination, I dare say. Maybe even somewhat sexually imaginative. Artwork like the above are intended to titillate and suggest, provoke the sensual imaginations of the viewer – but never as pornography. Pornography is a different matter all together.

 

I smell a rat somewhere. The only people I know who frequently complain and gripe about supposedly “sexual” imagery in public are christians and muslims – two of the most sexually repressed ideologies ever to grace this 4 billion plus year old planet.

 

*******

 

chimpanzees help others out

 

 

US scientists at a primate research centre in Georgia discovered that female chimpanzees like to spontaneously help others rather than act selfishly.

 

This might suggest that altruism is not a uniquely human trait.

 

Chimps like to Help Others, study finds

 

Chimps like to Help Others rather than act selfishly

 

 

This is not news really, since it is a FACT that chimps are humankind’s closest cousins (along with the bonobos and the gorillas), contrary to the silly rants of religious fundamentalists. It also suggests that much of religion’s trivial rantings about morality being god-originated is cow dung.

 

Much of our morality is innate in our species not because it is a sign of our souls being made in the image of god but because it is part of our genetic make-up through thousands of years of evolution.

 

*******

 

thugs deserve the harshest punishment yet

 

A 65-year-old Singaporean man was bashed up by a group of thugs when he asked them to smoke somewhere else instead of the very narrow stairwell landing on the second floor beneath his third floor flat at 31 Seah Street.

 

The man was obviously distressed by the second-hand smoke.

 

Hooligans beat up Elderly man

 

If the thugs weren’t drunk or under the influence of some other substances, then they were but barbarians – surprise surprise – to see them in 21st century Singapore. Call me naive, call me childishly so, but such an act is appalling and it violates the good common sense of any decent human being.

 

I hope the long arm of the draconian Singapore legal system catches up with these clowns.

 

*******

 

 

charged for “wrong” crime

 

A 22-year-old Singaporean woman was recently charged on two counts with committing an obscene act with an 11-year-old girl.

 

No details were provided as to what the “obscene” act was but I wonder if the conviction was proper and accurate. Isn’t the charge suppose to be “underage sex” instead?

 

Woman Admits Obscene Acts with Girl

 

The “victim” (it was consensual by the way) was only 11 years old – only a child.

 

Such a charge simply shows the archaic perspectives of the Singapore legal system towards homosexuality. The crime in the above case is underage sex, not homosexual sex!

 

*******