Following the hoohaa over my blog entry “Porn Comic Book Saga in Singapore” dated 6 June 2007, here is Rachel’s response to the comments made so far:
‘First off to Charles, thanks for posting that long comment.
“Singaporeans are so scared of everything, it is amazing.”
We have this tendency to refer to fellow citizens as if we weren’t part of the same society, you know? Charles, are you Singaporean?
I am, and I’m not scared of everything. For example, I was not scared of providing this as a news lead for the media and facing the current consequences of having done so.
I am also optimistic that public discussion will lead to a reasonable solution of this matter. I could possibly be wrong, but come on, despite media regulation all these years we’ve always found alternative means of expression. What is it that you are worried about? That now pre-teens and schoolkids will find it harder to buy porn in print?
“You can be sure that this will dominate the media for the next month or so, that the gahmen will ask MDA to come up with some more censorship, maybe some new classifcation and bookshop police, maybe even a license to sell books (including second-hand).”
Charles’ comment just proved his own point. So scared for what?
I’m not going to ask him the incredibly stupid question “Then are you an angel?” because that would be so illogical and missing the point.
I didn’t inform our local media about my “discovery” to play angels and mortals. When I informed the news editors about this, I had merely highlighted the need for vendors at the World Book Fair to be more cautious about what they were selling and whom they were selling it to.
I could have approached Times Publishing Group directly about it, yes, and then so what? Would they have taken immediate action? Remember the NKF incident? If not for whistle-blowing, the truth would not have come to light. Other than complaining, we Singaporeans are also well-known for being apathetic and silent.
Anyways, the reporter who was assigned this particular story I provided did further investigation and dug out all the dirt by herself – and until she did, I never expected this to have been more than just a mere mention in STOMP.
If say, I have a problem with an irritating neighbour upstairs whose wet laundry perpetually drips onto mine, I’d talk to the neighbour personally to solve the problem. But I felt that the selling of explicit material in the kids’ section was a real issue that involved the public, not a personal problem that could be resolved face-to-face. I’d prefer people to say that I’m kaypoh, instead of looking “for fame”. 🙂 (Got “fame” meh?)
I love reading graphic novels and manga too. I also enjoy watching my movies uncensored. But I also believe that next to anything can be found on the Internet and that it’s up to one’s personal freedom (and one’s smarts) to wend their way around the law.’
Yours sincerely,
Rachel
Technorati Tags: Rachel Chan, STOMP, MDA, Singaporeans, Times Publishing Group, media regulation, government
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ya. but you are still public enemy number one now.
it is because people like you that we are so up-tight in sg.
claps wildly!!! Rachel you're my ou xiang!!!!
aiyah don't care what these people say lah, because i think what you did was courageous and correct.
oh, and hi alvin! set up new blog to battle the youth.sg blog ah? even brought your fan base here? hmph.
This is why porn is evil. What more can I say.
Stupid's comment is really STUPIDDD. That stupid porn was placed in the KIDS' section leh!!!
I think Rachel's also all parents' ou xiang =D
HI ALVIN! ;D
Good intentions, but you should have known that the conservative elements would love nothing more than a good excuse to fully ban this book in all aspects, including in shrink-wrapped form or in less-accessible sections of Kinokuniya.
It is not about who reads pornography, it is about raising your concerns to the exhibitors in a way that allows them to address this issue. Secondly, don't ever trust the Straits Times to NOT pick on your complaint and leverage on it for the ultra-conservative elements in the influential rungs of society to take advantage of.
Bravo, so now kids are safe from pornography (fine and good). But free speech and consumer choice got kicked down a notch.Let's hope you learnt something about the reliability of our local state-controlled media. They tend to work in the realm of unintended blowbacks.
Hi Joyce! :) How are you and Grace doing?
To all the people who are taking the moral high ground at this point - have you guys even read the comic in question? Perhaps, just perhaps, the pornographic content is more of a parody than erotic wanking material? And Rachel if you can honestly say that you reported this not knowing that the flag waving local media hounds at SPH will jump on this and blow it out of proportion - then you are far more dull than i already think you are.
I mean hey of course ban the comic. Don't ask where the kid's parents were. And hey create a huge mess for the government to step in. I mean after all parents are the least qualified people to handle their children in such situations right? And of course throw common sense, free speech and responsible parenting out of the window, because hey, over-reacting, and nanny state policies are the way to go.
And seriously what the fuck is with gahmen. At least spell propely, rather than attempt to have some sort of "endearing local flavor" in the hogwash that is you logic.
Don't be so emo lah.
Now that this has died down, I think it is interesting to note that the book was -- in fact -- placed on the "FICTION" table and NOT the "CHILDRENS BOOKS" table as reported by Rachel Chan to the media. Check your own images (bottom one) and you can clearly see that a "fiction" label was sitting on the table in question, while the picture itself was taken from behind the children's table (across the way) to purposely mislead people. and BTW, the PORN STAR book is a parody/satire, not an actual guide to show "how kids could make money by producing their own porn". I know because I have a copy. And while this does not address the issue that the book should have been shrinkwrapped or placed in a location not accessible by children, it does point out the blaring inaccuracies as first reported.