Remember that brouhaha over the Abercrombie & Fitch ad in the Orchard Road shopping district, featuring a shirtless male model in a low-slung pair of jeans?
I had posted my two cents worth, concluding that it was all much ado about nothing, there were more titillating lingerie (and I should add, bust enhancement) ads in the media, and on shop fronts and bus stop posters, etc, and that all that hot air generated was merely giving A&F a lot of exposure and publicity.
Well, MP Baey Yam Keng recently said as much -- and he was excoriated by some obviously ultra-conservative people -- the equivalent of Bible Belt ultras in the US? -- for his decadent views. One couple even said he was unfit to be an MP!
Here's what insing.com reported:
Some Singaporeans are voicing their discomfort with MP Baey Yam Keng's "more liberal" views. An email complaint was even sent to ministers, MPs and civil servants accusing Mr Baey of promoting "moral decadence" and "unwholesome values".
The MP had recently tabled a question [in Parliament] to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.
He had asked the minister to explain the Media Development Authority's support for the suspension of the Abercrombie & Fitch ad that featured a topless man. He also wondered how the rules are applied consistently with other kinds of ads like revealing slimming ads and lingerie ads.
His question appeared to have attracted the ire of some, with one couple decrying that he is not fit to be an MP.
Undaunted, Mr Baey wrote on his Facebook page that he believes he was presenting the views of "segments of our society" when he said that he did not find the shirtless jean-wearing torso particularly indecent compared to other ads in Singapore.
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Here's the link to the story:
http://news.insing.com/tabloid/mp-flamed-for-liberal-question/id-6d1b3f00
In my posting yesterday about people with long hair being "served last" in bygone years that should be best forgotten, I had missed out on the "Kitaro incident". But MP Baey recalled it, in the insing.com story above:
[Mr Baey] noted, "Many years ago, the [renowned Japanese] musician Kitaro was banned from entering Singapore because of his long hair, but we would be a global laughing stock if we insist on applying the same standard today!"
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So, now we know that there are prudish people out there with over-imaginative minds. I wonder if they would freak out on seeing this road warning sign, and label it "morally decadent"?...
Still on "cheeky road signs" but on the (clean as a whistle) humorous side, this arrow sign and pedestrian crossing button are a common sight here:
But some cheeky person (or persons) had decided that Singlish "instructions" made more sense, as reported by insing.com:
http://news.insing.com/tabloid/traffic-light-sticker-prank-pushes-lta-s-buttons/id-3b1a3f00
The LTA was, of course, not pleased. But no one has been fingered yet (caught with his/her finger on the button?).
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Finally, just to put it on the record here, SBS Transit has responded to the ST Forum writer who had encountered a bus driver who only spoke one language: "ding dong"! The company, in its letter today (24 Nov), apologised unreservedly to her and said it is making the effort to ensure its drivers speak basic English at least.
[Just don't teach them the Tsai Chin song with the title "The Ding Dong Song", hor. But if I have now whetted anyone's curiosity, here's the song on YouTube:]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iDA-LG2tKE
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