Now the Media Development Authority (MDA) has come out to support the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) in the latter's campaign to get American fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch to remove a shopfront wall ad of a male model in a pair of low-slung jeans (see yesterday's posting and TODAY, 30 Sept, page 8).
The retailer has so far stood by its statement that it is "investigating the matter and is not in a position to comment at this time". But methinks that the conclusion is foregone, once a government agency steps in.
So, what will eventually adorn that shopfront wall along Orchard Road? I still think this is a silly storm-in-a-teacup but there seems to be something more to it, beyond the mere navel-gazing of a male model in contrast to the gawking at ubiquitous ads of female models wearing even less bits of clothing. Hmmm.
The OB marker strikes again?
An entertainment company decided to do a musical titled "When Tan meets Tan," a spoof on the recent presidential election. Scheduled to open in October, its ticket sale seemed to be doing very well. But now, the company has announced that the production is being canned.
The story first appeared in Lianhe Wanbao. As reported by insing.com, the company declined to elaborate on the reasons why the show has been "indefinitely postponed". Here is insing.com's story:
http://news.insing.com/tabloid/presidential-election-parody-musical-shelved/id-14c83e00
This saga too, methinks, calls for a "Hmmm".
The art of the classy insult... it's getting rarer?
Thursday's Mind Your Body supplement in ST had an interesting article by regular contributor Gary Hayden titled "Insults are best ignored". Here's the gist of the article:
Hayden asks, "What is the best way to respond to an insult?" He offers three possible options, but recommends the third approach.
The first is the witty comeback. "If you are quick-witted and confident, you may choose to respond with a witty riposte," he says. He cites Winston Churchill as a master of this art (see the link to a blog I have put up below, where Sir Winston is cited quite a lot).
Hayden observes that most of us are not as quick-witted as Sir WC... "We find ourselves momentarily stunned into silence, or else floundering for words."
So, option two finds one typically lashing out, ie, dispense with the jokes and simply hit back hard, verbally, that is. And it should be publicly administered, to shame the offender. The bottom line: Insist on being treated with respect; and you will be treated with respect.
The third option for dealing with an insult is to simply ignore it. One model Hayden uses for this approach is the ancient Roman statesman Cato. He cites the Roman philosopher Seneca (4BC to AD65) as being in awe of how Cato reacted to slights and put-downs.
Seneca wrote: “Cato does not respond to insult; he does not blush; he does not defend himself; he does not play the game; it is beneath him.” The point, Hayden insists, is not merely to ignore the insult, but to rise above it.
"Ignoring an insult, in a calm and dignified manner, can be a very assertive act. It can rob the aggressor of the pleasure of upsetting us. And the wonderful thing about this strategy is that anyone can adopt it," Hayden says.
My wife insists she is able to embrace this option, and that she has done so. I guess I still have a long way to go along that steep uphill road (for me, anyway).
Meanwhile, I feel that the art of the classy insult is being lost. One blogger, who calls himself "AngryAussie", has the same view. His blog below has what amounts to a compendium of classy insults, including some very goods one from the 155 people who responded to his posting. Here it is:
Hi, I'm Gary. I wrote that column.
ReplyDeleteActually, I didn't mean to imply that the third option is the preferred one. I think that all three respones may have their place - depending on the circumstances and the individuals involved.
The title, 'Insults are Best Ignored', wasn't mine.
www.garyhaydenspopularphilosophyblog.blogspot.com