Of gays, smokers and gamblers (warning: long post)
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Recently, a few local issues caught my eye. Firstly, police rejected an application for the SnowBall.04 indoor part which has been similarly organized for the past two years. Next, there is the push for more anti-smoking stringent measures such as banning smoking in bus stops, interchanges, hawker centres, pubs and etc. Finally, there is the whole debate on having a casino in Singapore that is bombing the Straits Times forum. All the pros and cons of having a casino; we heard it all, havenÂ’t we?
In todayÂ’s ST, I came across this forum letter which I agree with the writer, Alex Au Waipang. Here is the letter:
No reason to scuttle 'gay party'
I REFER to the article, 'It's no go for planned Christmas 'gay party' (ST, Dec 9). By rejecting the application for a license to hold the party, the police are over-reaching their authority.
The police said they noticed kissing and intimate touching involving people of the same gender in previous events held by the organiser.
If the degree of kissing and embracing is no different from any greeting or affection shown at other parties such as ZoukOut, then the police have no grounds to cite such a reason and still say that 'they do not discriminate'.
In any case, it is not against the law to embrace or kiss someone of the same sex, nor to cross-dress, another observation cited.
If the police had felt these were against the law, why didn't they arrest those persons on the spot there and then?
If they felt they had no powers to arrest them, as these acts are not against the law, then why cite it as a reason to reject an application?
Overall, the police seem to be saying that any party that caters to the gay minority is now banned, based on the hoary excuse of 'public interest' and that of a 'traditional and conservative society'.
These phrases contradict their 'do not discriminate' claim. They are inconsistent with a society hoping to move forward.
I will be interested to see if the same excuses are invoked when the time comes to approve the setting up of a casino.
I think it’s really a case of brainless discrimination. If the police can reject the SnowBall.04 party for the sake of ‘public interest’ and the recognition that Singapore is still a ‘traditional and conservative society’, and then the casino issue becomes a no-brainer. We should not have a casino since it’s so obvious there are quite a number of people out there who opposes casinos, judging from the response of ST forum writers.
Seriously, sometimes, I really felt that Singapore is such a backward country. I have no issues with gays. I think that itÂ’s perfectly fine to let them be themselves and do whatever they like as long as they donÂ’t harm others which they donÂ’t.
Between two men kissing and intimately touching each other in front of you and a smoker puffing second-hand smoke in your direction, which one will you choose? The former donÂ’t affect me in any ways, the latter do.
So instead of banning gay parties, why donÂ’t we spend the energy and effort to ban smoking in more public areas? Passive smoking kills. Why should non-smokers be subject to the damage caused by smokers whenever they share the same public area such as hawker centre and bus interchanges? If I have my way, I would have push for a ban on smoking in ALL public places, and then place some air tight containers for the smokers to indulge in their brainless smoking activities and also take in the second-hand smoke of other smokers.
Next, regarding the issue of having a casinoÂ… I thought itÂ’s a no-brainer. Singaporeans have been flocking all the time to Genting, Australia, Batam, cruise ships and underground gambling dens for their gambling fix, so whatÂ’s wrong if we open a casino here in our shores? We will just be directing these outflows of funds into our own pockets, not to mention attracting the tourism bucks and creating new jobs.
About the social ills of gambling, I can only say that most of those people, who will become addicted to gambling if a casino is opened here, should have already became addicts. They have already all the choices of various casinos around the region. And If they are too poor to travel abroad to gamble, they have all the choices of illegal gambling, or legal forms in horse betting and other Singapore Pools games. And I thought Singapore already has a large scale casino in the form of the SGX? The stock exchange is one big fun casino!
I canÂ’t imagine there are so many people in Singapore who opposes gays and gambling while passively breathing the second-hand smoke around them. It makes me kind of sad.
Just my 2 cents worth, no flame please... -
No opinions anyone?
People in Club 30 see me no up...
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I think no ones really around to reply you lah, not see you no up...
I got bad headache now so cant think properly or reply very long...I will just say that I guess it just goes to show singapore is still a conservative society and the higher ups are still trying to nanny us. -
most were still asleep?
but seriously, like you said, gay people don't affect anyone.. but there is this discrimination against them which i think stems from homophobia which borders on paranoia... and those who are in authority, are usually those who are up there because they simply do not have the moral courage to do the right thing, that is, they toady their way up...
worse still, when they are up there, they will bend to the most vocal... instead of doing the right thing!
but then, public sentiments and all that aside, still, diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks..
just like...
i have no problems with gay people having a huge party... heck! they're people too! but you ask your folks about them... maybe, it is up to our generation to change the homophobia that is just bigotry in another guise..
smoking? people should have a right to pollute their lungs.. but only if they do it in the presence of like-minded individuals.. and the moment someone objects, they should stop..
and the casino, if the authorities are going to put one in for "purely economic reasons", they should look at the repercussions of their actions... because in communities where they put up casinos, it was found that for every dollar pumped into the community, it takes around $2 to mop up the problems that the casino attracts.. be they vice, drugs and other ills... so in the end, is it worth it?
there.. by two bits..
there you go... -
upz upz
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Eric, not that we 'see you no up'... some of us are still sleeping or were already at work, y'know!
I'm sitting here, and I'm totally sapped from a day at work and then spending the rest of the day after work with a colleague, talking and shopping. Am seriously not up to commenting on such a cheem social topic but shall try.
Basically, what people choose to do with their lives, be it gamble it away / engage in homosexual relationships / indulge in some lung-damaging activity, is none of my business. Well, with the exception of smoking where bystanders get affected by 2nd hand smoke as well. I tend to adopt a 'live and let live' attitude. That's not to say I won't criticise things here and there when amongst close friends but it just means that I have no wish to interfere with the lives of strangers.
By now, we should have learnt that a lot of things the govt and authority do, might be illogical but in the end, they still get the last say. Let's say I just choose my battles, and as the years go by, I become more and more selective, choosing to keep one eye closed most of the time in an attempt to deal with my frustrations and such.
Casinos will pump in money to the economy because with their presence, ancillary services and business will sprout and thrive as well. Also, it's time the govt take a step back and stop 'protecting' Singaporeans... if people choose to succumb to their gambling addiction, then they shall have to stand up to the consequences instead of blaming the govt for allowing casinos to be erected in the first place. It's time to be mature and take responsibility without expecting the govt to play a parenting role.
OK, my brain has flatlined now. Gotta go sleep!
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Good night Rhonda!
Sweet Dreams... -
Hmm - no contest on the gay issue. It is mindless discrimination.
As for smoking, hell, even as a smoker myself, I'm all for banning it indoors at most places. The one indoor place I would not think is a good idea for a smoking ban is a pub, and that's for the amount of choice allowed in whether a person chooses to visit a particular pub or not.
I'm not for banning smoking outdoors, but I'd add the caveat of placing the responsibility of smokers to be considerate. I check wind direction when I light up to make sure that my smoke doesn't go in anyone's direction, and at bus stops, I stand away from the stop.
A complete ban on smoking makes me think of California. Nice state, nice people, but, damn, they were Nazis when it came to smoking and that just rubbed me the wrong way.
As for casinos, I'm against them, and I don't hold to the "well, they're going to do it one way or the other" view. Ever so often in Melbourne, we've got cases of addicted mothers leaving their babies in parked cars in summer, and that's just if they're not literally trying to sell the kids off in the parking lot. On top of that, I'm not happy about my tax money being spent on treating someone else's addiction and funding gambling addiction help lines. Sure, the money stays in the country, but there's also money flowing out of my pocket for no good reason. If they can't stop people from gambling, at least they can refrain from making it easier.
Putting the smoking and gambling issues together, if I'm not paying for someone's lung cancer treatment, there's no reason why I should have to pay for treating their gambling addiction. -
actually gay parties have been happening on sentosa for few years now. It's only recently that AIDS on the rise thats why they taking such measures.
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Eric, ur post really quite cheem...as in not easy to make commends...These social issues sometimes are out of our control.
Gays are obviously more acceptable in western country rathan than asia. i think everybody has his right to choose what kind of life he wants to carry on.
As for smoking, in fact i don't smoke and i don't like to go to places whereby ppl smoke a lot. When go pubbing--though i seldom go, after coming back home, all the clothes and hair got smoke smell. However, some of my good friends also smoke, and i never stop meeting them becoz of that. Maybe sometimes i nag a bit, "try" to persuade them to cut down a bit...My bf used to smoke b4 he met me. And i never ask him to quit. But he really quit becoz he knows i dun like...so that is his choice and i appreciate.
As for casino, i went twice so far, once when we went on cruise and another in Australia. It is again depends on how u look at it. When i went with my bf to casino, we actually enjoyed the feelings of being there. We dun really "gamble", but more like "play".
It is quite fun actually. We did not bet a lot a lot, but juz small token to try our luck. And we always stick to our initial limit, no more trying after the token gone... We learnt to control our emotion and desire after the experience in casino.
To me, there is no strictly right or wrong. It is up to u what u want to be and how u react. -
Eh sorry for the long post, I just felt like writing down my views on these issues which I think sometimes, the people around me can have such ridiculous views...
For one, I didn't expect such an uproar when then PM Goh said that the civil service does employ gays...
It seriously strikes me that there're many many different kind of people with very diverse backgrounds, views and culture, even in Singapore alone. Perhaps my circle of friends is too small... -
gay discrimination is stupid
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I dunno y is there such a hatred for smoking...i mean, Spore has already increased the price of cig. n banned smoking in aircon. places...non smokers shld not be so forceful abt pushing those smokers to a corner...not all smokers are unthoughtful..i do see n in fact, i myself have control myself not to smoke infront of my friends/family/with kids/babies(non-smokers) ard me, for instances, kopitiams...
Hope that there's no discrimination between smokers and non-smokers... -
I don't generalise all smokers to be unthoughtful...Originally posted by dcx:I dunno y is there such a hatred for smoking...i mean, Spore has already increased the price of cig. n banned smoking in aircon. places...non smokers shld not be so forceful abt pushing those smokers to a corner...not all smokers are unthoughtful..i do see n in fact, i myself have control myself not to smoke infront of my friends/family/with kids/babies(non-smokers) ard me, for instances, kopitiams...
Hope that there's no discrimination between smokers and non-smokers...
But what I do notice is most smokers are unthoughtful and irresponsible...
And smoke, being smoke, knows no boundaries...