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24/04/2008
Singapore fines TV station for gay show
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Posted: April 24, 2008 02:03 PM
SINGAPORE (AP) - A Singapore television station has been fined for airing a show that depicted a gay couple and their baby in a way that "promotes a gay lifestyle," the city-state's media regulator said Thursday.
The Media Development Authority fined MediaCorp TV Channel 5 $11,000, it said in a statement on its Web site.
The station aired an episode of a home and decor series called "Find and Design" that featured a gay couple wanting to transform their game room into a new nursery for their adopted baby.
The authority said the episode contained scenes of the gay couple with their baby and the presenter's congratulations and acknowledgment of them as a family unit "in a way which normalizes their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup."
The episode was in breach of rules on free-to-air television programming, which disallows content that promotes, justifies or glamorizes gay lifestyles, the statement said.
Earlier this month, the authority fined a Singapore cable television operator, StarHub Cable Vision $7,200 for airing a commercial that showed two lesbians kissing.
Under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed "an act of gross indecency," punishable by a maximum of two years in jail.
Despite the official ban on gay sex, there have been few prosecutions. Authorities have banned gay festivals and censored gay films, saying homosexuality should not be advocated as a lifestyle choice.
15:57 Posted by soci | Permalink | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: Singapore, Homosexuality
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I have my suspicions. Dig deep enough and I'll bet you'll find moralising asshole busy-body christians behind all this homophobia.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ReYfDlIa-Z8
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 25/04/2008
Ta rah!
Opinion, which I agree with:
> Singapore has a very strong Christian culture that makes it unique and the competent, benevolent dictatorship is also one of a kind. My family members attended government subsidized parochial schools growing up in Singapore. By US rhetorical standards, Singapore is a Christian theocracy due to the relationship with the parochial schools. <
http://blog.beliefnet.com/reformedchicksblabbing/2007/10/pc-run-amok-in-california.html.comments.html
Democracy in action--christians using the govt to ram their beliefs into everyone's lives, making a "christian sin" into a "state crime":
http://www.keep377a.com/
Makes me want to ask... WWJD? (What would Jesus do?)
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 25/04/2008
I don't know if you can blame just the christians. What is the Muslim belief on homosexuality? They embrass it and accept it totally?
I think the only religion out there that actually would embrass it would be Buddhism (they pretty much accept and embrass anything in moderation, right?) and Atheist/Agnostic.
Think it might just be a simple case of Singaporean rigid thinking of not accepting anything that they don't do or believe in. Live and Let Live has not been a strong belief in the Singaporeans that I have run into
Posted by: Capt_Canuck | 25/04/2008
If we have to wait for religion to approve or disapprove of the choices we make, we surrender our minds and its ability to reason.
Humans have been judging each other by 'religious standards' since the beginning.
That's the problem.
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 25/04/2008
I agree to that. So what does a country do when it is filled with the most one track minded religions in the world? While all religions seem to have that little "this book is the true book, don't believe any of the other books" I think Christianity and Muslim take it that step further.
Christianity and Muslim...not exactly the most forgiving and accepting. I know the extreme Christians had those crusades eons ago, followed by actually written in their bible "do not worship false gods". Think the push the people used in the past was "join the crusades, kill a non-believer, go to heaven". Think the extreme Muslims these days are still doing their crusades with the "kill an infidel, become a martyr, get 72 virgins".
Looks like Singapore has a problem that is gonna be around for a LONG time
Posted by: Capt_Canuck | 26/04/2008
> Looks like Singapore has a problem that is gonna be around for a LONG time
<
The protagonist is AUTHORITY. Religion claims to be "an authority". The State claims to be "an authority".
However, religion, the state and "authority" are not really the problems. The crux of the problem is that people surrender their ability to reason by accepting the word of "authority", and instead of reason the basis for belief is FAITH. And all "authorities" have laws which protect them from being challenged. If you do so on religion, you are an "infidel" or a "blasphemer". If you challenge the state, you come under "seditious speech" laws. If you challenge your parents, you're grounded; if you challenge your school, you are "disciplined".
The point is, authority MUST BE challenged is one is to achieve TRUE peace of mind, happiness, a self-directed life, a good level of self-esteem, being free from UNEARNED guilt, and minimal neurotic "stinkin' thinkin'".
"Authority" always alludes to ideas that you are not good enough or worthy enough of your own ideas seeking your own "happiness"... that you are somehow "flawed" and imperfect to a point where you're not suppose to trust your own mind. No, no... that stuff is incomprehensible, you are to bow to authority, and they'll do the thinking and decision making for you. And if you don't, you are GUILTY, and damnit it, they'll do their darndest to make sure you feel your guilt. How cruel is that?!?
The curse of faith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPG3-1gogXU
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 26/04/2008
my God, man...what you speak is anarchy and the downfall of civilization as we know it. Imagine...an entire country calling out their minds, challenging authority, demanding to know truth and evidence and not just bowing heads and saying "yes sir" when an order is given. If you had that in the army, then wars would be chaotic because a general might actually have to explain to a private why he has to die to gain that inch of ground. A teacher might actually have to provide evidence for their teachings. A politician might actually have to provide proof of their claims or follow through on a campaign promise. You are talking about the key stones of Singaporean civilization being thrown down the drain. What would you be left with? Pure western thinking.
Look at the hell the USA and Canada are going through. People challenging the helmet laws because it can't fit over their turbans; female soccer players challenging the referees because the players want to wear a hijab while playing but rules say it is wrong; sikhs wanting to bring 'ceremonial daggers' into the school because it is part of their religion; Mormons wanting to practice polygamy because it is their religion; political leaders actually listening to the people and trying to follow the whims of millions of people to win a vote AND having to follow through with those promises or else get voted out in 4 years time (BTW, how are those HDB lift upgrades the PAP have been dangling in front of the population for the last 20 years?) and worst of all these horrors, the media actually having the right to research stories about the gov't and independantly reporting the political scene without having to go through a censorship board.
blasphemer, seditioner, rebel...call it what you want, any of these actions or things can take Singapore down the tubes and all the wives and children will be street cleaners in days. Best to toe to line, have others do your thinking and question not a single thing.
Posted by: Capt_Canuck | 26/04/2008
Yeah. Diversity rocks! And infidels are the rockers!
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 26/04/2008