3 ms·

I've only lived in Singapore for three years, but I do read the Straits times every day (I'm a paper and digital subscriber), get the daily update in email, and

I've only lived in Singapore for three years, but I do read the Straits times every day (I'm a paper and digital subscriber), get the daily update in email, and subscribe to their notifications. The straitstimes is fascinating in that it so different from any newspaper that I'm familiar with in the United States (I subscribe to the NYT, and have the SJ Mercury news, and WSJ in the past). In many ways, it feels like a government newsletter, with clearly government approved messaging on things like the budgets, healthcare, elections, etc.. The "Structure" of the newspaper stories, particular on the front page, is also remarkably consistent over the last few years - usually with a story from one of the following collection - Story about a maid, story about something good in Singapore, Story about something bad in the rest of the world that wouldn't happen in singapore, story about someone who did something bad, and got caught, and what their punishment was, story about issues regarding racial/religious harmony. The complete lack of LGBT stories is also fascinating. And you will almost never, ever see a story regarding the liberalization of drugs. For better or worse, the media is clearly not independent - whether that's a good or bad thing is unclear to me. Singapore is certainly a very safe and clean place to live in, with little visible signs of poverty and/or urban blight that is so common in American Cities. I know it's the only city I've ever felt comfortable about my mother roaming around anywhere at night. Maybe there's something to be said about a bit of totalitarian rule?

StanislavPetrov 11y ago
Nazi Germany had the lowest crime rates in modern recorded history (if you don't count "government crimes"). When a government is able to act unilaterally with impunity your safety is still at risk, only the risks come from the government rather then street criminals. The real risk in Singapore is, what comes down the road? What happens if they implement laws that restrict free speech, or criticizing the government? What sort of position will people be in to oppose future government oppression when they live in a Totalitarian state that is completely controlled and monitored? At the end of the day, ceding your rights and freedoms to government officials with the idea that you can trust them to do the right thing is dangerously naive, and has never ended well.
- ghshephard 11y ago
  Singapore promotes racial harmony, religious acceptance. They are opposed to drugs, corruption, and littering. About the only place I would suggest they perhaps are behind in terms of what I would consider important modern civil liberties are their attitudes towards LGBT issues, and, honestly, they aren't particularly strict about it, even though it is technically illegal for homosexual men (but not women) to have sex with each other. Ironically, you probably run into more serious discrimination issues in certain states/towns in the United States than you would in Singapore. It's just something that's frowned upon, rather than very actively prosecuted - and there is a healthy gay rights movement here. And, once again, I would much rather cede my rights and freedoms to a government that creates a safe, clean, and tolerant environment, where I, and my family can live in safety, than a government which, while protecting my rights/freedoms, created an environment that was unsafe, dirty, and intolerant, and in which I and my family were not safe to walk around in.
  - seanmcdirmid 11y ago
    Singapore is a police state governed by a single party/family with very limited freedom of press (enforced via strict libel laws). Granted, the rulers are enlightened, and it is very much a stable "rule of law" country...it is also multi-cultural with necessary tolerance on religion. Hopefully Singapore can evolve into something a bit less authoritarian while keeping those qualities.
  - StanislavPetrov 11y ago
    >And, once again, I would much rather cede my rights and freedoms to a government that creates a safe, clean, and tolerant environment, where I, and my family can live in safety, than a government which, while protecting my rights/freedoms, created an environment that was unsafe, dirty, and intolerant, and in which I and my family were not safe to walk around in. That's like saying, "I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a pen then a pencil". My point is that nobody who values their dignity and freedom ever cedes their rights to any government, for any reason. >About the only place I would suggest they perhaps are behind in terms of what I would consider important modern civil liberties are their attitudes towards LGBT issues If you don't see a civil liberties issue with the government putting censors on you, your vehicle, and every street corner to monitor everything you do, everywhere you go, when you sleep, when you eat, and when you take a shit, and to regulate your personal behavior in each of these matters, as they claim it relates "to the public good" we have a very different definition of "civil liberties". “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” ― Samuel Adams
nickpsecurity 11y ago
Interesting write-up. More interesting is that the paper fits your description closely when I loaded it. Might read it a bit more often out of curiosity. "Maybe there's something to be said about a bit of totalitarian rule?" Or a combo of culture that cares with strong enforcement of good laws. I think that would suffice. Remember that there's pretty safe democracies without totalitarianism.

StanislavPetrov 11y ago

Nazi Germany had the lowest crime rates in modern recorded history (if you don't count "government crimes"). When a government is able to act unilaterally with impunity your safety is still at risk, only the risks come from the government rather then street criminals. The real risk in Singapore is, what comes down the road? What happens if they implement laws that restrict free speech, or criticizing the government? What sort of position will people be in to oppose future government oppression when they live in a Totalitarian state that is completely controlled and monitored? At the end of the day, ceding your rights and freedoms to government officials with the idea that you can trust them to do the right thing is dangerously naive, and has never ended well.

ghshephard 11y ago
Singapore promotes racial harmony, religious acceptance. They are opposed to drugs, corruption, and littering. About the only place I would suggest they perhaps are behind in terms of what I would consider important modern civil liberties are their attitudes towards LGBT issues, and, honestly, they aren't particularly strict about it, even though it is technically illegal for homosexual men (but not women) to have sex with each other. Ironically, you probably run into more serious discrimination issues in certain states/towns in the United States than you would in Singapore. It's just something that's frowned upon, rather than very actively prosecuted - and there is a healthy gay rights movement here. And, once again, I would much rather cede my rights and freedoms to a government that creates a safe, clean, and tolerant environment, where I, and my family can live in safety, than a government which, while protecting my rights/freedoms, created an environment that was unsafe, dirty, and intolerant, and in which I and my family were not safe to walk around in.
- seanmcdirmid 11y ago
  Singapore is a police state governed by a single party/family with very limited freedom of press (enforced via strict libel laws). Granted, the rulers are enlightened, and it is very much a stable "rule of law" country...it is also multi-cultural with necessary tolerance on religion. Hopefully Singapore can evolve into something a bit less authoritarian while keeping those qualities.
- StanislavPetrov 11y ago
  >And, once again, I would much rather cede my rights and freedoms to a government that creates a safe, clean, and tolerant environment, where I, and my family can live in safety, than a government which, while protecting my rights/freedoms, created an environment that was unsafe, dirty, and intolerant, and in which I and my family were not safe to walk around in. That's like saying, "I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a pen then a pencil". My point is that nobody who values their dignity and freedom ever cedes their rights to any government, for any reason. >About the only place I would suggest they perhaps are behind in terms of what I would consider important modern civil liberties are their attitudes towards LGBT issues If you don't see a civil liberties issue with the government putting censors on you, your vehicle, and every street corner to monitor everything you do, everywhere you go, when you sleep, when you eat, and when you take a shit, and to regulate your personal behavior in each of these matters, as they claim it relates "to the public good" we have a very different definition of "civil liberties". “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” ― Samuel Adams

nickpsecurity 11y ago

Interesting write-up. More interesting is that the paper fits your description closely when I loaded it. Might read it a bit more often out of curiosity. "Maybe there's something to be said about a bit of totalitarian rule?" Or a combo of culture that cares with strong enforcement of good laws. I think that would suffice. Remember that there's pretty safe democracies without totalitarianism.