4 ms·

>I've never feared being out in Singapore, even at 4am at night, in any part of the city. >I also never feared police or the state for that matter in Singapore

>I've never feared being out in Singapore, even at 4am at night, in any part of the city. >I also never feared police or the state for that matter in Singapore, if I didn't do anything illegal. Japan, Korea and Taiwan achieve the same level of safety while not being dictatorships. No need to compare it to the US.

coldtea 5y ago
On the other hand, Taiwan and Korea were dictatorships or semi-dictatorships after the war, and for a long time (until the 80s or so). Even today elections there are charade-ish...
- another_story 5y ago
  Taiwan elections are charade-ish? Can you back that up with anything?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - coldtea 5y ago
    You mean aside from 70+ years of a dictatorship, mass corruption on both sides, the KMT lording over for most of the country's existence, and having this ex-dictatorship force still being the major political player (with huge amassed wealth to boot), or having local goverment issues being drawn in the pro/anti China partsian noise?
    - another_story 5y ago
      You're ignoring the successful elections since they've become a democracy. Stop living 30+ years in the past.
Barrin92 5y ago
Taiwan was autocratic until merely a generation ago (and holds the questionable achievement for the longest sustained period of martial law by any government), in South Korea half of its democratic elected heads of state are in prison, and Japan has been governed virtually by the same party since the post-war era. They have the rule of law, they have elections, all of those countries are characterized by, in reality, a very monocultural, depolitized, bureaucratic system of government. Live in Singapore in reality is no more or less 'democratic' than live in Japan or Taiwan or SK.
- BeFlatXIII 5y ago
  > half of its democratically-elected heads of state are in prison Are they the Illinois of SE Asia? For that matter, if the US laws on insider trading applied to congresspeople, half of our elected representatives would rightfully be behind bars, too.
- teachrdan 5y ago
  > Live in Singapore in reality is no more or less 'democratic' than live in Japan or Taiwan or SK. I think this is a false equivalence. TFA mentions a democracy activist who was imprisoned for 21 days because of a small, non violent protest on a subway. He had been previously arrested for criticizing the judiciary in Singapore. Unless I'm mistaken, you would not be arrested for either of these acts in South Korea or Japan. They are both imperfect, but in some important ways more free.
  - Barrin92 5y ago
    activist arrests happen in South Korea as well. The country has a national security law that gives the government rights to take action against anything perceived as 'anti-government' action. Advocacy of communism or voicing recognition of the North is illegal and every so often lands people in jail https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30808950 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30808950
  - coldtea 5y ago
    >I think this is a false equivalence. TFA mentions a democracy activist who was imprisoned for 21 days because of a small, non violent protest on a subway Things like that, and worse, have happened time and again in the US too...
jollybean 5y ago
95% of the USA is the same. There's no danger at 4 am most places, and you don't have to be worried unless you are breaking the law.

coldtea 5y ago

On the other hand, Taiwan and Korea were dictatorships or semi-dictatorships after the war, and for a long time (until the 80s or so). Even today elections there are charade-ish...

another_story 5y ago
Taiwan elections are charade-ish? Can you back that up with anything?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- coldtea 5y ago
  You mean aside from 70+ years of a dictatorship, mass corruption on both sides, the KMT lording over for most of the country's existence, and having this ex-dictatorship force still being the major political player (with huge amassed wealth to boot), or having local goverment issues being drawn in the pro/anti China partsian noise?
  - another_story 5y ago
    You're ignoring the successful elections since they've become a democracy. Stop living 30+ years in the past.

Barrin92 5y ago

Taiwan was autocratic until merely a generation ago (and holds the questionable achievement for the longest sustained period of martial law by any government), in South Korea half of its democratic elected heads of state are in prison, and Japan has been governed virtually by the same party since the post-war era. They have the rule of law, they have elections, all of those countries are characterized by, in reality, a very monocultural, depolitized, bureaucratic system of government. Live in Singapore in reality is no more or less 'democratic' than live in Japan or Taiwan or SK.

BeFlatXIII 5y ago
> half of its democratically-elected heads of state are in prison Are they the Illinois of SE Asia? For that matter, if the US laws on insider trading applied to congresspeople, half of our elected representatives would rightfully be behind bars, too.
teachrdan 5y ago
> Live in Singapore in reality is no more or less 'democratic' than live in Japan or Taiwan or SK. I think this is a false equivalence. TFA mentions a democracy activist who was imprisoned for 21 days because of a small, non violent protest on a subway. He had been previously arrested for criticizing the judiciary in Singapore. Unless I'm mistaken, you would not be arrested for either of these acts in South Korea or Japan. They are both imperfect, but in some important ways more free.
- Barrin92 5y ago
  activist arrests happen in South Korea as well. The country has a national security law that gives the government rights to take action against anything perceived as 'anti-government' action. Advocacy of communism or voicing recognition of the North is illegal and every so often lands people in jail https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30808950 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30808950
- coldtea 5y ago
  >I think this is a false equivalence. TFA mentions a democracy activist who was imprisoned for 21 days because of a small, non violent protest on a subway Things like that, and worse, have happened time and again in the US too...

jollybean 5y ago

95% of the USA is the same. There's no danger at 4 am most places, and you don't have to be worried unless you are breaking the law.