9 ms·

What a load of rubbish. What does this have anything to do with Singapore?!

wavefunction 13y ago
Maybe you should read his post again if you don't understand why he's talking about Singapore. You're probably one of the people he's talking about, who think that Singapore is a model to emulate all around the world.
- jasonlingx 13y ago
  > You're probably one of the people he's talking about, who think that Singapore is a model to emulate all around the world. Assuming a lot eh?
  - wavefunction 13y ago
    I did say probably, which is my "legal out" But yes, at some point, we have to make assumptions based on the information we have available.
endianswap 13y ago
I hate to reply to a comment like this, but for anyone new to HN, these folks come out whenever Singapore is mentioned in a negative light. For a previous rendition: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2621371 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2621371
- jasonlingx 13y ago
  I hate to say this but I really think ignorant statements about Singapore need to be nipped in the bud.
  - georgemcbay 13y ago
    Thus revealing your affinity for how governmental politics should work, which makes it not so surprising you are pro-Singapore. I think people should be able to say whatever ignorant things they want to say, and their ignorance should be displayed by stating facts countering their arguments, rather than censoring them or simply shouting them down with substance-free statements.
- westicle 13y ago
  In case you think "these people" have an (unstated?) agenda to push, perhaps I can share my point of view... You'll note that I'm not Singaporean nor have I ever posted anything relating to Singapore on HN. I have visited Singapore several times. My anglo-saxon, western uncle lived and worked in Singapore as a teacher for a number of years. I even had brief involvement in a start-up business in Singapore. I cannot identify in any way with the portrayal of Singapore as some dystopian nightmare. If anything I would describe it as a safe, pleasant, interesting and diverse city-state. In my experience, police are courteous, bureaucracy is minimal and people do a remarkably good job of living good lives in spite of the dense population in many areas. I would concede that in the time I've been there I've witnessed immigrant workers from neighbouring countries essentially imported to work in menial labour and the entertainment/sex trade. However looking at the conditions they're coming from, I'm sure to many it is the best opportunity to improve their lives they are likely to get. And in the end, the human outcome for real people is the most important aspect of a society. For all the self-righteous feel-goodery about "free" political expression, nobody really cares about the important political messages you're posting on your blog. What's the value of your free voice when at the end of the day you can vote in the "conservative" guys who don't give a shit, or the "progressive" guys who don't give a shit? I'd rather have slightly better governance without the illusion of choice, thanks very much.
geuis 13y ago
You entirely miss the point. He's holding up Singapore as a shining example of the end-state of affairs that the government of Turkey is trying to emulate. Since we don't have a word for it yet, or we haven't learned it, we're saying "Singaporification" as a placeholder. People might have said "Nazification" before the word "fascism" was well defined.
- jasonlingx 13y ago
  > He's holding up Singapore as a shining example of the end-state of affairs that the government of Turkey is trying to emulate. > I find Singapore to be the scariest dystopia in the world today. What? Anyway, Singapore is the greenest city on earth. It'll be more likely to see people here protesting the demolition of a shopping mall to build a park than vice versa. It's ridiculous to compare this to what is happening in Turkey now.
  - geuis 13y ago
    You really have no clue what's going on, do you? I'm honestly not trying to be rude. It's just that you come across as entirely missing the guy in the gorilla suit in the middle of the basketball game. The quintissential idea of a dystopia is that it's a safe place to live, the streets are clean, you have jobs and food and security. As long as you stay in the lines put in place by the State you're fine. But women can only wear skirts 2 inches below the knee. Lipstick must be color 22 or 46. Men cannot have beards. Or you must have a beard. You must wear a tie to work, even if you collect garbage. The news going to report what it's told to report, not necessarily whats happening in front of everyone. Photos can and will be edited to reflect the proper history that should exist. God help you if your faith is the minority and says you must not cut your hair. When you leave your shiny office with your coworkers for lunch, remember not to leave in groups larger than 4 because its against the law. So I am not saying my specific examples happen in Singapore. But you don't seem to get that we aren't really talking about Singapore. We're talking about dystopian ways of living that exist on earth, right now. We're talking about people with lots of money actively trying to make stuff like what I just said part of your life, right now. It never happens over night. It's one day at a time. One accident, one criminal act. One new camera on a street, one new law passed. So slowly, so you feel safer, until one day you see something happening around you that you don't like and decide to speak up. No one sees you at work tomorrow or the next day. You and your wife and kids just disappeared one night. No one saw anything, even if they did. In a week, a new family moves into your nice modern apartment. Someone else gets your cushy job. No one talks about you. They feel safe, too.
rdtsc 13y ago
Have you read his comment? Read it again. You can certainly disagree with his point but when you ask "what does it have to do with Singapore?" you are showing that you either haven't read it or English is not your first language (it isn't for me) and you just couldn't understand it (not worries then, I know how that feels some times).
- jasonlingx 13y ago
  Reading it 10 more times won't change anything. Yes English is my first language (so what?). I understand perfectly the words but the attempts to draw parallels with Singapore makes absolutely no sense.
  - geuis 13y ago
    Go to Singapore. Litter. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRiqfOMVC74/T69l6BH1vVI/AAAAAAAAL8g/ZSzUp4kac7s/s1600/caning.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRiqfOMVC74/T69l6BH1vVI/AAAAAAAAL8... What bubble are you living in because it desperately needs to be popped.
    - jasonlingx 13y ago
      Are you seriously trying to say you can get caned for littering in Singapore? It is exactly this kind of ignorant statement spoken as if it were fact that irks me.
      - pkinsky 13y ago
        http://www.businessinsider.com/absurd-laws-of-singapore-2012-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/absurd-laws-of-singapore-2012... >Singapore also differs from the United States where penalties are determined by a judge;breaking certain laws in Singapore can come with mandatory decisions that still include cane beatings. At least attempt some research
        manacit 13y ago

Maybe you should read his post again if you don't understand why he's talking about Singapore. You're probably one of the people he's talking about, who think that Singapore is a model to emulate all around the world.

jasonlingx 13y ago
> You're probably one of the people he's talking about, who think that Singapore is a model to emulate all around the world. Assuming a lot eh?
- wavefunction 13y ago
  I did say probably, which is my "legal out" But yes, at some point, we have to make assumptions based on the information we have available.

endianswap 13y ago

I hate to reply to a comment like this, but for anyone new to HN, these folks come out whenever Singapore is mentioned in a negative light. For a previous rendition: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2621371 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2621371

jasonlingx 13y ago
I hate to say this but I really think ignorant statements about Singapore need to be nipped in the bud.
- georgemcbay 13y ago
  Thus revealing your affinity for how governmental politics should work, which makes it not so surprising you are pro-Singapore. I think people should be able to say whatever ignorant things they want to say, and their ignorance should be displayed by stating facts countering their arguments, rather than censoring them or simply shouting them down with substance-free statements.
westicle 13y ago
In case you think "these people" have an (unstated?) agenda to push, perhaps I can share my point of view... You'll note that I'm not Singaporean nor have I ever posted anything relating to Singapore on HN. I have visited Singapore several times. My anglo-saxon, western uncle lived and worked in Singapore as a teacher for a number of years. I even had brief involvement in a start-up business in Singapore. I cannot identify in any way with the portrayal of Singapore as some dystopian nightmare. If anything I would describe it as a safe, pleasant, interesting and diverse city-state. In my experience, police are courteous, bureaucracy is minimal and people do a remarkably good job of living good lives in spite of the dense population in many areas. I would concede that in the time I've been there I've witnessed immigrant workers from neighbouring countries essentially imported to work in menial labour and the entertainment/sex trade. However looking at the conditions they're coming from, I'm sure to many it is the best opportunity to improve their lives they are likely to get. And in the end, the human outcome for real people is the most important aspect of a society. For all the self-righteous feel-goodery about "free" political expression, nobody really cares about the important political messages you're posting on your blog. What's the value of your free voice when at the end of the day you can vote in the "conservative" guys who don't give a shit, or the "progressive" guys who don't give a shit? I'd rather have slightly better governance without the illusion of choice, thanks very much.

geuis 13y ago

You entirely miss the point. He's holding up Singapore as a shining example of the end-state of affairs that the government of Turkey is trying to emulate. Since we don't have a word for it yet, or we haven't learned it, we're saying "Singaporification" as a placeholder. People might have said "Nazification" before the word "fascism" was well defined.

jasonlingx 13y ago
> He's holding up Singapore as a shining example of the end-state of affairs that the government of Turkey is trying to emulate. > I find Singapore to be the scariest dystopia in the world today. What? Anyway, Singapore is the greenest city on earth. It'll be more likely to see people here protesting the demolition of a shopping mall to build a park than vice versa. It's ridiculous to compare this to what is happening in Turkey now.
- geuis 13y ago
  You really have no clue what's going on, do you? I'm honestly not trying to be rude. It's just that you come across as entirely missing the guy in the gorilla suit in the middle of the basketball game. The quintissential idea of a dystopia is that it's a safe place to live, the streets are clean, you have jobs and food and security. As long as you stay in the lines put in place by the State you're fine. But women can only wear skirts 2 inches below the knee. Lipstick must be color 22 or 46. Men cannot have beards. Or you must have a beard. You must wear a tie to work, even if you collect garbage. The news going to report what it's told to report, not necessarily whats happening in front of everyone. Photos can and will be edited to reflect the proper history that should exist. God help you if your faith is the minority and says you must not cut your hair. When you leave your shiny office with your coworkers for lunch, remember not to leave in groups larger than 4 because its against the law. So I am not saying my specific examples happen in Singapore. But you don't seem to get that we aren't really talking about Singapore. We're talking about dystopian ways of living that exist on earth, right now. We're talking about people with lots of money actively trying to make stuff like what I just said part of your life, right now. It never happens over night. It's one day at a time. One accident, one criminal act. One new camera on a street, one new law passed. So slowly, so you feel safer, until one day you see something happening around you that you don't like and decide to speak up. No one sees you at work tomorrow or the next day. You and your wife and kids just disappeared one night. No one saw anything, even if they did. In a week, a new family moves into your nice modern apartment. Someone else gets your cushy job. No one talks about you. They feel safe, too.

rdtsc 13y ago

Have you read his comment? Read it again. You can certainly disagree with his point but when you ask "what does it have to do with Singapore?" you are showing that you either haven't read it or English is not your first language (it isn't for me) and you just couldn't understand it (not worries then, I know how that feels some times).

jasonlingx 13y ago
Reading it 10 more times won't change anything. Yes English is my first language (so what?). I understand perfectly the words but the attempts to draw parallels with Singapore makes absolutely no sense.
- geuis 13y ago
  Go to Singapore. Litter. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRiqfOMVC74/T69l6BH1vVI/AAAAAAAAL8g/ZSzUp4kac7s/s1600/caning.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRiqfOMVC74/T69l6BH1vVI/AAAAAAAAL8... What bubble are you living in because it desperately needs to be popped.
  - jasonlingx 13y ago
    Are you seriously trying to say you can get caned for littering in Singapore? It is exactly this kind of ignorant statement spoken as if it were fact that irks me.
    - pkinsky 13y ago
      http://www.businessinsider.com/absurd-laws-of-singapore-2012-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/absurd-laws-of-singapore-2012... >Singapore also differs from the United States where penalties are determined by a judge;breaking certain laws in Singapore can come with mandatory decisions that still include cane beatings. At least attempt some research
      - manacit 13y ago