Fear Factor

As part of my university degree requirements, I had to take Intro to Public Relations. Press releases, radio spots, and of course public service announcements were in the mix. I don't remember much from the class, but one thing I do remember is that you cannot scare your audience. If you are dealing with a topic regarding health, bad habits, or dangers that cause injury or death, you cannot elicit too much fear or the audience won't listen. Apparently this PR strategy is not heeded here in Singapore. Rather, campaigns in Singapore seem to take the fear factor approach.

When I first arrived in Singapore, I remember waiting patiently for the MRT and watching the TV monitor displays to pass the time. It was an anti-terrorism campaign. Same stuff I had seen before...if you see a suspicious person, report it...if you see a bag unattended, report it. All of a sudden the TV monitor showed a massive explosion spreading throughout an unidentified train tunnel. "Don't let this happen to you," it implied. Holy Moly! That wouldn't be the last time I would be taken aback by government-issued warnings.

Upon entry into Singapore, visitors experience this fear-instilling approach as soon as they touch domestic soil. The backside of all entry cards gives an unmistakable warning to anyone carrying drugs: "Death for Drug Traffickers." Could misidentification of my prescription drugs cause a problem? What if I'm the victim of clandestine trafficking being an unknowing mule for another? Holy, Holy Moly!

Even buying cigarettes here can really scare the beejeebies out of you. All cigarette packets display in graphic detail diseases you can contract from smoking habitually. It makes you think twice before lighting up. So perhaps this fear factor approach has some merit; after all, I don't encounter too many smokers here, and Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world. But I for one still look away when the anti-terrorism video plays in the MRT station.