A couple of weeks ago, I was at home watching a rerun of Friends. (Yes, we do get tons of American shows here.) It was the New Years Eve episode where the "friends" sulked in Monica's apartment watching the rest of their party welcome in the New Year. Chandler tries to cheer everyone up, noting "there are 3 guys and 3 girls here" – everyone would get a New Years kiss! For those who know the episode, it ends with Chandler throwing a tantrum because no one will kiss him, so Joey lays a big one right smack on his lips!
Well, Singapore's version was a bit different. Right when Joey started to lean in, a white flash came across the screen and the next frame was Chandler looking bewildered (apparently for no reason). Hmmm...is Singapore really that "homophobic," censoring out even the most light-hearted of homosexual references?
Perhaps not. Featured on HBO recently was Philadelphia, the story of a gay lawyer who is fired when he contracts AIDS. I watched the movie in anticipation of its famous scene: protagonist Tom Hanks dancing with boyfriend Antonio Banderas at a costume party, then the kiss on the dance floor. (I've always been a bit jealous of Tom Hanks in this role.) Smiling, watching, waiting, then cut! No kiss for Tom Hanks in Singapore's version.
It appears that "sexually illicit" material going through the filter of MediaCorp, Singapore's media monopoly, can be talked about and referred to but not actually seen. And it's not just homosexual actions that get the boot; sex in general is closely guarded. In the movie Parenthood, references to pornography, vibrators, and oral sex are kosher. But when it comes to the "big" scene in Sex and the City (The Movie), MediaCorp leaves you hanging. Even Singapore's adult entertainment stores don't sell porn (in magazine or video format).
Now I'm not an advocate of the porn industry; nor do I condone explicit material on television where those not mature enough to handle it have easy access. My shtick is this: Chandler kissing Joey is not in the same league as seeing someones ho hum up close and personal. And if you are going to censor the sexually explicit in Singapore, why not start at Orchard Towers (endearingly called the Four Floors of Whores).
And so I pose the question: Why censor? After all you can get the real version of what you don't see on TV (both hetero- and homosexual) just down the street from my house.
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Well-put Sarah. You have identified a double standard at work...or at least an inconsistent standard.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it's Halloween tonight and we had a total of 1...that's ONE... trick or treater!!! The neighborhood is changing. I even made Daddy buy the good candy...Snickers and Mounds.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest pet-peeves...double standards.
ReplyDeleteYou won't believe how many trick or treaters we saw! 3,000+!!!!!! There is one neighborhood in Singapore (and expat neighborhood) that celebrates Halloween and EVERYONE comes out for it! Even the adults!
Hey Sarah, just recently found your blog. Very interesting, and so appropriate that you're getting to experience so much in life (i.e. I couldn't imagine you living a regular life in Frisco, Texas complaining about traffic around the mall). I'm equal parts amazed and envious.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, in regard to this censorship post, I think it's all about the "stumble across factor"--where the powers that be are trying to stop impressionable or easily offended people from stumbling across content that might ruffle feathers.
I don't necessarily think it's any more of a double standard than what we see in the U.S. After all, you can see and do pretty much whatever you want in the States if you search enough, but there continue to be rules around what can be shown on network TV, basic cable, premium cable, etc.
Media is a different animal than the real world because of its ability to reach so many with relative ease. I don't think it's too hypocritical to treat it as such--even if the rules do seem to be applied too stringently where you are currently.
Hope all is well with you, and keep up the great posts!
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ReplyDeleteGood points, Danny! I guess I've just found more leniency in the US especially with premium channels like HBO (that's the channel that Philadelphia appeared on in Singapore).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you regarding media and the "stumble across factor" as well as media's ability to reach so many easily. I guess it's more disconcerting vs. hypocritical that it's easier for the over-18ers to find hookers on the street than sex on TV.