Sex, Sexuality, and Censorship

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.

Courtesy – A Community Movement

Most everyone from the United States is familiar with NBC's "The More You Know" public service announcements. Most involve an environmental, health, or discriminatory issue. While Singapore is no stranger to such movements (I've seen multiple anti-smoking and dengue fever prevention campaigns), another type of movement exists here. I call it the "do what you should do anyway" campaigns. The "captain obvious" campaigns. The "you can't control what everyone does but we're sure as hell going to try" campaigns.

Posted throughout the city – on billboards, in MRT stations, and freestanding on the street – are signs encouraging people to basically be nice. Whether it is allowing others to disembark trains first, respecting those of other cultures, exercising a general amount of courtesy, or allowing "priority" passengers to sit in public transit vehicles, these suggestions permeate the city and for the most part are observed.

The most recent of these campaign involves how to board, ride, and alight from trains in a courteous manner. Let others off first before boarding, help the elderly alight if needed, move to the center of the train to allow others room. To help send the message home, two famous-faced Singaporean sit-com actors lead the campaign with full-sized posters in and outside train vehicles and video jingles transmitted on buses and trains during transit.

Some US-based campaigns may send similar suggestions home, but they are still seen as just that..."suggestions," ultimately allowing people to make decisions for themselves. Sometimes the particular issue is observed, but often it is not. In Singapore, however, these campaigns permeate to the nth degree. The sheer number of "be nice" campaigns is large and suggestions are observed with much more vigor than the US. The campaigns are not merely afterthoughts here...they are seen as improvements to life, yours and others'.

Courtesy is not just something Singaporeans decide to do if they are in the mood. It is promoted by the government, observed by the community, and respected as a way of life.

Of Media and Men

Earlier this month, stories describing unrest in Jos littered online news agency Web sites. Jos historically battles Christian-Muslim tensions, and recent local election results reignited this long-held religious conflict. Soon after, Nigerian news agencies reported tanks being deployed in the nearby city of Kano "to quell possible reprisal that could arise from the Jos riots" (http://allafrica.com/stories/200812020007.html).

I have always been skeptical of events represented in the media; after all, they are just that...mediated. They require someone, usually a news agency, to interpret, present, and decide what is most important for its viewers to hear and see. But it wasn't until I saw for myself that my skepticism was confirmed. As it happens, the accounts mentioned above appeared just two days before my own venture to the "tank ridden" city of Kano.

Though not restricted from traveling by our own employers, warnings had been given to us that travel was inadvisable, and employees of British Gas were denied permission to visit Kano. Needless to say, my senses were on high alert when we arrived. But instead of my own fears being verified, it was my skepticism of the media that was substantiated. During our 5-day stay for Kano's biggest event of the year (its Durbar), I saw no tanks and no military mobilization. Even during the Durbar itself, an event that easily drew 1 million people, I saw fewer police present than a typical University of Texas football game. In fact, the only cohort that made me the least bit wary were the Shell security officers that showed up to our hotel in bullet proof vests and infantry helmets...presumably to protect us from the nonexistent tanks. Even the Shell's head of security was overheard saying it was a bit of overkill (no pun intended).

Many times the media is our only window into places unknown, far away, or outside of our field of experience. Even when first moving to Lagos, my only knowledge of the city (the 2nd largest city in Africa mind you) was that of expat kidnappings and attacks on pipelines by the "terrorist" group MEND, all mediated to me through various news sources. I heard nothing of its rich culture, the picturesque beaches, the unparalleled textile industry, the thriving art scene, and of course its friendly, approachable, and patient citizens.

Undoubtedly, we owe a debt of gratitude to those working in media-related industries - providing peaks into places we know little about. But as I learned first-hand in Kano, that is just what they are...peaks. We generalize based on small snippets, form perceived realities based on what we are told, and depend on men to decide what is important for us to see...and in your case, that man is me.

The Blog is Mightier Than the Sword

True, This! —
Beneath the rule of men entirely great,
The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold
The arch-enchanters wand! — itself a nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike
The loud earth breathless! — Take away the sword —
States can be saved without it!

Richelieu: Or the Conspiracy by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

I stray from my normal blogging topics in light of yesterday's conviction of Myanmar blogger Nay Phone Latt. Though taking a new form in our current multimedia and multinational world, Bulwer-Lytton's 19th century adage still holds true - the pen is truly mightier than the sword. Words have the power to influence; they have the power to change; they have the power to attack injustices and demand reform. But most important, this power to take action is in everyone's hands as Nay Phone Latt has shown us. So might I encourage those who read blogs to create blogs; those who have something worth writing to blog it. It is a seemingly small freedom that has influential consequences and over centuries has proven more valuable than violence.

See Full Story on cnn.com
Nay Phone Latt's Blog

The Handset Revolution

Admittedly, I was one of the last people in the United States to get a cell phone when they become commonplace at the end of the 90s. I rejected the trend with vigor, embracing my freedom from untimely rings and unlimited access to my whereabouts by friends, family, and colleagues. When I finally gave in, it was an economical decision more than a true need or want. I planned to move to Chicago and it was much cheaper to call home with a cell than on the "old fashioned" touch-tone phones. So, I graciously accepted my parents college graduation gift...a cell phone and 1 year of service.

Now that I live in Lagos, I find myself once again with this long-forgotten freedom, sans cell phone. I have perfected the art of living in the moment without interruption or bother from situations far from my immediate surroundings. After all, if Lagosians can live without cell phones, so can I! When in Rome...

But yesterday, the reality of my situation came to a screeching halt. I took my normal walking route as I do every evening and happened upon my friend Mohammad, a Nigerian guard for one of the large mansions that saturate my "Paradise by the Lagoon" (and yes, that is the neighborhood's official slogan). Mohammad is an avid Chelsea supporter, and he asked if I had seen the soccer match? I hadn't but I knew Chelsea had lost. Mohammad proceeded to reinforce his undying loyalty to the team. "Look at my room," he said. He handed me his cell phone, and a room bedecked with Chelsea memorabilia popped onto the screen...Chelsea bedspread, Chelsea lampshade, Chelsea poster...the works! "Do you have bluetooth?" he asked. "I can send you the picture."

So here I am in Lagos, speaking with someone who presumably makes about $3 an hour asking me if I had bluetooth on my nonexistent "handset." It was then I realized the fundamental role handsets play in the lives and livelihood of my neighbors and those who work for them.

Lagosians may not have permanent homes; they may not have cars; they may not eat more than one meal a day. But by gosh, everyone has a handset...and with all the bells and whistles, too! On any given day, I will hear Celine Dion or Nigerian gospel music being blasted from a handset as a national walks along. Personalized ring tones are a must, and almost everyone keeps pictures of family and friends stored conveniently in the palms of their hands. Handsets seem as much a reflection of personal identity than a communicative convenience.

The handset also influences the local economy creating jobs and stimulating competition among the various cell phone service providers. Hundreds of street vendors oppose "go-slow" traffic to sell handsets and their accompanying reloadable minute cards. The minute cards conveniently coincide with this credit-free, cash-only society. Heck, the Lagos marathon is even sponsored by the up-and-coming cell phone service provider Glo.

There is even a strategy to purchasing handset service, and Glo is the least desirable provider according to Mohammad. "You see that [trash can]. You must stand on top to get service!" Mohammad swears by MTEL. "And the 36 and 37 numbers are better. Don't get the new 07 or 08 numbers."

So despite my resistance, and with a little convincing from Mohammad, I have finally conceded to the handset frenzy. When in Rome...