"I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out."
Amos's mom is not Lady Macbeth. She's not even the evil Empress Dowager that Francis Seow claimed was actually running the show here. Mom would not report her own flesh and blood to the police, in a horrible place like ours where waving a copy of a report is already condemnation. J B Jeyaratnam did just that, at an election rally, and was taken to the cleaners.
Mom (“I did not file a police report to have my son arrested”) thought that a public apology lodged at a police station would sate the hellhounds' unquenchable thirst for blood, or at the least make the grassroots leader shy off from legalised castration. However, where we are, as the Bard penned, there's daggers in men's smiles (Act 2, Scene 3, Page 8).
It was was clever juxtaposition of words that fanned the flames to effect. A mother's declaration that her charge is beyond her control could be a cause of celebration in other circumstances. Like the breakaway states that chose to be unshackled from Mother Russia. Or a young nation longing to be free from the tyranny of colonialists. Let's not go overboard here. We are talking about a kid; mom was probably just driven up the wall in frustration, let's not escalate it into a family breakup.
Nathan Heller of The New Yorker (total circulation: 1,044,524 total audience: 4,476,000) reminded the world that Singapore today has a well-guarded culture of political deference. The writer from the state press that is ranked a hundred and fifty-third out of a hundred and eighty countries, just below Russia, by Reporter Without Borders, may soon discover the horror of Lady Macbeth when she finally realised, "Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!"
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In one of the many tributes broadcasted the past weeks, it was revealed that the old man would discuss and sought the empress dowager's advice on many issues. I can't helped but wonder how much of the smart graduate's mom policy and stop @ two were her approved ideas. Surely, she would have contributed greatly to that thoughts to even seed it in his head. HIstorians should study those words carefully.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was his relationship with Henry Kissinger, someone who has witnessed the eugenics of Hitler might have persuaded him out of this grand stupidity back then.
IF so, we will have him to thank for.
We do know for a fact certain Muslim countries can chop off the thief's hands if he/she is caught stealing. Does Christianity allow for castration in any country ?
ReplyDeleteFrankly I cannot fathom what good it do to that Christian guy if Amos was castrated ? Come on he is still a kid, at most a mischievous one, certainly not a criminal.
Give him a break, LKY's son.
That's what one week of 24/7 non stop propaganda can do to a young restless mind. Who can withstand that kind of bombardment when everywhere you go is ALL about the man. And some ring leader is calling for "constant" reinforcement in schools in sound and videos and augmented reality !!! Gosh, just watch that backlash coming out to bite. Our youngsters are the first ones to discern what is BS and what is not.
ReplyDeleteIt was just silly for the Boy to leave solid evidence of his naughtiness.
ReplyDeleteSwears and profanities were hurled loudly on the First Evening of his demise at hawker centres and coffee shops when the State Media were ALL EXCLLUSIVELY USED FOR THE OLD MAN.
Amos was not alone, he represents lots of other Singaporeans young and old.
They got to be very very careful with Amos. The People have much in common with the Boy's feeling.
patriot
Amos actually stated what a lot of the people believed in. Only the timing and the format of presentation are wrong.
Delete"His flamboyant thought and language is part of the best tradition of dissension, from Voltaire to the Velvet Revolution, and it accrues to creative fields beyond politics. " Obviously, the presentation can't be all that bad. As for the timing, our bottle of champagne couldn't have tasted better on any other occasion.
DeleteWhy is LKY the Founding Prime Minister?
ReplyDeleteWhy not call him the Pioneer Prime Minister?
Or
Why not the Founding Generation instead of Pioneer Generation?
"Founding sounds more high class than "Pioneer" is it?
A better question to ask is where are we not celebrating Founding President too ?
DeleteIt is all semantics. If they want to celebrate a "founder's life and death", surely, they ought to celebrate Sang Nila Utama Day and Sir Stamford Raffles Day LOL. Bombast, flattery and and exaggerations get you nowhere in the sight of a smart and precocious 17 year old who knows better to see beneath the surface of all the deceptions.
DeleteAmos Yee is requesting for crowd funding to fight his case. Please spread the message around if anyone wants to help him. I think he deserves our help for his contribution in making us think harder for ourselves to become less stupid in believing what has been fed to us all this while.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame
ReplyDeleteThere is no shame in being Amos Yee.
There is only shame in being told who you should be.
Shameful maybe the timing and profanity, but until we understand why he reacts and respond to the society/authority/teacher/parents etc. we have no place to judge him. He commits no crime.
HE needs to grow into his manhood the way he will.
There is no "right" way as told by anyone.
There is no university for parenthood, because no one is perfect and everyone learns it the trial and error ways.
Sometimes it may result in tragedy, but those are rare and exception than the norm.
Singapore has become a petty, small minded nation when they learn from their leaders how to curb dissents and critics. I can only hope the good change will prevail.
"But he hasn't got anything on", a little child said. I see Amos Yee as that little child in the tale of the Emperor's new clothes. In any other country the mother would be proud of him. Except for the vulgarities, isn't what he said fair comment?
ReplyDeleteActually, religious bigots are more dangerous than those making remarks against religion. Has LKY been elevated to a God or a Religion that cannot be criticised because it would offend certain people?
Founding God of Singapore??
DeleteFrom the floods of propaganda last past weeks, no one would be blamed for thinking he really was God of Singapore.
DeleteEven minions as far as India hailed him as God with one naming his baby after him.
The son has learned fast. He wants not to be loved but feared By the people he ruled.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, mixing the ashes of our dear just departed founding father with that of his wife would produce a more potent mixture?
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin
ReplyDeleteHow about the ASSHOLER who stated publicly to castrate Amos's penis....Think AssHOLER self conciously know his own Penis must be very small to whine about castrating other's penis then...zzz
ReplyDelete