A Shame to Singapore's Blogsphere...
Tis is two articles taken out from TODAY papers...
Pls read them on wat they says abt Xiaxue's racial slur on her blog...
I refused to mention any of her name in my blog... So i will use Xixu to replace her name instead...
My comments on tis whole story can be found right after these two articles...
# - Words wif tis sign by their side... I provide the meaning for tat word, which can be found just below the two articles' area.
Article published in TODAY papers, dated on Monday, 16 January 2006... Page 20...
Title of the article is Avoid Sowing the seeds of Hate
I REMEMBER watching the excellent television #miniseries, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, which screened last year. It examines that dark period when millions were killed in the name of racial purification and nationalistic ambition.
One particularly powerful scene showed a young Adolf Hitler, homeless after being rejected by the Academy of Visual Arts in Vienna, huddled against the winter cold in an alley with other beggars. His companion rails against the perceived imbalance of wealth in Europe, as Jewish #aristocrats walk past in their fur coats and top hats. Hitler takes this all in, and with the #Anti-Semitic speeches of Karl Lueger, then Mayor of Vienna, it forms the basis of his beliefs. The rest, as they say, is history.
I've been reminded of The Rise of Evil twice by events that took place right here over the course of 2005.
The first was the case of Gan Huai Shi, better known as Racist Blogger No 3, who was hauled before a judge to answer charges under the Sedition Act for writing a blog - incidentally called "The Second Holocaust", which preached hatred against Muslims. It was revealed during his trial that the seeds of racism were planted when he was a child as the result of a traumatic incident.
The second event happened over the holiday period. Apparently during the countdown festivities on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve along Orchard Road, several men took advantage of the packed crowds to spray women with canned foam and molest them while they were incapacitated.
According to several #anecdotal accounts, a lot of these perpetrators were foreign workers. Police later clarified that the eight men apprehended were a mix of Singaporeans and foreigners.
Of all the opinions offered on the issue, the one that caught my attention was written by popular blogger Wendy Cheng (aka "Xiaxue"), who #espoused banning the sale of aerosol foam and/or foreign workers from street parties in Singapore.
One particularly #acrid remark posted on Dec 27 read: "I heard Orchard road was full of them (foreign workers), molesting and spraying our girls!! Why are we sharing Orchard road with them?!"
She also applauded the new dance club in town, the Ministry of Sound, for its exclusivity, asking rhetorically, "would you like to party with Foreign Workers?"
At the height of her #tirade, she questioned why foreign workers are allowed at public events, stating that they terrorize girls, and "don't contribute to shopping centre sales". She drew a variety of reactions from readers, many of whom supported her views. But perhaps sensing that her posts may have become too offensive, she toned down her #rhetoric and backpedalled by saying that "they (foreign workers) aren't all bad".
Ironically, it is this "toned down" final post on the subject that I find most chilling. She had written, on Jan 3: "Realise that we practice discrimination every single day. We discriminate (sic) looks, education, intellect, dressing, and a lot more.
"Modelling agencies do not employ the ugly... Mensa does not welcome people with low IQ... Platinum card owners do not allow the poor to join their ranks... SIA does not employ short girls...
"Is it really ok to discriminate these other things and not race? Food for thought."
That a tertiary-educated 22-year-old (supposedly with an IQ in the top 2 per cent of the population) would be capable of such #xenophobic views does not scare me. What does chill me is that she thinks her views are comparable to how corporations select their staff and how banks apply demographic segmentation for marketing reasons.
(And for the record, Mensa does not reject people who get a low score on the IQ test. All aspirants who don't make the 98 per cent percentile cut for full membership may join as associates, which allows them access to all activities.)
What makes all this even scarier is that her blog boasts a hit rate of roughly 70,000 daily, and she has won several blog popularity awards over the years. When enough people tune in to one person's view and start feeling an affinity with that person, should we as Singaporeans not be worried? What if some misguided young person reads this stuff and it shapes his attitude towards foreign workers? What if he grows up to be a policy maker?
Ms Cheng's convictions, like Gan's, were not formed overnight. On her blog, she alludes to being molested, and witnessing people being molested, by foreign workers and other assorted louts since childhood.
However, just like Gan needs to learn that a long-ago act he felt wronged his family is not representative of the entire racial community, Miss Cheng needs to learn that migrant workers are not responsible for all, or even a majority of, sexual crimes here.
Of greater worry, according to 2004 statistics on the Singapore Police Force website, is the increase in molest cases reported in nightspots, the very places which Miss Cheng says are "safe" because foreign workers are generally excluded from them (economically, at least).
I do not dispute that a number of women during the street parties were accosted by foreigners. I believe the judiciary will come down hard on the perverts (Singaporeans included) caught, and rightly so. Perhaps legislation should be introduced to make penalties for outrage of modesty harsher if committed at large public events. The authorities should also look into ramping up security at such events.
The bottom line is, there are several ways to combat the scourge of sexual crime. Pinpointing specific nationalities or races as convenient suspects, however, is not one of them.
Especially if your blog readership consists of younger persons who may not have the maturity to handle anecdotal information with objectivity.
You do not want to be the one who inspires another Hitler.
Article published in TODAY papers, dated on Wednesday, 18 January 2006... Page 20...
Title of the article is 157 seek Orchard Rd ban for Xiaxue
Petition wants to ban celeb blogger for 'racial #slur'
JUST when you thought there was only so much controversy Wendy Cheng, aka Xiaxue, could get embroiled in, the ante gets upped.
Now there is a online petition to - of all things - ban the celebrity blogger from Orchard Road.
That's on top of accusations flying around the blogsphere that she had impersonated a fellow blogger to start a hate-site against another popular blogger, and then used her position as editor of blog aggregator tomorrow.sg to remove unflattering posts about herself.
The petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/banxx/petition.html, which had 157 signatures as of yesterday evening, reads: "This is a petition to ban Wendy Cheng, of xiaxue.blogspot.com, from public places such as Orchard Road and for the public media to stop publicising her site...
"We do not wish to see her get away with such mindless remarks, #blatantly and arrogantly criticising other races, especially when her blogsite is hugely popular with 50,000 hits a day."
The remarks of course referred to Miss Cheng's controversial blog post about foam-spraying molesters who struck at the New Year's Eve celebrations on Orchard Road.
The post, which targeted foreign workers as the culprits, drew over 400 comments from other bloggers, most of whom blasted her comments as being racist rants
When Miss Cheng followed up by arguing that she was not a racist, this prompted a flood of 600 more comments.
But there were more #furore to come, when allegations flew that Miss Cheng had hijacked the identity of blogger behind a Xiaxue hate-site, Xialanxue, to start - with two other bloggers - a hate-site against blogger Blinkymummy.
And how was she found out?
Blinkymummy (blinkymummy.blogspot.com) points out that Miss Cheng had forgotten to change her display name back to "Xiaxue" when she went back to posting on her own site - leaving two tell-tale entries in the name of "Xialanxue".
The real Xialanxue (xialanxue.blogspot.com) fairly sizzles: "If I had not discovered the hate-site myself and spoke up about it, I am sure her plan of framing me to get back at Blinkymummy might have just worked."
Irate blogger Starryluvly proceeded to post Xialanxue's expose of Miss Cheng on Tomorrow.sg, which was published - and then removed by the editors.
And since Wendy Cheng was one of the 11 editors of the site, #hackles of course were raised.
The situation was #exacerbated when Miss Cheng went on to remove negative posted comments about herself.
Blogger MercerMachine writes of this: "My opinion of Xiaxue couldn't have gotten any lower, but Tomorrow's editor's actions and inactions in regards to Xiaxue's #Durai-esque blunder make me question whether Tomorrow is worth my continuing support."
Miss Cheng has since apologised for removing the unflattering posts from Tomorrow.sg.
But according to a fellow editor, Mr Miyagi, aka Benjamin Lee, she has "neither denied or admitted to" impersonating another blogger to start a hate-site against Blinkymummy.
So why all this criticism and soap operatics over one blogger, the uninitiated might ask?
Perhaps a clue to the answer might be found in blogger 7-8's post on "Mr Wang Says So"'s blog (commentarysingapore.blogspot.com).
"None of the above ould matter very much if she wasn't an icon for the Singaporean bloggers," 7-8 said, referring to a list he made of Xiaxue's "errors".
"What we are dealing with here is not an unfortunate person being castigated for one error, but rather someone who is un-repentant, #recalcitrant, and giving all of us a bad name.
To date, Miss Cheng herself show no signs of slowing down. A recent post from her blog reads: "For the last time, if you don't like my blog, do not read it."
miniseries - A televised dramatic production, as of a novel or film, shown in a number of episodes
aristocrats - One considered the best of its kind
Anti-Semitic - One who discriminates against or who is hostile toward or prejudiced against Jews
anecdotal - Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis
espoused - To adopt or support in the act of
acrid - Unpleasantly sharp, pungent, or bitter to the taste or smell
tirade - A long angry or violent speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature
rhetoric - The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively
xenophobic - A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples
slur - To talk about disparagingly or insultingly
blatantly - Totally or offensively conspicuous or obtrusive
furore - A state of intense excitement or anger
hackles - A feeling of anger and animosity
exacerbated - worsen
Durai-esque - A case study which in a resembling style as of Durai's recent stories
recalcitrant - Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance
To update everyone here, the total signatures in the anti-Xixu petition, had increased to 324 now... As updated on 19th Jan, 0954HRS.
One of the petitions belongs to mine. Yes, i am oso one of the many, whom feel wat Xixu says in her blog, is simply too much... Yes, like wat she mentioned, if we dun like her blog, dun read den. Yes, indeed! I onli visited her blog for ONCE onli, n den i refused to visit it any more... Or place her blog url into one of my links here... Coz i simply feel she was a overboard attention-seeker, n feel herself highly above the rest. Tis is wat i feel at tat time.
Many many months after i add my only hit count in her blog, her scandal reaches my ear. I choosed to believe wat TODAY papers written is a true story, not false accusation... Tats y i sign the petition. In the petition, there's other plp writing other comments abt her negatively... Keeping my fingers cross, i do not noe if they r true or not... So i rather not giving too much curry into tis bad-taste soup anymore.
However, if she already hijacked into another blogger's account, n use tat account to cause mis-understanding wif another blogger, den i reali reali reali look even down on her... Shameless & despicable...
Back to my main topic... Wat Xixu wrote in her blog, stating foreign workers should be banned from Orchard Road... I wonder how many such stupids r there in ur community...??? She should noe tis famous chinese phrase, never use a long bamboo stick to hit the whole boat wif many many passenagers... Wat these law-breakers did is reali too much... No doubt they should be punished... If wat Xixu commented in her blog is like the security in Orchard Road during recent festival period is veri bad... n something should be done from the police force... etc... If wat Xixu commented in her blog is like tis, she wun get all these back-blasted comments in her blog now... Wat she written strongly create a small flame inside a small room, wif many people of different nationalities... The small flame can soon ignited to be a huge fire disaster if nothing is done soon...
Wat hard-proof does she had, to confirm her statements tat all these law-breakers during the nitz in Orchard Road, are all foreign workers... Wat she says, making the matter even more worse, is she stated foreign workers should be banned from Orchard Road. Racism is no longer the correct word to use in tis such case anymore... Tis is a higher level discrimination, which i call it as nationalities-prejudice...
Can anyone tell wat is the difference between Xixu's case as to Gan Huai Shi(Known as Racist Blogger No 3)'s case... Prehaps one may tink Xixu is much less offending or so... But do not forget Xixu is a blogger celebrity... She had thousands & thousands of hit counts in her blog everyday, n wat she written may driven the wrong message to her readers, especially if her readers do not hve the maturity to differentiate wat is right n wat is wrong at their current age yet...
The above-mentioned petition call in plp to agree banning Xixu from stepping into Orchard Road anymore... I doubt tis will be the outcome when tis whole case finally ends... I doubt ur Singapore government will do such sinful act at all... But hving Xixu to make a public apology to her targeted victims thru either online or advertising media, should be the best solution to end all these uproars...
Pls read them on wat they says abt Xiaxue's racial slur on her blog...
I refused to mention any of her name in my blog... So i will use Xixu to replace her name instead...
My comments on tis whole story can be found right after these two articles...
----------------------------------------------------------
# - Words wif tis sign by their side... I provide the meaning for tat word, which can be found just below the two articles' area.
----------------------------------------------------------
Article published in TODAY papers, dated on Monday, 16 January 2006... Page 20...
Title of the article is Avoid Sowing the seeds of Hate
I REMEMBER watching the excellent television #miniseries, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, which screened last year. It examines that dark period when millions were killed in the name of racial purification and nationalistic ambition.
One particularly powerful scene showed a young Adolf Hitler, homeless after being rejected by the Academy of Visual Arts in Vienna, huddled against the winter cold in an alley with other beggars. His companion rails against the perceived imbalance of wealth in Europe, as Jewish #aristocrats walk past in their fur coats and top hats. Hitler takes this all in, and with the #Anti-Semitic speeches of Karl Lueger, then Mayor of Vienna, it forms the basis of his beliefs. The rest, as they say, is history.
I've been reminded of The Rise of Evil twice by events that took place right here over the course of 2005.
The first was the case of Gan Huai Shi, better known as Racist Blogger No 3, who was hauled before a judge to answer charges under the Sedition Act for writing a blog - incidentally called "The Second Holocaust", which preached hatred against Muslims. It was revealed during his trial that the seeds of racism were planted when he was a child as the result of a traumatic incident.
The second event happened over the holiday period. Apparently during the countdown festivities on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve along Orchard Road, several men took advantage of the packed crowds to spray women with canned foam and molest them while they were incapacitated.
According to several #anecdotal accounts, a lot of these perpetrators were foreign workers. Police later clarified that the eight men apprehended were a mix of Singaporeans and foreigners.
Of all the opinions offered on the issue, the one that caught my attention was written by popular blogger Wendy Cheng (aka "Xiaxue"), who #espoused banning the sale of aerosol foam and/or foreign workers from street parties in Singapore.
One particularly #acrid remark posted on Dec 27 read: "I heard Orchard road was full of them (foreign workers), molesting and spraying our girls!! Why are we sharing Orchard road with them?!"
She also applauded the new dance club in town, the Ministry of Sound, for its exclusivity, asking rhetorically, "would you like to party with Foreign Workers?"
At the height of her #tirade, she questioned why foreign workers are allowed at public events, stating that they terrorize girls, and "don't contribute to shopping centre sales". She drew a variety of reactions from readers, many of whom supported her views. But perhaps sensing that her posts may have become too offensive, she toned down her #rhetoric and backpedalled by saying that "they (foreign workers) aren't all bad".
Ironically, it is this "toned down" final post on the subject that I find most chilling. She had written, on Jan 3: "Realise that we practice discrimination every single day. We discriminate (sic) looks, education, intellect, dressing, and a lot more.
"Modelling agencies do not employ the ugly... Mensa does not welcome people with low IQ... Platinum card owners do not allow the poor to join their ranks... SIA does not employ short girls...
"Is it really ok to discriminate these other things and not race? Food for thought."
That a tertiary-educated 22-year-old (supposedly with an IQ in the top 2 per cent of the population) would be capable of such #xenophobic views does not scare me. What does chill me is that she thinks her views are comparable to how corporations select their staff and how banks apply demographic segmentation for marketing reasons.
(And for the record, Mensa does not reject people who get a low score on the IQ test. All aspirants who don't make the 98 per cent percentile cut for full membership may join as associates, which allows them access to all activities.)
What makes all this even scarier is that her blog boasts a hit rate of roughly 70,000 daily, and she has won several blog popularity awards over the years. When enough people tune in to one person's view and start feeling an affinity with that person, should we as Singaporeans not be worried? What if some misguided young person reads this stuff and it shapes his attitude towards foreign workers? What if he grows up to be a policy maker?
Ms Cheng's convictions, like Gan's, were not formed overnight. On her blog, she alludes to being molested, and witnessing people being molested, by foreign workers and other assorted louts since childhood.
However, just like Gan needs to learn that a long-ago act he felt wronged his family is not representative of the entire racial community, Miss Cheng needs to learn that migrant workers are not responsible for all, or even a majority of, sexual crimes here.
Of greater worry, according to 2004 statistics on the Singapore Police Force website, is the increase in molest cases reported in nightspots, the very places which Miss Cheng says are "safe" because foreign workers are generally excluded from them (economically, at least).
I do not dispute that a number of women during the street parties were accosted by foreigners. I believe the judiciary will come down hard on the perverts (Singaporeans included) caught, and rightly so. Perhaps legislation should be introduced to make penalties for outrage of modesty harsher if committed at large public events. The authorities should also look into ramping up security at such events.
The bottom line is, there are several ways to combat the scourge of sexual crime. Pinpointing specific nationalities or races as convenient suspects, however, is not one of them.
Especially if your blog readership consists of younger persons who may not have the maturity to handle anecdotal information with objectivity.
You do not want to be the one who inspires another Hitler.
----------------------------------------------------------
Article published in TODAY papers, dated on Wednesday, 18 January 2006... Page 20...
Title of the article is 157 seek Orchard Rd ban for Xiaxue
Petition wants to ban celeb blogger for 'racial #slur'
JUST when you thought there was only so much controversy Wendy Cheng, aka Xiaxue, could get embroiled in, the ante gets upped.
Now there is a online petition to - of all things - ban the celebrity blogger from Orchard Road.
That's on top of accusations flying around the blogsphere that she had impersonated a fellow blogger to start a hate-site against another popular blogger, and then used her position as editor of blog aggregator tomorrow.sg to remove unflattering posts about herself.
The petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/banxx/petition.html, which had 157 signatures as of yesterday evening, reads: "This is a petition to ban Wendy Cheng, of xiaxue.blogspot.com, from public places such as Orchard Road and for the public media to stop publicising her site...
"We do not wish to see her get away with such mindless remarks, #blatantly and arrogantly criticising other races, especially when her blogsite is hugely popular with 50,000 hits a day."
The remarks of course referred to Miss Cheng's controversial blog post about foam-spraying molesters who struck at the New Year's Eve celebrations on Orchard Road.
The post, which targeted foreign workers as the culprits, drew over 400 comments from other bloggers, most of whom blasted her comments as being racist rants
When Miss Cheng followed up by arguing that she was not a racist, this prompted a flood of 600 more comments.
But there were more #furore to come, when allegations flew that Miss Cheng had hijacked the identity of blogger behind a Xiaxue hate-site, Xialanxue, to start - with two other bloggers - a hate-site against blogger Blinkymummy.
And how was she found out?
Blinkymummy (blinkymummy.blogspot.com) points out that Miss Cheng had forgotten to change her display name back to "Xiaxue" when she went back to posting on her own site - leaving two tell-tale entries in the name of "Xialanxue".
The real Xialanxue (xialanxue.blogspot.com) fairly sizzles: "If I had not discovered the hate-site myself and spoke up about it, I am sure her plan of framing me to get back at Blinkymummy might have just worked."
Irate blogger Starryluvly proceeded to post Xialanxue's expose of Miss Cheng on Tomorrow.sg, which was published - and then removed by the editors.
And since Wendy Cheng was one of the 11 editors of the site, #hackles of course were raised.
The situation was #exacerbated when Miss Cheng went on to remove negative posted comments about herself.
Blogger MercerMachine writes of this: "My opinion of Xiaxue couldn't have gotten any lower, but Tomorrow's editor's actions and inactions in regards to Xiaxue's #Durai-esque blunder make me question whether Tomorrow is worth my continuing support."
Miss Cheng has since apologised for removing the unflattering posts from Tomorrow.sg.
But according to a fellow editor, Mr Miyagi, aka Benjamin Lee, she has "neither denied or admitted to" impersonating another blogger to start a hate-site against Blinkymummy.
So why all this criticism and soap operatics over one blogger, the uninitiated might ask?
Perhaps a clue to the answer might be found in blogger 7-8's post on "Mr Wang Says So"'s blog (commentarysingapore.blogspot.com).
"None of the above ould matter very much if she wasn't an icon for the Singaporean bloggers," 7-8 said, referring to a list he made of Xiaxue's "errors".
"What we are dealing with here is not an unfortunate person being castigated for one error, but rather someone who is un-repentant, #recalcitrant, and giving all of us a bad name.
To date, Miss Cheng herself show no signs of slowing down. A recent post from her blog reads: "For the last time, if you don't like my blog, do not read it."
----------------------------------------------------------
miniseries - A televised dramatic production, as of a novel or film, shown in a number of episodes
aristocrats - One considered the best of its kind
Anti-Semitic - One who discriminates against or who is hostile toward or prejudiced against Jews
anecdotal - Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis
espoused - To adopt or support in the act of
acrid - Unpleasantly sharp, pungent, or bitter to the taste or smell
tirade - A long angry or violent speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature
rhetoric - The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively
xenophobic - A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples
slur - To talk about disparagingly or insultingly
blatantly - Totally or offensively conspicuous or obtrusive
furore - A state of intense excitement or anger
hackles - A feeling of anger and animosity
exacerbated - worsen
Durai-esque - A case study which in a resembling style as of Durai's recent stories
recalcitrant - Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance
----------------------------------------------------------
To update everyone here, the total signatures in the anti-Xixu petition, had increased to 324 now... As updated on 19th Jan, 0954HRS.
One of the petitions belongs to mine. Yes, i am oso one of the many, whom feel wat Xixu says in her blog, is simply too much... Yes, like wat she mentioned, if we dun like her blog, dun read den. Yes, indeed! I onli visited her blog for ONCE onli, n den i refused to visit it any more... Or place her blog url into one of my links here... Coz i simply feel she was a overboard attention-seeker, n feel herself highly above the rest. Tis is wat i feel at tat time.
Many many months after i add my only hit count in her blog, her scandal reaches my ear. I choosed to believe wat TODAY papers written is a true story, not false accusation... Tats y i sign the petition. In the petition, there's other plp writing other comments abt her negatively... Keeping my fingers cross, i do not noe if they r true or not... So i rather not giving too much curry into tis bad-taste soup anymore.
However, if she already hijacked into another blogger's account, n use tat account to cause mis-understanding wif another blogger, den i reali reali reali look even down on her... Shameless & despicable...
Back to my main topic... Wat Xixu wrote in her blog, stating foreign workers should be banned from Orchard Road... I wonder how many such stupids r there in ur community...??? She should noe tis famous chinese phrase, never use a long bamboo stick to hit the whole boat wif many many passenagers... Wat these law-breakers did is reali too much... No doubt they should be punished... If wat Xixu commented in her blog is like the security in Orchard Road during recent festival period is veri bad... n something should be done from the police force... etc... If wat Xixu commented in her blog is like tis, she wun get all these back-blasted comments in her blog now... Wat she written strongly create a small flame inside a small room, wif many people of different nationalities... The small flame can soon ignited to be a huge fire disaster if nothing is done soon...
Wat hard-proof does she had, to confirm her statements tat all these law-breakers during the nitz in Orchard Road, are all foreign workers... Wat she says, making the matter even more worse, is she stated foreign workers should be banned from Orchard Road. Racism is no longer the correct word to use in tis such case anymore... Tis is a higher level discrimination, which i call it as nationalities-prejudice...
Can anyone tell wat is the difference between Xixu's case as to Gan Huai Shi(Known as Racist Blogger No 3)'s case... Prehaps one may tink Xixu is much less offending or so... But do not forget Xixu is a blogger celebrity... She had thousands & thousands of hit counts in her blog everyday, n wat she written may driven the wrong message to her readers, especially if her readers do not hve the maturity to differentiate wat is right n wat is wrong at their current age yet...
The above-mentioned petition call in plp to agree banning Xixu from stepping into Orchard Road anymore... I doubt tis will be the outcome when tis whole case finally ends... I doubt ur Singapore government will do such sinful act at all... But hving Xixu to make a public apology to her targeted victims thru either online or advertising media, should be the best solution to end all these uproars...
posted by Name : Orij at
9:38 AM
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