The blogosphere here in Singapore is currently abuzz with circulated images and videos of a lady (pictured above) being molested and groped by 4 men at the New Year Countdown Party in Sentosa. Click here to watch the video.

That aside, netizens have been voicing out a myriad of opinions regarding the molestation incident. There have also been speculations of the lady being a “ladyman” but let us not question her “authenticity” and just assume she is but a statistic; another victim of molestation. While her molestation case is certainly not isolated, what makes it even more sensational is because of the video and images circulating at a viral speed. And also because eye-witnesses have not stepped up to give their statements to the police, choosing instead to upload such content online.

Yes, I digressed. Back to the main issue. Singaporeans remain divided. Paraphrasing some opinions:

“She deserved it, what! Aiyoh, wear until so skimpy and slutty … of course asking for it lah!”

“This is a beach party. She knew what she was getting herself into, anyway, so she deserved it.”

“She appeared drunk. Well, she chose to be drunk so she deserved it.”

“She did NOT deserve it. Castrate those bastards who molested her!”

“Well, the real JERKS are the ones videoing everything and not doing anything to help the lady!”

Seriously, I don’t get it; why should wearing a bikini to a beach party be considered “slutty”? Beach party, geddit? Here at Singapore we are not governed by shariah laws that require us women to be covered from head to toe in metres and metres of fabric. The setting here is casual, no different from a pool party. If someone were to wear a swimsuit or bikini to a pool party then, would she be considered a slut? And last I checked, nope, wearing a bikini does not warrant a lady the right to be molested at all.

Which then brings me to the next point: That lady deserved to be molested … NOT. This really makes me so sick. You know why it is so easy for people to point fingers at her and say that she deserved to be molested? Simply because they do not know her personally.

What then of the nubile primary schoolgirl who walks into the lift of her apartment, sees a man rush in and think nothing of it? And then, as the lift makes its way up, the man proceeds to say that there is some part of her body that does not seem well, and then go about touching/carressing her in her privates … inherently, in this situation, you wouldn’t say that the girl was asking for it.

The above two situations have a common factor though: That of certain men having no control over their perverse sexual desires. So much flak has been shot at the lady, but what then of those men who let their small heads (aka their dicks) get in the way of their big heads? (aka their brains) Never underestimate the power of the dick; but by that principle, would you then reverse the tables and say that those men were victims of temptation? Clearly, those men were in a more sober state of mind to act, but alas, they chose to act in deviant manners.

What if it was your sister/good friend/girlfriend/mother etc at such a party like this? What if she had a few drinks too many with your group of friends and got drunk? And what if all of you were somehow dispersed and sandwiched among all those throngs of people? And if she got molested in a blink-and-miss-it moment(without you or any of your friends looking out for her at that point in time), does that mean that she deserved it all? Just because she was drunk?!

Yes, alcohol is a social lubricant. It’s a double-edged sword; it numbs one’s inhibitions and when consumed up to a certain amount, gets one feeling extremely happy and unrestrained. But a single drop above the tipping point numbs one’s senses and HAS that potential effect of blocking out any semblance of memory in him/her.

If we assume that that lady was drunk, we could also assume that she could have been so drunk to the point of not remembering anything. Let us take a step back from the moral highground here: That the girl shouldn’t have been drunk, etc etc. That being drunk brings about such consequences and so on.

There comes a time or two in your life, when you’ve had too much to drink and ended up getting drunk as a result. And let’s face it; New Year’s parties are but one of those occasions which see a higher-than-average proportion of drinkers getting drunk. I can only say, Drink sensibly but ultimately the (in)discretion in which one does so is entirely up to him or her. No, I am not advocating that people start getting drunk at every party. All I am saying is, it is by far so much easier for the sober ones to judge than the drunk ones. Yes, prior to that tipping point, they are aware of the amount of alcohol ingested. Yet, when they go beyond that tipping point, they lose track of the exact amount of alcohol ingested. Such is the paradox of drinking. Butnope, calling a ban on alcohol would clearly not be a solution.

Now, we take a step up on the moral highground … seeing people’s reactions to the video irked me further.

“What would you have done?” This question was posed to those interviewed in the reaction videos.

Amidst all that condemnation of the lady being “slutty”, “skanky” etc, here’s what some of them had to say:

“Er … nothing lah. Because I don’t want to get involved in all that trouble. Also because those guys be dangerous and violent if I retaliate.”

YEAH, RIGHT. For all that has been said against the lady, this is what certain Singaporeans choose to do.

But I agree that such is the parochial mindset of certain Singaporeans; always too eager to criticize, but never too eager to step up to the action.

This apathy has been rather pervasive; maybe because we grew up in a society taught not to go against The White-uniformed Divine Beings of the state … so perhaps this inability for political freedom of speech simply translates to freedom of criticism in other non-political issues, and diminishing the need for taking action should the situation call for it. That is, but another conspiracy theory, which I might save for another time.

I just feel the need to reiterate my point: Nobody deserves to be molested, ever.

Btw, I not-so-discretely wish to state that content listed on this blog is Copyright Azlyn’s, unless otherwise stated. Reproduction of Azlyn’s content is allowed, but only with proper credit. Yes, I am anal-retentive, but I take intellectual property rights issues very seriously. Years of academic education have taught me to do so.