Monday, November 10, 2003
An open letter to Life!
I refer to Mr Tay Yek Yeak's Monday (November 10th) article titled "Smack down the flesh and blood".
It is hard not to disagree with him. Yes, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has gone from bad to worse as it strays away from its original realm of sports to what it considers "entertainment".
The aforementioned episodes of necrophilia, sadomasochism, French-kissing and "swearing in rhyme" are all valid points brought up by Mr Tay, who obviously is a big fan. Even his worry about the "effusive display of blood" cannot be dismissed easily.
However, I wonder exactly what the real issue is here.
Highly acclaimed drama C.S.I. (shown on Wednesdays, Channel 5 at 11pm, and on AXN Starhub Ch 19 at 9pm) depicts equally gory scenes of assault and death, with some scenes going all out to depict (in slow motion, no less) exactly how a brutal murder is committed. Issues like incest, drug running and rape are discussed almost non-chalantly by the main characters of the series, though the moral integrity of the show is impeccable.
Scantily-clad women are not new to the small screen. Even the much-replayed Star Wars Saga this past Sunday at 7pm on Channel 5 included a rather extended scene depicting Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in a harem outfit. And don't even get me started on the amount of French-kissing that has more than permeated both our entertainment and our lifestyle.
No doubt, these shows pull off controversy with a generous helping of panaché. But other than the quality, very little serves to differentiate them from the WWE product.
The perennial question would be: Are there double standards in the suggestion that wrestling shows be pushed to "even later hours"? The reason given by Mr Tay, "think about the children", is hardly valid any longer. With the advent of relaxed censorship laws, it should no longer the responsibility of Mediacorp, SPH Mediaworks or Starhub to ensure that "adult-oriented" shows are not viewed by a younger audience.
Rather, it remains up to the parents to guarantee that their children understand what they watch. Wrestling, in particular, has not been a show targeted at children for the past seven years. The days of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior are long past.
Singapore media would be taking a step backwards should it head down the same road it took in 1997, when the WWE was banned altogether for its relatively less racy content.
Peter Lin
And just to prove I'm a child of the 80s...
I refer to Mr Tay Yek Yeak's Monday (November 10th) article titled "Smack down the flesh and blood".
It is hard not to disagree with him. Yes, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has gone from bad to worse as it strays away from its original realm of sports to what it considers "entertainment".
The aforementioned episodes of necrophilia, sadomasochism, French-kissing and "swearing in rhyme" are all valid points brought up by Mr Tay, who obviously is a big fan. Even his worry about the "effusive display of blood" cannot be dismissed easily.
However, I wonder exactly what the real issue is here.
Highly acclaimed drama C.S.I. (shown on Wednesdays, Channel 5 at 11pm, and on AXN Starhub Ch 19 at 9pm) depicts equally gory scenes of assault and death, with some scenes going all out to depict (in slow motion, no less) exactly how a brutal murder is committed. Issues like incest, drug running and rape are discussed almost non-chalantly by the main characters of the series, though the moral integrity of the show is impeccable.
Scantily-clad women are not new to the small screen. Even the much-replayed Star Wars Saga this past Sunday at 7pm on Channel 5 included a rather extended scene depicting Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in a harem outfit. And don't even get me started on the amount of French-kissing that has more than permeated both our entertainment and our lifestyle.
No doubt, these shows pull off controversy with a generous helping of panaché. But other than the quality, very little serves to differentiate them from the WWE product.
The perennial question would be: Are there double standards in the suggestion that wrestling shows be pushed to "even later hours"? The reason given by Mr Tay, "think about the children", is hardly valid any longer. With the advent of relaxed censorship laws, it should no longer the responsibility of Mediacorp, SPH Mediaworks or Starhub to ensure that "adult-oriented" shows are not viewed by a younger audience.
Rather, it remains up to the parents to guarantee that their children understand what they watch. Wrestling, in particular, has not been a show targeted at children for the past seven years. The days of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior are long past.
Singapore media would be taking a step backwards should it head down the same road it took in 1997, when the WWE was banned altogether for its relatively less racy content.
Peter Lin
And just to prove I'm a child of the 80s...
