MDA bans Archie Comic book with gay marriage storyline

This story got me furious but it does demonstrate just how the MDA in Singapore make no sense whatsoever and don't have a clue what the hell they are doing. The Media Development Authority (MDA) confirms that a comic "Archie: The Married Life" Book Three was pulled from bookstore shelves because its content breached guidelines by depicting same-sex marriage of two characters. Cue facepalm - where do I even begin to deal with the sheer stupidity of the MDA in banning this comic book? Here is their explanation (which I shall tear apart with great relish):

MDA says the Publications Consultative Panel, "which comprises a cross-section of Singapore society" was consulted before its decision, and its members advised them that the theme of the comic was "not in line with social norms" and in breach of existing content guidelines.

I am going to refer you to one of the greatest works of Singaporean literature to demonstrate why the MDA's stance is totally wrong. In my humble opinion, one of the greatest books ever written by a Singaporean writer is Foreign Bodies by Tan Hwee Hwee - if you have not yet read it, I implore you, track it down and read it. It is totally worth it. My sister was so enthralled by it that she stayed up late just to finish the book and I read and then re-read it - the ending is very sad and moved both my sister and I to tears. This complex and gripping story includes the following: murder, incest, rape and injustice (both the rapist and the murderer are not punished for their heinous crimes).

Certainly, none of these themes would be in line with social norms in Singapore, or indeed any country. You wouldn't find a country in the world which would condone murder or incest as portrayed in the story. Then again, is Tan Hwee Hwee telling her readers, "hey readers, go commit murder and incest just like the characters in my book. It's cool, it's fun, it's great and on top of that, you know you can probably get away with it"? Hardly, she is telling a story and we're simply being taken on a journey as we read this book. (Do check out her other book, Mammon Inc.) At the end of the day, it is literature - should the fact that her story contains incest and murder mean that her book should be censored and ban, just because murder and incest is not "in line with social norms"? If we were to ban any kind of fiction and media which is not "in line with social norms", then think of the number of books, films, TV programmes which will be banned in Singapore just because they contain any kind of criminal activity which is not "in line with social norms". 

Tan Hwee Hwee, Singapore's greatest writer

More to the point, did anyone commit murder or incest as a result of having read Tan Hwee Hwee's book? No, clearly not. Would reading a murder mystery cause the reader to become a murderer? Crikey, if it did, then we have to remove the entire crime section from all libraries and bookshops. By that token, would reading a story book or a comic book with gay characters having a gay marriage turn the reader gay? Clearly not. We are not so easily influenced by the books we read, the TV programmes we watch, the websites we surf etc - rather, what the media we consume is shaped by our characters (rather than the other way around).

For instance, I adore French films because I speak French, have lived in France and have many French friends. It is this knowledge of French language and culture that allows me to appreciate, understand and enjoy French films. Give your average Singaporean a French film without any subtitles and they will probably be totally lost and give up trying to watch it. Quite simply, watching French films will not turn you French (or at least into a Francophile like me) - rather would be those with a knowledge of French culture and language who are naturally attracted to French films.

I recognize that gay marriage is a divisive issue and there are strong feelings on both sides of the divide - but you also have to recognize that in many countries around the world, gay marriage is a reality and the list of countries which have gay marriage is growing all the time. Just because it is not (yet) legal in Singapore doesn't mean that you should censor it from all forms of media. That's such a frog in a well attitude - you're pretending as if there isn't a world beyond Singapore's borders and that the only thing that matters is what happens locally. In the age of the internet, Singaporeans need to look at their place in the world, their relationship with other people in other countries and realize that they need to learn about the world out there and learn about the different countries, cultures and societies beyond our shores. Open your eyes people, there is a big world out there just waiting for you.

The Archie comics series is quintessentially American - I read it religiously as a child as my sister was a big fan of it and we truly enjoyed them. It was a big part of my childhood (I remember learning the word "ridiculous" at the age of 6 from Jughead) and I salute them in their pro-gay marriage stance. Singaporeans reading Archie comics know that they are not reading about anything set in Singapore - it is an opportunity for the reader to learn about American culture and in some states in America, they have gay marriage which is a part of their society. This is called "learning about another country" - it makes you a more knowledgeable person.. Why are you so scared about learning that there are countries around the world which do have gay marriage and extend all kinds of equal rights to gays in their legal systems? What good would ignoring it do - that's like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand when it sees an enemy. Great, so that's how the MDA deals with a difficult topic. Why can't you just have a sensible discussion about the issue?

"There's a problem, quick bury your head in the sand!" 

If you oppose gay marriage for personal or religious reasons and prefer not to read a comic book or novel featuring a gay couple getting married, I have a simple solution: go read something else. You have a choice with regards to what you wish to consume personally, but do not impose your choices on others. In any civilized society, there needs to be a respect for the individual to make up his own mind on issues like that, rather than be treated like a child and be told, "no, you cannot even read it as I don't trust you to think about it. You can't handle it." What has happened rather, is a knee-jerk reaction by some stupid idiots who freak out the moment they see the word gay. Newsflash people: you don't become gay just because you read about gay people in the media and hey, there are loads of gay people around.

Today, we mostly access our media through the internet rather than cooks. There's something nostalgic about comic books, I did grow up in the 1980s when I read loads of comics, but seriously, people mostly choose to read on their smartphones, laptops, Kindles and other electronic devices these days. There is even an app for free digital Archie comics. The removal of this particular comic book with the gay marriage storyline is but a token gesture as only hardcore Archie fans would purchase that comic from Kinokuniya bookstore - everyone else is going to read it online instead, the same way they read everything else online. Yes, Singaporeans are going to use the internet and what is the MDA going to do, censor the internet to prevent Singaporeans from seeing anything gay on the internet?

Oh and here's something perhaps we should tell the dozy idiots at MDA. This issue of Archie came out over two years ago. Have a read of this report dated the 1st May 2012 on the Hollywood Reporter.This comic has been around for over two years and the MDA only removed it from sale in March 2014? Tsk tsk, too slow MDA, way too slow. If this was such toxic, dangerous material, why were you sitting on your fat lazy asses and only acting now after this was available for such a long time? How do you account for your inaction for nearly two years? The fact is after this comic has been out for so long, those who wanted to read it would have bought it and read it ages ago - and those who have no interest in Archie would have never touched it anyway. Thus it is another meaningless gesture by the MDA that has archived absolutely nothing, apart from pissing off more Singaporeans who are already fed up with their heavy handed approach to censorship. 

So what do you think? Are the MDA as bloody stupid and useless as I think they are? Or are you willing to give them a bit more credit than that? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Tthanks for reading.