TOC thanks The Kent Ridge Common for allowing us to re-publish the following article.
Jian
Deep down inside, everybody wants big, giant commercial corporations to use their capabilities to do good things. These things include being environmentally positive, creating jobs, and making the world a better place to live.
In the same vein, that’s what I want to see Mediacorp doing as well.
Ideally, they should be producing television shows that are compelling, meaningful, have universal appeal and help Singaporeans and global audiences alike make sense of life in the ever-changing world. But what’s this I see?
“The S Factor” is the next show in the vein of their previous productions, “Singtel Grid Girls” and “Eye For A Guy”. 12 girls compete to win 10,000 dollars and a photoshoot with FHM. That’s not too different from Singtel Grid Girls, but The S Factor trailer is really too much. One of the opening lines for the trailer is, “Guys like to watch girls in bikinis. Girls like to watch other girls… look bad!” There it is, wisdom for the ages.
This is soulless, uninspired programming. It makes the “Just For Laugh” sketches on TVMobile looks like social commentary.
The one-minute ad is edited to make the most shocking statements to resemble an episode of Girls Gone Wild as closely as possible without actually qualifying as pornography. The bikini-clad girls are throwing pies at each other, mud wrestling and generally doing things badly (where a ‘man’ could easily do it without batting an eye). “I don’t think I have the brains to answer all those questions,” exclaims a participant. But the worst line of all, when participants had to model with live snakes, one of them laments, “Snakes. Real ones.” In the words of a friend, warrauz.
That’s not to say I’m deeply offended by the level of indecency. Actually, I’m not. What I’m offended by is the level of sheer stupidity. Is this what feminism stands for these days? Eye For A Guy while bad wasn’t terrible. Grid Girls was one thing, but this really takes the cake! Has anyone actually done ‘The Male Gaze’ around here? Is this some kind of societal pathology inherent in capitalism? It is an extremely intricate puzzle that nobody at Mediacorp pays attention to these kinds of substantive issues that make a television show worth watching.
I’m talking about women’s rights. Once upon a time, women around the world were considered inferior; they fought for socio-political equality with men, for the right to work and upholding the ethical principle of being paid equally for the equal type of work. Now in the post-emancipation age where women’s sociopolitical equality is now institutionally protected, some women find that they can continue to play out the stereotypical submissive role to their own economic benefit. They can have their cake and eat it, because the demand for pretty and submissive women still exists.
You may object that these women are in fact not submissive. But then, there’s the gaze. The idea of ‘the gaze’ is that we shape and internalize behaviour based on how we look at ourselves and how we think other people look at us. As long as you can dictate how people internalise ‘the gaze’ of society and their potential mates, you’ve got them by their sociological tail. The drama that ensues from the show teaches us what is socially acceptable, and what is not.
However, wouldn’t it mean that women shouldn’t be stupid? That pretty women have more to live up to than just being a pretty face? After all, if Miss-FHM Queen had been kicked out of the contest because she couldn’t do simple math, doesn’t it say that maybe girls should pay more attention in class?
It’s going to be difficult to read ‘The S Factor’ as a moral satire, or a negative example, especially when the prize is 10,000 dollars and a shoot with FHM. At least America’s Next Top Model gives some pretense towards looking good as a judicious professional skill rather than just giving some excuse to show off skin.
Truth be told, this show probably won’t have any effect on most anybody’s life at all. It’s not going to be the Pride and Prejudice of Singapore (which arguably, Phua Chu Kang was during its heyday). It’s not going to affect the rest of Singaporean, ASEAN or world literature like how The Dark Knight set the standard for comic book movies in Hollywood. Mediacorp as the primary producer of television shows has become more Hollywood than Hollywood.
The recent bunch of local programming isn’t that great either. Red Thread looks good but lacks distinction, and Fighting Spiders has that mild “we’re glorifying our past” feel to it. Don’t get me started on the insipid Maggi & Me.
This is not the first time such an un-politically correct show has been commissioned and produced, and it will not be the last. People will also not care with a resounding “it’s like that, lor”. I too, really don’t care that much, and I’m not agreeable to censorship, and therefore will not watch it.
On the other hand, if this is the way post-feminism is going to be shaped in Singapore, I look forward to the day women are free to come to work in bikinis and hold wet t-shirt contests over lunch.
Catch the 1-minute ad here, and if you want, the official site.
Visit The Kent Ridge Common.
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Just pay my TV license $110 online … i feels … disgusted
Scared if I dun pay the dogs from NDA would send me lawyer letter
38) Wah Bian A on April 1st, 2009 10.46 pm
[[[Thanks to the local TV station, my TV is turned off most, if not ALL of the time. I have precious and wonderful time for other things in life that is enriching. Watching too much TV, one can get ‘blocked-head’.]]]
Me too. Whenever humanly possible, I refrain from watching the TV. This saves plenty of electricity. Plasma type TVs are expecially electricity hungry. I only watch creative programmes like those from SCV when I am really bored or stuck at home when its raining.
But I would say there is no propaganda on tv. I mean foreign channels lah. why would i say local channels? but maybe TV newspresenters and program hosts can advise lor. I am sure they would agree with me.
hee hee haa haa hoo hoo hay hay.
I paid my share too, although very redundantly and without really knowing what I have just paid for.
Estimated that there are around 600,000 household with a least a TV set
600K * $110 = $66 million
Not much, but enough for them to justify for their 8 months bonus
Its either cable tv or none, for me.
All grudgingly pay $110 for mediocre TV programme- esp. channel 8 local chinese dramas which seems to get worse or the telecast of repeated shows and at their own whim and fancy – make a my family favourite Taiwanese variety show : Big Brother Six mysteriously disappeared or probably interring it else where and have arbitrarily done it to other shows too.
Also why must vehicular owners be compelled to pay the damn vehicle radio licence again when they are already paying $110 for their radio and Tv licence. Disgruntled but what to do when things are doine the diktating ways here.
i don’t have any other services still i don’t watch except news i have no comment just wonder why the ceo quit and why jackie chan say artises here have to work harder
Well, that is the standard, lah.
Full coverage of US Presidential elections?
Sands for cash ?
he he he
As one professional amerika journalist wrote
“WITH COLONIALISM DECLINING,
WORLD DOMINANCE TAKES ON A NEW FORM,
THE US AND ITS OTHER AXIS”!
Wonder when we will be using amerikan English on our national TV ?
“So option, Select English : UK or Amerika ?
Will our newcasters begin to read news with an amerika accent, and with names like MacArthur Lim,
Truman Ang,
Lincoln Lim,
Ford Ee,
Obamma Goh?
Or what about Bush Lee ?
he he he
In the words of some, we are “small” ?
Read and hear TV news of reports of some amerika servicemen rapes and murders reports in Asia, and you will understand.
I gave up on local TV programs long ago. Only watching some documentaries/HK dramas occasionally. I wouldn’t want to waste any of my precious time after work just to watch some crappy local TV programs when I can get better entertainment from the internet!
The TV would be almost redundant for me but game consoles need it to work.
actually, from a guy’s sytnadpoint, i ENJOYed watching S factor. just imagine, bimbos in bikinis prancing around for one hour – this is the best of mediacorp.
They should make more of these shows -
I agree with anon about people still using MediaCORPSE TV? It’s pretty old (and point less to pay). ALL U C is good but my favourite is blinkbox.com
http://www.blinkbox.com/TV
There are a few USA restrictions I believe but these can be rectified on request (through the contact and with specific proxy details)