Another Serving of "Instant Noodles" - Crap Flavor, ops Crab
-
Failure of Crazy Horse not due to advertising restrictions: Dr Balaji
By Lee Foong Ming, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 March 2007 2212 hrs
SINGAPORE: The government has rejected suggestions that advertising restrictions could have led to the failure of Crazy Horse Paris - the topless dance revue which pulled out of Singapore last month.
Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts Dr Balaji Sadasivan said the performances were meant for a mature audience.
And there is a need for some regulatory control for advertisements of adult entertainment.
Dr Balaji was responding to comments made by MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Baey Yam Keng in Parliament on Saturday.
Explaining, Dr Balaji said, "if we were a homogenous society, regulating what is acceptable and what is not acceptable to society would be simpler. But a diverse society will have a wide spectrum of interests and views on what should be the norm. So the Media Development Authority (MDA) has to strike a delicate balance between the concerns, wants and needs of different groups."
And he gave the example of two hypothetical advertisements to illustrate his point.
He said, "Many parents will be pleased if their young daughters came home and said they wanted to take dance lessons because they saw an advertisement for a performance by the Singapore Dance Theatre. I do not believe these same parents will feel the same way if their daughters came home and said the same thing after seeing an advertisement for Crazy Horse."
However Dr Balaji pointed out that Singapore is not unusual in having advertising rules.
The owner of Crazy Horse Paris whom he has met, told him they have advertising rules in the European Union too.
Dr Balaji said, "Advertisements in Singapore must not be offensive to the public and should adhere to the guidelines of the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore. Eng Wah, the operator of Crazy Horse, was well aware of the advertising guidelines even before it decided to launch the show, and had at its disposal, various channels to promote the show before the launch. Subsequent to the launch, MDA also reviewed and accommodated most of Eng Wah's requests. And as Mr Baey has pointed out, there were so many write-ups and articles in the newspapers before the show. It is therefore not fair to say that the Crazy Horse failed because of advertising guidelines."
The Senior Minister of State stressed that as Singapore opens up more, it must also be sensitive to our societal norms and values.
And these norms and values differ from country to country.
Citing a recent newspaper article, Dr Balaji compared the different reactions to the movie, "Curse of the Golden Flower," in Shenzhen, China, and the United States.
The movie-goer in Shenzhen wanted restrictions for the movie because "the abundant cleavage was too much for the 32-year-old electronics worker".
But in US, the movie is rated R.
Dr Balaji explained, "This means children younger than 17 must be accompanied by a parent or an adult guardian to see it. The Americans were not concerned by the cleavage, but by the violence. This example illustrates my point that every society has its own sensitivities and comfort level, which set the standards for content regulation. Regulatory authorities have to be sensitive to these differences." - CNA/yy -
typical singapore government's answer
"it is never my fault"
the business should do more, the public should see more, the government will ban more, ooopss, did i say that, no no no, the government may help more -
typical singapore govt response pushing the responsibility indirectly at crazy horse for its failure.
when will our govt say, well it both our mistake. we take the partial blame. -
Same govt for sooo many years, of course same Answer & Excuse....
-
I used to be fooled by the wrappings of Instant Noodles packets. They show the noodles with all the glorious ingredients. Inside is a disappointment, just noodles and packets of oils and flavourings. You have to add your own veg, prawns, chicken, etc.
I don't see why Crazy Horse cannot go the same way. Advertise it as a Paris import, an adult art show. Clearly state for adults only (this phrase will surely exite many people). Show pictures of the girls clad in glittering costumes. Create a want in adults, and then disappoint them at the show. They have to bring their own libido. Too bad that did not happen.
Crazy Horse another victim of our rules and regulations.
I wonder how the mobile food vendors (vans) are getting on.
Will the casinos at the future IRs suffer the same fate?