91–100 of 110 posts
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I'm not defending any of those people. Mussolini was a monster who used gas in Ethiopia and many other things, yes. But that wasn't the topic. Fascist Italy didn't do "racist scapegoating" and blame internal problems on people of other races.
Italy's favorite scapegoat was almost always Britain and the UN's predecessor.
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I’ve never been there but whenever I read something about it I get the vibe that they’re an HOA with a military.
Not really. They are famous for having a lot of rules, but the instances where they really go wild are when someone has been particularly egregious. For the most part it is just insanely materialistic as the main downside. Most of the "harsh" rules make a tremendous amount of sense when you actually go there. Yeah, gum and spitting are illegal, and that is a good thing in a city as crowded as that with a significant…
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Singaporeans have chosen economic security and social authoritarianism over the freedoms we enjoy in the West. That's their choice. A powerful passport doesn't mean they can move anywhere to live permanently and if they choose to become a citizen of the country they do move to then they will lose their Singaporean citizenship.
Most western European countries are as restrictive on speech as Singapore but are just dishonest. American freedom of expression is a singular achievement.
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I'm not saying democracy is a failed project all together, but something that has been on my mind a lot recently is that democracy is quite inefficient - where I'm from anyway (New Zealand). We are a small country, with general elections every four years. So most of the decisions our government takes a less bold, and optimized for short term interests and to get the next cycle vote. And when we have had times a gover…
You're pinning a people problem on democracy. If the people of New Zealand are happy being a little out of the way island that is a nice place for a holiday then that is what they'll be. If they want to be as economically prosperous as Singapore then they have to argue it out and get a critical mass of people to decide that they want to be wealthier in a take-concrete-actions sort of way. They can do that if they wan…
You may say, well, democracy brings in the next government, and they're carrying out the policies that they campaigned for. But my point isn't that democracy is failing, it's the mechanisms. The 4 year term means even governments that do think a massive public transport overhaul is needed won't do it because cutting costs elsewhere to fund it will lead to losing the next term.
So I do partially agree with you in that it is ultimately a people problem. But short election cycles shape how those people's preferences are expressed and acted upon.
One thing I noticed when I was traveling in Singapore is that the businesses don't put their patio chairs away at night because unlike where I'm originally from on the West Coast, they won't get stolen if left out. I think there's thousands of these small benefits that come with a low crime society that are hard to quantify but cumulatively add up.
Does the low crime come from the strict laws, or from being tiny? My money is that most of it is the latter. Also, I'd say that it's only low crime when it comes to small crimes. If you include financial crime then it's probably the opposite.
I've been in banking for quite some time of my life and hands down, there is no country in the world that makes bankers with let's say questionable skills in risk assessment and decision making more afraid. Millions in fines, maybe more? Zero fucks given. Messing with regulators in Singapore? Not worth it. Wouldn't be surprised if they send or have sent people out to tell the somewhat gory stories of the canings in S…
>depending on the habit is a months supply max for some People with substance abuse problems are generally the "get more every day or two" type not the "have a month's supply on hand" type. And I really believe more in corporal punishment for a lot of things than the maze of fines, legal costs, and probation which really seems more like complicated inconvenience. For drunk driving, sexual assault, and grand theft the…
This is obscene. It is torture. If you torture people, they usually confess, regardless of innocence or guilt.
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You don't need years to look around and see that (unlike much of the US) there are no homeless addicts, fare evaders, or vandals on the transit in Singapore. (Or, for that matter, murderous psychos with dozens of prior arrests.) Logically, therefore, they have superior crime policy we should learn from - nothing to do with culture.
But you are wrong. It is entirely possible that the population of Singapore would act exactly the same with a lax policy. I live in Switzerland. There is no public caning for chewing bubble gum here. Yet it is an extremely nice place to live in. I have also lived in Dubai where there is sharia law. Also a nice place for most people
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>depending on the habit is a months supply max for some People with substance abuse problems are generally the "get more every day or two" type not the "have a month's supply on hand" type. And I really believe more in corporal punishment for a lot of things than the maze of fines, legal costs, and probation which really seems more like complicated inconvenience. For drunk driving, sexual assault, and grand theft the…
> For drunk driving, sexual assault, and grand theft the appropriate punishment for the first offense is a public beating where they stop half way through and give you a chance to admit guilt and apologize on camera or they keep going. This is obscene. It is torture. If you torture people, they usually confess, regardless of innocence or guilt.
And yes, call it what you want but yes I'm advocating for pain in exchange for serious crime.
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>depending on the habit is a months supply max for some People with substance abuse problems are generally the "get more every day or two" type not the "have a month's supply on hand" type. And I really believe more in corporal punishment for a lot of things than the maze of fines, legal costs, and probation which really seems more like complicated inconvenience. For drunk driving, sexual assault, and grand theft the…
> For drunk driving, sexual assault, and grand theft the appropriate punishment for the first offense is a public beating where they stop half way through and give you a chance to admit guilt and apologize on camera or they keep going. This is obscene. It is torture. If you torture people, they usually confess, regardless of innocence or guilt.
Either the punishment is appropriate, or not. If it is inappropriate, change it. If it is appropriate, don't give a 50% discount for saying "sorry" when told to. First, it means nothing; no one reasonable will think that the "sorry" was sincere. Second, if once in a while an innocent person is incorrectly sentenced, you insist that they either apologize for something they didn't do, or get 2x the punishment an actually guilty criminal would get.
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Most western European countries are as restrictive on speech as Singapore but are just dishonest. American freedom of expression is a singular achievement.
I don’t agree with that assessment at all. I’m free to criticise my government in the UK in any way I wish to. I would have no such freedom in Singapore.