Singapore Nude Walk: The Verdict
A young couple who walked naked through a busy touristy neighborhood of Singapore heard the verdict of the country's judiciary this week: 2,000 Singapore dollars each, or 1,330 US dollars.
According to Singapore's legislation, nude walking in public is regarded as 'obscene,' but then apparently, the country, known for its draconian public order regulations which helped it make one of the most livable, cleanest and safest places in Asia, also outlaws walking naked ... at home! I'm wondering if they're really sending over people to check whether you put on your clothes when you walk from the bathroom to your living room.
What did our two perpetrators do? The 21-year-old Swedish male student and his 24-year-old Singaporean female friend - who according to reports is an excellent student - decided to look for a thrill, so they took off all their clothes and had a 15-minute walkabout.
What was obscene about that? Unexpected, yes, shocking, probably, for conservative people who have never been to a beach in the west. But their behavior was not sexual, not provocative, they never tried to challenge anybody. They just went for a short walk in a hot country.
Maybe the nude walk would have been more appropriate on a beach, or it could've been a nude swim in the sea or at a hotel swimming pool, but still, you don't want to punish people so severely for what the two young people did.
If I had been the judge, I would have fined them a symbolic 1 dollar, Singaporean in this case. And told lawmakers that nude bathing is respected in many parts of the world, and that Singapore could set the tone and allow nude bathing on some beaches or at some swimming pools during certain hours.
Singapore is already hard at work converting its past image of a dull place to a rich cultural hub for Southeast Asia, and introducing the sound practice of naturism to the region would only add to its reputation as a social vanguard.
For the full article from the Singaporean press, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_370739.html?vgnmr=1
According to Singapore's legislation, nude walking in public is regarded as 'obscene,' but then apparently, the country, known for its draconian public order regulations which helped it make one of the most livable, cleanest and safest places in Asia, also outlaws walking naked ... at home! I'm wondering if they're really sending over people to check whether you put on your clothes when you walk from the bathroom to your living room.
What did our two perpetrators do? The 21-year-old Swedish male student and his 24-year-old Singaporean female friend - who according to reports is an excellent student - decided to look for a thrill, so they took off all their clothes and had a 15-minute walkabout.
What was obscene about that? Unexpected, yes, shocking, probably, for conservative people who have never been to a beach in the west. But their behavior was not sexual, not provocative, they never tried to challenge anybody. They just went for a short walk in a hot country.
Maybe the nude walk would have been more appropriate on a beach, or it could've been a nude swim in the sea or at a hotel swimming pool, but still, you don't want to punish people so severely for what the two young people did.
If I had been the judge, I would have fined them a symbolic 1 dollar, Singaporean in this case. And told lawmakers that nude bathing is respected in many parts of the world, and that Singapore could set the tone and allow nude bathing on some beaches or at some swimming pools during certain hours.
Singapore is already hard at work converting its past image of a dull place to a rich cultural hub for Southeast Asia, and introducing the sound practice of naturism to the region would only add to its reputation as a social vanguard.
For the full article from the Singaporean press, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_370739.html?vgnmr=1
posted by The Nude Guru at
5:40 PM
