Headline February 04, 2017/ ''' *FARCE* - ALL- FOUNTAINS '''

''' *FARCE* - ALL- FOUNTAINS '''

*AND YET AGAIN I STOP BY* = and most respectfully thank all the students of the world, in particular the students of *Proud Pakistan*, the first conceptual host.

If for nothing,  they taught Sam Daily Times ''  !WOW!'s Voice of the Voiceless'' how not to contribute, and how best to stay  *Sacred Scared Stiff*  if  not utterly petrified.

As I defined and explained to the  Students of Asia, Blogging is simply a crude methodology, 

!WOW!  is a  *Society*, and  in pursuit and all working, to the  Global Elections. And in that context, I thank Google, for splendid support, wisdom and work.

And setting up, executing, and monitoring and getting and handing over,  to the elected students, the affairs of the Society, would be the  *Honour and Prerogative and Responsibility of the *Students of America*.

Clear? CLEAR!

NEAR  the ides of February Last year, the Leaders, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of  Singapore were intensely focused on the news, scrutinising the headlines with bated breath;

ISIS was a burgeoning force, gaining ground in the Libyan Civil War, European Leaders were fervently striving for ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. Domestically, a certain great leader, Lee Kuan Yew was in critical condition.

And then, somewhere through all  of that, another piece of domestic news put Singaporeans on the edge of their seats, so that they could proceed to lift their butts off said seats and do something more productive with their lives.

It was the legal exchange between SMRT LTD (Feedback} and Wendy Chang  [better known as Xiaxue}. 

SMRT LTD [Feedback}, also known today as SMRT Feedback or  Yje Vigilanteh   {a portmanteau of vigilante and teh, or the Malay for tea}, is a parody social media entity that-

It should be noted here,   has shown as much understanding of the inner workings of operating a  public mass  transportation service as the intricacies of the  tea-manufacturing process.

Xiaxue is a popular  blogger whose writings make me ponder life's most important questions, such as  ''Why am  I  on xiaxue.blogspot.com?'' and ''Do I get hazard pay if I visit !WOW! or  her blog to research this article?''             

Xiaxue acquired a protection order against  SMRT Feedback, prohibiting the site from insulting or abusing her, or her family.

This was in response to social media posts by the Internet troll group such as  ''Dear Xiaxue, if you have high fever, will your plastic nose melt? and ''We would have to continue making jokes out of  Xiaxue  but slut jokes are whoreable [sic].'' These posts dated as far back as 2012.

It resulted in SMRT Feedback having to reveal their identities [they had operated anonymously prior to this], as part of public apology for cyber bullying her.

It is worth noting that they have not put up any disparaging posts about Xiaxue ever since.

It was a trivial force   -something insignificant when juxtaposed against the plight of innocent families torn apart by war or poverty, of small nations fighting for their independence.

Yet  it  received  rather  considerable coverage in the news, and drew hundreds of comments  from Singaporeans and  non-Singaporeans clamouring to toss their two-cents into the farce fountain.   

If you break it down to its elements the fiasco was straight out of a TV trope: two entities with deep long standing differences who, in fact, are more similar than they'd care to admit.

Both have used the Internet  to further their agendas. Both have numerous bafflingly  loyal fans. Neither shy away from controversy.

Both have have famously embarked on a form of social vigilantism : Xiaxue did a scathing expose of Gushcloud in 2014, revealing the social media agency's rather unethical operational manoeuvres, such as inflating their revenue, and faking their bloggers' state and YouTube views.

In the same year, SMRT Feedback exposed  Jover Chew, owner of a mobile retailer in  Sim Lim Square, who'd scammed a Vietnamese tourist over the purchase of an  iPhone 6.  

AND THEN,  The important difference now   -as with Budhrani, Yeo and Channa   -is that race is no longer used as an end in itself, a prop for reinforcing division, but as a vehicle for affectionate digging and- just as often, self mockery.

Singapore's comics are probing much deeper, lampooning authority and societal norms,  and laughing at themselves   -making their comedy not just insular, but also inclusive and universal.

Even a decade ago, when the  ''sterile''  label was still common, I found this city   -with its socio linguistic quirks and esoteric laws    -an inherently funny place , both funny  ha ha  and peculiar.

The ongoing evolution  of  Singaporean comedy, from the slipstream to the spotlight, is one that I've been fascinated to witness.

''Strangely enough,''  Rana tells me, ''in Singapore, there is a higher promoter-to-comedian ratio than anywhere else in the world.

A lot of comedians are running shows. 

If you were to ask me, ''Where do i see the future of comedy in Singapore?''

That answer will surprise many.''

Who needs London? 

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, and Students of the World. Most especially Merium, Rabo, Haleema, Saima, Dee, Eman,  Malala [Noble Prize] Aqsa, Paras, Ameera/ Malaysia, Sorat, Sanyia, Haanyia, Merium.

Hussain, Shahzaib, Ali, Ehsen,  Haider,  Salar, Bilal Malik, Jordan, Toby/China, Reza/Canada, Vishnu/India, Rehman/Australia, John T/New Zealand, T.D.Kwn/South Korea, Reza P/Iran, Hamdi Gad/Egypt, Z. Hejazi/Saudi Arabia and many million by millions more.

See Ya all on !WOW!   -the World Students Society and Twitter-!E-WOW! -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' The Culture '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless