I guess this is what happens when one is unable to understand something and then proceeds to take it out of context.

Recently, MP Zainudin Nordin has drawn flak for posting a quote on his facebook page with says that gang rape is basically ‘democracy in action’.

Here’s the full quote for reference:

People use democracy as a free-floating abstraction disconnected from reality. Democracy in and of itself is not necessarily good. Gang rape, after all, is democracy in action.

All men have the right to live their own life. Democracy must be rooted in a rational philosophy that first and foremost recognizes the right of an individual. A few million Imperial Order men screaming for the lives of a much smaller number of people in the New World may win a democratic vote, but it does not give them the right to those lives, or make their calls for such killing right.

Democracy is not a synonym for justice or for freedom. Democracy is not a sacred right sanctifying mob rule. Democracy is a principle that is subordinate to the inalienable rights of the individual.
― Terry Goodkind

Here’s the amusing thing – this is actually a fantastic quote because it warns us of the fact that that democracy is not an infallible magic pill. It also serves to remind us of the true essence of democracy, that it is a “principle that is subordinate to the inalienable rights of the individual”, and not a process to be taken advantage of by forcing an opinion (mob rule), or even for the purposes of freedom and justice.

And yet, here we are, grown, mature, educated Singaporeans, getting insulted at the mention of ‘gang rape’ being an act of democracy.

But, think about it.. Isn’t gang rape an act of democracy?

After all, a gang rape by definition, is rape that’s committed by a group of people. For that group of people to commit the act, a consensus had to be made. So, unless they’re being forced to rape (presumably, at gun point), what effectively happened was that a democratic decision has taken place to proceed with the act, yes?

So, instead of acknowledging the example used to drive home – hard – the fact that the democratic process is not perfect, we proceed to take what’s essentially a metaphor and blow it up into extraordinary proportions, claiming that our…that MP Zainudin Nordin is into gang raping. (I was about to say ‘our dear MP’…but decided against it in case anti-PAP nazis accuse me of being a white loyalist.)

And so lies the true problem of this debacle – that we are unable to decipher the true meaning of something and proceed to colour them with popular prejudices.

Here’s some food for thought though – would the reaction have been the same if it were not a PAP MP that posted that quote?

Everyone’s capable of double standards, including you and me of course.

Or maybe… this a case of ‘Casting Pearls before Swine’? (can’t wait for someone to take the non-existent blade, stick it into his own back and claim to be insulted for being called a pig)

P.S. If you feel that he could have used a better quote, etc, fine, but stick with it don’t make it sound like he just insulted a whole bunch of people because the truth is, insults are always taken, never given.

UPDATE – Legal Action

So, our dear MP is threatening legal action. He actually posted a quote about how stupid it is to argue on the internet…and then he proceeds to threaten legal action.

1 word – Idiot.

3 more words – Public Relations Failure.