Word: fay
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...disciplined nation of Singapore seems to be the newest whipping-boy of our righteous press. As we've all heard ad nauseam, an 18-year old American named Michael Fay has been condemned by Singapore's highest court to four months in prison a $2,600 fine and six lashes with a moistened rattan cane--all for the rather petty crime of vandalizing some automobiles...
Just as Nancy and Tonya have left our television screens, it appears that our beloved mass media has found another feast to proffer restless Americans. These days, the name of Michael Fay, the American teen vandal who will soon be caned in Singapore, constantly comes up on talk shows...
Some Americans are outraged at the cruel punishment Fay will receive for what seems like a rather insignificant crime. Others congratulate the Singaporean government on its impending human pinata-fest. More than one stodgy middle class American who has had the antenna ripped off his car has said, "All I know, Geraldo, is that Fay kid sure won't be picking up any spray-paint cans any time soon...
There's no denying that Michael Fay committed a crime. This was no childish prank, and despite protestations that Fay is just a "boy", 18 years old is more than old enough to know better. Yet many Americans, in their haste to condemn Fay and in their own frustration at the escalating rates of crime in our own nation, have overlooked the horrific nature of the Singapore government's punishment...
...issue here is not whether or not Michael Fay should be punished, or whether or not he should be exempt from the judgment of the Singapore court because he is an American citizen. The issue is why we as a nation are so willing to accept a means of punishment that falls under the definition of torture. Michael Fay may rightly deserve four months in prison. He may rightly deserve to pay a $2,000 fine. Yet it's not being "soft" to protest against his caning, a punishment that allows the government of Singapore to continue torturing its citizens...