Singapore: Difference between revisions

It's a somewhat illiberal democracy, with very frequent use of the death penalty (400 hangings between 1991 and 2004 - note that the place has a population of ''4 million''), including for drug trafficking. The use of [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore:Caning in Singapore|caning]] is also common as a punishment, as an American tourist by the name of [http://en.[wikipedia:Michael P.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay Fay|Michael Fay]] found out the hard way in 1994 after being arrested for theft and vandalism. It has some of the most restrictive laws on the planet - criminalizing homosexuality, littering, the possession of porn, the sale of chewing gum, amongst others. [[William Gibson]] once memorably described the place as "[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/gibson.html Disneyland with the death penalty]"<ref>He was dissatisfied later that he managed to convey the city's "creepy anal retentive" authoritarianism better than its "unrelenting dullness"</ref>, and the locals make jokes about this - you can get T-shirts saying "Singapore is a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|fine city]]", enumerating most of the fines one is likely to incur for various misdemeanours. The government finally passed laws allowing controlled gambling a couple of years back, and two large casino resorts have recently been completed ([[Insistent Terminology|though the term "Integrated Resort" is preferred]]). With the new tourism spike, the government is loosening some of their stricter laws.

* The Siak (pronounced Sok) Republic in ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell]]''.

In a related vein, Singaporean adaptations of shows from overseas are equally popular, including local versions of ''[[American Idol]], [[Who Wants to Be Aa Millionaire?]], [[The Weakest Link]], [[Deal or No Deal]], Don't Forget The Lyrics,'' and ''Just for Laughs: Gags''.