• take the huang na's case for an example. if there wasnt so much obsession about the death of the girl from the media, would people even bother about the case?
• take the china earthquake for an example. if only the buildings were damaged and no one was killed, would there be such a hoo-ha about it? Yet thousands and thousand are killed and hence the big hoo-ha about the whole thing and this is the result of human interest.
• same goes to the case of cyclone nargis in myammar.

OB MARKERS (out-of-bounds markers)

a term popularised by Foreign Minister George Yeo to describe the invisible electric fence separating the professional from the amateur in the ring of Singapore politics.

• professional: PAP, NMP etc.
• amateur: online bloggers, city residents, etc.

Fact is we all live in a world made up of OB markers, whether or not we are aware of it and whether we describe such restrictions as OB markers.

we all have contrictions to whatever we do, limits, an end to everything etc.

• self-preservation as our MAI OB marker. --> to refrain from hurting ourselves.
• house-rules
• laws
• why you dont do certain things for popularity, not to hurt others, morals etc.

1. attending school without uniform at a school which has uniform rules.
2. telling your best friend she's got BO
3. telling your teacher he is not fit to teach- slander and libel laws apply.
4. showing off your wealth when you are among thieves.
5. revealing that your wife is a minister's sister, even though you are a popular and known analyst and critic of government policies

Government OBs:

1. glamorising alternative lifestyles- e.g. gays, single parent families (changes through time)
2. making baseless allegations against the government's integrity. (look at semiboy.com)
3. mocking and making fun of the government to the extent it loses the nation's respect.
4. journalism.sg

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