Fortissimo

After perusing through the GSS'05, I noticed that Singaporeans advocate most an educatory stand. We (myself not included) constantly voted for options like invest more money in sex education, educate people more about sex, and the like. Now I have no problem with that, but there are in my opinion better solutions available in the survey. Consider the following:

What developing countries need most in terms of sexual health

Globally
Money to support sex education....................................34%
Greater access to condoms..............................................23%
Greater access to drugs/vaccines for HIV/AIDS..........14%
Money towards the care of people with HIV/AIDS.......6%
Help to encourage women to uphold their rights..........8%
Family planning..................................................................11%
Encourage people to abstain from sex till married........4%

Singapore
Money to support sex education.......................................27%
Greater access to condoms.................................................15%
Greater access to drugs/vaccines for HIV/AIDS.............12%
Money towards the care of people with HIV/AIDS..........7%
Help to encourage women to uphold their rights...........11%
Family planning....................................................................17%
Encourage people to abstain from sex till married.........11%

And this:

Best way to raise awareness of safer sex

Globally
A sexual health awareness day..............................................9%
Posters highlighting the importance of safer sex.............10%
Free condoms where high STI/unplanned pregnancy....32%
Encourage government to discuss safer sex issues..........17%
Teaching materials for schools and HCPs.........................28%
None of these............................................................................4%

Singapore
A sexual health awareness day..............................................11%
Posters highlighting the importance of safer sex................9%
Free condoms where high STI/unplanned pregnancy.....25%
Encourage government to discuss safer sex issues..........23%
Teaching materials for schools and HCPs.........................28%
None of these............................................................................4%

Yes I wanted to align them all but I'm getting so much problems so forget it. As long as the values aren't cluttered with the options.

The first one. Singaporeans are choosing education over greater condom access and that to HIV/AIDS vaccines. And a measly 11% advocated abstinence. A tenth of Singapore believes in abstinence. More than double that amount prefers protection. Now even if you believe personally that oral sex can be excluded from the definition of pre-marital sex, the fact remains that you are still exposing yourself to bodily fluids, which is just about the best way for AIDS to spread, unless you make a blood pact or lick wounds. In which case I think you should be put to sleep, but I also believe in giving chances, so go see a doctor. And a shrink. Now even if abstinence means that you have to resort to masturbation, I would rather fight that habit than die slowly. You can't even fight AIDS. You can only watch yourself rot and die.

I sound so StompAIDS.

Again in the second survey question shown. Majority goes to teaching materials, when there are choices such as free condoms and encouraging the government to discuss safer sex issues available.

Let me reiterate that I am all for education. But what I think Singaporeans don't understand is that education takes time to inculcate. You don't just tell your child 'Don't lie' once and he'd go 'Oh um ok sure.' and stop lying forever. Sex education isn't going to sink in after one graphic presentation on pornography and AIDS. Education takes time, years, to instill firmly. And what we need now isn't so much a need to instill moral values of abstinence (I said 'isn't so much', before you decide to start firing me), but more immediate and present action. Offer free condoms in red-light districts (I think we're paying for R&D costs anyway... $1.50 for 5 rubber bands worth of rubber talk about overpricing). Knock up some posters. Get the government to talk. Subsidize HIV vaccines (didn't even know there were haha). Unleash a hard sell campaign promoting abstinence.

Now some of these. Campaigns, posters, governmental discussions, yes they can be considered education. But these are more direct, reaching the masses, with a simple sticky message (at least that's their aim). The kind of teaching Singaporeans seem to favour is school-integrated education, which like I said we don't have time for. Now again I say I am not against education, I think we just need to focus more on impacting people now, presently, pronto. By all means start that sex ed program that people want. If we can instill such values in our youths, we won't have to waste time and money (I just pulled through StompAIDS and man, campaigning isn't exactly buying Play-Doh) printing banners to hang up, knocking up stages and engaging people to MC, gig, act, etc. Think of the areas the money would be able to go to then. Maybe in the future we won't have to suffer transport fare increases in exchange for no apparent improvement on our public transport.