It's now election season in Singapore. So what does this mean? To the typical Singaporean, it means voting for the greater good. For this henjin Singaporean, however, it's not so straightforward. Let me be brutally honest with my nation and fellow Singaporeans here: I don't like the fact that we have a one-party system cursed with a totalitarian culture. 1984 may be a long way off (if you're laughing at my math, it means you don't know who George Orwell was), but I'm not amused by the PAP's display of totalitarian muscle in the 377A vote. I don't care about the fact that the PAP is conservative despite being one myself. The party's ideological direction is only as good as the domestic voter base. As for the opposition, they are mainly on the left, with the PPP possibly leaning right. But even then, was Goh Meng Seng ideologically on the right or someone who would function like the PAP in terms of being an ideological chameleon?
While I really need to finish reading the first Witcher novel (i.e. The Last Wish), I've already covered the Blaviken arc. What struck me was Geralt's nativity on the matter of good and evil. This is not to say Geralt didn't have a moral compass. In fact, he was one of the most upright characters in the Witcher series. This was precisely why he made this famous quote:
As one of the most upright characters in a cruel world where the line between humanity and monstrosity was blurred, it is unsurprising to see his disdain for evil to the point of naivety. Sadly, reality has never functioned according to anyone's wish. On one hand, it's good because we have stupid people who think reality should bend over backwards for them (scarily, a lot of them are as well-educated as the average Singaporean). On the other hand, however, it means we do not always get to choose the greater good. As it turned out, Geralt was forced to choose between Stregobor and Renfri. He had no choice but to. Choosing neither would result in the greater evil. I find that the same goes for me. I do not carry two swords, one of silver and the other of steel. But I do have a voting slip. Come this Saturday, I'll be voting. Not for the greater good but for the lesser evil.
Since election season in Singapore means Witcher season for me, I've decided to devote this post to music instead of politics. Alexis Dang of the Workers' Party said she likes Mandopop and K-pop, making her a typical Singaporean. I don't base my taste on genre; I base it on what I listen to. Unlike her, I'm a henjin Singaporean. This means she probably never paid attention to music from the Witcher games. In fact, I'm not even sure whether she has read the Witcher books.
A/N: Because I don't function like a Singaporean OF subscriber, I'm not going to liken Alexis Dang to Yennefer. On a side note, I wonder whether this would be a parallel of any discourse with a fellow Singaporean.
