Never before has a case of sexual misconduct gripped Singapore like the Monica Baey case, when netizens erupted after finding out that perv Nicholas Lim got away with little punishment when he filmed her showering in the campus shower at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
After the case got leaked and Monica’s mother spoke out, the country’s education minister himself had to step in to say that NUS’ “two-strikes and you are out” punishment for sexual misconduct perpetrators was “manifestly inadequate”.
The incident has also drawn plenty of debate on social media, as netizens roundly criticized the university for not doing enough to protect students from being future victims of sexual misconduct and harassment.
Strangely though, the debate seems to have taken a misogynistic turn as some netizens are instead choosing to blame the victim and instead support the perpetrator Nicholas Lim who has since been mobbed online over the incident.
Some of these comments came out in a Singapore gay forum called Blowing Wind and were captured by Facebook user MW Ang, who uploaded these comments onto his Facebook page on Saturday.
“The level of hatred and discomfort that these gay men feel against women who dare to speak up is directly evident from their words,” said Ang, who alluded to misogyny and toxic masculinity being a “serious problem in Singapore”.
“I think it’s easy for the social environment within the gay community to sometimes incubate these tendencies to problematic conceptions of masculinity,” elaborated Ang.
One particular comment on the forum written by a guest whose pseudonym is ‘Try and See’ said that he “felt very sorry” for Nicholas and that he doesn’t think the perv should have his future ruined “because of a one-time immature and childish act”.
“Monica’s the one living a very comfortable and privileged lifestyle,” said the commenter. “Hope this incident reveals to her boyfriend and close friends just how spiteful and vicious she can be if people offend her.”
The misogyny continued with another commenter who goes by the pseudonym ‘Life’s Lessons’ who accused Monica of playing up her fear of being exposed in the shower because of alleged jealousy towards Nicholas’ relationship with his girlfriend.
“With that publication of him on social media, she stopped being a mere victim of a Peeping Tom but acted in damaging his personal life and career,” the commenter said.
The dense attitudes of these commenters did not go unnoticed on Ang’s Facebook post, as other netizens chimed in calling out these commenters for siding with the perpetrator.
Facebook user Nicholas Goh alluded the comments to a possible “lack of moral guideline benchmark and hence each (person has) their own interpretation of what is good or bad”.
Another user Mason Lim said that it is a by-product of common opinions being reinforced in a closed social circle. “Many people still prefer to reinforce their personal worldviews rather than subject it to (healthy) change,” he said.
The contradictory nature of such comments has not stopped over 300 students from signing an open letter to NUS president Professor Tan Eng Chye alleging a “lack of accountability on the part of the administration, and transparency regarding the review process” during a town hall on the matter.
The town hall was pushed by NUS students who wanted the school to have more accountability over the matter and to address student concerns before the semester ended in May.
Students from NUS or outside the university who wish to sign the open letter can do so at this link.
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