Five Ways To Be Aware

There are many different ways to be Aware
You can plot a takeover in the dark
and “win” the election by the book.
To do this insidiously you require a “feminist mentor”
preaching hate, a few emails (leaked), a denial
of prior friendship, a firing, some tears and one
change of locks to validate your new status.

Or you can look beyond the shrill alarmist
verbiage of fear mongering,
and attempt to draw your own moderate conclusions.
But for this you need an open mind,
an MOE response, letters to the Forum,
at least two sides, courage, and an honest
discussion with your fellow Singaporeans.

Dispensing with kiasu-ness, you may, if you feel
compelled, stand up for your beliefs. But then you need
to overcome your comfort level borne through years of stability,
not to mention one too many multiethnic and multiracial
displays, a plague of middle class, inertia
and the “I have no comment” malaise.

In an age of Internet, you may uncover
and share information faster than your opponents
and tear down their paper arguments with one easy Twitter. All you then
require is a tsunami of ground support, two
decades of historic feminist work, a nation’s bloggers,
several organizers, a stake, and
a clear separation of church and state.

These are, as I began, different ways to be Aware.
Easier, direct, and far more satisfying is to
show up at Suntec City May 2 to
stand with your sisters, and win this fight.

With thanks to Edwin Brock and his “Five Ways to Kill a Man“