This led to a...
BACKLASH
On Jan 20, Mothership.sg ran an article headlined: Former Miss S’pore Universe’s husband’s anti-social Facebook rant results in massive online backlash
Casey has since apologised, been fired and left the country, but remains a talking point one week later.
But based on my Two-Week Controversy Rule (which I discussed in yesterday's column), he should be old news by this weekend if not sooner.
The Stephanie Koh "Why I’m Not Proud To Be Singaporean" controversy faded in about a week, partly because it was overshadowed by Anton Casey but mostly because it just ran its course.
Unlike the Amy Cheong controversy which went supernova practically overnight in 2012, the Anton Casey backlash took a couple of days to build - but may have longer legs because the backlash became so intense (death threats and all that) that it led to a...BACKLASH AGAINST THE BACKLASH
While a few have hit out against the over-the-top reaction to Casey's Facebook posts, the one who got the most attention was William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement, who, in The Straits Times on Jan 24, asked "if we are losing touch with our empathetic nature".
Yesterday's Sunday Times also ran an article headlined "We can afford to forgive this arrogant twerp" which asked if "we have the grace to accept an apology and forgive".
Netizens took offence, which led to a...
BACKLASH AGAINST THE BACKLASH AGAINST THE BACKLASH
In response to William Wan, one blogger wrote: "Something Is Wrong With William"
Another blogger wrote that both Wan and The Sunday Times article "failed to grasp what is really transpiring here".
While in 2012, there was some backlash against the backlash against Amy Cheong (such as an ST article headlined "Reactions to racist rant questioned"), I don't recall a backlash against the backlash against the backlash.
What about Anton Casey? Will there be a...
BACKLASH AGAINST THE BACKLASH AGAINST THE BACKLASH AGAINST THE BACKLASH?
The blog post "Be kind to William Wan" appears to be, but it's not actually.
I think people are getting sick of talking about Anton Casey already. His 15 minutes of infamy are about up. To quote The Sunday Times article - enough is enough.
People will stop whacking Anton Casey not because The Sunday Times told us to, but because it simply ran its course.
Maybe when the next Anton Cheong or Amy Casey comes along - and he or she will - then we'll get to have the backlash against the backlash against the backlash against the backlash.
EARLIER: Why Lui Tuck Yew should say Thank Yew to Anton Casey
