Hello Kitty, bye bye

Some years ago, I saw the ugly side of Sg at its best - or worst, more accurately. This happened at the time none other than the infamous MacDonald's Hello-Kitty incident, when ugly citizens trooped out to invade all of Macs outlets to queue, jostle, fight and pay actual money for the Kitties - which they felt proud to have in their collection.

I think I was still a growing young girl in school then - and even then, at a tender age, when hormones are raging, and we did the stupid, embarrassing things we do as teenagers, I remember being absolutely appalled at some of my friends who joined the country's craze to obtain the silly looking kittens, even if it meant making their mums queue outside with scary-looking Ronald MacDonald, and even more mortified of those who felt proud of being a kitty owner, obtained by those means. I have nothing against those who likes Hello Kitty, I'm even a cat lover. But I do, however, have something against people who have no better sense but to queue up and fight over this, cute as it is, inanimate object.

[The year 2000, Singapore: Two 22-year-old men were jailed for five months and three months respectively for violent and unruly behaviour towards three policemen. They did not manage to buy Hello Kitty collectibles at a McDonald's outlet. One kicked a police sergeant while his friend swung a plastic chair at another cop.]

So when I read my beloved newspaper today, imagine the look of horror to see that Hello Kitty has again graced our nation with its presence. Some toy company paid half a million (yes, half a bloody fucking million) to bring an exhibition and get this - a musical - here to Sg for the amusement and entertainment of every kitty lover!

The sado in me continued reading through the two page spread, even though exponentially mounting disdain within my inner and outer consciousness implored me to leave it, for fear of jeopardizing my own health.

Then this did it for me:

"Hello Kitty is like the iPod. It's simple. It's white. It accommodates every culture, every emotion. Whatever you're feeling, it reflects it right back at you....

There's a capitalist enterprise driving it, constantly reminding the market of the relevance of the product....

Besides, the herd mentality some consumers have: "If everybody is doing it and it's not too exensive, why not?"


Hello Kitty and the iPod? Perhaps the toilet seat would have been more apt. It's simple, it's white, accomodates every culture, every emotion and whatever you're feeling, it helps you to shit better.

I'm staring hard at my ipod mini right in front of me, and metaphorically, rhetorically, literally and even ambiguously, I still can't see the Hello Kitty in my iPod.

I'm so glad I'm not a cow in the herd.