July 19, 2004
News | God save the Sultan! | Brunei
According to a newspaper account, a foreign moral scourge is infecting the youth in the Sultanate of Brunei.
Ya got trouble!
Right here in Bandar Seri Begawan City!
With a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P"
And that stands for PUNK!
Yes, you only have to change a couple of words of the the song "Trouble" (from the classic musical comedy The Music Man) to turn it into a summary of this alarming report from the Borneo Bulletin. It seems that punk and hip hop are corrupting the emerging mall rat class in upscale Brunei...
"Around the bustling Gadong area, teenagers have been spotted with hair dyed in punk style with one even claiming to be the leader of a punk group in Brunei. [Horrors!]
Observers say some shops too pander to this punk culture by selling T-shirts to local teens that do not even know what punk means.
Then there are the troublemakers. One of the popular shopping complexes in Gadong came into focus recently with a brawl outside a favourite shopping spot."
The article says, "Students loitering at shopping malls, cyber cafes after school until late" is a "matter of moral concern has begun to worry various segments of elders ranging from parents to religious authorities and even officials at the Ministry of Education."
It reminds me of another line from "Trouble":
Gotta figger out a way
To keep the young ones moral after school!
Whether it's in River City or Brunei, the moral hand wringing of conservatives (who think thay can have free markets without free minds and free speech) is always good for a chuckle. But enough chatter--I really want to hear some Brunei hardcore or hip hop. Somebody please send me a CD to review!
Posted by Mack Hagood at July 19, 2004 12:26 AM