An article that made my blood boil..

Hi guys,

I was flipping through today's straits times and got a rude shock on PAGE 2 of the PRIME SECTION. If any of you haven't read it yet, I STRONGLY recommend u to go read it. The journalist wrote a 3000 word article which offers no alternatives watsoever and basically told us to bite the bullet and 'just pay'.

I have never replied to a newspaper in my life and this article got my virgin reply. Immediately I emailed that journalist on what I felt. I could have used a harsher tone and language but figured if it wasn't subtle enough he may not read it at all.

Anyway I've already sent the email. It is below. If anyone clearly feels that same way as me I strongly urge you to do the same. Of course if you don't feel a thing and will subcribe anyway, ignore this post.

Dear Sir,

With all due respect, in times like these, asking the general public to 'bite the bullet' and subcribe to the new service for football fans is hardly the objective opinion we would come to expect from an article in the most established print media in Singapore. Why not address the issues of the common football fan and offer alternatives rather than telling people the most obvious thing of 'just paying'?

Just to name a few, giving us a list of coffeeshops which offers screenings or advising the 'poor' football fan to pay a visit to a fellow fan who can well afford to host a couple of people in their homes to cheer on their favourite teams.

A 3000 word article in page 2 of the 'prime' section that offers absolutely no insight on the thoughts of the common folks, no alternatives whatsoever other than stating the obvious of 'biting the bullet' is shocking.

You do realise that such an article serves only one purpose of feeding the greed of the parties involved in making sport only accessible to the rich. The last thing we want is for the average fan to just bite the bullet and keep paying exorbitant subscription fees through their noses with little knowledge that doing so is simply depriving the poor folks from access to future sports events.

It is indeed regrettable that your article has just about summed up what is wrong with society today, encouraging people to submit to what is thrown at us, continue down the slippery slope of increasing fees just to watch a sport that is supposed to be accessible to everyone.

And Sir, again with all due respect, not subcribing does not mean we are giving up football, it means we are not giving in to the people who think they own football and try to suck every penny out of the common folk. There are plenty of alternatives of watching football without 'biting the bullet' which you clearly ommitted, maybe due to the fact that you may have thought it was too obvious to point out, or simply ignorant of.

I do not mean to offend, just merely voicing the opinions of the people sitting in the same office as myself and wondering almost in unison, on how on earth you managed to equate not subscribing to giving up football in page 2 of the nation's top newspaper.

Cheers mate. Have a good weekend :)

regards,
alvin