Netflix features Yishun in horror show Stranger Things promo
PUBLISHED ONMarch 23, 2017 4:26 AM
Are the events that have happened in Yishun in recent years too strange to ignore?
If you think so, you'll probably like the new promotional clip for sci-fi horror show Stranger Things posted by Netflix on its Facebook page. But don't expect everyone to appreciate the humour.
In the 11-second clip shared on Mar 22, the entrance of Yishun MRT Station is pictured as an eerie place very much like the "Upside Down" parallel universe in the Netflix series. Just when you think that nothing much is happening, an unknown shadow dashes across the screen.
The caption on the post reads: "Is #Yishun cursed, simply unlucky, or struck by something stranger? We'll leave you to decide..."
Singaporeans were quick to pick up the obvious reference to online jokes about Yishun's "bad reputation", giving the clip over 28,000 views in just 18 hours.
Read also: Is this fair? Yishun gets own website detailing series of unfortunate events
Many were amused and tickled by Netflix's jab at Yishun. One Facebook user identified as Yong Jian Lee commented: "New show 'Yishun Things'".
Stuart Kuek also jumped on the bandwagon, writing: "Even Netflix is making fun of Yishun.....time to build a wall around Yishun".
Despite a strong show of "likes" for the post (476 at last count), some netizens who identified themselves as Yishun residents said they did not see the humour in the post.
Netizen Shawn Siau wrote: "I'm an Yishuner and I feel offended by this post".
Another netizen Joseph Lo also voiced his displeasure by commenting: "Lame not funny...been living here my whole life, wasn't so bad like 10 years ago....who to blame?".
Since last year, online jokes about negative news surrounding Yishun have been rife. There have even been satirical sites and articles created to poke fun at the neighbourhood for its cases of neighbourly spats, cat killings and murders.
Read also: 2 men caught on video raining blows on each other in Yishun carpark
But experts interviewed by The Straits Times in February said that public perception had been shaped by media reports and confirmation bias, instead of facts.
Last month, MP Lee Bee Wah voiced her concerned over the jokes that refer to Yishun as a dangerous place.
"People are cherry-picking incidents to fit the myth, including some that were not in Yishun or done by Yishunites, but victimised innocent Yishunites," she wrote in a Facebook post.
She added that some residents have been upset by these jokes, and warned that the skewed perception could affect the morale of police and community partners in Yishun.
ljessica@sph.com.sg