Not woke: Private club in Singapore 'incredibly sorry' for using George Floyd's murder as pop quiz material

Themes for pub nights can be anything under the sun, but what happens when the murder of African-American George Floyd gets used as material for a drinking game?

Private club 1880 Singapore hit a nerve when members were quizzed on the details of the crime, as well as the trial of Derek Chauvin — a former police officer found guilty of murdering Floyd — during a pub quiz on May 2.

In an Instagram post the following day, the club's chief executive officer Jean Low apologised for the mistake, saying the question was "insensitive and inappropriate".

"The very mention of the subject matter was completely out of line and showed a serious lack of judgement. We take full responsibility for this."

While describing itself as a club that believes "conversations can and will make the world a better place," Low said that the incident was "not a reflection of [the club's] values".

"We will work hard to learn from this and commit to taking all the necessary steps to re-establish your trust in us," she added.

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1880's apology had netizens divided on social media — while some applauded the club for holding itself accountable for the mistake, others lambasted them for failing to notice the problem in the first place.

One criticised: "It was a planned pub quiz. How did not one person in your organisation flag the fact that this is so horrendous of a question to even have?"

Another said she was "totally floored that anybody could write this question and then there's the person that read it out."

They also called on the club's management to "educate [their] staff and [themselves] to not reduce someone's life to a fun drinking game."

Speaking with CNA, 1880 founder Marc Nicholson said he takes full responsibility for the incident and that 1880 is committed to "lead with accountability".

"We are devastated to have caused so much pain and discomfort, and we hope for the opportunity to grow and do better.

"Most all, now we want to create room for healing."

rainercheung@asiaone.com