OLG Podcast Allegedly Airs Lewd Remarks, Upsets Many S’porean Listeners
Update (15 Jun, 11.12am): President Halimah Yacob has called on OKLETSGO to make a sincere & humble apology to all women in Singapore. We’ve carried her full response here.
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When local podcast channel OKLETSGO (OLG) skyrocketed to Spotify fame in 2019, avid listeners, many from the Malay community, celebrated their success.
But with greater prominence comes closer scrutiny, and unfortunately for them, this has drawn out some criticisms about their show.
Specifically, concerns have arisen over remarks made on air that many have deemed offensive.
Lewd remarks allegedly objectify women
For the unfamiliar, OLG is an online podcast hosted by 3 former radio DJs.
Discussing ‘taboo’ topics that most mainstream platforms would be careful about, they attract listeners of all backgrounds who find their content insightful and refreshing.
While there’s no denying that their openness paves the way for crucial discussion, how they go about doing so has become a topic for debate.
Netizens have come forward to highlight distasteful aspects of their show, and many appear to have arrived at a consensus.
Take this opinion on Twitter for example, which identifies an “underlying sexist misogyny” in some of OLG’s jokes.
To contextualise the claim, the hosts are known to take a very ‘no-holds-barred’ approach, not shying away from speaking bluntly, including making silly jokes.
But it’s the jokes about women, often objectifying them, that aren’t sitting well with people.
Hosts make inappropriate comments on air
Browse their earlier shows, especially those with women as the central point of discussion, and you may find some unsettling moments.
A podcast titled “Help! Kawan Anak I Gelarkan I MILF” or “Help! My Child’s Friend Calls Me A MILF” for instance, contains those.
Listen from the 10 min 30 s mark, and you’d hear one of the men saying that he prefers “bums and legs” over women’s breasts. He delivers the line in apparent jest, while his co-hosts laugh along.
Such remarks reduce women to mere sexual objects which men only identify by specific body parts. By dismissing this problem, the hosts may be increasing tolerance of such disrespectful behaviour towards women.
Fast forward to the 22 min 30 s mark, and one host shares his interactions with a woman he dubs a “full-blown MILF (Mother I’d Like To F***)”. Explaining how he had to control himself, he went on to describe her outfit in detail, to raucous response from the other 2.
Their rowdy reaction makes female listeners uncomfortable. This lustful banter about a woman’s appearance is exactly why women may feel unsafe being alone in the company of a group of men.
Similar, disturbing comments were also made in the episode, “Fantasies”, where they detail scenarios for ‘naughty videos’, according to their respective fantasies.
At the 24 min 15 s mark, a host describes a woman with a “jacked” bum, before proceeding to say how he would “lick her” and have intercourse in a particular position.
One may argue that this is only an imaginary situation, but joking about doing such things to a complete stranger is no laughing matter. To a lustful individual, this nonchalance may tell them it’s okay to have these thoughts.
But what if they decide to act on these desires one day? Who knows what harm they may pose to the women around them.
Not okay to give listeners the wrong impression
Topics of discussion aside, netizens are calling OLG out for skimming over such behaviour.
Many acknowledge, like OLG’s supporters do, that the podcast provides informative content. But discussing these topics in a way that deprecates the very people they’re talking about kind of defeats their usefulness.
Laughing off jokes they make about women without apologising for it, may give the impression that it’s okay to do the same.
Impressionable young listeners especially, won’t see anything wrong with the things they say, if nobody points it out. And if they don’t acknowledge their mistakes, this ignorance will only continue.
OLG has to be more responsible for what they say
For men, perhaps, such jokes when shared in private, is normal. But take it to a public platform with hundreds, even thousands of listeners, and it may send the wrong message.
More seriously, those comments could hurt women who’ve had to endure verbal harassment of a similar nature. To know that many don’t find an issue with it will only undermine the severity of these traumatic experiences.
Yes, OLG has contributed to the community in many valuable ways. They’ve done charity work, and given the voiceless a platform to speak up.
But the good parts shouldn’t negate the mistakes that they’ve made. To truly be an avenue for constructive discussions, they should live up to that image — have an honest conversation, acknowledge their mistakes, and apologise.
Only then can they possibly regain the trust of their listeners.
They’ve come so far as a platform, and educated many on important topics in the community. Let’s hope that they can continue on that path with the full support of the public. For that to happen, they need to respond to these claims, and take responsibility for any distress they’ve caused.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and Twitter.
Note: The views expressed within this article are the author’s own, and separate from the opinions of those by netizens quoted from Twitter.
