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The science centre, a statutory body under the Ministry of Education (MOE), cancelled an upcoming lecture on the relationship between gender and sex, saying it would review how it approached the talk after feedback was provided about it.
Since it was canceled, the center’s brand sentiment has plummeted, according to media information company CARMA. Before the discussion was canceled, social media conversation about the center was 38.7% positive and 3.2% negative. After it was canceled, that figure dropped to 7.4% positive and 52% negative. The word cloud also included words like “protest,” “cancelled” and “sex.”
“The Singapore Science Centre had previously had little coverage on social media, so the cancellation of the talks sparked a lot of negative social conversation,” said Dibika Jethmal, CARMA’s head of marketing in Asia.
She added that the negative feedback would be mitigated if the company responded in a way that satisfied netizens, commenting favorably about the brand or leaving the incident alone.
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The debate in question took place on June 14th, open to people aged 18 and over, and aimed to delve deeper into the dynamics of gender and sex.
“It will provide a thoughtful exploration of the biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors that shape our understanding of gender and sex from perspectives ranging from community to academia,” the science center wrote in a description of the event.
The talk was reportedly scheduled to feature Alexander Teh, youth counsellor for LGBTQ group Oogachaga, drag queen Becca Debus and Dr Mie Hiramoto, associate professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and also working with the Gender and Sexuality Studies Cluster in the NUS Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences.
In response to Marketing Interactive’s query, the Science Centre explained that as part of its Science Café event series, it regularly hosts ticketed dinner events, inviting speakers from various fields to share their thoughts on a particular topic, promoting interest and curiosity in science.
Previous Science Café sessions have explored topics such as the impact of ageing, the rapid development of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of artificial intelligence on artistic development. All sessions are open to those aged 18 and over.
“The Science Café session held in June aimed to discuss the socio-cultural factors that shape society’s understanding of sex and gender,” it said, adding:
Following online promotion of the session, feedback was received from the public expressing concerns about the content discussed in the session and the makeup of speakers.
As a result, we reconsidered the meeting and decided not to proceed.
Is it a knee-jerk reaction?
According to PR experts who spoke to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the statement reads as a “knee-jerk reaction” by the science center.
“Their statement is very weak. There is no mention of what ‘feedback’ they are referring to or what concerns were raised,” said Charu Srivastava, chief strategy officer and head of corporate affairs at Trion & Company.
“The statement says they will review their approach to the sessions, but provides little detail or explanation of what that means. It doesn’t even explicitly state that the sessions have been cancelled; instead it only mentions refunds for tickets purchased for the events in question,” she added, pointing out that the sessions in question were also cancelled within 24 hours.
All these factors give the impression of a knee-jerk reaction from the Science Centre, Srivastava explained, adding:
The Science Centre appears to have reacted hastily to some of the most vocal dissatisfied members of Singaporean society.
She noted that the “extremely short time” seemed to indicate that balanced feedback was not taken into account or consulted before the decision was made.
Srivastava also explained that by mentioning the “speaker construct” without giving any details, people are left to guess what he is trying to imply.
“Firstly, it was they who approved the session and the speakers. So are they admitting they were wrong? It is wrong to simply repeat negative opinions without any clarification or explanation. They have created trouble for themselves by trying to appease what appear to be keyboard warriors,” she said, adding that a better thought out, better expressed and more empathetic statement should have been issued.
“We need to know that they are aware of the situation, what feedback they have taken into account, and whether they have consulted with people representing different segments of Singapore society before taking the decision to cancel the event,” Mr Srivastava said, adding that speakers should have been notified in advance and reasons shared with them before the event’s cancellation was made public.
The role of institutions in these conversations
Expanding on Srivastava’s point, Edwin Yeo, general manager of Strategic Public Relations Group, said it was also important to consider what the Science Centre’s objectives were when it decided to host the lecture.
“It should have been clear from day one that this would be a divisive topic, even as we move towards a more diverse and inclusive society. The topic poses deep challenges to long-held beliefs, traditions and even religions, so a backlash was to be expected,” Yeo said.
He explained that the aim of such talks should be to promote a more harmonious society where people can coexist peacefully with their neighbours regardless of race, religion or gender.
This raises the question of whether the Science Centre is the right platform to address such a topic and whether it has the expertise to mitigate the obstacles that will inevitably arise.
Further complicating things, he said, is that because this is a science center, it can be a target for anyone who disagrees with the views shared in talks that are presented as science.
“I commend the Science Centre for its courage in contributing to a more inclusive society, but I would urge them to be more thoughtful about the message they send when organising these talks, and particularly their role in intervening in these conversations,” Yeo added.
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