this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
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[–] homes@piefed.world 41 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

ok, so it's not as simple as the headline makes it seem:

A French teenager who allegedly licked a straw from an orange juice vending machine and put it back into its dispenser has been charged with committing mischief and being a public nuisance in Singapore.
...
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, had posted on Instagram a video of himself performing the act, according to local reports. The video was later widely circulated.

The company that owns the vending machine, iJooz, says it replaced all 500 straws in the machine's dispenser after the alleged incident.
...
Maximilien had posted his video as an Instagram Story with a caption stating "city is not safe", according to news reports.

Many online had reacted with disgust to his video, which was reposted on a community page and picked up by local news outlets.

ok, so he didn't just "lick a straw". the little asshole did it as some sort of viral video trend going around doing public nuisance bullshit for likes and views, posted it online, then got caught. womp-womp.

it cost the vending machine company to send someone out to replace all the straws and deal with people being upset about the sanitary aspect (asian countries freak out about that sort of thing more than western countries), and it was a whole public thing.

now, do I think 2 years in jail is fair? no. a big fine and a big public apology (esp on his TikTok or Insta or whatever) should be enough. but this is Singapore, so he's lucky they aren't caning him to death.

[–] criticon@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Singapore has very strict laws.

This dude fucked around and found out

I wish Johnny Somali had gone to Singapore.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I guess to the authorities, he's going to be the one licked straw that makes 500 other twerpy teens throw out their plans to pull similar pranks.

[–] homes@piefed.world 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I get the whole "make an example of him" concept, but that can be accomplished by forcing him to embarrass himself publicly to all of his dipshit followers on social media. 2 years in jail seems excessive. other social media "pranksters" have been jailed for far worse.

[–] xep@discuss.online 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Giving them attention is exactly what they are seeking. Jail is ideal, can't make content in there and kills the momentum of their channel.

[–] homes@piefed.world 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm not arguing against any jail time; I just think that 2 years is excessive.

Giving them attention is exactly what they are seeking.

this is highly dependent on the person-- embarrassing them publicly in front of all their fans could be very effective, although they could be one of those people for whom any attention is positive reinforcement (especially if they do this bullshit). so, you're probably correct in this instance.

one of the things I hate most (on a very long list) about social media is that it has stripped kids of any sort of social shame. on one hand, it's great for people like LGBTQ+ kids and neurodivergent kids and other "others" in giving them the feeling that they can be themselves, a sense of community... but it's also normalized assholes by giving them feeling they can be themselves, too. it's given those fuckers community. dammit .

I guess you have to take the good with the bad, eh?

[–] xep@discuss.online 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I don't know about having to take anything bad. Social media needs more regulation.

IMO nuisance streamers should be fined on top of whatever sentence they receive, and so should the platform. The streamer should also be forcibly demonetized for a period of time commensurate to the offense.

[–] homes@piefed.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

ok, now I feel old, because that didn't immediately occur to me. but, yes--

in fact, an entire legal framework should be set up to force reporting on exactly how much the account holder and the company each profited so that each can be adequately fined for this transgression. certainly the data exists because the calculation was made for the payout. therefore the records exist somewhere. the decades of failure in accountability falls to the legislature for failing to craft a sufficient legal framework for such accountability and then to the judiciary for then failing to hold the responsible parties accountable.

at lea$t. in the United $tate$, it'$ pretty clear why that'$ the ca$e...

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

For rich ppl, only jail time makes any difference. But maybe the big fine + 30 days.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

But maybe the big fine

percentage of wealth/income (both?)

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah that works if you can get it. Like that one time Finland fined the CEO of Nokia.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] brb@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago

Damn I missed the details. 14 days of income would absolutely wreck a lot of usians

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago
[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Can we give him just a little bit of caning? Maybe until he cries.

[–] TwodogsFighting 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

In Singapore, that's only one cane. It's a big thick bastard of a stick.

I lived in Singapore as a kid and had zero issues. Right surround the same time as a certain American.

[–] Lj404333@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Knowing influencers, they get a gofundme and have the fine payed. Their apologies are always a joke and never genuine