How to Keep Monkeys ...
Recently I saw a banner while running on my usual exercise route along the Ulu Pandan Park Connector (PCN). From a distance, I could see only the first few words at first. It was nighttime and the street lighting was dim. I could only make out: "How to Keep Monkeys".
Hmm... Interesting. The banner is giving tips on rearing monkeys as pets. Since the PCN ran through the wealthy residential estate of District 10, I guess rich people do go for exotic pets. (Disclaimer: I don't live in District 10; I only run through it.)
As I got nearer, the last two words could be seen:
Now, this changes the meaning significantly! The banner is about restricting monkey-rearing to ... Gardens by the Bay? That's quite far from here, so it doesn't make sense. Let's re-interpret the message.
Notice how "Monkeys at Bay" is capitalized. Perhaps this refers to a rare breed of monkeys; after all, rich people are known to prefer the unusual. What else could these words mean?
Ah! Maybe this banner is translated into English to suit the present generation. Long before the Brits came, this forested island was part of the Indonesian archipelago. Perhaps I should read the banner in Bahasa, since it was meant for a time when people lived in close proximity to monkeys.
A few clicks using Google translate reveals "cara mengusir monyet". Literally, "method evict monkey". You evict someone who already lives with you, so this is instruction on how to punish a misbehaving simian pet.
But "mengusir" could also mean "to exorcise", as in "mengusir setan", which means "to cast out demons". This makes sense too, because people back then probably interacted more often with spirit beings. Fast forward to today, when urbanization has decimated the monkey population, there are few physical monkeys left to evict. So it seems the spiritual reading is more likely correct.
Thus, I conclude that the banner is telling people how to exorcise the monkey spirit, should they encounter one.
If you find incredible what I just did, then please apply the same skepticism whenever preachers expound on biblical text by appealing to alternative meanings of the original Hebrew or Greek words. Taking meaning out of context, whether in English or any other language, just makes a monkey out of you and me.
Full disclosure: this is what the entire banner looks like.
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