Delaqroux Inc Updates.
First of all, credits go to the youtube video entitled "RE5 is racist" (Well, the guy dubbing the voice over Chris Redfield was saying something similar like, "Hi, I'm Chris Redfield. I shoot black zombies - i am a racist *smiles*"). And as a side note here, i dont shoot anyone (yet) and me being racist or not in this blogpost is entirely up to you to judge. And whatever came out from your judging, well, i dont care. Now roll em some sushis!
Anyways, this is just a response to what i have observed whilst staying overseas and yeah, it pretty much concern you and you who are studying overseas and being mightily paranoid to the outside world coz everyone outside of Malaysia is racist. Well, i cant deny the fact that some of us, let's just say in this case; Asians, are multiple times being punk3d by someone else - be it slammed on sidewalk, jeered by a passing by car, harassed by sexual remarks, thrown with water, being jeered at while minding your own business etc. And all these cases have one thing in common. It involve us, Asians as the victim and non-Asians as the harasser. So can we call these sample cases as non-Asians being racist towards Asian? To simply put in a way, I am studying in Australia and those victimized are Asians in Australia - do i have the right to say that Aussies, whether it be "all Aussies" or "some Aussies" or "a small/large number of Aussies", are racist?
Well, in my opinion, we often mistook anger with whatever it is around us that can bring the biggest, most hurtful downfall of those who've angered us, and at the same time, instantly putting us at a higher ground, free from all assaults or counter-attacks and getting the support of everybody else (And i do know better; i thought of nuking those who pisses me off everytime). Calling something as an example of racism can immediately mark the lesser of two evils. In other words, if you call someone being racist, you immediately imply to everyone around you that that 'racist' bugger's a jerk and you're the innocent victim... and... holy shit... this guy is dancing break dance to Vannessa's "Thousand Miles"... uh... yeah, whatever that is that i was saying before.
Okay maybe i brought that point a lil too early. let's put some sample cases that i've experienced before. First sample case; here i was, minding my own business in a club in Sydney and i was poured with a stray-flying beer. Well, it wasnt really stray-flying beer coz i do know who threw it at me and the guy noticed that i was his victim. He saw me being drenched and we stared at one another for 2 seconds right after i was splashed. Alrighty, let's put that case aside; i was one day walking along George Street in CBD, when a guy, walking on the opposite direction slammed me hard on the shoulder. I didnt see his face but something tells me it wasnt just an accidental clash of shoulders. His share of the clash was super-strong and obviously intentional. Immediately, i turned around and look at the guy and he was looking at me as well. Putting that second case aside for a lil while, i bring you my third sample case; i was at Macq centre one day doing my sponsorship search and i was actually enjoying the shop-by-shop stop even though some instantly rejected. But when i was at this shop, i hadnt even started explaining anything and the guy at the counter, without saying anything, just shook his head and signal'd me to piss off. I tried explaining what exactly am i doing and that fella gave me a stare for a couple of seconds before.... Finally, in our last case, i was in the train with a couple of friends when a couple of drunk looking teens start getting in the train, start acting all rowdy and loud, and among their shouts and taunt, they called "Oi! Chop sticks!"
Okay, so we have sample case A, B and C and i purposely omitted the outcome of each event. Which one do you predict is and can be regarded an act of racism? Put your bets in boys and girls, and let me take you to the deeper details of those cases.
Case A. The guy who splashed me with beer ended up laughing at me and said "Sorry, mate. That's a free beer for you" and laughed really, really loudly. Some of his friends laughed as well.
Case B. I immediately said "whoa, sorry" and looked at the guy, expecting an apology as well (or at least a glance) but the guy, uncertain whether he heard my apology or not, came towards me, head tilted slightly upwards and said "what? you said something? you have a problem with me?"
Case C. The guy, which is actually a lady (what a twist!), widened her eyes and started screaming on top of her lungs in something but i couldnt make out what she was saying (coz she got me freaked out obviously)
Case D. Well, there's not much details to cover accept when the guy yell out "Oi! Chop sticks!" referring to an Asian passenger not to far away from him, the Asian guy took no heed and the guy who yelled, didnt do anything else but continue screaming randomly.
And now, the biggest revealation; the case A and D guy is an Australian. Case B guy and Case C lady are Asians. If you have predicted any of the three cases earlier to be racist. Does this and the previous details make you change your mind?
Okay, so i'm not gonne give any straight answers to which sample case as a sample of racism at work or otherwise. But let me just break things down in terms of my own opinion and you do the thinking. For case A, i cant say anything to comment anything about what that Aussie guy did. He could have splashed the beer accidentally while he was dancing or he could have purposely splashed it at me coz out of all the people dancing on the floor, i am among the very few Asians there. And of course, he gave a friendly apology but he might have not meant it even the tinniest bit. So can i say he is being racist? Or it was entirely an accident and when he apologized, he did it in a very friendly way. For Case B, the guy clearly slammed me on purpose and was looking for a fight. I bet he was already in a super bad mood and he is looking for a fight. I put a good bet on this case for having no trace of racism coz, well, he is an Asian and i am an Asian - that makes his action as being very, very unacceptable but obviously he's not being racist; he's just being a dick. For Case C, the Chinese lady wasnt pleased with me coming to her shop and not intending to purchase anything but looking for a trace of generosity. Probably she take me as a fraud or something (of course, i have an official letter with me but anyone can pull that trick off) and i cant blame her for that. But the fact that she ended up yelling at me in Chinese, that is something. She might have thought i am a Chinese but that doesnt stop the fact that she didnt use English to shoo-ed me off. For Case D, it seems clear that he is being racist. Or maybe he isnt? He could have just been playful. I mean, he was screaming randomly around teh train and all and though what he yelled was a depiction of stereotype, it still could just be something playful like me calling some random Indian guy in Malaysia "macha" and and Chinese guy "Tokeh"
So yeah, that's it. I know some of you out there will easily mark Case A and/or D as a case of racism. Why? Coz the ones harassing are not the same race with the victims. But as a thought here; are we being too judgemental? I mean, come on; i have Australian jeering at an Asian lady friend of mine as they drove by. But i witnessed an Asian friend of mine jeered at a lady (not sure she was Asian or not though) as we drove by her. Are we mistaking something so obvious as sexism with difference in nationality and call it racism instead? And, considering the sample cases above, if i am a Malay and i say out loud "Dont promise like a Malay" (Jangan buat janji Melayu), am i being racist towards my own race? If such thing doesnt exist, then a whole wide array of insults is free from any charges and i am free to say what i want, regardless if it's racially insulting or not, as long as i confine the insult directing to my own race (and trust me, i would love that). And yeah,like i said, we often take anger to take the better of our judgement skill. There is logic, of course, but when we are being angered, we instantly aim and shoot anything most obvious to counter the insults - and in this case, the fact of the harassment being an inter-national one. Maybe we shouldnt be over-judgemental, maybe we should stop name calling, or maybe we can simply stop being judgemental at all.
If someone just shown an act of total dick at you. Please, try not to show the world yours.
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