A Taste for Racism

I was sitting in a cafe with a group of friends when one of them said something I found deeply troubling...

The names are all pseudonyms...
Anita: "Ugh. I hate going to court to represent big banks. Just the other day I had to help make a man go bankrupt"
Charles: "I know what you mean, kinda makes you feel guilty, doesn't it?"
Anita: "Yeah, but he was Chinese so I didn't feel too bad."
Sharifah: "Whoa... you sound a bit racist..."
Anita: "I AM racist"
(((((((((((silence))))))))))))

Now, bear in mind here that this group consisted of Malays & Indians... all enjoying their cup of teh tarik and talking about life in general... And here was this girl declaring to us all that she's racist. She had no qualms about saying it, she announced it clearly and unequivocally. A couple of Chinese businessmen sitting directly behind her glanced her way when she said it and I could see them frown.

I was rather embarassed... and I believe the rest of my friends were too. Suddenly we weren't just a bunch of friends hanging-out, sharing so much in common with each other... Suddenly we felt very conscious of our race.

I felt wary, did Anita merely entertain racist feelings towards the Chinese... or to Malays as well? And a couple of my Indian friends were all looking at us Malays apologetically while the others averted their gaze.

Though I was indignant about it, I said nothing. And my Malays buddies said nothing as well, though some of them had a look of defiance on their faces. Either we were too embarassed, or we just didn't know how to react.

It totally spoiled our little coffee break.

Racism - it's such a nasty thing.

I've experienced racism rearing it ugly head against me and it's a horrid feeling. Most of it occured during my trips overseas for debate tournaments.

I've seen opposing teams smirk and giggle when they see us enter the room. They chat and they make condescending remarks under their breath while we're standing there giving our speeches. They make no effort to compete with us because they assume that because we're Asians (and Muslim), we're not much of a threat. So when we do win, they cry foul and refuse to accept the decision as fair.
Do note that these are very isolated incidences. The majority of the international debating community are very friendly and definitely not racist

My trip to Glasgow was wonderful, but it was marred by an incident when I was walking with my debate team-mate to a bus station. We approached an old Scottish lady to ask for directions, she took one look at me in my tudung and my friend with his obviously Asian looks, and she promptly crossed the street to avoid us, brandishing her umbrella as if to fend us off.
Ouch.

Here in Malaysia too, there is racism. And Anita's little comment made me realize that the situation is pretty bad. A person who can be a racist and is proud to be one, is just too Ku Klux Klan for my liking...

I'm thinking, do all of us entertain such racist thoughts? Is it just human nature to do so?

Please, please pardon me now... this is not a reflection of my own opinions

When people are in situations where they are annoyed or angered by the actions of another, they do tend to lash out with racist insults. Like on the road, a driver drives recklessly and his race is duly noted by comments like "Biasala tu, keling mabuk.."
Or when a government clerk is taking her own sweet time with administrative matters while a long queue is forming... The disgruntled comments heard are like "Typical of Malays. Lazy and stupid - Sebab tu tak boleh maju"
Or at a computer store, and a customer notices that someone else is getting a better deal than he is, we can hear him grumble "Cina gila untung - selalu tipu Melayu"

These are just a few of the many examples of people lashing out with racist comments... Maybe it's just their anger speaking, without consulting their brain. Or is it some underlying discontent that should be addressed quickly?

I don't know. The whole idea just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth...
Whatever it is, if everyone ends up being racist and proud of it, it'd be a real slap on the Malaysian facade of 'masyarakat majmuk'... A real shame indeed.

I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.
Martin Luther King, Jr.