Looking at the kind of ST Forum letters that had been appearing lately, which completely succeeded in entertaining and amusing me, while at the same time betraying a lack common sense of knowledge on the part of those who wrote the letters, I’ve decided to start a new segment on my blog called ST Forum Discussion, where I share with you guys fantastic letters as well as some discussion. It is inevitable that I may offend some people with my commentary, and for that I apologize in advance.
I WAS upset when I was forwarded a hyperlink to a sound file posted on YouTube by ‘Ximiwakoz’.
The recording, entitled ‘RK House - No PORK’, featured some boys who apparently visited a prata shop at Serangoon Gardens. They repeatedly asked for pork when placing their orders, knowing full well that the shop was a halal one.
The intention was to provoke the shopkeeper and secretly record his heated responses. To up the entertainment factor, the author even provided subtitles in the video clip.
Singapore’s social fabric is woven with the threads of racial and religious harmony. We could grow together as a multiracial nation simply because we have learnt to respect our neighbours’ religions and cultural practices. We can laugh at everything except religious and racial issues.
The boys who did the recording were deliberately insulting the religious practices of Muslims, and had the nerve to post it on the Web to share what they thought was a smart move.
This deplorable act should be condemned severely. The authorities should investigate the matter.
Mok Heng Ngee
My Take:
I don’t know about you, but I seriously feel that the video is faked, possibly done by 1 or 2 guys voice acting together.
I’m going to attack the above letter line by line using a stupid, guai lan, and smart alec attitude.
I WAS upset when I was forwarded a hyperlink to a sound file posted on YouTube by ‘Ximiwakoz’.
I understand that you were upset being forwarded the link. Therefore your source of agony, despair and anxiety should be directed towards the person who sent you the link. So why write to Straits Times to complain about someone forwarding you a link?
Singapore’s social fabric is woven with the threads of racial and religious harmony. We could grow together as a multiracial nation simply because we have learnt to respect our neighbours’ religions and cultural practices. We can laugh at everything except religious and racial issues.
It is not simple as that. What you are typing out are government message drilled into your head. The reality is slightly different. While it is true that in Singapore, racial harmony exists mainly because of mutual respect, the sad truth is also that when any racial group is offended by another, there is often a lack of actions been taken on the offending group. Singaporeans are generally more forgiving even when they were offended by another racial group. This is a fantastic virtue. In some countries small unhappiness between two racial groups can easily result in civil war.
The boys who did the recording were deliberately insulting the religious practices of Muslims, and had the nerve to post it on the Web to share what they thought was a smart move.
While the notion of using pork to cause rage and fiery in the prata house owner, one must note that what I mentioned above is happening. Despite being offended, the prata house owner is forgiving enough on the two kids (assuming that the recording is real), and despite his outrage, treated them in a very civilized manner.
If the video was indeed real, what a shallow mind will see is one racial group attacking another. However, what I saw was the key essence of how forgiving races in Singapore are towards one another, and one of the key ingredients of racial harmony.
Finally, the writer’s notion that “YouTube post shouldn’t trifle with religion”. What rubbish. It is akin (at least in my opinion) to dictionary should not contain an entry of the word “racism”. Youtube is a reflection of life and society. If you are unable to appreciate the variety, diversity and freedom found on the internet it is highly recommended that you remove yourself from visiting the internet and instead stick with the cold, heartless HDB flat on the small little lonely red dot.
The following video response by a malaysian to the above video is racist. Not the original video.
Quote of the day:
Because of growing up in a controlled environment, most Singaporeans have this dirty idea buried deep in their brain that they can, have the right, and should control the environment and society they live in for selfish reasons. What they find disturbing, must censor. What problems they encounter, must complain. What they like, they expect to have. In front of foreigners and the world outside Singapore, they are clowns. If they are going to stick with these mentality when dealing with everything, it is better to restrict them to their cold, stony, heartless heartland HDB flats.
Please read the comments. I have more to say there.
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Just my response, Wei Kiat:
(1) it doesn’t matter if the clip is real or fake. It had occurred to me that the clip could be recorded in a studio. Nevertheless, it is still offensive - the same way a staged play, book or movie can be.
(2) I am not complaining about someone forwarding the link to me (oh come on…), but about the contents of the clip. Where or who forwarded it to me is not the issue at all! Hmm… do you get the picture?
(3) You seem to imply that because Singaporeans are more forgiving, it is okay to allow racial/religious “attacks”. I think that this is an ABSOLUTELY ridiculous viewpoint. So, if a person is nice, & can be easily bullied although he minds it, we should whack him upside down every time we see him for no reason?
Can you give good examples of how, when a racial group is offended by another, nothing is done about it here?
You do not seem to be able to understand the sensitive nature of religious & racial issues. They can cause civil wars in other countries; they can also cause a civil war in Singapore & break the whole nation apart (can’t you see that?). We are a small nation; we cannot afford that!
When you mention “forgiving”, yes - we try to passively tolerate our fellow country mates when they practise their religious practices. But this case involves an active deliberate attack with no good reason.
(4) Anyway, the title of the article was provided by ST, & not my original one. I have no comments on that.
I am extremely worried about how younger Singaporeans like yourself think today about racial harmony & mutual tolerance. All it takes is one small event to blow up this small nation of ours. I have also considered the severity of the provocation in the clip. I suspect that you do not have any Muslim friends; just go talk to one on the street & you will realise that what the kids have done is EXTREMELY offensive.
In this clip, not only do I see a racial group attacking another, I see a growing community of young ignorant idiots who do not value the sacred bonds which hold the society together. I think any person of reasonable intelligence & social awareness should be able to see that such racial/religious attacks - if left unchecked - will destroy the Singaporean society. It’s just that this probably hasn’t occurred to many people. Poke fun at anything - politics etc - but leave racial & religious issues untouched. Don’t be naive & think that terrorism won’t happen here, & civil wars won’t happen here. They will, & we must do our best to prevent them.
btw, I am not just a blind consumer of governmental policies & ideologies. I do not agree with everything they are trying to impress upon us (in fact, I have got lots to say, but that’s beyond the scope of this discussion.
“I am not complaining about someone forwarding the link to me (oh come on…),”
Yes, I understand that perfectly, i’m just tickled by the way the first sentence sounded to me, and to show my perspective to readers, which explains:
“I’m going to attack the above letter line by line using a stupid, guai lan, and smart alec attitude.”
“You seem to imply that because Singaporeans are more forgiving, it is okay to allow racial/religious “attacksâ€.”
Please re-read. I mentioned that there is harmony MAINLY because of mutual respect, however when attacks by your so called “ignorant idiots” take place, most Singaporeans are forgiving enough and that is an extension of harmony.
“They can cause civil wars …can’t you see that?”
I remembered writing about this in my entry. Can’t you read that?
“I suspect that you do not have any Muslim friends; just go talk to one on the street & you will realise that what the kids have done is EXTREMELY offensive.”
I wouldn’t dare to do as you suggested. Muslim or not, you just try to go up to anyone in the street and give them the finger (to offend people). I enjoy the fireworks. A very bad example there. However, just for the information, I do have Muslim friends.
I also note that (maybe i didn’t make myself clear enough, so i’m going to make myself clear now), that I did not encourage or even approve of the video clip. My point is that even when racial believes came under attacks, in most cases they are forgiving and this can be seen as part of racial harmony in Singapore.
My points in this entire essay can be easily outlined:
1) Writing to ST forum about this is a no-no. You are giving more publicity, blowing the matter out of the bush.
2) The part about being “upset” about being forwarded the link somehow tickled me.
3) Provocation such as this is bad, but I’m in no position or status to condemn it. I’m just an ordinary 19 years old, or according to you, “an ignorant idiot”. Hence voicing objections on this blog is pointless, and I choose to view this in a more positive light.
4) Racial harmony exist because of mutual respect, however in the real world there is mutual respect does not exist 100% of the time. However, this did not lead to riot and chaos.
4) This is because even when offended, in most cases Singaporeans are forgiving. That is part of racial harmony.
5) The Malaysian’s video response is more insensitive than the offending video. It seems clear that she supports racism.
For me, I believe the reason that racial harmony exists is more than and beyond your so called “bonds” and mutual respect. Idealized and controlled scenarios are very well, but that is not a reflection of the real world. Refer to Quote of the day.
We can have the strongest bond in the world between racial groups. However if one day one “ignorant idiot” made a racist remark, without forgiveness, riot will break out. Do you prefer the brotherly bond (or alliance) between gangs that may break and turn nasty at the slightest provocation, or a world where different groups “live and let live”?
I must once again stress that I am not siding or supporting the people who created the video here. I am showing my respect for the prata house owner for his forgiveness and his maturity on handling such a situation.
– “1) Writing to ST forum about this is a no-no. You are giving more publicity, blowing the matter out of the bush.”
In the first place, I think this matter SHOULD be publicized for censure, discussion & action by the authorities. I think this issue is of enormous significance. btw, I have already notified the relevant authorities of this clip as well. The ST forum is a place for members of the public to put forth their views; I do not see why this issue (which I deem of national importance) should not be there in ST. So what do you think should be there? Information on what I ate for breakfast, lunch & dinner?
– “2) The part about being “upset†about being forwarded the link somehow tickled me.”
Okay. I accept the fact that you are easily tickled then. Initially I thought you were silly to even point that out. Now it’s simply a case of funny bones. Great.
– “3) Provocation such as this is bad, but I’m in no position or status to condemn it. I’m just an ordinary 19 years old, or according to you, “an ignorant idiotâ€. Hence voicing objections on this blog is pointless, and I choose to view this in a more positive light.”
Everyone has a basic right of opinion, regardless of age. I will reserve my comments on certain topics if I feel that I do not know enough, or have not done enough research. Otherwise, I am sure your mental faculties are developed enough to exercise judgment on this matter. If you have objections, voice them. That’s the whole purpose of a meaningful discussion. But it will help if you can supplement & substantiate your opinions. Nevertheless be prepared to stand behind what you say.
– “4) Racial harmony exist because of mutual respect, however in the real world there is mutual respect does not exist 100% of the time. However, this did not lead to riot and chaos.This is because even when offended, in most cases Singaporeans are forgiving. That is part of racial harmony.”
I forgot to ask: what in the clip made you think that the ‘victim’ was forgiving?
Anyway, assuming that he has indeed forgiven the kids, so what? If I speed on the road, kill a pedestrian, but the family members of the deceased has decided to forgive me (can’t bring back the dead anyway), does it mean that I need not face the penalty imposed by law? Regardless of whether there was forgiveness, such acts must be punished. The crux of the matter here is not whether Singaporeans are tolerant to insults or provocation, but whether such religious provocations (which threaten the fine balance) should go uncondemned.
– “5) The Malaysian’s video response is more insensitive than the offending video. It seems clear that she supports racism.”
I haven’t seen that response, but there are thousands of people out there more racist, more idiotic. Does that mean that we can lower our standards?
– “For me, I believe the reason that racial harmony exists is more than and beyond your so called “bonds†and mutual respect. Idealized and controlled scenarios are very well, but that is not a reflection of the real world. Refer to Quote of the day. We can have the strongest bond in the world between racial groups. However if one day one “ignorant idiot†made a racist remark, without forgiveness, riot will break out. Do you prefer the brotherly bond (or alliance) between gangs that may break and turn nasty at the slightest provocation, or a world where different groups “live and let liveâ€?”
Okay. I agree that learning to be tolerant is key. A 2-pronged approach to preserving harmony is effective here: (i) learn to respect/tolerate other religions/races/cultures & (ii) condemn & punish those who purposefully try to sow racial/religious discord. You cannot ignore (ii), & that’s what I am advocating.
You can continue to be entertained & tickled by forum postings, but as I have said previously, anything that threatens religious/racial stability in Singapore should not be taken lightly.
Below is from a forum discussing racist jokes and racism in NS.
If everyone serious, BMT school become slaughter house liao lor, with their M16 etc. There is no reason to be uptight about everything.
And point taken, we shouldn’t lower our standard just because there are people more racist than what we are seeing. If that is the case the standard will be lowered infinitely. However, I don’t remember pointing out that we must lower out standard or what.
Truth is maybe I’m more lenient when it comes to judging “racist jokes”. While acts by those racist bloggers caught recently in Singapore are definitely a no-no in my opinion, I find the video much more mild, and much less insulting. The humour level is also much higher. No, wait, before you pass your deadly judgment on how I judge these jokes, I must say that controlling the way I judge these jokes is impossible. I’m not a HDB flat light switch.
You are the serious type, I’m more of the lighted hearted type. You are older, I am younger and have first hand experience of how youngster (or “ignorant idiots”) treat racist jokes.
Fighting out our perception on things is a no no.
This is not to say I agree totally with what you say, and of course you won’t agree totally with what I say. You take your approach, and me with mine.
You choose to report the matter, and make it until big big, no problem. I totally understand your reason for doing that. Many “ignorant idiots” are totally hopeless nowadays when it comes to respect for other races. However, my personal observation as an “ignorant idiot” is that most people are opening up, and are not so uptight about racist jokes. Jokes like the one quoted above are ok and generally acceptable by other “ignorant idiots” nowadays regardless of race, but highly unacceptable to the older generations. Of course, jokes that attack directly core values and beliefs and gods of different religion should not be made. You have my support there.
I choose to link this video with how tolerance is part of harmony, that is how I do things, and my frank and honest opinion when I saw the video clip.
Different people view different jokes differently, be it racist jokes, sexist jokes, brainless jokes, stupid jokes.
Lets leave it as that. I respect your view, you respect mine. I sense this escalating into a flame war. A full stop to that early.
Thought you might like some input on this. Scott Adams from the Dilbert fame has written about offending people. I think we should all read this.
I believe that for the most part, people are tolerant to others with possibly contradictory practices to themselves. It usually takes the few whom believe that the people concerned should be offended that raises heckles out of nothing. He expounds brilliantly on this point with a very common observation that I am sure we all can relate to.
If the Singapore populace were truly religiously tolerant, no muslim would take offence at watching a chinese eat pork in front of them - and thus far, I have been proven right. My friends genuinely don’t mind that I consume pork in front of them: it is my wish, and freedom to do so.
The usual perpetrators of these “intolerence” thing are conservatives whom are unable to see the diaspora of our national identity for what it is. They believe it to be something superficial like the clash of practices. Often, they forget that being a mish-mash of cultures, our country is slowly awakening to the idea that religious tolerence is beyond just not doing something that offends other religions. They choose to remain blind to the fact that true tolerence can be achieved by believing that others have the right to practice their own beliefs, even if it runs contrary to their own.
It isn’t about religion. It is about archaic people who wish to impose their views upon others. They are using religion as a tool to enslave the country to conform to their beliefs.
P.S. Your text input box is hard to use… I gave up, and used Notepad instead
haha ic, will see how i can improve it (make bigger or something).
I’m a regular reader of adam’s blog too.