"Malaysians are outright racists," my Dad said.
I shook my head. "Malaysians are just modern and covert racists."
Quite awhile back, my Dad and I were chatting about racism in Malaysia. This took place way before social media got heated up on the topic of discrimination against the Indian community.
Racism is now widely disapproved in society, but it doesn't mean that people are not racist anymore. Of course, I will agree with you that things don't happen like what occured on 13 May 1969. People know it is socially unacceptable to express racism directly, so there comes the problem of racism being played out differently today.
A few days back, I came across with this tweet:
That right there, folks, is an example of a modern racist.
Modern Racism: Denial At Its Worst
Also known as symbolic racists, these people neither express nor endorse racist views and stereotypes. They believe racial equality has been achieved, so they feel that there is no need to continue promoting equality.
Simply put, they think: "Hurrah! Racism is over! Nothing else to discuss anymore!"
Modern racists refute any association of negative feelings towards other races. It is taken up like a defense mechanism, which makes it difficult for people to confront the issue (but easier for me to roll my eyes at).
For those who watch Avatar: The Last Airbender (the series, NOT THE MOVIE), remember how annoying it was that Joo Dee and the entire Ba Sing Se denied the existence of a life-threatening war? Now, put that situation into racism context.
"There is no racism (war) in Malaysia (Ba Sing Se)"
Denying racism supports it
Refusing to acknowledge that a certain group of individuals is harmed or opressed is to be ignorant of the situation.
People don't take it online or to the streets if they didn't find it too big of a problem.
When you disregard their problem, you are sending a message that you don't feel their suffering. You are preventing it from being addressed and solved. You are creating the opportunity for others to get away unscathed from their racist actions.
Are you intentionally blind to scope of racism in this country because it would condemn yourself, family, friends and community? Because it will destabilise your status quo? Because it will prove that everyone else was right?
We are simply asking you to pick between what is morally right and wrong. That is all.
Covert Racism: Show, Don't Tell
Similar to modern racism, racial bias is done through passive methods so that the actions can be denied as a racist act and undermine any claim of harm.
This form of racism is more evident in Malaysia. Here are some examples to prove that:
Manifested in the Business Industry
In 2017, Body Shop Malaysia was callled out for a job vacancy advertisement that was exclusively hiring Chinese candidates only.
Source: World Of Buzz
This has unfortunately become a norm in Malaysia where you see ads with '[SPECIFIC RACE] ONLY' or a requirement to speak a certain language. Such criteria have been justified with the "fear of inconveniences when working".
It is the same with buying and renting houses in the property market. R.AGE have previously released their documentary, Racist Rentals, in which three of their journalists (all from different races) called the same 30 property listings. Almost 50 percent of agents or house owners rejected applicants of a different race. Their reasons for rejection often are "differences in lifestyles".
Using Race as Adjectives
Q: What isn't racist but feels racists at the same time? A: The usage of race as an adjective.
My mum (and a plenty of people) constantly use Cantonese names of other races to describe some things.
Most frequently used terms are "Ma lai fan" and "Kee ling fan" — refering to Malay rice and Indian rice respectively. There is also"Kee ling mei", which means Indian smell.
When told off, these people often dismiss it as anything harmful and still continue such terms. My mum would say that there is no racist intention to it whereas some friends would just laugh it off.
Just because you are saying it in a different language doesn't mean you are not carrying a racist undertone. The fact that you still use it in public means you don't find it shameful or degrading.
The Take Home Message
There are many powerful lines from HBO's The Newsroom, but my favourite will always be this one by the main character Will McAvoy:
Whether it is conscious or subconscious, racism is racism. And if you can't even bring yourself to say there are traces of it in this country, then you are certainly part of the problem.
Commentaires