I wrote this post about how we should allow bloggers to be racist as possible. Uncle Sha wrote this comment:
My engrish not as powderful as yours in this long-winded entry, but here’s my take on your opinion … I do know from what’s right and wrong, do you?
If it isn’t curtailed, who knows what else he might have blogged
It is a pretty offending post … so you don’t think so hur
If you think otherwise, why not you try posting as he did
And we’ll see how it turns out
Yeah be a matyr, maybe you can show us and start the ’spread a better idea’ revolution you speak of earlier
During lunch, I thought about the question more. Sure, I found the post offensive. But was I personally offended? No, because I wasn’t the subject of that guy’s post. Here is the thing. Sympathy and empathy is too different thing. What I have are feelings of sympathy for the subjects of that guy’s post but not empathy. Sure, racist stuff has been said at me and about Singaporean Chinese but the stuff said is different. The context is also different. We, the Singaporean Chinese are supposed to be the majority – that plays a big part in contextualizing racial slurs and racist remarks.
I then remember this South Park episode I watched sometime ago. Stan’s father used a racial slur on television and became a subject of disdain and had to seek forgiveness for his mistake.
The interesting part of the episode is the epiphany that Stan has at the end about him ‘NOT GETTING IT”. I have embedded the clip at the end of this post.
I can find the post offensive. I can sympathize. But, at the end of the day I don’t get it. And while I don’t apologize for believing we should allow more room online for such racist views and other forms of bigotry, and push our levels of tolerance, if not acceptance of such material because I believe we as a community has matured and can mature more, it was probably presumptuous of me to raise this issue.
The people who get it, who really get it, are the ones who should lead when they are ready. And they don’t ever have to be ready.
The full episode here. A clip from the episode below:
vinyarb | 22-May-08 at 3:33 pm | Permalink
Hey, nice clip to sum up your point!
And you’re right about us being racially tolerant, and not harmonious.
There are certain practices and beliefs of other races that we will never understand, and because of these different belief systems, misunderstandings (to say the least) will happen, and biasness will occur.
So yeah, whether we express them in verbal or written forms, or even just keep those thoughts in our heads, we’re still racist.
Most of us just wear all-whites and hope it makes us look pure so no one will notice. heh.
Aidil Omar | 22-May-08 at 5:30 pm | Permalink
I don’t give a rat’s ass what Fragrance Prince or some prince from Chung Khiaw Bank wrote. I mean let’s face it- racism is everywhere. Arresting will make it look too draconian for own good or makes us live harmoniously even more. Offline in reality, people insult each other worse than a pack of dogs barking. Remember the get-out-of-elite-uncaring-face. Did the police make arrests then for causing social tension?
I don’t read what I don’t need to read. I won’t throw my arms in furore and pull out my hair just because he said some dumb shit which is all just hogwash to begin wash.
Come on- go find Mas Selamat lah. Bah! Waste of time!
Daily SG: 23 MAy 2008 « The Singapore Daily | 23-May-08 at 11:29 am | Permalink
[...] – Chemical Generation Singapore: Sexy Fragrance Prince’s Unsexy Arrest – Ian On The Red Dot: Uncle Sha’s Question To Me: Was The Post By Fragrance Prince Offending? – Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Racist Bloggers: Then & Now (why it [...]
The Malay Dilemma | 23-May-08 at 7:37 pm | Permalink
Racism is always around and it is a question of how bad it is. I felt that the authorities were right in acting on a complaint, just like they should act on any complaint regarding public nuisance, but what is the next course of action is the one that makes or breaks. Should the guy be let off with a warning or something severe like a jail?
If we together strive to be a society that is educated on such matters, I feel that the authorities should not be too high-handed and instead opt for community service as a way of educating racists.