Nationality, being the status of belonging to a particular nation whether by birth or naturalization.
Race, being a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
And ethnicity, being a group of people whose members are identified through a common trait, ancestry, religion, culture, or traditions.
More clearly, let's take myself for example! So, my nationality is of course, Malaysian. My race, I would say I'm considered Asian. And ethnicity would be Malay with a hint of Javanese. (Hahaha.. I made myself sound like a dish or wine!)
So basically, all this tension in regards to who is disrespecting who is really all about the little itty bitty details of ethnicity. I mean, really, how different can we all be? It's all just a matter of different religion and cultures.
Honestly, I personally feel that we should not make a big deal out of our differences. When I watch the ad itself, I do feel an inkling of offense, but I think after years and years of growing up and being around people of different races and ethnicity, and going around with the idea that we are all the same, the ad did not offend me as much as I believe it would have years ago when I was a naive teenager. Also, I was thinking that it was a bit unrealistic. In this day and age, I like to believe that people are not stupid enough to blatantly disrespect another person's religion by acting like an idiot. (Unless it's on the internet. Those people are merciless!!!!)
So, I would like to open the topic of "Is it necessary?" for discussion. What I'm saying is, perhaps the real reason why we are offended is not because they used a chinese girl, but the fact that these people are implying that we don't know how to respect other religions. And it offends us how they are implying people are ignorant and stupid. It's kind of like making a big ass sign or ad for Taylor's that says "Please do not defecate in public" and putting it around campus. Wouldn't people be offended that we are implying they don't know where or where not to poop? (Actually, I'd probably laugh my ass off if they did put up signs like that!)
On a more serious note,
A bit of history on racial tension in Malaysia.
I think one of the most famous examples of racial tension in Malaysia is definitely the riots that happened on May 13 1969. Racial riots broke out in some areas of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in 1969, killing and injuring many people.
The actual cause of the riots is still arguable. According to former ISA detainee, Said Zahari, the cause of the riots is an interplay of forces. Such as the generation gap, differences in the interpretation of the constitutional structure by the different races in the country, as well as the provocative behaviors of certain racialist party members. Tsk, tsk... when will these politicians ever learn?
Of course there are also some conspiracy theories as well, such as claims that the government orchestrated the attacks intentionally. For example, from reading the book "Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969" by Dr Kua Kia Soon, readers can come to three conclusions:
1) Tun Abdul Razak masterminded the May 13 racial riots as a form of coup d’etat from Tunku Abdul Rahman.
2) Datuk Harun Idris led Umno Youths to spontaneously launched an unprovoked attack towards the chinese people.
3) The racial riots were not the fault of the racist opposition or the subversive communist movement.
BUT!! The point is, irregardless of what the cause is, Malaysia has had some 'embarrassing history' in regards to racial differences. But in my opinion, history is history. It's in the past, and the best we can do now is just learn from it. Thankfully, from what I've seen during my 24 years, the younger generation is becoming more tolerant and accepting compared to generations before.
Putting it in relevance with the ad, I can understand why some people are offended by it. A history of violence and hate can sometimes bring up bad memories.
Sara Kahuna
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