Stereotype and Prejudice.
OK. I know some of you my readers may not be so good in English. You may think “Stereotype” is some kind of radio with two speakers. Wrong.
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Definition of Stereotype from Online Cambridge Dictionary :
a fixed idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong
racial/sexual stereotypes
He doesn't conform to/fit/fill the national stereotype of a Frenchman.
The characters in the book are just stereotypes.
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The following are some stereotypes from my point of view, anyway I may be wrong because I don’t have any Indonesian friend, or Black friend.
When we mention Indonesian men – a stereotype of them would be “Working in Malaysian plantation Oil Palm with pathetic salary; their side income would be become snatch-robber-on-motorcycle or sometimes thieves; when they got pissed, they would use sword to slash each other. However, if they have money to buy a racket, they can play badminton very well.”
Stereotype of Blacks – “ They always shortage of food to eat and die of hunger, because their government is very “expert” in corruption and frequent civil war; However, if you feed them enough food and let them exercise, they can run very fast such as Usain Bolt, or become heavyweight boxing champions, or become successful/mega-rich basketball players or footballers. Anyway, if they are fed too much food and become fat, they become successful singers / rappers.When they need money, some of them come to Malaysia to cheat Malaysian Chinese girls money, they are good at it. Some Malaysian Chinese girls are willing give Africans money, rather than find a Malaysian boyfriend which is always willing to pay money for dates.”
That’s why the whole world got stumped when Obama got elected to become President of US.
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So what is typical stereotype of China ladies in Malaysian eyes? This is what I found out.
Just like most people, my parent sent me to school until graduation;
Just like most people, as I didn’t have family business to run, I had to search for a job;
Just like most people, I wrote resume, bullshit all the way during interviews, and got myself offered a job.
One day, I was talking to my mother when she is NOT watching TV. She is always too busy watching TV to have any conversation with me.
Mother : Son, so how is your work?
Me : blah blah blah…
Mother : You people are so fortunate, when I first started work, my salary was only RM 180. Now, your salary is 10 times more than me! And I have to support another 8 brother’s and sisters, and support parent blah blah blah… @!#$% You don’t have to support anything!
Me : Yeah, life is so unfair. The only living thing I have to support right now is that pregnant guppy (a kind of fish cost RM 1 per piece) and some Swordtail fish (Xiplophorus helleri) in my aquarium. HAHAHA…. Blah blah blah
Mother : So how are you getting along with your colleagues?
Me : Not so well. It’s all your fault. You and father never put effort to teach us how to socialize since we are young! @#$!#% blah blah blah
Mother : STOP BLAMING ME FOR EVERYTHING!!! You also have yourself to blame, we bear so much pain to raise you up and send you for education blah blah blah…… (My mother tried to fight back)
Since I was born, I had difficulty mixing around with people. So my brothers and I always blame my parent for not teaching us good socializing or conversation skills. Anyway, maybe it’s not entirely their fault after all. Probably when God made me and my brothers, God forgot to bless us with that socializing talent. Probably it’s just my destiny and I have to accept it.
After we calm down, we resume conversation before my mother starts watching TV again.
Me : We have a variety of colleagues, Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indians, Malay and Dayak are majority. But we do have some foreigners such as India Indians, Korean and China people.
Mother : You can make friends with anyone except China people, especially the ladies.
Me : I don’t agree. Every time I tried to talk to people, people always no respond to me. 要不然就是问一句，答一句。。。悲哀。。。
Except a China woman who is very nice and friendly to me. I don’t need to think of topic, she also continue talking to me.
Mother : China ladies are nice to people because they want to cheat your money. They are diggers. You have to beware of them. They are so good at it you don’t even realize they are cheating you.
Me : But I am very unpopular person. She is probably the only person nice to me? How? Anyway she already got a child, you still worry her threat to me?
Mother : You never read newspapers? They always want to cheat man money. Malaysian government don’t allow them to come her to become housemaid because they are able to destroy other people’s family. So you still have to beware of her. Try your best not to get too close to her.
I realized not only my mother has prejudice against China women, most Malaysians have negative perception of them – to the level that the Malaysian government had to intervene, had to bar China woman to become housemaid in Malaysian homes – to protect the marriage institution of Malaysian families?!
This is normal human psychology: when we listen to a statement far too often, we may get influenced. I became wary of the China people, and I unintentionally built invisible wall against them. Thus, as my heart is not open to them, I had little chance develop friendship with them, despite some of them being friendly to me.
Anyway, now I realize my mistake. Because stereotypes are only for reference, after all every single human are individuals. Even twins can be so different in their character, right?
I feel maybe I need to cast away all prejudice against racial, religious, nationality, age etc, and treat everybody as INDIVIDUALS. What do you think?
Please leave comments!!
:)
For your case, I agree with your mum lor.. You can be friend with them, but just be a bit more cautious.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
But generally people categorize Insurance Agent as "people who cheat/earn friend's money, liars etc." and they avoid making friends with insurance agents.
ReplyDeleteThat's why my sales is very bad, I always scare people perceive me as someone who cheat friends money?
i disagree with your mom (sorry la,man)
ReplyDeletemy fren （let's call him mr j) marry with a china women from a state.But he is happy with it. and some-more before marry he visit her family too.herr family is great in self produce alcohol drink. i ever chat with her,although some say she is high temper, but for me,she is consider ok already. so shortly to say, if u love china lady (or u are chasing china lady), it is depend on your luck.
ok, lets talk bout my story, my factory, call the local do some job, like want their life. call me do something, like call a cow to move, and even cow can move faster then them. but if i call Vietnamese to do something, they directly go to do and moreover, they give u a piece of smile on their face. and i just waiting for the result.
Yeah you r right mr newpaper star.. agree with you that every single human are born as individuals.
ReplyDeleteand.. chase wat u want not chase wat others want.
OhRiver, you don't have to sorry with me.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with my mom.