The 3rd Video: Ahli

An account that is somewhat stereotypical of Malays, but sadly true (to a certain extent). As I am part Malay, I felt myself nodding in agreement at some of the comments stated. Though some of the views shared by the actors are those I disagree with, most of the opinions and thoughts brought up are what my family and fellow Malay Muslims peers frequently discuss. 

I'd like to add that I really like the comment by one of the actors, who said that Lee Kuan Yew believed that the air-conditioner is one of the reasons that Singapore was able to prosper! I agree with this comment, as because of our success as a nation and the lack of natural disasters attacking our country, even our foreign counterparts think of Singaporeans as "complacent whiners who don't know how lucky they are". (I asked some of my foreign friends). 

So what are the major social issues for the Malay community in Singapore? Work and money. Of course it is a prevalent topic for all races, but I feel that Malays place a higher and more important emphasis on this as a symbol of success. Also, the issue of the Malay youth was also brought up and discussed. The comment on the skimpier clothes on youth nowadays was exactly what my parents told me! In secondary school, I do actually have Malay Muslim friends who, upon leaving their house, would shed their clothes to be "free". The matter of "tudung girls" also came up, which I think is widely acknowledged by other races, partly due to the huge media coverage on the "tudung issue" several years back. In addition, this debate on the difference of culture and religion is one that is strongly pervasive in the Malay community in Singapore. 

As you can see from the video, some of the misconceptions there are on Malays are in part, believed and supported by fellow Malays themselves. Some of the stereotypes include Malays being stupid, lazy people who are very contented with things as they have no motivation and inspiration to do well and succeed.

With such racial stereotypes in mind, I find it imperative to not let it affect our treatment on our students. Yes, our students come from different backgrounds, not just in terms of race, but also religion, family morals and virtues and characteristics, so why should we just concentrate on race? To help students attain their own level of success in school, we have to treat them with fairness and as equals. (The Pledge now comes to mind. :))

What do you think?

Ain

P.S.: I second the motion of introducing more of such videos for this module. I think we can learn a lot from these videos and enrich our experience as educators.