How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Racial discriminating advertisement... but who did it?

According to a Star report,

'Oldtown White Coffee has said that an allegedly racist recruitment advertisement by a franchisee was not approved by higher management.

Kopitiam Asia Pacific F&B division’s executive director and chief operating officer Clarence Leon D’Silva said the advertisement was unacceptable and offensive and apologised on the behalf of the franchise that published the ad...'

In Malaysia, we have been conditioned with advertisements such as 'Preference for Bumiputeras/Malays' or 'Only Bumiputeras/Malays need apply' and nobody would complain.

The Oldtown advertisement states 'priority will be given to Malays and Chinese' which implies that other races such as Indians and so on are being discriminated against, which is unacceptable. But in Rakyat Times, it was mischievously reported as ''No Indians, please, we are Old Town White Coffee' which changed what could be an innocent mistake to a positive insult to Indians.

But later, it was discovered that the franchisee is a company owned by Indians! So the so-called racial discrimination becomes not as insulting as originally thought.

Someone suggested that we should have a Race Discrimination Act to put a stop to racially discriminating advertisements such as the above, but are we sure we can enforce it across the board?

In the UK, for instance, they are serious in enforcement even though people perceived discrimination exists covertly. For instance, there was a case of a coloured student who answered an advertisement for room to let, only to be told that it had been taken. So he asked a white friend to ask again and it was still available!

When Sex Discrimination Act was first introduced, some advertisements were deliberately posted with a sense of humour. For eg., 'Bricklayers required: must be able to work topless in summer.'
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