What’s A Typical Chinese-Educated Malaysian?
March 31, 2008
I was reading a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Jed Yoong, titled “BN and their pigeon holes“. I found the subject and ensuing discussions in the comments very interesting, and I was writing out a comment, which eventually, turned out to be an essay, and also, it went off-topic (by quite a lot). I don’t think it was appropriate to comment in her blog, therefore, I am reproducing my thoughts here.
I believe that Jed’s main argument (and please correct me if I am wrong, Jed 
) was about how MCA claimed to represent the Chinese community in Malaysia, but questioned why MCA uses Chinese as their main form of communication. Based on the title of the post, it seems clear that Jed wants to know how MCA is supposed to represent all segments of the Chinese community even though there are many Chinese that do not understand Chinese. Shouldn’t MCA be using Bahasa Melayu since this is Malaysia after all, she asks (my tongue-in-cheek answer to Jed: that’s why MCA controls The Star :P).
Perhaps a more pertinent question that Jed asks is this: If you are Malaysian, why is Chinese your main language?
However, something else in the comments section that I wanted to talk about was how a ‘typical’ Chinese educated Malaysian was being ‘pigeon-holed’ into being someone who is totally immersed in Chinese culture, and believes in the superiority of Chinese culture and language over other cultures and languages. Basically, from reading the comments, it feels that there is a somewhat negative perception that a ‘typical’ Chinese educated Malaysian is a racist that thinks Chinese people are better than others because of Chinese culture.
I believe that this ‘pigeon-holing’ is essentially inaccurate. Coming from someone who studied in schools named La Salle and Seri Putera (yes, that infamous ‘gangster’ school in Ipoh), I am certainly NOT the best person to dispel that view.
Certainly, there is no denying the fact that there ARE Chinese in Malaysia that discriminate against other Chinese that do not speak the perceived ‘mother language’ (Just read the Lowyat forums once in a while, and you’ll see what I mean). But are these ‘typical’ Chinese-educated Malaysians?
I have studied, played, worked, and lived with friends who are Chinese-educated. Out of 80+ cousins and extended family members from both side of my parent’s families, there were perhaps only 2 or 3 fellas who went to Sekolah Kebangsaan (and obviously, I am in the minority). My parents were Chinese-educated. All of my 3 other siblings were Chinese-educated. Many of my classmates in secondary school were Chinese-educated from primary school. Quite a number of my university mates were also Chinese-educated Malaysians. Out in the workforce, 70% of my colleagues also happen to be Chinese-educated. Therefore, based on my experiences, I can positively say that a ‘typical’ Chinese educated Malaysian is not a racist, nor do they feel that Chinese culture is superior to other cultures.
Do Chinese parents send their kids to Chinese vernacular schools because they essentially feel that the Chinese language and culture trumps other languages and cultures?
Or perhaps they feel that they just want their kids to learn an extra language, something that they will not be able to learn in the typical Sekolah Kebangsaan?
Or perhaps it just so happens that some schools have a good reputation for producing good students, and it just happened that the school was a Chinese vernacular school?
My personal belief is that parents just want their kids to be armed with an extra language more than anything else, and what better extra language to learn than the language of their forefathers, therefore the selection of a Chinese school.
That’s just my feeling. Let me know what your feelings are in your comments (so far, the comments in Jed’s blog post think otherwise, so my personal belief system might be outright wrong).
Still, I think the important question brought up by Jed is this: If you are Malaysian, why is Chinese/Tamil/English your main language? Or perhaps this should be rephrased as: If your main language is Chinese/Tamil/English, and BM is just a secondary language, would you be considered less Malaysian than others?
Give it a thought. When I’ve got the time or when my mind is back to normal, perhaps I’ll also share my views on the role of vernacular schools and their future in Malaysia.
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22 Responses to “What’s A Typical Chinese-Educated Malaysian?”
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“Because we are born into a race and a religion”
I understand how you feel but why the hell are writing in English and not in Bahasa Kebangsaan?
98% of my university classmates were chinese. I’d roughly say 80% of those are from chinese schools. Boy, they sure have problems conversing in Malay. But its ok, as long as understandable, it’s fine.
I guess it all has to do with the mother tongue and what language you use most often with your family, friends and colleagues. I seriously dont know what to answer to satisfy your question. It is remarkably thought provoking.
You know, I’ve always thought that stripping vernacular school is good idea. Some of these vernacular school are self funded. It isnt fair to have a double standard system. It’d be a good idea to have the same curriculum and learn your mother-tongue language from a free tuition centers.
March 31, 2008 at 5:32 am
NoktahHitam,
I’m not expecting a definite answer to the question of main language/mother tongue. Perhaps, to rephrase the question a bit, would a person be less of a Malaysian if they consider their first language as Mandarin/Tamil/English, then Malay second. Just want to get some responses in about this.
As for the stripping of vernacular schools because of the issue of fairness, that’s something which I’ve had a lot of thought on, and I’ll share them in due time.
March 31, 2008 at 10:21 am
I all for the scrapping of all vernacular schools and making it compulsory for pupils to take up a 3rd language (mandarin, tamil, etc.). However, let’s be honest with ourselves. It would be impractical to scrap chinese schools until the quality of the national schools match theirs. Conversely, tamil school students should be absorbed into the national school systems for the self-same reason.
I always find it funny that when local chinese friends confess that they are not comfortable in bahasa malaysia when it was their forefathers who pioneered the use of writing of the language in the romanised script. For example, the Sin Po weekly newspaper which started in 1910, used a melayu-tionghoa dialect. In this respect, we may have regressed.
March 31, 2008 at 11:28 am
Mother tongue, it’s important to everyone. But for Malaysians, we shall be proud, for we know how to converse in a lot of languages, generally for a Malaysian, we are able to converse in BM, English,Chinese, Tamil. We know at least 3 languages, which make us very power! To be a true Malaysian, it’s not measured with the ability of languages we are fluent at. It’s a matter of action. Look at Stephen Hawking, can he speak? But he’s able to attract attention with his action or teachings. Yes, a lot of my Chinese friends don’t like to converse in BM, I don’t know why. So instead of following them, I speak in BM in most of the time in my daily conversations (Rojak! got bm,english and chinese). Change within ourselves first! When others see this, they will follow
March 31, 2008 at 11:56 am
It’ll just take time.
It’s hard to change the ties to the root and heritage of a race - it takes generation for the melting pot effect to take place.
I think the effect is pretty strong in countries like US and UK - it just take one generation - you see kids of recent immigrants totally Americanized. Perhaps it’s due to the openness of the society. Yes, racism still exist in human’s mind but the law and economical order does not discriminate - and as they say - justice is blind to color of skin.
But in countries where the minorities are marginalized, by law, by policy, by all sorts of intransparent rule - the minorities will tend to stick together and protect themselves, including the racial identity.
Another example - Singapore. Rate of interracial marriage is increasing. All races speak English as their main language and they still know their own mother toungue. Such discussions we have - not happening there..
It just takes time…
March 31, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Perhaps we should take a leaf of out India’s books http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_languages_of_India
April 1, 2008 at 2:08 am
Arr… a more sensible write-up than that ghetto-piece!
I don’t mean to be vendetta, but I suppose it reflects one’s up-bringing. It’s just totally ‘down-graded’ the honour of the family & the religion one professed!
There’re queer-types among us, whichever backgrounds U r. AND one shouldn’t use a small section of the grouping’s behaviour to ‘talk-bad’ about all the Chinese-ed.
Once again - the mentioned superiority characters ARE not the monopolistic employ of Chinese-ed.
In fact we should be multi-linguals AND the Chinese-eds have that advantages over & above all the other ‘X-eds’. How many ‘X-eds’ can really converse in other languages/dialects when the situation arises? Just look at the national-eds! 99% of them are just mono-linguals, with very limited English proficiency. Thus the employment handicaps that have been ‘intentionally’ created.
Please - don’t ever STATE that this is M’sia so we should speak B M’sia ONLY. This is an oxymoronic histrionics. This is a borderless new world. Multi-linguals is the required tool of survival. AND 99.99% of the Chinese-eds CAN & DO speak & write workable B M’sia & English.
We don’t need to be a pommie to speak Queen’s England. Thank you!
What’s the mother tongue of the Chinese M’sian? Or for that matter, the Indian M’sian, the DLL M’sians & the Malay M’sian?
None has taken this bull by the horn! Please do tell & I’ve my own idea & yet like to see the takes that are going to be paraded!
April 1, 2008 at 10:37 am
language is not just words or names, letters or alphabets, strokes or dot.
it is part of someone, part of communication, part of of which we can’t part with.
the deaf and dumb speaks and hears the universal language of silence and body language.
a language is something that we are all familiar with, and comfortable with.
Japanese prefer japanese. french prefer french. English prefer english.
but if we gathers all malaysians outside of malaysia,
irrespective of our M/C/I/O,
we will speak the common malaysian language.
a language of nasi lemak, roti canai, cincai, tuala, macha & etc strive best.
no matter how ‘useless’, ‘pathetic’ some language ‘pollution’ may be (mix and match of malay, tionghua, cantonese, hakka, hokkien, teochew, tamil, english) , it is still a language that we must uphold, because it represent us, the malaysian and nothing less, despite the current mass language massacre by english.
ie. the nothern msia hokkien ‘gohh’ must not die.
April 1, 2008 at 3:49 pm
@c53k: you probably may argue that I don’t get out much… but GENERALLY, the Chinese-ed people *I* encounter don’t speak “workable” English
I mean, it’s not piss rotten but it’s not proper enough for some people to understand it the first time around especially if you’re not familiar with the direct translation from Mandarin to English?
Don’t get me wrong, I do have Chinese-ed friends who have excellent (and I mean SUPERB) command of both the English and Mandarin language but, the 99.99% claim of “workable” English/BM is too far-fetched imo.
Of course, it also depends on what “workable” is. I mean, I can say my Spanish is workable (Kenny knows this is an outright lie :P) but I will admit my BM stinks and Canto needs massive work lol
And even though my BM is rotten ROTTEN, language doesn’t dictate my nationality.
I’m definitely not Chinese-ed, semi brokenly multilingual and readily armed with the exclusive Malaysian English to avoid incoming assaults of plastic bowls and plates lest I try to order my roti canai/pan mee/chap fan in proper English lol
Completely off-topic @ Kenny: cheh, what Ipoh gangster school… I’m from Taman SEA lol Representin’!!! ;p
p/s: Personally, MUSIC is the universal language (some argue for “love” but hey). Pass the percussions, kty
April 1, 2008 at 5:29 pm
sean^2
Are U the pommie that I was referring to?
What is workable English?
A spoken language that a listener can understand is a workable language. Definitely not the Queen’s England, OK?
Is Eliza Doolittle’s cockney English, workable English?
My great grandparent, hardly educated yet can converse very well with their Malay neighbours. Was their Bahasa workable?
So, sorry mate goes take a hide. U r definitely living in a cocoon.
April 1, 2008 at 6:55 pm
would a person be less of a Malaysian if they consider their first language as Mandarin/Tamil/English, then Malay second.<< your question.
Yes. Its in the constitution, Bahasa Malaysia as bahasa kebangsaan. So if you dont adhere to this, what law should we uphold then? Its just my honest opinion. Feel free to fire me back
by the way, can I suggest you to use threaded comment, itll send email if theres a respond to a particular comment. Heres the link http://blog.2i2j.com/plugins/wordpress-thread-comment
April 3, 2008 at 1:35 pm
@c53k
I’m not sure about a pommy (by the by, isn’t that what Australians/New Zealanders use as a slang for Brit immigrants over there down under? Are you Malaysian or OZian? I’m confused :)) but I’d be a GRAMMAR NAZI (gotta love dem forum speak, nah-meen?) if I were to start editing your post
As for places I’ve been, I’m not one to get into pissing contests with anyone else.
Before you get your panties in a twist ala defensive stance, you said:
“What is workable English?
A spoken language that a listener can understand is a workable language. Definitely not the Queen’s England, OK?”
I never did mention anything about the Queen and/or England; your hippy OZ “roots” brought that up
YOU pointed it out yourself: A spoken language that a LISTENER can UNDERSTAND is a workable language.
Please re-read what I said about “proper enough for SOME PEOPLE to understand it the first time around especially IF you’re not familiar with the direct translation from Mandarin to English?”
Take a step back and chill ‘brah.
April 3, 2008 at 5:44 pm
sean^2
I’m really getting my panties in a twist ala defensive stance!
My take about pommie is one who always think that mother England is the best in everything, period.
Yes, its a Downunder/Godzone slang for those who insist everything must be England perfect!
Quote ‘..I said about “proper enough for SOME PEOPLE to understand it the first time around especially IF you’re not familiar with the direct translation from Mandarin to English?’..unquote.
See the undertone for the requisite of perfect England? No?
If U have ever come into contact with any other person whose first language is NOT England, then be prepared to accept some ‘broken’ England! The whole world is full of people like this!
The insistent for PERFECT England just show your pommie nature!
Or could it be that in the cocoon there is ONLY perfect England? All other ‘ju barang’ are deemed ‘bast**D’? Thus NOT workable language!
NoktahHitam,
Nobody question the status of B M’sia. It’s THE national language, period. AND I don’t understand from where U r coming from…….
My take is mother-tongue! OK?
Perhaps the example of Quebec should be noted. The national language is English & French. Yet for a French-speaking Quebecian the mother-tongue is French, who can still understand & speak English. Yet there are still Quebecians whose mother-tongue is neither French or English!
Similar situations exist as in the Benelux region of Europe.
So where’s your starting point? Or is THAT angle acute & narrow?
April 4, 2008 at 11:30 am
Mana ada kaum yang sanggup melupakan bahasa ibundanya. Melayu, cina, india, kadazan, iban, benggali, siam dll semua akan mempertahankannya. Kerajaan pun tak pernah menghalang malah berusaha meningkatkan kualitinya dengan menjadikan bahasa-bahasa ini subjek pilihan peperiksaan. Cuma kena sedar bahawa salah satu daripada bahasa tersebut adalah bahasa kebangsaan. Hormatilah bahasa kebangsaan seperti kita menghormati lagu kebangsaan dan lain-lain lambang kebangsaan. Kalau ditakdirkan saya berhijrah ke China dan berjaya mendapat kerakyatan negara tersebut, saya dan anak cucu-cicit saya kena hormati bahasa kebangsaan negara China. Pasti saya akan terus berkomunikasi dalam bahasa melayu jika saya belum mahir menguasai dialek bahasa cina, tapi kesetiaan saya pasti tertumpah ke negara China dan saya akan pastikan anak cucu-cicit saya juga setia sebab saya sudah memilih untuk berhijrah ke negara tersebut. Namun untuk menubuhkan sekolah melayu pasti mustahil. Hanya Malaysia diantara negara yang paling toleran dalam perkara ini. Bersyukurlah kita hidup di bumi bertuah ini. Terus suburkan semangat toleransi antara kaum dan jangan timbulkan isu-isu yang boleh mewujudkan perbalahan. Kelak semua pihak akan rugi.
April 5, 2008 at 1:49 am
Mok,
Some how I sense those ‘ketuanan’ tone again! Are u one of those closet bigot?
I just want to get on your nerve, by rebuking your cocoonist write-up in, yes, England! I do hope & hope u understand what’s follow. (Ha, because my bahasa sucks big time)
Quote ‘..Namun untuk menubuhkan sekolah melayu pasti mustahil. Hanya Malaysia diantara negara yang paling toleran dalam perkara ini. Bersyukurlah kita hidup di bumi bertuah ini. Terus suburkan semangat toleransi antara kaum dan jangan timbulkan isu-isu yang boleh mewujudkan perbalahan. Kelak semua pihak akan rugi…’ unquote.
Did I say cocoonist? Oh yes…I also hope & hope u understand this term! The closest equivalent term in bahasa is tempurung - like the katak dibawah tempurung, ok?
It’s NOT true that THERE are NO vernicular schools in other countries, supported by those goverments!
Surprise?
Let goes back to China. At many of the autonomous regions along the NE & SW China there are many ‘local schools’, supported by the central Chinese government, to teach local languages/dialects. Its not high level teachings because it is just NOT feasible to use these languages/dialects to teach modern science subjects. No matter, the local children still get to learn their own mother-tongues. Of course to be employable they have to learn Mandarin, too. Oh, did u realise that the Hui muslims get central government grant to start learning Arabic, too?
There are also countless examples in Europe where the governments actually support migrant’s language school within their boundary. Germany’s support for Turk language school & Dutch support for the Surinam migrant school! Of course all these ‘foreigners’ also learn the respective national languages too.
BIG surprise? No?
U HAVE been brain-washed by the umno. The phrase that u have mentioned have been ‘in-use’ by the umno bigots for the past 50 yrs, with much emphasizes after May13. The saddest parts are some of u people know that this is a BIG lie, BUT choose to remain quiet. The vast majority of the heart-landers are just blind to this fact either through choice, ignorance or plain opportunistic.
Now that part about grateful, “Bersyukurlah kita hidup di bumi bertuah ini”. Ya, this land is indeed blessed. There are NO natural calamities & yet full of of natural resources.
Yet, there is ONE fault - human bigotry. AND umno is the biggest part of it, with ignoramus like u continuingly sustaining its bigotry to the detriment of this land.
Before I forget, remember this “semangat toleransi antara kaum dan jangan timbulkan isu-isu yang boleh mewujudkan perbalahan”.
All the Other M’sians have been VERY MUCH into ‘toleransi’ considering the shits that the unmo bigots have been throwing at us all THESE yrs. So can U say the same about U, your kindreds & the rest of the heart-landers?
For ONCE - be open minded & open yourself to the outside world. Then learn & educate your youths that a divert cultures can HAPPILY exist in this blessed land. That will be a START.
April 5, 2008 at 9:58 am
c53k,
Aku nak termuntah baca kenyataan orang yang syok sendiri.
“I just want to get on your nerve, by rebuking your cocoonist write-up in, yes, England! I do hope & hope u understand what’s follow. (Ha, because my bahasa sucks big time)”
Uweek. Tak payah nak cabar, aku yang masuk sini cari awak, itu dah cukup. Kalau kail panjang sejengkal, jangan lautan hendak diduga.
Apa benda yang awak melalut dan merepek ni.
“It’s NOT true that THERE are NO vernicular schools in other countries, supported by those goverments! ” Bila pula aku sebut COUNTRIES. Memang putar alam.
Susah sangat ke nak faham bahasa kebangsaan sendiri. Awak bukannya generasi pertama di Malaysia, kalau tok nenek awak yang baru datang dari tanah besar China dulu, okla. Awak ni memang pembelit tersohor betul. Aku cakap Sekolah Melayu nak dibuka di China (country bukan countries), ( aku nak tanya awak, berapa kerat orang melayu yang berhijrah ke sana sehingga boleh buka sekolah? Itu aku maksudkan, tentulah mustahil !! ), tapi awak bagi contoh masyarakat Hui belajar Arab tu apa kaitannya, German ajar bahasa Turki, Belanda dan entah hapa-hapa lagi. Itu awak tak payah nak ajar itik berenang la, aku pun tahu. Jangan awak perasan yang awak sorang saja dah ke luar negara. Jangan ingat orang lain hanya kenal universiti tempatan.
Satu lagi, aku kata, “Hanya Malaysia diantara negara yang paling toleran dalam perkara ini.” Ok, bila aku kata DIANTARA NEGARA, bermakna MALAYSIA ni termasuklah dalam contoh negara-negara yang awak sebut tadi. Kalau jadi warga Indonesia, baru tahu langit tinggi rendah.
Awak kata otak saya ni jumud, dah dicuci oleh UMNO. Bercakap mengenai ketuanan melayu. Tapi aku nampak, melalui gaya penulisan awak.. awak bukan sahaja katak yang duduk di bawah tempurung, tapi tempurung tu sendiri ada di bawah seekor babi. Terus tak ada peluang keluar atau diselamatkan.
Sekarang awak pergi baca banyak-banyak buku sejarah, buat penyelidikan tentang kontrak sosial yang datuk nenek kita persetujui dulu. Fahami apa maksud ketuanan melayu. Lepas itu baru tulis untuk jawab di sini. Ok, selamat belajar.
April 5, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Mok,
One word for U - READ my post again & again. If still don’t understand get someone to translate & explain. OK?
Closet bigot!
April 5, 2008 at 5:39 pm
can,
Regarding your viewpoint on converting all vernacular schools to national schools, and implementing the requirement of the study of the 3rd language (which sounds like Singapore), how does a student who is Kadazan or students from mixed-parentage choose?
Choon,
Good for you for taking the lead in speaking BM.
wk,
You make a good point: ‘the minorities will tend to stick together and protect themselves, including the racial identity.’ I have read a good article regarding this matter, but I’ve somehow misplaced it. When I find it, I’ll share it with all.
chauncey gardener,
Getting English to be recognized as an official language on par with BM will never happen in this country. I still think having BM as the national language for official usage is sufficient. I can imagine the time being wasted in Parliament debating the use of English as an official language.
April 6, 2008 at 11:24 pm
pilocarpine,
So the common Malaysian language that you are referring to is a mix of all languages?
NoktahHitam,
Thank you for your opinion on my question. No I won’t fire you, cuz I agree with you most part.
seanx2, c53k,
I think without muddying the argument, I think your general disagreement is on what is workable English/Malay? Personally, I don’t think seanx2 is expecting everyone to know the Perfect queen’s language (because I know her in real life). However, would it be fair to draw the line and say, a person has workable BM/English when they speak BM/English to other Malaysians, and as long as they can be understood without having to get people to think twice (or thrice), that can be considered workable?
April 6, 2008 at 11:52 pm
mok,
Memang patut rakyat Malaysia menghormati dan mempelajari bahasa kebangsaan kita dengan bersungguh-sungguh supaya rakyat mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya SATU bahasa yang boleh difahami oleh semua. Kalau tak salah, tidak banyak orang akan mempersoalkan kepentingan bahasa kebangsaan terhadap integrasi dan perpaduan rakyat.
Sekolah-sekolah Cina and Tamil tidak semestinya perkara yang buruk, tetapi adakah negara and rakyat perlu melihat semula polisi membahagikan orang muda kita berdasarkan kaum seperti yang dilihat di kebanyakan sekolah-sekolah Cina dan Tamil? Adakah jawapannya untuk menghentikan pembelajaran bahasa ibunda di sekolah Cina dan Tamil, dan mewajibkan semua sekolah tersebut untuk ditukarkan menjadi Sekolah Kebangsaan?
Mengenai frasa yang digunakan “semangat toleransi antara kaum”, soalan saya kepada mok : Adakah kamu setakat bertoleransi dengan kaum yang lain? Tidakkah saudara/i mempunyai semangat yang bukan setakat toleransi sahaja?
(Maaf kalau Bahasa Melayu saya tidak boleh difahami. Saya dapat C5 dalam SPM saja, kerana saya tidak pernah memahami makna-makna tersirat dalam puisi atau sajak. :P)
April 7, 2008 at 12:11 am
Law,
Bila kita bertoleransi, mestilah toleransi dua hala. Namun sebagai manusia biasa pasti semangat kita meluap-luap bila ada pihak yang memanaskan keadaan dan dengan sengaja cuba untuk memalukan pihak yang lain. Saya rasa, saya telah berdiskusi dengan saudara Law sebelum ini (dalam forum lain) menggunakan bahasa Inggeris. Oleh kerana isu kali ini mengenai bahasa kebangsaan dan bahasa ibunda, saya sengaja menggunakan bahasa kebangsaan sepenuhnya.
c53k said:
Mok,
One word for U - READ my post again & again. If still don’t understand get someone to translate & explain. OK?
Closet bigot!
c53k,
Awak perasan sebenarnya. Aku faham apa persepsi awak tentang penguasaan bahasa Inggeris aku. Aku tak mahu terikut-ikut dengan sikap hidung tinggi awak. Ular menyusur akar tidak akan hilang bisanya.
April 7, 2008 at 8:10 am
This is just my rambling two cents worth but what do you call someone like me? I was born to ethnic chinese parents whose own parents were born in China. We all grew up and old in Australia. Then, when I got old enough, I went off and married a “Malaysian Chinese” man whose parents are born in Malaysia but whose grandparents were also born in China.
Now, I have been living in Malaysia for almost ten years and we have had a few kids of Malaysian citizenry. I definitely don’t feel Malaysian, or Chinese, or Australian really because the very Australian “Australian” identity is a piece of fiction meant to sell holidays to tourists. Australia is, in itself, in a conundrum as it’s search for a real Australian is as much a fantasy as the idea of a Malaysian Malaysian. The Aussie identity is based on stereotype borne out of fantastical ideas of outback life or the surf created by the media and to be factual, beyond a mere 200 years, Australians were most definitely NOT white English-looking people.
In Australia they call me Chinese but when I travel to Asian countries they say I am not Chinese because I cannot read or write Chinese and only speak conversational Cantonese out of practice with my husband. Here they call me a banana which I find is an ignorant and derogatory way of classifying someone who they don’t even know. Call yourself a fruit if you wish but you better not say ‘banana’ to my face or I’ll call you a ‘nut’.
Some of my brothers haven’t even been out of Australia so how can we call them Overseas Chinese when they never left the place they were born into? Certainly, China would feel stranger to them than suburban Sydney.
These days we are witnessing more and more mixed race couplings in Australia and the idea of a single ethnicity is meaningless to people born to these parents. It’s also meaningless to someone like me who has had a fair share of places to call ‘home’ in my life so far.
I think we have to view issues of identity as being fluid. We change everyday. We age. We like something now. We might not like it later. We change our outlook. Heck, we can even change our sex through surgery.
The concept of a single identity doesn’t really exist but don’t you think it’s human nature to want to categorise ourselves?
I think the concept of a solid racial identity only serves to perpetuate an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality often with the narrow purpose of making oneself seem superior to someone who isn’t an ‘us’. It also helps us ally ourselves to people we like.
I like to say I am a citizen of the world and just wish that people were more comfortable in their own skins. At the end of the day it’s more important to me to be a good person than a Chinese or Australian person.
August 22, 2008 at 2:17 pm