What do I see in this video?
A bunch of KFC staff physically assaulting a customer.
Yet some people only see a bunch of Malay KFC staff physically assaulting a Chinese customer.
What do I see in this press conference?
A customer explaining that he did not provoke the assault at KFC.
Yet some people only see a Chinese man persecuting Malay workers.
But what's race got to do with it?
Absolutely nothing! The race of either customer or employee(s) is entirely irrelevant. Whether its a Malay/Chinese/Indian/DLL KFC employee assaulting a DLL/Indian/Chinese/Malay customer makes no difference whatsoever. Employees of any establishment should not physically (or verbally) assault paying customers.
From a cursory glance at some of the online comments, what do I think of these reactions?
"Cina it tipu" (The Chinese man is lying)
"[Why] Always blame the Malays"
and some of the more graphic ones e.g. these on Malaysiakini:
"pork eating slimy smelly rude yellow homo sapien ... [your ancestors] were brought here by british to mine tin ore. Gee Hin & Hai San, ...[also] brought ...vice activities, gangster(s), crime ... & 'taught' bribery to local Malay warlords & [which is] practiced ...until today"
or
"Malays, the British lapdogs"
or
"Cina babi, makan je babi, jangan makan KFC' (Chinese pig, go eat pork, not KFC)
Entirely unwarranted, and entirely offensive. Personally, I am sick and tired of people taking sides based on race. Malaysia makes a big show of being multi-cultural, multi-racial and perfectly integrated, yet these responses depict a divided, racist Malaysia. I am pretty certain that if the 'aggressors' and 'victim' were of the same race, there would be unanimous agreement that the KFC employees were at fault.
I take my hat off to all the Malaysians who stood up for what was right regardless of race, their own or the actors in this incident. Respect to the Chinese folk sticking up for the Malay folk, and Malay folk defending the Chinese folk. It gives me hope that Malaysia is not all lost and something of the fellowship amongst races I knew as a child might once again return. Where I grew up, the community I lived in was a melting pot of races, cultures and religion, and we all not only got along fine, but held each member of our community in the highest regard, regardless of race. I spent many of my childhood days with my 'Mak Teh', a lovely Malay lady who lived next door to us and who played the part of my 'second mum' and her kids, eating, playing and sleeping together, and vice versa, her kids spent alot of time with my mum, a Chinese lady in our home. On weekends, we would all go to Auntie Sundram's home, 3 doors down the street, for delicious Sunday breakfast, where we would have scrumptious Indian food. We all went on holidays together, and it never once occurred to any of us that the other was different/inferior/superior to the one or the other. Our families married across the races, Indians marrying Chinese, Chinese marrying Malays, Malays marrying Indians, and the result, someone like me who is officially categorised as DLL (Dan Lain-lain) which means 'and others' a.k.a. a mixed kid of various races, felt completely at home no matter which race dominated any social setting.
How did my Malaysia come to be the way it is today, with such animosity, and such prejudice? Or has it always been that way, and I had been only too blind to see?
For the sake of argument:
Does rude language used by customers justify violence by KFC staff?
Nope. Even if the customer was rude, the reaction was disproportionate and unreasonable.
What is the appropriate response when dealing with rude customers?
1) Refuse to serve the customer
2) Ask the customer to leave
But isnt it understandable, the workers are overworked and underpaid? Do poor wages/the lack of a minimum/living wage justify violence/poor service by employees?
Nope. I've done my fair share of crappy jobs, and the fact that I was a student, poor and hungry, in a crappy job, was not any customer's fault. So dont take it out on them. Take it up with your local MP/council/employment office/etc. But it's never an excuse for bad behaviour.
When, if ever, would such an assault on a customer be justified/excused?
Very rarely, and perhaps only ever in self defence e.g. if said customer punched/kicked/hit/threw something at the employee behind the counter (causing bodily harm) and then retreated far from the counter and beyond the employee's reach.
