PERCEPTIONS AND ILLUSIONS: The power of media

When I was in form 5, I never see myself doing my degree in Malaysia . Then, I thought local universities are lame .I was proven wrong. Very wrong indeed.

What makes me think that local universities are lame in the first place?

What makes me think that Malaysian-made products are not as good as overseas' brands ?

What makes me think that living in UK, US or Australia is much much better than in my own country ?

What makes me think that the westerners are more civilized ?

I never had thought of these questions before, never until today. I watched this one program aired on TV Alhijrah , its called ' Yalla Shabab '. It's a program that discusses the issues, social issues in the Middle East (well, the show is Arabs'). Today's topic of discussion was 'The Arabs and the West'. There were some scholars and other panels discussing on the positive and negative sides of both the Arab's and the West's culture , and such. To my surprise, most issues that they mentioned in the discussions are sooo relevant and similar to those in Malaysia.

Malaysians, especially the youths, are so proud of the western culture.Everything that has to do with the West, the food, products, songs, books etc. are often regarded better and the best.Most people have this desire of wanting to be 'the westerns', dress like them, talk like them, behave like them. 

These are of course, just a small part of the issues mentioned in the program. One of the panel was a PHD scholar and she said that her experience living in the US had shown her the reality in the States. It was nothing like what she had thought of. It was nothing like we thought of.

It was nothing but an illusion. It was nothing but just a false perception. Where did we get the idea that the west is 'heaven' ? How did we get the perception in the first place ?

The answer lies within this 5 letter word ; MEDIA.

We were introduced to the West by the media. Their movies, their documentaries, their music, their art.. All showing the 'PERFECT' side of the west. They make us see the 'best' of their life , which is unfortunately, far from the reality. And most unfortunately, we fall for it.

The reality is we, too, are smart and brilliant! We, too, are beautiful and handsome! We, too, have traits and qualities that should be proud of. They are not better than us, and we are not better than them either. Just because they managed to 'reach' the world with their media, doesn't mean that they are better, doesn't mean that they are always right, and definitely, most certainly, doesn't even mean that our culture, our identity are lame, uncivilized and irrelevant!

I wonder how the westerners see us, the Asians. I wonder if they really take themselves highly, as highly as we perceived them. I wonder if they too are like us, seeing other cultures, other countries, other people as more superior and civilized than themselves. I wonder.

Realizing the powerfulness of media, I think our media, especially those in the film industry, need to start producing materials that show the best of our culture, our lives, and our nation. They should avoid producing movies that focuses on paranormal world (sooo many hantu stories lah.. ). All the 'mat rempit' issue, the dadah whatnot.. Just get over with it. Why should we highlight the negative side of our culture ? why should we show them to the world ? Doesn't these threat our image, as Malaysians, as Asians ?

Instead, why don't we show them our beautiful cultures. Our wonderful life, with variety of delicious delicacies, elegant traditional dresses, our festivals.. Show them the true meaning of family, show them what exactly is polite and respect.. Show them our unforgettable childhood, our adventures in kampung, the fun we had playing 'batu selambut' , police entry, playing 'guli'.. Show them these! Let them see that we too have wonderful life, beautiful places and fairy tales.

Be proud of who we are. Embrace our identity proudly.