Netizens lash out at stereotyping of Type C as having poor toilet hygiene habits

 

“MELAYU malas (Malays are lazy)”. “India mabuk (Indians are drunkards).” “Cina tak basuh buntut! (The Chinese don’t wash their buttocks).”

Before there is any faux outrage at the above racist sentiments, Malaysians will admit to regularly hearing such utterances.

So ingrained are racist stereotypes in the national psyche that it has become second nature for many to tar an entire community with unfounded accusations as in the case of the supposed lack of toilet hygiene among the Chinese.

Not content on labelling Type Cs as porcine eaters which is true and not in any way negative to non-Muslims, some bigots have sought to denigrate Malaysian Chinese by constantly alluding to their supposed lack of hygiene after “doing their big business”.

This has clearly rankled as a post on the Meanwhile in Malaysia Facebook forum highlights. An anonymous poster had taken umbrage at this constantly repeated falsehood by stating that such was the consequence of these racists living under a coconut shell and not having Type C friends.

The post has since garnered close to 1,000 likes and a host of comments. This is a sample of what is being said.

Quite a few netizens questioned the origin of this stereotype.

Some though tried to defend this stereotyping with observations of their own.

However, more than one dismissed such observations as being made by those who did not befriend people of different races.

While another asked why this is even an issue. How a person wipes his or her bum is one’s private affair and should not be used as an excuse to claim supremacy of any sort.

Of course, as the case with most stereotyping, it is nothing but an act of supremacy. In this instance, it is quite clearly being peddled by those who believe in the Ketuanana Melayu narrative.

What better way to denigrate the Type C by claiming they do not even know to maintain personal hygiene. The insinuation is clear – they are an unclean bunch or worse, painting them as nothing but excrement.

One comment said this is how “walls” are formed between communities that is detrimental to the state of the nation.

A netizen summed it up best by saying Malaysians cannot seem to view everything through race-tinted glasses. The advice to leave race at the tracks is one all Malaysians should heed if the nation is to ever progress from the never-ending cycle of 3R (race, royalty and religion) issues.

- Focus Malaysia