Thursday 17 January 2013

Listen!

Okay, so I finally watched the Listen video that's been going round the Malaysian social media network.

My thoughts:
Bawani was pretty articulate and had facts to support her points (though I've never researched the stuff so I wouldn't know if her facts were valid or not). She did sound rather emotional and excited while talking - but then again, I felt she was speaking rather as if she was in a debate, and you know all debaters are emotional and excited because they're rushing to get a point across.
Plus point to her - she actually spoke in one language at a time. I don't know if you think that's a plus point. I think it is.
Sharifah on the other hand sounded like she had the need to speak louder and repeat herself in order to get her point across. And talking about points, I didn't get what she was trying to get at. I couldn't make the necessary jump in logic required. Also, she didn't answer any of the questions Bawani raised even though she said she did.
Minus point - she couldn't speak either a proper complete sentence in Malay or English. If it were a casual conversation, fine and good. We do it all the time. But this was a formal public forum
Another point to note, if the main difference between Sharifah's POV and Bawani's was a matter of a degree, I think it was stated in one of the reports that Bawani already has a degree in psychology and is now doing a second one in law or something like that. So that's kind of... void?
(Galaxy Note Diversion at the end is also classic, I tell you, just CLASSIC! I'd watch the video over and over again just to watch hear her dismiss panelist Peter and divert attention to freebies. Bwahahaha.)

I do think however that the level of backlash is quite out of proportion. How is ridiculing Sharifah at this level of (internet) publicity less of an evil than Sharifah ridiculing Bawani  in a public forum? Okay, so it was an outrageous act by a ridiculous person - but if it's true about death threats??

Dear people who seek to change a country, do not stoop to their level.
If you do, we will never change.

Righteousness exalts a nation.

Heaping insult and shame isn't righteous indignation. It only pulls you down into their dung heap.
We are better than that, aren't we?

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