Here’s a good example of why racism stinks. I believe ordinary people know racism when they see it and that explains the reaction of patrons of this cafe in Sydney to racist hiring policies.
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Its one thing to say locals cook local food better but to say foreigners cannot because of where they were born, and make it a law? Does it even resolve the issue of hawkers not having anyone to pass down the cooking skills to? Isn’t it better to make hawking more lucrative and attractive for the younger Penangites? I think attributing ability to nationality is a slippery slope. What’s next? Ethnicity? Religion? Gender?
How about “my customers want good penang food. Not cooked by foreigners”? If you can attribute performance to nationality, why stop there?
Agree with comment above – Singapore online forums reveal a lot.
After so many years of living in this country, we grow up with a certain expectation of how a dish should taste like. Likewise for the people of other countries, they grow up eating the same food for years if not decades and they certainly know how it should taste like if not how to cook it. I don’t see anything racist about the statement “local cuisines are best cooked by the locals as they “understand” the taste and recipes better”. The cooking style and recipe of Penang hawkers cannot be copied so easily. If foreigner do that, the quality… Read more »
Actually in this case its not just racism – its plain STUPIDITY and IGNORANCE. You don’t have to go to Australia to see or read about it. Go online in Singapore and plenty there saying things about Singaporean – they even give scholarships to these people…
Better not comment on this matter as the Aussies would say Malaysia has discriminatory policy too.
Sometimes it is easier to see racism far away but not easy to see it nearer to home.
Just look at our unfair quota system in local university entrance, students with good results could not get the courses of their choice, let alone a place in the university. It has contributed to the low ranking of our local universities in the eyes of assesors.
Yes. I moved to study in NUS and now I am a proud Singaporean since Malaysia do not give me a university place despite my good results due to the unfair policy!
If you think just because you can get into UiTM, you can slack off or just suspend your studies without a care or impact, you are wrong. There are those out there who did not get a chance, and they are looking at what you did and wondering why this government and its supporters choose to defend someone who is clearly unworthy of being given such a chance. And they are asking these questions because they believe it is a waste of resources.That you will join the corporate world without the ability to get a job done. That you will… Read more »
This will probably end up in court – the cafe owner is being investigated by the Fair Work Ombudsman, because it’s illegal in Australia to refuse to employ somebody because of their race or ethnic origin, and the Race Discrimination Commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, is also involved. It’s heartening to see that the cafe is being boycotted by locals.
There’s more about this at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fair-work-ombudsman-investigating-cafe-owner-who-would-not-hire-man-because-he-is-black-20140819-105unl.html
Are you surprise of what happened ?
No, because he have seen it here like one of Pakatan leader said, the Chinese are bodoh because they vote BN. And he did not refer to Malay because he is a Malay. Is this not racism