I vividly remember an incident that occurred during my junior college days when I was in ODAC (Outdoor Activities Club). We were required to pack our camping bags and bring them to school for the teachers-in-charge to check if we had all our items ready for the camp at Pulau Ubin the next day. We were given before hand a packing list and we were warned that any missing or wrong items brought will lead to a punishment of 20 push ups per item.
It was during that fateful day when my friend Shawn did the stupidest thing in his life. Since we were using the school’s mass tins to cook our food during the camp, we were only allowed to bring food that was Halal. However, Shawn brought cans of 'spicy pork cubes' without realizing that it wasn’t Halal. When everyone found out what he brought, we burst out into laughter. Shawn was also laughing at his stupidity and his moment of folly.
However, our malay teacher-in-charge, Mr. Ismail didn’t think it was a joking matter at all. He was furious at Shawn and was even more furious at the way we reacted. All of us had to do 200 push ups as a result. While we were half-way through clearing our punishment, my friend, Jason shouted, ‘What’s the big deal about bringing non-Halal food anyway! It’s not as if we will die eating pork!’. This comment infuriated Mr. Ismail who cancelled our camping trip in a feat of anger.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This incident serves as a strong reminder to be sensitive to all races and cultures. A small gesture that is acceptable in some cultures can be very insulting to others.
Malays only eat food which are Halal. Halal means permissible. An animal or poultry has to be slaughtered in a ritual known as Zibah to be considered Halal. Pork is definitely not Halal. It was no surprise that Mr. Ismail was infuriated. Even though Shawn might have been unclear of what the word “Halal” meant, he should have consulted his friends or teachers to avoid the situation that day. Moreover, I think he should have apologized on the spot instead of laughing his head off and he could have explained that he was unaware of what ‘Halal” meant and that he didn’t do it on purpose. The rest of us shouldn’t have laughed along with him too as it might have been seen as disrespectful to Mr. Ismail and our fellow Malay CCA mates.
Moreover, although Jason might have been feeling overly exhausted and frustrated due to the countless push-ups, he should have controlled his emotions and his words which were clearly disrespectful and rude.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra!
ReplyDeleteMy first bafflement with regards to the incident did not lie with your friend, Shawn, but rather at Mr. Ismail. Before I am indicted of insensitivity, let me explain that being Chinese and Christian, taboos are far and few between, especially when Chinese are known for eating anything that has 4 legs.
What Shawn did was definitely not acceptable in this country that stresses on racial and religious harmony, but it was definitely not an incorrigible deed. It as a blatant slip of the mind, which I did not think it solicited a "punishment", if it was meant as one, much less from a teacher who should possess better mannerisms since they are moulding the younger generation;if you require a teacher to dish out such a severe(Yes, i deem 200 pushups an exaggerated punishment for JC students)penalty for an act of bringing a canned food that has yet to be opened, the school is better off engaging instructors from the army since the latter justify their punishment. I base my strong response upon my belief that a teacher should possess exceptional traits, and this teacher was definitely not being rational nor forgiving.
To err is human, let alone JC students whose minds should be cramped with tonnes of knowledge(I came from a polytechnic)that forgetting something should be understandable. The fact that everyone, even the perpetrator, could laugh the matter off jovially, showed the lack of an insidious intent. Though i wasn't the offended party, I've seen vegetarian friends who smile and decline when i offer them meat. Shouldn't a teacher be more magnanimous?
Lastly, Jason showed contempt to the teacher- in-charge with his response, but the latter's reaction was even more uncalled for. To cancel a trip being hurled unkind remarks upon merely exhibits the abuse of authority.
It is important to take note of other's customs and not step beyond the line, but being the small country we live in where racial strife cannot be accommodated, learning to be mindful about taboos of other races at all times is important, but one should not make mountains out of molehills.
Cheers,
Desmond
Hi Cassandra,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point on the inappropriateness of laughing as it might be misinterpreted as disrespectful. Furthermore, Jason’s comment “It is not as if we will die eating pork” showed contempt and lack of empathy towards the Malay culture.
From this incident, it shows the importance of understanding and being sensitive to cultural differences that exists in a multiracial society like Singapore. Most Singaporeans would have known that Malays only eat Halal food but it just slipped our minds at times, since it’s not our culture. That is when sensitivity and alertness comes in and hence, increasing cultural self-awareness would enable us to communicate more effectively with people of different cultures.
Thanks for sharing such an interesting incident! I guessed it’s unforgettable partly because of the heavy punishment of 200 push-ups as result of a person’s mistake, your arms must have ached a lot.
Regards,
Jie Li
Hi Cass,
ReplyDeleteThis was a good example of an intercultural conflict. It teaches us the importance of understanding and respecting one’s culture, especially the more common cultures of those we encounter daily. You gave a comprehensive reflection of what Jason should have done to have avoided the unintended conflict. Kudos for the effort!
Looking at this situation, it is easy to jump to conclusion that the entire conflict was the wrongdoing of Jason. It is true that Jason could should have observed the rule of bringing Halal food to the camp. However, he could have thought that it would not be a big deal if he only brought a can of pork which he could enjoy during the camp. Probably, if he wanted to consume pork during the camp, he could have brought his own set of mass tin to cook the pork. His response during the punishment was a mistake in aggravating the conflict further.
Nonetheless, to gain a better understanding of the conflict, the behaviours of the all main parties should be analyzed. I felt that Mr. Ismail could have handled the situation better instead of bursting into a feat of anger. Though his rules were set to respect the Muslim race, he should have been more accommodating of the Chinese race as well. I disagree with his actions of fixing strict rules of not bring Halal food. What if Jason has distaste for chicken or fish? Thus I view Mr. Ismail as being overly authoritative. He could have suggested that if non-Halal food were to be brought along, the students should bring their own mass tins. In this way, he will be respecting the Chinese culture as well, instead of having everyone abide to the Malay food culture during the camp. His reaction to Jason’s action could be due to his perception that Jason was trying to make a joke out of the rule of bringing only Halal food and this could have been avoided if he had the Chinese food culture in consideration.
From this situation, we can see that it is important for mutual understanding of each other’s cultures. One should not force another to abide to his/her culture but should instead come to a compromise if there is a clash of interests due to cultural differences. We should take effort in understanding various races and cultures, especially of those we communicate with daily. This would help us foster closer intercultural relations with our friends of various races and cultures.
Lastly, errors in handling intercultural conflicts may have detrimental results on cultural perceptions. This situation could have invoked Jason to have dissonance with the Malay culture and Mr. Ismail could have perceived Chinese to be disrespectful of the Malay culture.
Regards,
Bryan
Hi Cassandra,
ReplyDeleteThis is a classical case of intercultural conflict that have the potential to spiral out of proportion.
Firstly, Shawn was wrong to bring non-Halal food to the camp and treated the incident as something trivial. In addition, it was insensitive for everyone to laugh at the matter. However, having said that, kids will always be kids. It is true that the students were in the wrong, but I felt that Mr Ismail could have handled the situation more professionally.
As an educator, Mr Ismail should have explained to the students the rationale of not bringing pork or non-Halal food. He could have impressed on them the immensity of the situation in other ways other than doing 200 push-ups. By doing so, I'm sure some students would be repulsive and would developed some negative feelings towards him. This situation would then be a very delicate and sensitive issue especially if such negative feelings were between two different ethnic or cultural groups.
As it is, Singapore has an intricate network of different cultures and ethnic groups. Such are the intricacies that we have Racial Harmony Day to celebrate our diversity in unity. Hence, "two wrongs do not make a right" and such a situation should be handled tactfully.
On a closing note, failure to handle such conflict is detrimental to society and this situation has underlined the importance of cultural relativism and sensitivity.
By writing this post, it's a timely reminder to watch my words and actions especially amongst people in different ethnic groups. Thanks Cass!
Cheers,
Mario