But it's just me, a mere mortal. So you'll have to settle with simply hearing this writer's opinion.
Now, let us review the case.
CASE: A group titled, When i was young, my parents used to threaten me using ''Ah pu neh neh'', was created by some admins who have now disappeared of the face of the earth.
PROBLEM: Most find it racist and have not hidden their feelings on this topic while others feel that the topic is funny and everyone should find it hilarious.
WRITER'S OPINION: I'm complex and as such my answer shall be complex. Read on!
Argument 1
Alright first of all, the people in this group should stop defending the group's objectives because people, the ADMINS HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING!
Yes, where are they? They are no more admins left. Do you you know what this is NOT like?
IT'S NOT LIKE WHEN THE CAPTAIN OF TITANIC DECIDED TO STAY WITH HIS SINKING SHIP.
Because people, your captains have abandoned the obviously sinking ship. Don't sink with it. Save yourself the trouble.
Argument 2
Um hello. Why is it when Russel Peters makes fun of us, we Indians laugh and when you guys make fun of us, we're not? Simple, because first of all the dude's partially Indian. And oddly enough, it's just like when a fat person makes fun of themselves it's okay but if a thin person makes fun of the fat person, it isn't alright. An yes, there are a few rare cases of fat people who don't mind the jokes being made. Same to the racial jokes. Furthermore, Russel Peters made himself the bud of some of the jokes. Did the people in this particular group on facebook do so?
Even then, the bottom line is this people: If we Indians are not laughing, it really ain't funny. Cause we laugh at most racist jokes made against us.
Argument 3
Get a sense of humor? *shakes head* Wow. *shakes head again* Um...I think Indians in Singapore have one of the greatest sense of humor. As mentioned in Argument 2, we laugh at ourselves more than others laugh at us. SO IF WE'RE NOT LAUGHING, IT AIN'T FUNNY.
We don't need to get a sense of humor, you'll just need to get better jokes.
Argument 4
I hang out with a rather mixed batch of people. But sometimes, it's just us Indians and two or three Chinese and Malay folks only. And amongst ourselves, we crack all sorts of jokes. Sometimes, my Chinese friends would make fun of our Indian accents or the Indians would shake our heads and solemnly swear our Chinese friends were bloody racist. And we would all laugh in the end.
Don't you see? That's where the jokes are alright. Amongst a closely knit group of friends of varying races. Once you put it up on a social network like facebook, you're jokes you and your friends might have found funny but others don't.
Argument 5
I'm not saying that it's alright to tell racist jokes. (This is because some people might actually try to counter argue point 4 by saying this). No. Instead, what I'm saying is that there is different levels of jokes. And you must learn to be smart Singaporeans by discerning which are cruel racist jokes.
Argument 6
Ah hell. Just grow up folks. Those "Ah pu neh neh" jokes are things of the past. Be in fashion. Find fresh new jokes. Other wise, we Indians will take our business else where. Seriously.
Here's the link to the group if you're interested in seeing it.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=279828277914&ref=mf
And the next time you're thinking of posting something racially hurtful, please do think twice. For your own sake.
Feb 3, 2010
3 held for racist remarks
Three Chinese youths aged between 17 and 18 years have been arrested for posting racist remarks on 'Facebook', a popular social networking website. -- PHOTO: AP
THREE Chinese youths aged between 17 and 18 years have been arrested for posting racist remarks on 'Facebook', a popular social networking website.
Following a report lodged on Jan 30, police conducted extensive enquiries and managed to establish the identity of the suspects. All three were arrested on Jan and have since been released on bail. Investigations are on-going, said police in a statement on Wednesday night.
Under the Sedition Act, anyone found guilty of promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to three years, or both, if convicted.
Commander of Bedok Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police, Teo Chun Ching said: 'Police take a very stern view of acts that could threaten the social harmony in Singapore. The Internet may be a convenient medium to express one's views but members of the public should bear in mind that they are no less accountable for their actions online.'
2 comments:
hi,
just got curious when read this on the news and then googled it ... what does 'Ah pu neh neh' mean?
Hey Parmeet. 'Ah pu neh neh' was a term coined to mock Indians. Now this is based on my own research and of course from questioning my parents' generation because that's where the term came from. The Chinese could not imitate the Tamil language in a proper way so when Indians spoke amongst each other, the Chinese would pop in and mockingly say, "Ah pu neh neh" as a poor attempt to sound like an Indian.
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