Mindset

As i came across on some Notes from my big bro's Facebook, my eyes being sticked to the note entitled 'Mindset'. Somehow, i'm just agree with my big bro. Eventhough this note has been written about a month ago, but i think it would be my reponsible to share my big bro opinions with my friends and blog's reader.Here is my big bro stories and opinion:

Being born and raised during the early years in a village community had its own advantage and being raised by my grandma also had helped me alot to become more independent and in a way had mold me the way i am rite now.

One thing i had noticed during my growing up years is about the mindset of malaysian people. Recently i read my friend's blog and can't help agreeing with him with some of his arguments about the mindset of malaysians.

I bet everyone had their fair share of experience dealing with people who will ask almost the same question whenever we ventured to a higher brands. For instance when you bought a pair of Nike shoes and people will off saying, 'Is it original or local?'

It's almost like saying, anything local is "fake" because isnt that the opposite of "original?"

I guess you can look at this system in 3 ways.

i) As a Malaysian, you dont really need to excel because people will still never think you will ever be as good.

ii)You can make a living, copying things off famous people, because being original reaps no recognition anyways but when you copy well, people give you credit because "it's almost like the original!"

iii)Why go all out and be spectacular at what you do, because "ok lah" is simply enough. You can simply use your Malaysian-ness as an excuse. Favorite phrase, "This is Malaysia lah, it's just how it is".

Why am I ranting?

Because I believe this mentality will never allow us to realize the full potential of talents in our own country. How are we going to produce bonafide world standard talents, when "ok lah" has becomed the definite standard of measure?

Let's look at Malaysian success stories like Dato' Jimmy Choo. If he had stayed in Malaysia and worked on his shoes, I dont think he will ever be as famous. What possible chance would he ever get to be noticed, when he had to compete with mass produced shoe retailers? When it's local, we want them to be cheap! RM800 pair of shoes, made in Penang would never sell to locals.

If he tried to be original, no one would have cared. He had to carve his name by being himself outside of Malaysia, and let his talent speak for itself. Only then Malaysia would claim him as a story of its own success. Such a damn shame.

Look at Aishah back in her fan club days. If she didnt land the gig with Fan Club , would she ever be a success story here? We wont even know whether she'd get signed!

Everytime I go anywhere showcasing local talents, of any field, I always see the three things I spoke about earlier.

It's always either "ok lah tu" kind of work or "wow, looks so much like so and so Spring Summer 08, fantastic". Or when it's original, people would label it as "difficult" or "eccentric", like it's a negative thing.

Where is the room for progress and innovation? For talent? When we wont support them?

How is Malaysia going to produce someone as imaginative as Alexander McQueen or Galliano or Vivienne Westwood? Will Malaysia ever produce a film as strong as Brokeback Mountain? (who is gonna back this film and who will see them in the cinema...so in the end it's back to Gerak Khas 200). Will Malaysian artists ever be in the world charts because they will never big enough in their own country ("his music is so niche!). Will we ever have a Picasso? I surely hope so but at the state of Malaysians devaluing work of their own children, with heavy heart I say..very unlikely.

I hope this is not what it meant by Malaysia, truly Asia.
Coz that is just sad.

The nation needs to get back its self esteem.
We need to applaud & support our local talent and let them explore their potential and be original.
We need actual Badan so and so that aim to do good or excel, instead of being some Datin's pet project.
We need recognition for quality work locally, that is not a PR exercise.
We need to make the word "Local" means locally made again and it shouldnt mean not as good.
We need to make "Ok lah", to never be good enough.


ajie
1st December 2008
11:24 a.m.