This morning my adik (the huge one lah..not THAT one) told me that it is ironic for a person like me to question the Australians and criticise their culture and societal practices while I'm taking an Australian degree programme. Then I told him that life is sometimes an irony and there's no definite answer to every single aspect in life.
How this argument started? Well, I told him that LV is in the same company as Moet and Chandon, one of the world's most famous champagne. Then he went on with his whole 'Champagne is not a champagne if it's not Champagne' theory and feeling irritated, I told him that the French surrendered in almost every war they went to (got that from The Nanny =p) and the French has this insane obsession over their authenticity and their inventions. He then became defensive about the French and told me that if I am taking a programme of a different culture, we have to accept, love and respect their culture. It's only that or you don't take the programme at all, or else I am contradicting myself.
I know the argument was pretty unnecessary and we are okay now. We quarel but we will be friends again after an hour or so. Thats what I love about our brotherhood. But I just want him to understand that in life, not everything is like maths where the answer is definite most of the time. (The irony here is that he's not even good in maths) Sometimes in life, we make contradicting decisions because circumstances make us do so. Seriously, if our Malaysian universities and colleges are in par with the ones in the Ivy Leagues, who would give a damn about going to Australia, UK and the US for their education? And if our country provides us with the sufficient room for professionals and experts to practice their fields of expert, who would want to find opportunities to migrate somewhere where the pasture is greener?
Yea. It might sound superficial for getting an overseas degree so that you can get better job opportunities in future. Life is not all about a good career and money. But sometimes the society teaches us like that; to be alert and prepare and equip yourself to adapt into a different environment, make yourself available for various opportunities so that you will not end up begging for food. Yea, that's why we spend tens of thousands extra to get an ang-moh degree, but that does not mean I must suck up to them. I would like to critically think about life sometimes to find the meaning of what I'm doing but does not mean I am not respecting or I am contradicting what I have chosen to do.
Maybe I shouldn't have told him that. It sounded like I'm trying to stuff things into him that's not matching his personality, but then again, I just want him to understand. Well, it's amazing how LV and Moet & Chandon brought about such a fiery conversation. No wonder they worth thousands. Sigh
How this argument started? Well, I told him that LV is in the same company as Moet and Chandon, one of the world's most famous champagne. Then he went on with his whole 'Champagne is not a champagne if it's not Champagne' theory and feeling irritated, I told him that the French surrendered in almost every war they went to (got that from The Nanny =p) and the French has this insane obsession over their authenticity and their inventions. He then became defensive about the French and told me that if I am taking a programme of a different culture, we have to accept, love and respect their culture. It's only that or you don't take the programme at all, or else I am contradicting myself.
I know the argument was pretty unnecessary and we are okay now. We quarel but we will be friends again after an hour or so. Thats what I love about our brotherhood. But I just want him to understand that in life, not everything is like maths where the answer is definite most of the time. (The irony here is that he's not even good in maths) Sometimes in life, we make contradicting decisions because circumstances make us do so. Seriously, if our Malaysian universities and colleges are in par with the ones in the Ivy Leagues, who would give a damn about going to Australia, UK and the US for their education? And if our country provides us with the sufficient room for professionals and experts to practice their fields of expert, who would want to find opportunities to migrate somewhere where the pasture is greener?
Yea. It might sound superficial for getting an overseas degree so that you can get better job opportunities in future. Life is not all about a good career and money. But sometimes the society teaches us like that; to be alert and prepare and equip yourself to adapt into a different environment, make yourself available for various opportunities so that you will not end up begging for food. Yea, that's why we spend tens of thousands extra to get an ang-moh degree, but that does not mean I must suck up to them. I would like to critically think about life sometimes to find the meaning of what I'm doing but does not mean I am not respecting or I am contradicting what I have chosen to do.
Maybe I shouldn't have told him that. It sounded like I'm trying to stuff things into him that's not matching his personality, but then again, I just want him to understand. Well, it's amazing how LV and Moet & Chandon brought about such a fiery conversation. No wonder they worth thousands. Sigh
2 comments:
i don't believe that you have to learn to love every culture you're learning. even my media law lecturer said australians are a bit too conservative sometimes and he also said the law is just one of the biggest ironies ever. it changes all the time.
being a malaysian overseas, it makes me sick to see other malaysians learn to love australian culture by adapting the accent. they are the biggest hypocrites ever lah cause other things like being less kiasu and more down to earth they don't adapt.
and as a media student we learn not to believe in everything we see, hear of read or we'd be just blind followers. it's good that you can think about what you're learning and see that there's something not okay about it. there's nothing wrong with you really.
and you're right; not everything in life is black and white. circumstances came about and we have to learn to adapt.
i so do not believe that just because you are adapting another nation's education you have to accept everything else about them.
the indians have terrific albeit gruelling education system. but culturally, they beat women, bury new born children and whatnot. where does that put us?
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