IF I’m suffering from a life-threatening disease and laying helplessly on a hospital bed, it wouldn’t matter to me if the doctors and nurses trying to save my life were Type C, Type M or Type I – if that’s a new classification for races.
I would just want the type of medical personnel who are competent and dedicated to their work. Basically, their race or religion bears no significance to me.
Even the most racist politicians and netizens freewheelingly posting nasty comments online would be realistic enough to know they should be colour blind when fighting for their lives.
How many of us, including these racist sorts, have enquired about the source of the blood administered in our hospitals?
Many of us seem to have ignorantly and arrogantly forgotten that skin colour matters little.
Visits to the hospitals should be organised for these types to open their eyes, and hearts, to let them see that patients in hospital wards respect each other.
They embrace prayers of a different religion conducted for them because they understand and appreciate that these prayers are done in good faith – praying for their well-being.
We must remember that come Judgment Day, our Creator will be unconcerned about our “types” but evaluate our conduct through life. If you can’t forgive, then don’t expect forgiveness for yourself.
So, why would anyone running a business – including one selling fried chicken – care about the race of their clients?
The only type of customers you’d want are repeat customers who place big orders. You want loyal customers.
So, what is the “Type C’’ issue all about? Well, it started to trend after local fast-food restaurant DarSA Fried Chicken (DFC) used the term to refer to Malaysian Chinese.
According to media reports, the restaurant in Rawang, Selangor, opened its doors last month. DFC is said to cater to locals with its “Made in Malaysia” appeal against the backdrop of local boycotts of US-linked brands.
According to a Says.com report, amid this “support local” branding drive, DFC left a controversial comment that brought the issue of race into a conversation with a netizen who complained about their pricing.
“I hope the prices can be more reasonable because after looking at the price list, I think they are more expensive than KFC,” wrote the netizen.
In response, DFC said, “Sir, did you skim through the price list or see it in full? You need to see the full price list before considering if it’s reasonably priced or expensive.
“Type C is trying to play up various harmful sentiments towards DFC. We shouldn’t be easily swayed, especially when you haven’t tried it yourself,” replied the restaurant.
DFC has since explained that the mistake may have occurred due to the high volume of comments they received, causing the social media admin to lose focus while responding to netizen complaints.
It has apologised over the issue, adding, “We have decided not to answer the issue from hereon to avoid repeating the mistake. We will only answer issues regarding operations and other matters that do not involve other parties.
“We welcome all our customers from various walks of life regardless of race or religion,” they said.
To err is human, to forgive is divine. Mistakes happen and it’s right that many Malaysians are saying DFC doesn’t deserve to be boycotted over a silly response from an errant administrator.
DFC, however. should have added another line to its statement – “the person responsible for that hateful remark has been reprimanded.”
An employee with that kind of attitude is certainly not the type that the restaurant wants on its payroll.
In a strange twist, DFC had to acknowledge customers’ complaints about their price points but refrained from specifying future steps to lower prices.
At the end of the day, price matters, but customers don’t mind paying more if its fried chicken tastes better than the established competitors.
It can’t depend on an unending well of goodwill and the present sentiment against US franchises for support. It must encourage the patronage of all types of customers.
Thankfully, Malaysians have a great sense of humour. TGV Cinemas wittily rode on the controversy by posting the message – “Type A, Type B, Type C, itu semua tak penting. Yang penting you are my type!”
Numerous cartoons have also appeared on social media, taking a dig at those of us who callously blame the Chinese community for certain things.
DFC has apologised a few times following the incident, revealing that the staff responsible has been transferred. The fried chicken retailer seems genuine, and one staff shouldn’t ruin everything, So, let’s just move on and give them a chance.
I have faith in most Malaysians. Of course, we should support Malaysian products.
I like all types of chicken whether fried, steamed or roasted. So it doesn’t matter if it is KFC, DFC, mamak or Hainanese!
But those who spew racist remarks, especially politicians, should be “deep fried” by us in the next general election. That’s the type we want booted out.
