Tuesday, May 31, 2005

It's All Gone Pete Tong, mobile coverage on the tube, racism

Will be watching it tomorrow night. Kinda weird that this film is only now being released in the UK. It is a British film after all with a British DJ name on the Cockney (East London) slang'ed title.

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In three years time the whole underground network will be fully equipped for mobile coverage. Grumble? Joy? I do not mind the mobile coverage because sometimes I just need to get that text message or check my e-mail but it also means having to cope with chatter happy commuters or Crazy Frog ringtones.

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Last week I was having a drink with two ladies from Hong Kong. The telly was on (we were in a pub) and there was this piece on Sky News about the missing Londoner, Jeshma Raithatha. Because Jeshma is an Anglo-Indian and is of the "right" age for marriage - 18 according to some - Ms. Wong (name changed) decided to butt in with a comment that the murdered teenager was probably 'done' by her family or relatives from "Pakistan or India". She then gave a lenghty commentary on how this is not surprising since most Anglo-Asians are being forced into marriages.

If this isn't a racial slur I don't know what is. And where the fuck did she get that information? She isn't even from West London (she's living in Manchester). What she said was totally out of the line. It is fortunate that I do not know her much therefore I won't have to meet up with her anytime soon.

I am aware that the Anglo-Asian community has landed in 'hot soup' in the print media during the past year due to issues of forced marriages. The backlash against Muslims since 9/11 by pretend 'newspapers' such as The Sun, The Daily Mail and The Daily Express did not help either. But come on, you can not generalised a whole community just because of the actions of a few.

By the way ShaolinTiger has an article up on the issues of racism in Malaysia.

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