Not funny

It was a local cycling event with the usual thrills and frills. It was a fun event. It was not a race. People came in dressed in masks and capes. There was a chap who wore a Viking helmet with cowhorn-like horns to give a fiesta feel to everyone around. 

Close to a thousand riders thronged the much-delayed, newly paved expressway that would bring people all the way from Ampang to Putrajaya and beyond.

For the bystanders, it must have been a sight to behold. Rows of cyclists in tight-fitting gears all going in a single file must have tickled the onlookers to the bones. 

So there were a group of cyclists in front of me who were boisterously rolling along the highway. Manning the traffic was a group of Bangladeshi foreign workers. They, too, were fascinated with the event of the day. They, too, whipped out their mobile devices to record the race.

One of the racers in front of me quipped, "hey, give a good pose. For all you know, you would be appearing on Bangla Youtube!" (closest translation)

https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Reproduction-
Viking-Warrior-Helmet/dp/B008E4DFYW

It was an uncalled-for conversation. Just like everyone else, a foreigner or a general worker also has their likes and dislikes. He, too, wants to capture a momentous moment or share a scene that he wants others to see. Just because he is from the working class and is from a country considered to be in the lower rung of socioeconomic status, his action is by no means a justification for mocking. 

Another thing, YouTube is universal. There is no such thing as a Bangla YouTube or a Myanmarese one, but the local language may be. Now, with subtitles and audio choices, the world is one. 

Unfortunately, most Malaysians are like this - condescending and feeling one-up against each other. We suffer from so much insecurity that we pin others down to convince ourselves that we are doing alright. It is a form of cognitive dissonance. 

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Don't fight fire with fire!

The Power of the Dog (2021)
Director: Jane Campion

King David, of the David and Goliath fame, went through troubles after troubles in his kingdom. He prayed to God. In the Book Psalm 22:20, it is said that King David had requested God to 'Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.'

'The power of the dogs', which the title refers to, is probably referring to the herd mentality of the mob that is out to humiliate, denigrate and decimate those who do not fall within the standard narrative. These dogs hide their deficiencies behind the strength of the pack. They may doubt their own convictions, but they know cognitive dissonance is too overwhelming. Hence, they just join in the barking match.

The best way for the abused to fight the crushing power of the dogs, as suggested by the movie, is to stand tall against the pack. There is no point in clashing head-on against this unruly band but to win them over with wit, on the sly.

The message behind this story is cryptic and requires higher-level understanding to appreciate the hidden subliminal messages. One who watches it at face value may not understand why this film is hailed as a top contender for the Oscars this year. Of course, the fact that homosexuality as a suggested theme did help. 

In summary, it is a story set in the 1920 mid-west where two brothers, George and Phil, work as wealthy ranchers. George meets and marries a widow, Rose, with an effeminate medical student son, Peter. Phil tries to exude his toxic masculinity. Peter is the butt of everybody's joke for his unmanly ways. The rest of the story is about how Peter and Phil find common grounds, and peace is maintained, albeit in devious ways.

The hidden message behind all these is there for our taking. In the ever increasingly hostile environment that we exist today, it is an exercise in futility for us to clash head-on with the correspondingly minds with mob mentality. For every reason that we state our case, they would do bulldoze with a bull in the china shop demeanour; resist and resist with dimwitted mind-boggling excuses. We should be action-orientated, focusing on the matter at hand and ignoring all the white noise. Be like the Jews or the Orientals. Despite adversities that befell them throughout history, the Jews stood steadfast against everything and came to rule the world. The Orientals, despite the slurs, abuses and bullying all through modern history, marked their dominance everywhere they went. Now, they are giving the colonial master a run for their money. It may not be the means, but the end results sometimes matter more.

(P.S. It may not be a gay movie like it is commonly perceived. It does not tread along the lines of 'Brokeback Mountain'.)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.