Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Kuala London? Free hugs? Oh my!

So. Yet again. Kuala Lumpur is looking like fog-covered London.

What am I talking about?
  • From MobileMom: THIS THIS THIS [lots of links to news articles]
  • From scattered puzzle pieces: THIS
  • From Jeff Ooi: THIS
  • From Patrick Teoh: THIS
While regular Malaysians are suffering through all of this, the usual finger pointing is going on.

As usual.

It's like a broken record, isn't it?

Pssssst! All you useless finger-pointing impotent useless have I mentioned useless people in power who have yet again proved how useless you are: I say to you GO FOG YOURSELF!

But here, here's an amusing take on it all, by mozilla monster.

* * * * * moving on .....


It's the buzz of the 'net: The Free Hugs Campaign video.
[just saw it on Ms Sizzle's place]



It's really moving for me, as someone raised without hardly any good-touching. Just occasional intensive slaps across the face if you pissed off a certain parent. In general just plain no contact of any sort. Growing up so touch-deprived I probably ended up during my "free" years in situations I was better off *not* in but was driven by this unknown void in myself to desperately. seek. to. be. touched.

So this video? Certainly resonated with me.

Of course, if *i* were to pass Juan Mann [one man - get it??] while he was offering the hugs, I would be one of those who'd walk by with a "No thanx!" but would perhaps stop by a "safe distance" away to watch, with a half-smile playing on my lips and an eyebrow cocked in amusement.

Because.

My battered and cynical self will ask, How *safe* is it to just go hug this complete stranger? Why is he doing this - he gets off on having strangers pressed against him, izzit? Is someone gong to pick my pocket while I'm distracted?

Sad, isn't it?

I must say, the desperately-seeking-contact college student would probably have asked the same questions, but pushed them aside and "taken" a hug anyway.

But enough about me.

Wanna know what about this vid that makes me REAL sad??

That something like this would never ever work in Malaysia.

Why not?

Take your pick:
    Indecent. immoral. close proximity. un-Asian. un-Muslim. will lead to sin.

Yup, in a society where even holding hands in public is frowned upon, and sometimes can get you arrested, if not harrassed by overzealous members of the public or the religious/morality police,,, you think someome trying to bring Juan Mann's message will last more than a few minutes on a KL sidewalk?

I don't think so.

And *that* is sad.

On a positive note to end this post: I am thankful I have in Kosh my very own hug- and cuddle-friendly hubby-buddy :-)

Cheers!

3 comments:

  1. Not true Lynne...we hug at cyber world...hug, hug, hug... see, I hug!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. HeY azlynne! thanks for ur [belated] bday wish! :D

    n yea.. it's hazy here in Kch too.. :/ so hazy that so many ppl r falling sick... :( n i STILL see ppl burning stuff.. n WORSE... FOGGING their house compound!!! FTW?!?! :P

    london... "d big smoke", i heard it's called... rite? :)

    about d hugz campaign.. yea.. wudnt work in msia... but hey... i got a few txt msges on my cell saying that it was sum world hug day or smth like that.. n SEE?? THAT works too.. RiTe??? :) like maverick said... we can hug thru cyber world!! so... HuGz for YOU YOU YOU!!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. i thought about it, why it never work in malaysia - and um... besides the un-asian thing...i said to my friend who saw the same video :ewww who'd want to hug the general malaysian public?!

    anyways, it's a good idea among friends i guess. I could do this at church.

    yo.

    ReplyDelete

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about two months later...

 ... hi again. This return to blogging is really not working out, is it? Actually, I am writing, three pages of mind vomit and affirmations ...