It can’t be denied that we Malaysians get excited when our country is mentioned somewhere on an international level. Whether it’s in a TV series, movie, travel vlog, or even during a celebrity interview, being acknowledged by people in other countries gives us a sense of pride in a way.
However, subconsciously, these recognitions can give the idea that we need a form of validation from foreign countries, especially from the US or the UK. Some believe that being recognised by these countries elevates our status in the world – but one Malaysian believes that foreigners are simply taking advantage of us. Here’s what he has to say:
@thaqibshaker
A content creator who goes by the handle Thaqib Shaker or @thaqibshaker on TikTok posted a video on his channel that’s getting some attention from Malaysian netizens. The video is of him claiming that ‘Mat Sallehs (slang for white people) do not like Asian people, especially Muslims. The video has since garnered over 32k views and 4.4k likes.
In the video, he urges his followers to properly check the likes and comments on videos or content by Mat Sallehs who claim to be promoting Malaysia to their followers. “If the majority of their audience is from Malaysia, followed by Singapore and Indonesia, then to who exactly are they promoting our country?” he said in the video. After questioning the foreign content creators’ intentions, he clarified that he is not making these claims out of envy or jealousy.
“They [white people] only see us as a way to make money and putting them on a pedestal will only make them more arrogant to a point that they believe they are superior to us,” the content creator stated. Netizens reacted to the viral video with many agreeing with Thaqib’s opinion – though a few expressed disagreement.
What do you think of Thaqib’s claims? Do you think it’s true? Are we over-glorifying foreign creators just because they mention Malaysia in their content?
Source: TikTok
