Over the years, i've noticed a strange thing about our Malaysian society: people stare at me and my girlfriend when we're out in public.
No, i'm not imagining it -- its happened often enough when i've actually caught people staring. When i stare back, they quickly shift their gaze away.
I've come up with a theory why people stare. Its because i look Chinese (eventhough, i'm technically a Malay) and my girlfriend is a Malay (and looks like one too).
I hope my theory is wrong. Surely, we Malaysians can't be that shallow?
I asked my parents about their experiences when they were young. Apparently, society was much more accepting of mix-race couples back then than it is now. In fact, according to them and others of their generation (who were young in the late 60s and 70s), the Malaysian society as a whole was generally much more liberal back then in thought and action than it is now.
I wonder what changed us.
SUGGESTED READING: Frontline: Multiracial/Interracial Relationships
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