Friday, January 02, 2009

How to eliminate piracy in Malaysia

There are 2 types of pirates.
One on the high seas and the other type is land-based.
The shipping industry is suddenly beset by a high number of piracy cases especially on the Gulf of Aden.
When I was learning about shipping, the Captain of a 6,500 TEUs vessel took the liberty of showing me their anti-pirate measures. It was a simple high-pressure water hose that acted as a "water gun" to deter anyone from boarding the ship.
I couldn't help but laugh.
A vessel carrying cargo worth millions of dollars, protected by a big water pistol.
Now, land-based pirates. You can see them everywhere in Malaysia.
Around mamak stalls, food courts and sometimes at convenience stalls.
They sell you pirated movies and music.
I appreciate these people.
Without them, I would not be able to watch a movie in its totality.
This is because the National Censorship Board thinks Malaysians are a bunch of imbeciles.
However, it takes an imbecile to think the other person is an imbecile.
Beyonce Knowles. Her latest song is called "If I were a boy". There's a line in there, where she sings, "Go drink beer with the guys".
For some local radio stations, I have heard the song with the word "beer" censored out.
WHY? Is beer illegal in Malaysia?
Is drinking alcoholic beverages outlawed now?
Or maybe 9 year old girls who have Beyonce as their idol will start drinking because they heard the word BEER in the song?
PUHLEASE......
Thanks to the Censorship Board.
I watched the movie, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.
Brilliant movie. Somehow, the movie escaped unscathed from the scissors of the Censors.
Maybe it was too brilliant for them to understand so they didn't know where to censor.
So, here's how to defeat piracy in Malaysia, STOP CENSORING!
If you don't censor, people will stop buying pirated DVDs. All they want is to enjoy a movie, the way it was made to be seen.
Malaysians have matured enough to know what they're watching and if they want to watch.
A show of a nipple will not cause widespread raping.
Blood spurting out from someone's neck will not encourage kids to hack their friends to death.
I believe my children's Ultraman VCDs are more violent than most movies.
Also, parents should be left to decide if they want to let their children watch certain shows.
Yes, I'm losing the battle with my wife to let the kids watch Power Ranges, who kick more butt in EVERY EPISODE than Batman and Ironman combined.
I look forward to the day when Malaysians can watch foreign movies and have a witty banter about the entire show, UNCUT.

1 comment:

goooooood girl said...

your blog is so good......