Some context:
- Malaysia is not homogeneous; it's a multi racial country consisting of three primary races; Malays, Chinese and Indians, as well as indigenous peoples, who are commonly grouped under the umbrella of Malay
- Malaysia is a deeply racist country, and is one of the few countries on Earth with clear, legislated racism
- That said, racism is primarily manifest through tensions between the three races. Malays are the majority race, and hold most political power. The Chinese are the second largest race but are also the favourite scapegoats of Malay nationalists. Indians are the third largest race, but whose power and representation has been dwindling slowly due to their smaller numbers. If you want to look at this through a spectrum of skin tones, Malays are brownish, Chinese are fair and Indians are dark skinned.
- When Malaysians think of racism, it's through the context of the three races in Malaysia, as well as racist laws and political ideas, such as Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy).
- That said, most Malaysians racists views about Westerners due to the kind of exposure they get. Most Malaysians will never see a white person outside of Hollywood movies, and potentially highly paid expats at global companies. There is thus a perception of white people are superior because literally the only white people most Malaysians see are action movie stars or really rich dudes.
- Similarly, most black people Malaysians encounter are through popular media, which basically filters down to rappers and villains of the week in cop shows.
