Wary of Black T-shirts?

Just got back from car service and was given a black T-shirt, with compliments from Castrol for using Magnatec. I jokingly asked the serviceman, 'is it Raja Petra's?' It has Castrol's logo with the word 'Professional' below it.

The picture below is of a T-shirt which is supposed to be a brilliant design to help any traveller in a country where he does not speak the language. He can just point to what he is looking for and the local should be able to show him where.

But do you think the police can tell the difference, if you were in a crowd wearing RPK's?

The following letter (got it from Malaysia Today) sums it best when describing the response from the public:

TEE FOR TERROR
Posted by Super Admin
Sunday, 19 October 2008 00:00

People avert their eyes. The sight was anathema to them. A chance glance causes a sharp wincing pain. The telltale warning sign is a quick blink and a sharp turn of the head. If accosted longer, the accosted shifts weight from left to right leg, right to left leg a few times. The person is wont to clear his throat, constricting his voice box to a high negative neighing as no clear words are formed at the start – brain rearranging data to give a plausible reply.

Next, the more seriously afflicted ones. These are the ones who categorically purse their lips already steeling their resolve to show their non-consent. Extending their arms in a rigid line to ward off the offending article as if a closer contact would bring about a disease so severe, it is best to sound their displeasure from a safe distance.

It gets worse, of course as things are wont to do, get worse before they either get better or spiral into a vortex of absolute disaster. Now this lot, I have observed, mount the offensive as their best form of defense.

Their facial expression contorts to one of extreme righteousness. Their body language follows suit. Watch carefully. Arms folded, brows knit, forehead a maze of furrows. This is usually followed by right index finger out to wag one to death.

You cringe and wait for final blow. As your ears brace to ring, you will hear: `What, you want to get the ISA ah ?’, ` Police will take you to lock-up and there you will languish forever’. The more geographically inclined will say, ` If you want to go to Kamunting you go but I don’t want to go…’

There is another group. Riddled by fear, they say nothing, do nothing, see nothing and see through you ( it is a weird feeling as you start to pinch your arm because you clearly smiled and asked them a question but they have convinced you that short of walking through your person, they did NOT see you, NOT hear, NOT know in fact that you are in their face) and walk away leaving you feeling invisible, nothing, fractionally less than the mite in your mattress.

And I am not talking about the FRU here. Or some menacing force from Planet Alien. Or some instrument designed to extract excruciating pain. Or some terror power best left unexplained.

Perhaps I have misjudged it. Perhaps it is a power afterall.

Perhaps some of these people need to fight off their own fear by whipping something else to shreds. Something that each of them knows deep in their hearts bear a message that is noble, true and right. Something they are afraid of because they are really afraid of themselves.

Have you bought your Free RPK Tshirt ? Are you wearing it? If not, dare I ask why?
(Malgal was helping sell RPK t-shirts and in turn, has richly experienced a huge range of Malaysian behaviours.)