Take cover. The shit has hit the fan, or shall I say, has rained down from among the clouds?
In a story datelined Kuala Lumpur, flight attendants demanded an apology from local movie producer over a scene referring to air stewardesses as "toilet cleaners". Via The Malay Mail:
KUALA LUMPUR: The producers of local comedy film Buli Balik may find themselves staring at a lawsuit for allegedly ridiculing flight stewardesses in the recent box-office hit.
The Malaysia Airlines Flight Attendants Association (MAFAA) has taken exception to a scene in the movie where an actress refers to stewardesses as "toilet cleaners".
The allegedly offensive scene shows a female patient waiting to see a psychiatrist, played by Harith Iskandar, remarking: "Orang ni, kalau sebutnya stewardess nak mengoratlah dan tulah... pencuci toilet aja diatas tu" (This person, if you mention stewardess, he wants to tackle and such... only a toilet cleaner up there").
MAFAA secretary-general Ismail Nasamuddin A.W. Maxwell said it was unbecoming of the film's producers and director, Afdlin Shauki, to belittle the profession of a flight attendant by equating it to that of a toilet cleaner.
"It is an insult to our profession. We are not toilet cleaners. The producers and director of the movie owe us a public apology for making such disparaging remarks about our profession," said Ismail in a statement yesterday. [...]
He said it was wrong to portray such a negative image of flight attendants as certain aspects of their job were on par with those of airline pilots especially when it came to the safety of passengers, adding that they had saved the lives of many passengers during emergencies in the past.
"Many cabin crew members now are highly educated people..."
Afdlin Shauki who blogs here, replied:
Are the cabin crew association so insecure about their own profession that they have to justify that they are at par with airline pilots? in my mind they have a great profession. They get to travel, meet many people and at the same time...[Afdlin Shauki: Much Ado About Toilet Cleaning?]
Air stewards and stewardesses out there, have your say. Do you feel insulted by the remark?
Non-air stewards and stewardesses, and non-toilet cleaners out there, ponder this question: would you feel insulted if someone were to call you a toilet cleaner?
Will the real toilet cleaners out there stand up and have your voice heard?
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2 Responses to "Aircraft Toilet Cleaners":
my say is, it has to be looked in its context and not just from that one sole remark. most people who watched the movie when it came out a couple of months ago had the remark just pass over their heads without much of a blink.
i think MAFAA has this inferiority complex about their profession that they have to justify it as such. maybe they should know that even datuk seri rafidah aziz cleans her own toilets at home. or are they going to say now that their profession is far superior than that of a minister?
a non-issue. nothing to see. move along, MAFAA.
i would think that many air stewardesses would be offended with the remark la.. but an apology is not necessarily in order. that would be asking too much.
asking for clarification, yes, that is fair enough.
anyway, thanks for commenting. it's been long since anyone commented on this blog!
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