FOR my second column, I’d thought I’d try to do three things.

1) Address a request from readers from the last column; 2) Introduce myself properly to everyone; and 3) Attempt to connect the two and explain why changing a column into Bahasa Malaysia (BM) isn’t helpful.

Let’s start with the first thing. The request “You should translate that to Malay” comes up often at The Star. It’s in every R.AGE video and it came up again last week when I talked about Malaysian media literacy.

“There are plenty of people who should read/ see this,” someone would say, justifying the request.

At face value, I really like it. It’s constructive input. But if you ponder it further, it reflects a deeper problem with urban Malaysians.

First, good sir, no, we cannot translate that to Malay. We’re an English newspaper.

Second. Maybe it’s the racist in me. But whenever I read “There are plenty of people who should read/ see this,” all I hear is “The ignorant people who are the real problems … are the ones who only know how to speak Malay.”

I’ll revisit this later.

Thing No 2

Hi. I’m Nick. I’m 28. I’ve been a journalist since I started with The Star’s BRATs (Bright, Roving, Annoying Teenagers) programme when I was 15. I went to a well-funded “Sekolah Bestari” and was lucky enough to go to private universities.

I spend my middle-income salary on stuff in shopping malls and gentrified shoplots within a 25km radius of the Klang Valley. I was raised consuming Western media, making me more in tune with Western ideas than Asian ones.

I like musical theatre, the Foo Fighters and getting “Likes” on Facebook for publicising views that make me look smart and noble.

For example: “Climate change bad. Steel straw good.” Applaud my nobility.

I am the stereotypical product of what I like to call the “Klang Valley liberal bubble”, a sheltered species that grew up in a comfortable tax bracket, were educated in third-tier private universities that still look good in comparison to local ones, and have most of our social and cultural experiences in concrete shopping malls.

I grew up in this bubble until I finished my university and continue to live in it because it is rent-free. Also, my mom cooks better than me.

It wasn’t until I started working in media did I realise just how little I knew of my own country, outside this bubble. Working as a journalist meant going out of the bubble and meeting people everywhere. And most of my stories involved people who never had the luxuries I did and because of that, have views different from mine.

I’m talking about men who have three wives, women who think their daughters should cover up everything and aspire to only be good spouses, parents who put underage children into arranged marriages, and yes, people who believe Syariah law should be implemented everywhere.