Insensitive ‘joke’? Cue the apology video

IN a recent video posted on Instagram, YouTube duo 'DurianKimchi' came under heavy fire for what they claim was a ‘joke’, but netizens were quick to point out that what they saw was not only cultural appropriation, but an insult to Iban culture. 

In the video, Muhammad Ryzal Ibrahim, the Malaysian half of the couple, called the traditional embroiled Ngepan Iban dress a “dirty cloth”. His wife, Maryam You Narae, who is the Korean counterpart of the duo, gave a weak defence against the ‘joke’ her husband made stating that the attire was "handmade". 

This comes only days before the Gawai – or harvest festival – in Sarawak which starts on Monday, May 31. 

The clip was shared and quickly became viral, with one Twitter user who reshaped the offensive clip and got it to 300,000 views.

What followed was the usual narrative that happens when an ‘influencer’ messes up. 

Social media users quickly called him out on his alleged ‘joke’. 

A twitter user known as @fabian_rossi21 on Twitter said: “So this Malay guy who married a Korean lady had the audacity to insult the traditional Iban dress. This is not cultural appropriation, this is an insult.”

After a day of getting bombarded with angry messages calling out the insensitive ‘joke’, the couple came out with apology videos. 

In his video, Ryzal stated that he was directing the comment to his wife. 

“To all Ibans, I am so sorry. I understand that you are all hurt and angry at the insensitive joke I made, I was only making fun of my wife but this time, it went too far,” he said in his 7-minute long apology video.

He called the intricate costume a “dirty cloth that you put next to your washing machine” and “TV decor from the 70s”.

His wife, who many online users are defending, claiming that she did not do or say anything wrong in the video, posted her own 26-minute apology video. 

The video has also received the reaction of Francisca Luhong James, the Malaysian beauty queen that recently represented our country in the Miss Universe competition. She urged her followers to avoid giving Ryzal the time of day in a lengthy post. 

“Well it seems like he wants to get people to talk about him and follow him on social media, I think we better not give him the attention that he ‘thirsts’ for," Francisca wrote on Instagram. She added: “At least we are proud of our culture and heritage and I’m glad to see Sarawakians stand together. Focus on the harvest festival and enjoy with our loved ones.”

We’ve seen this happen time and time again, someone famous on social media makes an insensitive joke, netizens call them out for it and a tearful apology video soon follows. After that, the controversy slowly fades away, only until another ‘influencer’ is caught making an offensive statement. 

And the cycle continues.

Most of these influencers release an apology video, wait for everything to blow over, and soon get back to regular programming. Authorities have rarely taken serious action against these issues and most influencers just get away with no repercussions. 

The Dayak Traditional Arts and Culture Club (Kemada) has taken action and lodged a police report against Ryzal for ridiculing the traditional Iban dress.

Jackery Hillary Chukan, chairman of the club, lodged the police report and was accompanied by five other members whom wore traditional Iban warrior’s costumes. They want Ryzal to make a media statement stating he was tendering his apology for insulting and ridiculing a traditional Iban costume. 

It’s most likely that sensitive issues like these will come up again in the future, but perhaps with firm action being taken, citizens, especially social media influencers, will be much more respectful of other cultures. – The Vibes, May 28, 2021