We like to call ourselves hospitable, polite, the warm smile of Southeast Asia. But scratch the surface and what do we find? A culture increasingly impatient, entitled, and rude — and it is costing us more than pride. From the endless honking on our highways to the casual snub of elders at pedestrian crossings, basic decency is being treated like an optional extra.
Queue-jumping at the supermarket, litter on once-pristine beaches, and the screaming matches that erupt on public transport aren’t isolated gripes — they are habits. Online, civility evaporates entirely: vitriol, fake news, and personal attacks spread faster than facts. When disrespect becomes normal, trust erodes. Neighbours stop helping neighbours. Businesses lose customers. Road rage becomes road fatalities. Institutions meant to protect fairness weaken because people assume the system is corrupt or irrelevant.
The aftermath is measurable. Economic costs pile up: lost productivity from conflict, higher healthcare bills from stress-related illness, and the brain drain of talented youth who refuse to live with daily disrespect. Social costs are deeper — communities fragment along petty grievances, and public spaces become battlegrounds instead of commons. Worst of all, a generation absorbs the message that manners don’t matter, empathy is optional, and the loudest, rudest voices win.
This isn’t about nostalgia for a mythic past. It’s about choices. Respect is not an elite virtue; it’s a social glue. If we let incivility slide, we pay in safety, reputation, and quality of life. Stop treating politeness as weakness. Teach children to wait their turn, drivers to yield, and citizens to argue without dehumanising. Respect isn’t optional — and until we act like it, Malaysia will keep paying the price.
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