Bringing out the best and the worse.......

With Aril being named Best Student this week, will it get the tongues of Hafiz’s die hard fans wagging even more, bitching even worse about him ? Condemning him? I pity Aril. No, make that I pity fanatic and die hard fans of Hafiz who could not accept the fact that there are others too who are as good as Hafiz, if not better.

Over the last 7 years since Akademi Fantasia was first introduced in Malaysia, it was reported that it has managed to bring many families closer together, especially on Saturday nights when family members from afar gather together to watch the weekly concerts.

It was also reported that AF was able to bring back together couples on the verge of divorces or separation for parents of the AF kids, as the kids were able to show their true emotions while in the Akademi, and their desires to see their parents back together again.

There were instances when families who were not that close knit before this, AF have some how managed to bring out the emotions and feelings of love among family members. In short, Akademi Fantasia has been able to bring out the true emotions of people. It succeeded in bringing out the best of many people. However, in the same process, it has, most unfortunately, also unleashed the worse in many people too. Sad.

Die hard fans of some of the AF kids started bitching and condemning the kids that they do not like, no matter how good the other students were, or how bad the students of their choice were.

They bitched like they do not care how much it might hurt the AF kids and their families. For as long as they can influence the fence sitters that the AF kids of their choice were good and make the other AF kids look bad, sometimes, extremely bad, at times even, making them look like dirt, it will satisfy their purpose to put them down, at whatever cause. Sad, isn’t it?

Are Malaysians truly like that? I thought we are a culture that is civilized, well mannered and polite. Yes, we have come a long way from the time when we were still very much considered a 3rd world country, but, thanks to our fourth Prime Minister, we have advanced so much.

Unfortunately, we advanced too fast that our mentally could not catch up with us. We use to have the tallest building, with one of the most advanced technologies around the region. We have shopping complexes that have been rated among the top 20. Our roads are good, our services are not too bad, and we have almost everything that a young advanced country should have, but, we forgot one thing in all our desires to be the biggest, the tallest, and the best. We forgot our manners. We forgot how to be polite. We forgot how to be civilized.

It was said that though we might have 1st class facilities, unfortunately, we have only 3rd class mentally. We have failed to advance in that area. Sad.

In the 7 years that I have diligently been a follower of AF, I have, in a number of AF seasons, favoured students that aren’t always the ones that the general public seems to like. Maybe because my taste are a little different from the general public, or maybe because I look for far more than just the voice and the looks (though looks are what gets me interested in the first place to like an AF kid, though it might change over the course of the season as I see the potentials of the others emerging), and so, in my blog journey to find bloggers that give fair and intellectual comments, I am sad to find that most of the comments made by some bloggers and those that leave comments at some of these blogs of the AF kids that they do not like, very hurtful and demeaning.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and they may have their own preferences of who they like and do not like, but, that does not give anyone the right to condemn anyone else. Objective critism, yes, but condemning, NO!

So, you like someone. Go ahead and praise the AF kids that you like and adore. BUT, do not condemn the ones that you do not like by saying things that are hurtful, demeaning, and humiliating. So what if the teachers seem to favour one or two of the kids over the rest, they are only humans. Only, I don't think the teachers were playing favouritsm. They have been fair at trying to help everyone. They give credits where credit are due. They critisize where necessary without condemning.

So what if the critics give good comments to the ones you do not like. You just either nod your head in agreement, or bite your lips in silence. You don’t have to condemn that person. Condemn yourself for wanting to condemn others.

How would you like it if someone says something hurtful and humiliating about your brothers or sisters, mother and father, girlfriends and boyfriends? Wouldn’t you feel hurt? It isn’t his or her fault that the critics give good comments. All the kids gave their best, I am sure, but there could only be one best one. The critics too are humans and they too have their preferences and favourites. So, when the critics does not give the AF kids you like and adore good comments, it gives you no right to condemn the ones that got good comments.

There are ups and downs to everything. It isn’t every time that only the AF kids of your choice that deserves to be given good comments. Everyone needs to be motivated too. Everyone deserves to feel good about what they did. Today it’s your turn, tomorrow it is someone else’s turn. Accept it graciously. Your turn will come again.

So, to fanatic and die hard fans of Hafiz, grow up!

I do admit that Hafiz has good vocals, one of the best this season, but the others too are equally good, though their talents have yet to shine through. Give the others a chance too.

I admit that I like Aril, and though I must admit that Aril's vocal might be far from reaching the level that Hafiz's vocal already is, but that does not give the right for Hafiz's fans to condemn him. Where Aril lacks in vocals, he made up with his showmanship and play acting drama. Even Klubbkidd commented in his blog that Aril was able to show off his vocals which are so often overlooked because of his larger than life personality.

This week comments have been thrown to the faculty that Hafiz was purposely given a song that will not make him standout. In fact, the fans of Hafiz have been saying that every week he was given songs that were not famous, and so made it difficult for him to shine. But, didn't he get a song last week that is currently in the top 20 charts when he got "Terlanjur Cinta"?

In fact, Mr Manager himself had said that either you have it or you don't. So, even if Hafiz does not get a good song, if he has got the talent and voice, which he has, he will make even the worst song sound good.

So, I hope that for the next 5 more weeks, I hope fans of any Akademi Fantasia will be more civilized in their comments of the AF kids.

**note - photos taken from Mr Manager and Akademi fantasia's official website.