Racial relations Survey

Racial relations are taking the limelight again with the Survey by the Institute of Policy Studies. The survey revealed some expected results in a multi racial society that has been subject to some violent rape and assault recently. There is nothing new really and the findings could even be deduced with a little bit of thinking. The Survey only confirmed the situation with the numbers from the respondents.
 
What did the Survey expect to find out other than the obvious? What is behind the thinking of the people behind the Survey? There seems to be some preconceived ideas or expectations that are deemed to be good and not good. There are some presumptions of what a good multi racial society should be. And one of the good or right things is that all the different races would be hugging and kissing each other everyday. And all of them will be socializing with each other, visiting each other and making friends if not sleeping together. The people are expected to reach out to understand other races and their sensitivities! Are these the expectations? If so, then they will be very disappointed. Is it the responsibility of individuals to make time to understand others when they hardly have time for themselves?
 
There are many conditions and natural behavior of human beans that would not allow it to be so. Even in a homogenous community, not everyone is hugging and kissing everyone and loving everyone or knowing everyone. There is the limitation of time. In a hot bed society like ours, everyone is so busy trying to make his living better, chasing after that dollar to pay for whatever that is needed. How much time would one have left to go sneaking around other people’s homes and prying into people’s affairs, people who have nothing to do with you or do not matter in their lives?
 
The days when life was less hectic, when there were plenty of idle time to do what one pleased, socializing, talking shop and playing are over. You can’t rewind the society to those days when living was easy and there were plenty of time to gaze at the stars or making love and raising children.
 
Then there are the individual traits that may not be particularly social in nature. Not everyone would like to be busybody or poking their noses at other people’s life and affairs. There are many that are more comfortable doing their own things, be themselves and amusing themselves in their private pursuits. What the heck is this thing that everyone is expected to be socializing with everyone and with other races to be seen as good, normal and expected? What craps! Oh, there are people who would want to be around with people, talking and yaking the whole day and night. Not everyone will conform to the same mould and expectation of the social scientists.
 
People will get together when they have the time and the common interests. People make friends by sharing their common activities in common areas. If the interests are different, how could they be seen messing around with each other? Would the crows and the mynahs be kissing each other or feeding in the same trough? Would one scorn at the crows or mynahs for not associating with each other or for not playing ball together? Would one be unhappy with the introverts, the not so sociable, the not so kaypoh for keeping themselves away from the maddening crowd? Different people chose to have different lifestyles and different ways of living, and people should respect that. Are the people expected to open their doors or go down to the community halls after work to prove that they are part of a community? And why bother to do that in a hotel of strangers? Are the people expected to be sharing their food with their neighbours, greeting and kissing their neighbours along the corridors?
 
As a country and community, what is expected and important is for the people to feel as one people, to believe in the share destiny and common interests, to have the freedom of choice to live as one chooses, but behind all these, to stand up for the country as one united people when a situation demands it. I think this is already asking too much of the people.
 
Is the Survey expecting too much? Or the Survey already knows what to expect and any shortcomings would be seen as unsatisfactory?