'Type C' Is Trending But It's Not About The Cable. Here's How A Racist Comment Started It
'Type C' began to trend on social media after DarSA Fried Chicken (DFC) used the term to refer to Chinese Malaysians.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 09 May 2024, 02:36 PM
The term 'Type C' has been trending on social media for the past few days, sparking various memes
TGV Cinemas is among the top pages that joined to the trend with a light-hearted pickup line.
"If you don't know what Type C is, you are outdated," wrote a food and travel Facebook page.
Meanwhile, a community news page posted a comic strip to encapsulate the issue.
So what is 'Type C' all about?
It started to trend after local fast food restaurant DarSA Fried Chicken (DFC) used the term to refer to Chinese Malaysians.
The restaurant in Rawang, Selangor recently opened its doors on 29 April.
DFC is said to cater to locals with its 'made in Malaysia' appeal amid local boycotts against US-linked brands.
However, amid this 'support local' branding, DFC left a controversial comment over the weekend that brought issues of race into a conversation with a netizen, who complained about their menu prices.
"I hope the prices can be more reasonable because after looking at the price list, I think they are more expensive than KFC," wrote the netizen.
In response, DFC said, "Sir, did you skim through the price list or see it in full? You need to see the full price list before considering if it's reasonably priced or expensive.
"Type C is trying to play up various harmful sentiments towards DFC. We shouldn't be easily swayed, especially when you haven't tried it yourself," replied the restaurant.
The reason behind mentioning race in response to the customer's complaint was unclear, sparking backlash on social media.
Since then, DFC has issued two separate apology statements.
In the initial statement, DFC explained that the mistake may have occurred due to the high volume of comments they received, causing the social media admin to lose focus while addressing netizen complaints.
They apologised over the issue, adding, "We have decided not to answer the issue from hereon to avoid repeating the mistake. We will only answer issues regarding operations and other matters that do not involve other parties.
"We welcome all our customers from various walks of life regardless of race or religion," they said.
In the second statement, DFC acknowledged customers' complaints about their price points but did not specify future steps to lower the prices.
The fast food restaurant once again apologised over the controversy but did not mention any disciplinary action against the social media admin who made the 'Type C' comment.
During the controversy, DFC was also incorrectly labelled as a 'Chinese restaurant' on its Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is the summary card that is typically displayed on the right side of a search page when the user's search query involves a local business.
Any users are allowed to contribute and edit an unverified Google Business Profile. Newly established businesses are most vulnerable to unwarranted edits.
"In connection with that, I would like to inform you that DarSA Fried Chicken is 100% owned by bumiputeras. We have sufficient supply for one outlet," said DFC managing director Mohammad Faiz Zuhdi Azahar.
"We aspire to expand this business to the whole country. We will also try our best to prioritise Muslim products, sourcing from Malaysian companies that possess halal certificates from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).
"We are also in the process of obtaining the halal certificate from JAKIM," he added.
As of today, 9 May, 'Type C' is still trending on X, garnering about 8,100 posts on the issue
The controversy has also caught the attention of politicians, with MCA national youth vice-chief Tan Yang Pang describing DFC's remarks as concerning, reported The Star.
Seputeh member of parliament Teresa Kok urged members of the public not to boycott DFC, contending that an "eye for an eye retaliation would make Malaysia blind".
Pusat KOMAS, a non-governmental human rights organisation, also criticised the fast food restaurant for using racially-charged language on a public platform, explaining that such an act polarises and divides Malaysians.
On the other hand, many netizens continued making jokes about 'Type C', sharing photos of the 24-pin connector used in many electrical devices nowadays, including the latest iPhone 15 series.
