It is not my intention to glorify Mat Rempit. But come to think about it, I could totally understand the appeal of being a Mat Rempit. If you don't know, Mat Rempit is a notorious Malaysian term for teenagers who gather for illegal street racing and perform daredevil stunts with motorcycle and typically the motorcycles are at smaller CC and customized such as exhaust pipe with loud sound. First of all, I am not saying that Mat Rempit is good. On the contrary, it is harmful not only to the motorcyclist but also to the other road users.
In my younger years, I also drove motorcycle to school. I have to admit that the combination of the feeling of the power of the combustion engine at will, the sensation of driving at high speed with the wind gushing by, and the freedom of zooming through the spaces between cars, the pure adrenaline makes riding motorcycle easily addictive. No doubt, it is dangerous. But this level of danger is often deemed acceptable for teenagers. Performing outrageous deed is merely an expression of youth. Even my father also mention from time to time that he and his friends were Mat Rempit when they were young.
This Mat Rempit phenomenon makes me reflect on how skiing/snowboarding at high speed could offer the same sensation too. During my college years, I did a lot of skiing together with a gang of friends who could ski more or less at same level. Although my gang wasn't quite as crazy, often times I could see my classmates came to school with a plaster cast or crutches after they broke their arm or leg during skiing/snowboarding. As insane as it sounds, everybody kinda treated the injury as a badge of honor. I guess youngsters just need an outlet to search for adrenaline rush. That's why Mat Rempit makes sense to me. So the real question becomes how to direct this need for speed towards something constructive. For now I don't know answer.
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