Let's Go Pinkie!

I've been wanting to write about this particular news for some time but real life caught up with me and I had to settle a few things that have been on the backburner. Perhaps one day when everything is back in order, I will recount snippets of these momentous events.

The article in question was highlighted to me by none other than The Other Half during one of our many driving excursions. To be exact, while stuck in traffic jam coming back home to Ampang from our numerous mall jaunts. Yes, it is true we don't do any kind of sports, but I figure brisk-walking in the long stretches of a mall a form of exercise, no?

Okay, I've digressed.

It was when a driver entered in front of our lane abruptly without signalling that he recalled this piece of news as flagged by Yahoo. In Australia, the New South Wales Roads and Transport Authority ('RTA') launched a new campaign aimed at young drivers who, it claimed, are desensitised to images of gore and mayhem as depicted in the conventional advertisements for road accidents.

The latest TV campaign to encourage drivers to respect speed limits features young women wiggling their little fingers at passing speedsters. The gesture represents a small penis in youth culture but in the ads, even an elderly woman uses the signal. So, too, do other young men who are not in the driver’s seat.

According to a survey, this 'Pinkie' campaign which was launched in June 2007, is proved to be successful at arresting the number of fatal accidents in the densely populated state.

Speeding is a factor in about 40% of road deaths in NSW each year, according to RTA figures.

Despite being hailed a success story by authorities, some quarters complained about 'sexism' and blatant 'misandry' of this unorthodox road safety campaign.

One manly man was evidently not amused by the successful transmission of 'wiggling the little pinkie' gesture by the public, and in an outrage, lobbed a plastic bottle to the female pedestrian who pinkied him. He was fined A$400 for his stupid behaviour.

This Aussie campaign got me thinking as to the ramifications, reactions and results of such an ad blitz if it were to launch in Malaysia. Would it be as effective?

Holding commitment, money and follow-through constant, I wonder if the general public would receive this ad campaign favourably. Or would the veritable Malaysian caring, sopan-santun values nip in the bud its usage and propagation?

Personally, I think wiggling the pinkie is less of a hassle and more convenient than sticking out your middle finger. More importantly, it takes less energy too for lazy people like me! And the message it is sending "Small male unit", to be politically-correct, is loud and clear. Most men, unless if he's a simpleton, would get the drift.

I remember the time when I had trouble shooting my middle finger into the air because I was either too timid to use it or too prissy to exercise my middle digit. I think it was a combination of both. It felt vulgar. Then again, driving in KL for some years sadly inured me to this universal gesticulation. If you can't beat them, join them. However, let me qualify that I only utilise it in the most appropriate, temper-inducing cases. Appropriate is subjective, and as a woman, making sure you're driving with supportive gears, suitable weapons and brawny people is one such condition.

The introduction of this campaign to Malaysians is also timely considering the recurring cases of fatal road-related accidents, despite the road safety advertisements along the familiar line of bloody scenes as well as the police's endless road operations. Moreover, the pinkie wiggling inference brings to mind the larger-than-life exhaust pipes that are de riguer among the young crowd and other misguided motor enthusiasts. It has been an inside joke among me and my sisters that people - more often than not male - who install and rev up those annoying, noisy contraptions at the back of their poorly souped up vehicles, are overcompensating for something else. A physical sort of shortcoming, if you get what I mean.

As you can see, I am more than ready to embrace this campaign and crook my little finger at such inept drivers!

Let's say this spate of advertisements is properly disseminated to a receptive Malaysian public who are more than eager to exercise their Pinkie right. Would those reckless, errant drivers heed the insinuation portrayed in these ads? I would like to think so. But somehow I think the result would be mix.

In the rural areas and neighbourhood enclaves, some motorcyclists and motorists still drive without a helmet and fastening their seatbelts respectively for that quick trip to the sundry shop or kedai mamak. When one's mindset is fixed and conditioned to an environment, it is difficult to change the way things are.

As for perceptive male urbanites and cultured wannabes, this campaign would immediately hit the very core of their manhood, so to speak. Gangsterism and illegal street racing aside, as long as this campaign gets imprinted on the brains of these youngsters, others not bobbling in that age bracket would have a chance to drive in one piece and peace again.

So, guys and gals, boys and girls, men and women, please don't hesitate to wiggle your pinkie!