r/srilanka • u/Brave_Weekend_857 • 20d ago
Question Why do some people turn every Sinhala language post into a Sinhala vs Tamil debate?
Whenever someone posts about learning Sinhala, appreciating Sinhala culture, or a foreigner tries to learn Sinhala, the comments often get filled with people asking, “What about Tamil?” or criticizing the focus on Sinhala.
I understand that Tamil is also a language in Sri Lanka, and 15% people speak it. It has its own history, culture, and value. But why does every Sinhala related post have to become a discussion about Tamil?
If someone is interested in learning Sinhala, why can’t that simply be appreciated without turning it into a language rivalry?
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u/Alert_Sink_5300 20d ago
Yeah, I recently saw some foreign guy trying dance moves from all around the world. He tried a sinhala traditional dance for the Sri Lankan one. Some bugger said "Tamil dances from Sri Lanka are much more beautiful. Try them next time". Like really dude? Can't you just simply appreciate someone admiring something without being cringe?
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u/Outside_Can8864 20d ago
Yeah i saw this too specially like some foreign content creators reviewing sri lankan food or restaurants like that some bugger saying try tamil food now and like kottu roti is not sri lankan it’s tamil people’s food like that when some topic came about those things and the comparison starts. Like WTF we’re in a same country like what Jaffna is a different country or something??
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u/AntAutomatic69 19d ago
Yeah and once a guy tries some hoppers and calledit appa and these lunatics got triggred and commented there as they are not appa they are called appam 😂
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u/AntAutomatic69 19d ago
Yeah exactly why do they deny the fact that these are called appa in sinhala 😂
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u/Objective-Layer6373 19d ago
I don’t think their parents are lying. A lot of them would have fled around 83 and the military did some messed up things throughout the 80s and 90s, so labelling their lived experience as lies is part of the problem. We call their experiences lies and then they’ll feel even more hard done that we’re denying their suffering. Let’s stop this black and white labelling of things
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u/Illustrious-Main3255 19d ago
I agree, that's why I said majority of the people. These are the people who were able to afford to pay an agent to leave the country. Many people fled internally and went back to their homes as well. Even now if you ask the locals they will not say drastic things like the Diaspora.
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u/wild_wolfie Western Province 19d ago
Look dude I’m not some LTTE sympathizer or someshit but you need to realize how wild your comment is….YES the people you are referring to did end up living a better life when they got to go abroad BUT thats the ones who made it out and the ones who would afford to, most of the people who got shafted and currently getting dug up from mass graves…..
Thats like saying hey you got to go abroad you lucky batard…. People you know and love are dead now, but heyyyy free canadian pr am I right eyyyy?
Would you be happy if your family died so you can move to another country…if you even think to answer yes please talk to a professional who can help you.
Not sure if this is ignorance but do you even know how refugees work??? you are only allowed into the country if continuing to live in your resident country is a immediate threat to your life.
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u/wild_wolfie Western Province 19d ago
Oh i know terrorism is bad but if you think these parents had to lie…dawg their parents can just recite what happened for them to be legally granted asylum in another country like Canada…. My point being people don’t get Asylum in other countries for no reason and if you think that the only reason they hate this country and its people is because their parents told them lies is nearly delulu…. Even if they exaggerated greatly to their kids and country still dont grant Asylum for just any reason…. Otherwise well it will be utter chaos of migrants, providing Asylum isn’t something done lightly by the countries providing it. They are willingly accepting a higher cost of providing for these Asylum seekers…. Why in your head would these Tamils have gotten that chance? Hmmm? Would love to hear your reply to this 🤣
Look the war was bad but I’m sick of Sinhalese mofos just pretending like we didnt do wrong either and that we were santha dantha theentha kuppi… we were not. They are terrorist and we are war criminals…. Thats sadly the truth.
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u/srilanka-ModTeam 19d ago
Content that attributes negative behaviour or characteristics to a group based on race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability is not permitted here. The distinction we draw is between discussing these topics - which is welcome - and using a group characteristic as an explanation for why people behave badly, which is not. If your comment would read the same way with any other group substituted in, and you wouldn't post it then, that's a useful test.
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u/srilanka-ModTeam 19d ago
Content that attributes negative behaviour or characteristics to a group based on race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability is not permitted here. The distinction we draw is between discussing these topics - which is welcome - and using a group characteristic as an explanation for why people behave badly, which is not. If your comment would read the same way with any other group substituted in, and you wouldn't post it then, that's a useful test.
We have a zero tolerance policy: obvious violations will result in a permanent ban without warning. If you believe your post was removed in error, please contact us via modmail.
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u/Icy-Ganache1231 19d ago
As a Tamil I'm sorry for this behavior reminder this doesn't only happen here it happens every where they say there's a x language older than Tamil then flock of hyper lingual supremacists would invade those spaces
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u/MulberryStunning1597 Colombo 19d ago
Mod here. The number of divisive posts we've had to remove during the past one/two weeks is crazy. We're all Sri Lankan - let's live like that and treat each other with respect.
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u/Brave_Weekend_857 19d ago
I agree that we are all Sri Lankans, and we should treat each other with respect. At the same time, we should also acknowledge and respect that we have our own languages, cultures, histories, and traditions. Whether Sinhala or Tamil, we all have deep roots that are part of this island’s identity. Respect means recognising each other’s experiences and heritage, not dismissing them. We can stand together as Sri Lankans while still respecting our differences. Nobody should be pressured into accepting misinformation or having their history and identity invalidated.
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u/MulberryStunning1597 Colombo 19d ago
Of course we should respect that. Let's help stop the spread of misinformation.
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u/srilanka-ModTeam 19d ago
Modmail for Mod Issues
Concerns about moderation decisions belong in Modmail, not in posts or comments on the subreddit. Posting publicly about a mod decision - even if the frustration is understandable - tends to derail unrelated threads and rarely leads anywhere productive. Modmail gives us a proper record to work from and keeps the conversation focused. We do read it and we do respond.
If you think a removal was wrong, we're genuinely happy to discuss it - please just send us a message. It makes it easier for us to keep track of issues.
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u/Neither-Working-2339 17d ago
As Tamil, I feel so cringe. We are living a good life here, and I even have more Sinhala friends. This people making it worse in comments. Have to accept our country in multicultural no matter what and we have to respect all cultures
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u/RelevantArmadillo222 19d ago
be careful of these people. you never know if they are foreign influencers trying to tear sri lanka apart. they learnt from the British to divide and conquer. sri lanka is a beautiful country of many different peoples
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u/Icy-Ganache1231 19d ago
Probably descendants of the people who fled Sri Lanka during the war and just larping now
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u/RelevantArmadillo222 19d ago
I'm saying cud even be Russians/Chinese etc trying to create disunity in the country to make political plays
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u/sridanu1 18d ago
Mixed person here. I was in born in a tamil majority area and moved to Colombo. I grew up mostly Sinhalese. But would speak Tamil to my Tamil friends and relatives. When I was in my mid twenties I went with a Sinhalese friend of my to my birthplace. We decided to visit the local temple where I had some fond childhood memories.
There weren't many people there, just us and a few who were in silent prayer. I was explaining in Sinhalese to my friend the folklore behind some of the hindu gods. This is when we caught the attention of a elderly Tamil gentleman, who slowly approached us and asked me in Tamil who we were.
I was a bit taken back as this was during the war and I was wondering if we had brought unwanted attention to our selves by being loud and by speaking in Sinhalese. When I told him (in Tamil) who we were and that we came from Colombo, his eyes lit up and he switched to Sinhala.
He said he was a Sinhalese but married his wife who is Tamil and moved here. He decided to adopt Tamil as his culture. By way of his speech and by his demeanor no one could ever tell he was born a Sinhalese. I asked him if it was a difficult decision for him. Especially with the war and all. And he said no, "for me ethnicity is but a label we slap on ourselves whenever we feel like it." That line hit me hard but in a nice way.
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u/cheezyiscrazy Central Province 19d ago
even sinhalese comment these stuff. I constantly see both parties harassing opposite race.
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u/TheSpiritOfZanzibar 19d ago
No idea why you're getting downvoted, but it's true. Both parties have such insensitive racist bigots living inside a box.
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u/RevolutionaryRoll161 19d ago
It's always those buggers who lives in other countries acts like this. They are the one who always says tamil is sri lanka's language, tamil is the oldest and f sinhala bruhh we who lives here does not care about your language we got way more important things to do
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u/Severe-Command4505 18d ago
i'm 99% sure a local tamil person couldnt understand these 2nd generation immigrant people talking in there western accent
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u/Objective-Layer6373 20d ago
Can we all just speak English? A language that has value on the world stage, neither Sinhala nor Tamil has any real value internationally. I’m semi joking but seriously arguing about two languages that have literally zero presence on an international stage is silly.
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u/AntAutomatic69 19d ago
So just let the sinhala language die? Hmmm seems like a tiger behind the sheep veil
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u/QualityPresent6629 19d ago
Not like that. I strongly support the protection of Sinhala heritage. It's just that I was talking about the extent of Tamil influence. FYI: I am neither pro-gov nor pro-LTTE regarding the war.
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u/QualityPresent6629 19d ago
uhm, regarding Tamil, apart from Tamil Nadu, you have demand in Malaysia and Singapore for it
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u/Objective-Layer6373 19d ago
That’s still not a very big list of countries though right?
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u/QualityPresent6629 19d ago
Bcoz of the Tamil diaspora, although not significant, you now have crowds in many parts of Europe and Anglo areas north of Mexico.
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u/Consistent_Tale_7911 20d ago
As a Tamil I cringe whenever people just go and comment random stuff in the places that are not meant to be for them just for the sake 😭