A surprise for all, the Stump has an anonymous guest blogger. Although in the fine (or not so) traditions of the Greenstump perhaps we should say a guest “Ranter”.
All the Stump is at liberty to say is “The Ranter” is fair dinkum, ridgy-didge, true blue Indonesian. Annoyed at those who continually criticise Indonesia (that would be the Stump) but more importantly, the ranter is positively livid at those Indonesians who have the education, money and skills to change Indonesia for the better, but who decide to travel overseas and come back with nothing but negatives about their home country.
So it is with great pleasure the Stump introduces “THE RANTER”
Being an (not so) Indonesian
This is when I normally came up when feeling rather troubled and down.
Getting really pissed over people who can’t seem to appreciate where they came from. And usually, yes people, usually these sort of comments (assume this refers to the heading above that what used on another blog someplace..stump) come from those who had lived not really far from Indonesia, not long enough to feel how they suffer without the sun showering their days the way it is in Indonesia.
Brag. First, they’ll brag about how organized it is in other countries. People queue, people line of for tube tickets, people line up for vending machines. Then they’ll continue bragging on how blue the sky is on the other side of the world, compare to the polluted Indonesia (mind how they mix Indonesia with Jakarta!!). Not enough? Then, they’ll brag about how good the manners of people abroad compare to the smileful Indonesians. Hmmph. I hope you do spot some anomaly in my last sentence.
Unless you have traveled to all thirteen thousands something islands in Indonesia, do not say that our country is worse than a piece of small island formed off a country in Europe.
Unless you have seen and touched paddy fields in your life, do not say that the air in Indonesia is polluted and people are building malls everywhere.
Unless you have slept on some part of sandy beaches in Western part of Indonesia, do not say that our beaches are abandoned.
You can’t say that Jakarta represents Indonesia in general. Surely if you only see Jakarta (and all other big cities) you might want to have that impression. But have you thought of going to another side of the Indonesia’s world? Try going down under the water, snorkel, dive, then you’d forget about all of the malls in Indonesia, for that matters. Try climbing the mountains or even a small hill, then you’ll forget about how bad the traffic is everywhere in Jakarta.
I just simply don’t understand why people with so little knowledge decided to generalize everything about something they don’t even know.
It is like one blind person trying to explain how an elephant looks like while holding only its ear.
Sad. Well, pathetic to be exact.
Stump..All in all not a bad rant..although lacks the personal touch...Someone has set the Ranter off and we shall endeavour to track down the cause of such venom and let the blog war begin.. Meanwhile the Stump is off to find an Elephants Ear.
13 comments:
What? You couldn't find enough to rant about and had to get someone in to do it for you?
And you allow an Indonesian to criticise folk who confuse Jakarta with Indonesia?
Shame on you.
Where's the anti-Obama rant you promised us?
Anyway, do tell your 'guest' that at least 3 Jakarta based bloggers have posted stuff about Pelabuhan Ratu. That at least two of us have posted pictures of finless sharks at the fish market is, maybe, off topic.
But do please tell your so-called friend that I've probably been to more islands than he's had hot dinners.
I bet he hasn't "traveled to all thirteen thousands something islands in Indonesia". (Either.)
Harrumph.
Dear Greenstump,
I originally wanted to comment on this mysterious ranter of yours, but decided to make it into a lengthy blog entry of my own you can find here
Best Regards,
your number one fan.
Ooooo yeah, indo is a beyoowdifull country!
Go snorkelling, and see the brilliance of the sea creatures and all, not ALL the beaches are polluted, you know?
Well, at least until some big motherfucking company decides to build a hotel and bar on top of it and commercialise the whole place - because the government let them.
Go to the forests, and witness the 100th old trees and all the creatures living in their own habitat.
Until some company - because the government let it - starts to cut them trees down, kill the creatures by overtaking their habitats and sell the logs overseas worth five times of their original prices - because the government says it's ok (for a price).
Going snorkelling, or mountain-hiking, or sightseeing isn't going to solve all the corruption, the sex scandal, the malnutritioned children, the soaring prices of oil and gas and even basic stuff like rice and meat.
Sure, Indonesia is beautiful. But what are the people going to do to preserve it?
Jak...I am surpised at you.. "I allow" ??? I thought we both we master defenders of free speech no matter how left wing and off green yours may be..grin..
I never promised an anti OB rant, how could I compete with the OB love-in psot you did..oh such heart ache awaits..
Rima..thanks and the Stumps, squats mortified that our little love triangle is now out for the world to see.. sorry about your other comment but I am not sure the government is ready for such radical reform..nor have the physical capablity to perform such acts.
Therry funnily enough I think that was the position of the Ranter as well but it's not easy fitting it all into one rant..
I glad where I came from - the bathroom. And I'm glad there wasn't a line.
Hey, O.
Get off your stump and re-read what I wrote. I didn't say I was in favour of Obarmy. I said I was against McCain.
I won't vote for Obama either, but that's because I'm a true Brit.
J,
You didn't? Bugger me I had it down as a mid life infatuation..oh well.. Life has never been the same since "have a drink or ten" Ken got his marching orders hey..
Nice rant!
Generalizations and stereotyping are everywhere, including the rant. However, my take is that even though there is a lot of negative written about Indonesia there are also many positives.
There are always exceptions to the rule, but I think most anyone you ask would agree that Indonesia has vast and abundant natural beauty.
It is much more than just touching a paddy field, climbing a hill, doing some diving or snorkeling, and visiting some of Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands. It is about accpeting the great diversity of Indonesia and what it has to offer.
The idea that queue-jumping and bad manners defines the Indonesian experience is ludicrous at best and more than anything it highlights a want for serious argument on generalizations.
Queue-jumping is not something that is uniquely Indonesian. Does it happen in small towns and villages in Indonesia, yes. Personal experience in a small village is a case on point and the line was only three people in length. Does queue-jumping happen in other places, without a doubt.
On the manners front, once again, Indonesia also does not have a monopoly on bad manners. I have been to many far-flung lands of this planet we all earth and been exposed to many people with bad manners.
To generalize, on the whole Indonesians are some of the most polite people I have ever had the good fortune to encounter. Unfortunately, this post does not afford me the opportunity to name them one by one.
I like someone who can take a stand but the pathetic here might not be the generalizations of people who the ranter seems to think all see Indonesia as just a poor extension of Jakarta but rather the ranter themselves who portrays a degree of bitterness that belies the opportunity that the Stump gave them to promote those things that are apparently so good about Indonesia.
Focusing on the solutions to a problem rather than ranting about the problem may open a few eyes that Indonesia has so much more to offer than pollution, queue-jumpers, and ill-mannered individuals, but then again I am just a sad, old, blinkered bule, what would I know :D
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the reply, to be fair to the Ranter here. I think (and I could be wrong) the Rant is directed at another poster someplace and the Stump happened to be a good place to tack a reponse (pun intended). So whilst generalisations are there, I think in this case there was a particular target in mind. Never the less, the Stump took the view, that any interest and social commentary in Indonesia can only be a good thing in Indonesia and the Stump is more than happy to wear a few darts to foster some robust debate.
Funny thing is living in Indonesia, oops sorry Jakarta has made me appreciate where I have come from. Agghhh the irony.
Dear the ranter: I think I know what you mean. It’s one thing to give constructive criticism or even take a humorous poke at how screwed up we are.
But when one starts ranting on Jakarta’s lack of fresh air/blue sky and its general disorder, and goes on comparing it to the wonderful “host” country, then it could be off putting and insensitive to the plight of fellow Jakartans.
Comparing how things are “so bad” in an overpopulated megapolitan with 10 million people in a developing country to another place in a “developed” world with a population of say less than 500 thousand where the shops closes at 5.30, is like seriously comparing my husband's fitness level (lack thereof) to that of a professional footballer. Chances are he'll be more pissed than motivated.
@katadia: all your points are valid, but if we keep on coming up with excuses to 'cover up' the lousy things in indo/jakarta, chances are, we'd be perceived as not caring about our country. Plus, the government should be able to come up with a solution,isnt that what they're paid for? I, for one, do not want to have a government full of overpaid morons who does nothing. we should have been able to better the condition of our country since sometime ago, if it weren't for these morons (and by these morons I mean the object of my criticisms and rants, as opposed to the ranter who chooses to see things through rose-colored glass)
@Rob:
"To generalize, on the whole Indonesians are some of the most polite people I have ever had the good fortune to encounter. Unfortunately, this post does not afford me the opportunity to name them one by one."
This is because you look foreign (Caucasian), and average Indonesians are very polite to foreigners, but not so to their own people. Perhaps its the mindset that foreigners who come to Indonesia bring a lot of money for them.
I was one a flight back to Indonesia with Garuda and the there was a female flight attendant who were serving beer for a Caucasian man sitting not far from me. When she opened the can, it fell on the floor and the content splattered everywhere, including to my clothes and hair and everything.
The flight attendant started apologizing profusely to the Caucasian man, but when she walked past me, she saw that I had beer all over my face and hair and what did she do?
Nothing. No apologies, no napkins being offered to me to wipe the sodding beer off my face.
So there you go :P
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