Caring more about packaging than...<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): I look around and notice that these days people
\ncare more about the packaging rather than the content.<\/p>\n
Just take a look at some ladies decked in their Armani suits,
\nGucci shoes and Prada handbags. They want to show that they are
\nsomebody. Most of the time, if you talk to them, they don't know
\nmuch about what's going on around them, let alone talking about
\nwhat is happening in this world. These are what we call \"EGP --
\nEmang Gue Pikirin (do you think I care)\" or \"HIV -- Hemang Ike
\nVikirin\" ladies.<\/p>\n
I know a lady who wanted to register her son in a prestigious
\nhigh school on the East Coast of America wearing all name-brand
\nstuff to the interview. She did not realize, however, that people
\nin the intellectual society of the East Coast do not care about
\nthe outside cover-up. It was what she could say about herself,
\nher son, their accomplishments and their way of thinking that
\nwould ensure the acceptance of her son in the school. On top of
\nthat, wearing high-heel Gucci boots does not help in walking on
\nicy sidewalks during winter time. When she was advised to take
\noff those garbs, she paled and lost all her poise.<\/p>\n
Look around and you might see a young man in his Hugo Boss
\nsuit, Testoni shoes, Versace tie and the ever present Ericsson
\nhandphone. He looks so suave continually talking on his
\nhandphone, even though he has somebody in front of him. Try to
\ntalk to him about the business that he is doing. Try to have a
\nmore in-depth conversation with him. More often than not you
\ncannot pass the \"Hi...Hello..\" phase. A friend of mine calls this
\nkind of person \"keberatan jas\", or \"his suit weighs more than his
\nbrain\".<\/p>\n
Another man that I know has many cars. Sometimes his wife is
\nconfused about which key goes to which car. Once we went shopping
\ntogether. When we got to her car, she could not open the door to
\nher car. We were flustered. Apparently, she took the wrong key
\nfrom her handbag. She told me that she would really like to have
\na simple life and teach her children about being moderate. She
\nalways books her flights on economy-class and takes the taxi from
\nthe airport to the hotel. But if her husband finds out, he
\nchanges the booking to first-class and makes sure a limousine is
\nwaiting for her at the airport. All of this is okay, I suppose,
\nif her husband has enough money, but her husband is one of those
\nbad credit borrowers. He needs all his children and grandchildren
\njust to pay off his loans. We call this guy \"Mr. Peacock\",
\nbecause he always wants to impress people around him at all cost.<\/p>\n
A girl I know, who comes from a not-so-well-to-do family and
\ndid not finish high school, married a well-educated, high-paid
\nexecutive. A few months after the wedding, she convinced her
\nhusband to buy her a Mercedes-Benz. One afternoon she asked one
\nof her drivers to take her in the Mercedes to the house of the
\npeople who used to make fun of her for being poor.<\/p>\n
This girl also spends a lot of money and a lot of time buying
\nbrand-name clothes and jewelry. She bought a Bulgari watch the
\nother day. She told me that she likes it because it has the word
\n\"BULGARI\" around the time piece, so that people can see that she
\nis wearing an expensive watch. We call this kind of lady a
\n\"Madam.\"<\/p>\n
If you notice, there is also trend of successful businessmen
\nmarrying or keeping brand-name women, namely famous and beautiful
\nones, and of course young fashion models. More often than not,
\nthese men throw away their first wives, like an outdated,
\nunfashionable suit. We call these men \"cowok merek\" or \"men who
\nare crazy about brand-name products\", and the girls \"cewek matre\"
\nor \"material girls\".<\/p>\n
These are examples around me which show that people care more
\nabout the packaging and the outside wrap. They don't really care
\nwhether a person has accomplished a lot in helping other people,
\nwhether a person has studied hard to be knowledgeable, or whether
\na person has a good heart.<\/p>\n
I do not know whether these people are the product or the
\nreflection of our society. What I do know is that their existence
\nis noticeable and, to a certain extent, appreciated. Some even
\nconsider these people to be panutan or role models.<\/p>\n
-- D.J.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/caring-more-about-packaging-than-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }