First impressions can be wrong<\/p>\n
By Marianus Kleden<\/p>\n
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): Weeks have passed, but
\nactress Sophia Latjuba and her counterparts are still celebrating
\ntheir success in attracting the attention of Peeping Toms and in
\ndistracting politicians' concentration by their exhibitionistic
\nposes in the Popular magazine and other similar publications.<\/p>\n
Until very recently, discussions and talk-shows concerning the
\nmatter dominated prime time television and tabloid headlines. Why
\ndo people become so anxious about one person's nudity, while at
\nthe same time enjoy similar nudity exhibited by blond beauties
\nalong Kuta beach?<\/p>\n
A student participating in one of the talk-shows even
\nquestioned who was more naked, the soldiers who had killed
\nhundreds of Acehnese or the artists.<\/p>\n
This apprehension reminds us of past Indonesian bureaucrats'
\nuneasiness relating to Dewi Sukarno's Syuga, a book containing
\nher artistic half-naked pictures.<\/p>\n
To our astonishment, confidential talks with sex counselors
\nand taxi drivers unveil that it is these bureaucrats that have
\nthe greatest access to any type of sexual gratification. Why such
\nhypocrisy?<\/p>\n
Three hypotheses can be proposed to explain this attitude.
\nFirst, diplomatic prejudice or efforts to expose an esthetically
\nand ethically pleasing semblance of a community. Second,
\nauthoritarian ethics or ethics based upon irrational authority,
\nand third, the intention to construct a political test case.<\/p>\n
Contrast a Western host proudly giving his guest a house tour
\nwith an Indonesian hostess warmly receiving her visitor in her
\nbeautifully decorated living room. While it is not clear yet
\nwhether the bathroom or the kitchen have the same tidiness, the
\nfacade should be garnished as well as possible.<\/p>\n
It is expected that first impressions may reflect the whole
\nimage. It is thus quite understandable that a good part of the
\nnational budget is allocated to design an eye-catching landscape
\nat Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, while slums in the
\ncenter of the capital are often neglected.<\/p>\n
Robert Chambers (1983) calls this attitude \"diplomatic
\nprejudice\". His research in many developing countries revealed
\nthat people are always anxious about their social appearance and
\ntry hard to hide bad aspects of social reality.<\/p>\n
Just give a test on literacy and in no time your respective
\nrespondent will be surrounded by a throng of uninvited men and
\nwomen jostling and whispering in the local language now and then
\nso that the respondent can give correct answers.<\/p>\n
Or ask the owner of the house where the bathroom is and while
\nhe is shyly and clumsily making it plain that the house does not
\nhave one, his neighbor intervenes by saying that the house did
\nhave a bathroom but it crumbled because of an earthquake.<\/p>\n
Back to our example, since Sophia Latjuba is a public figure
\npeople are afraid that she may portray an inaccurate
\nrepresentation of our nation. Even if the portrayal is true in
\nsome respects, efforts are still exerted to conceal it.<\/p>\n
This also explains why Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander
\nGen. Wiranto or Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas
\nstrenuously defend policies in Aceh and East Timor. They say the
\nareas are not killing fields, but places where the armed forces
\ntry to secure peace and order.<\/p>\n
Instead of expressing gratitude to journalists for their
\nuseful information, Ali Alatas has been accusing them of
\noverestimating what he believes are trivial matters. The fact
\nthat corruption cases involving top executives are often quelled
\nrather than investigated can also be seen from this perspective.<\/p>\n
The above mentioned behavior can also be explained by
\nreferring to Eric Fromm's theory of authoritarian ethics. There
\nare two types of authority, namely rational authority which finds
\nits source in competence, and irrational authority which is based
\non power over people.<\/p>\n
In rational authority, a person performs the task entrusted to
\nhim competently, and by so doing gains praise and acknowledgment
\nfrom those who conferred the authority on him. He does not need
\nto intimidate nor seek admiration through manipulative tricks.<\/p>\n
This authority not only permits but requires constant
\ncriticism and scrutiny of those subjected to it. One who has it
\nis aware that it is temporary and the acceptance of his or her
\nsubjects prevails as long as the performance is good.<\/p>\n
Irrational authority, on the other hand, relies on power over
\npeople, be it mental or physical, realistic or relative.<\/p>\n
Mentally, power over people is operated through, for instance,
\nindoctrination of ideologies comprising norms and values, often
\npersonified, that compel obedience from citizens.<\/p>\n
If the way of thinking has been constructed according to a
\ncertain ideology, we call it realistic mental irrational
\nauthority. But if there is still a certain degree of independence
\nin judging something, but without an ability to execute it for
\nfear of terror, it is called relative mental irrational
\nauthority.<\/p>\n
Physically, irrational authority is commonly practiced through
\nmilitary oppression. Security measures in Aceh and East Timor may
\nbe the best examples to illustrate this type of authority. There
\nhas been little freedom in these provinces, both realistic and
\nrelative.<\/p>\n
In this article what is meant by authoritarian ethics is
\nlimited to irrational authority. Irrational authority yields an
\nunequal relationship between the authority and the subjects and
\nas such denies human capacity to distinguish good from bad. All
\ncriteria for judgment are derived from those in power and the
\nmost important one is obedience -- for the ultimate purpose of
\nsatisfying the interests of those in power.<\/p>\n
This ethics is now challenged. Posing half-naked in tabloids
\nand magazines can be viewed as an expression of boredom, of being
\ndictated to all the time. Artists and the media involved in such
\npublications provide an antithesis to the long beguiling ethics.
\nIn supposedly their own words: \"We are portraying artistic
\npictures, not from your perspective but from our point of view.
\nWe don't care whether you call it pornography or anything else.\"<\/p>\n
It is also necessary to note that the ostentatious appearance
\nof the leggy belles took place just months before the emergence
\nof a hopefully rational authority. To the incumbent, it is a
\ncynical exercise, but to prospective leaders this could be a
\ntricky test case. A moral reaction might confront the same sneer;
\nconversely, being silent could imply cowardice or a feudalistic
\nsimple-mindedness. But who knows, silence can be a withheld
\nwisdom.<\/p>\n
The writer is a social science lecturer at Widya Mandira
\nCatholic University in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>",
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