On Western bias<\/p>\n
I am writing in response to Mr. Baskoro's letter regarding
\nWestern press and colonialism in the May 10, 1996 edition of The
\nJakarta Post. There is no doubt that in retrospect colonialism
\nwas morally and ethically wrong. However, colonialism was not a
\nconcept created exclusively by the West, nor did it occur
\novernight. It is something that happened over many centuries. The
\nEgyptians, Babylonians and Persians had ancient empires. Indeed,
\nthe Phoenicians colonized some parts of the Mediterranean as
\nearly as 1100 BC. The Romans colonized Europe, as well as some
\nparts of the Middle East. The Vikings colonized parts of Britain
\nin the ninth and 10th centuries. Territorial gain is
\nunfortunately something that seems to be inherent to human
\nnature. Even in modern times there has been tribal warfare caused
\nby territorial disputes.<\/p>\n
Regarding Western media, I would think that the report printed
\nhere regarding the sad tragedy of the ferry in Aceh was
\noriginally intended for Western papers. I too read the Western
\nreport and was surprised that all the Westerners were named but
\nnone of the Indonesians. On reflection, I came to the conclusion
\nthat if the original report had been intended for the West, it
\nwould be likely that some of the Western readers would know the
\nWestern survivors and therefore the names would be news to them.
\nThe press would write for their market. The report was written by
\none reporter and does not necessarily reflect the views of every
\nindividual in the West.<\/p>\n
Regarding the statement and allegation of \"racial self-
\nimportance,\" this is very sweeping. There are many people of
\nAsian and African descent who reside in the West, and there are
\nmany individuals of different ethnic backgrounds who live
\nharmoniously together. The West does not comprise one race. So
\nwho is Mr. Baskoro referring to? How does Mr. Baskoro know that
\nthe author of that report was of Asian origin? Comments like
\n\"racial self-importance\" serve no purpose other than to incite
\nhatred among the peoples of the world. The world belongs to all,
\nand is comprised of individuals. Generalizing and categorizing by
\nracial units is dangerous and artificial.<\/p>\n
ANNE-MARIE TAPP<\/p>\n
Cilegon, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-western-bias-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }