People to people (1)<\/p>\n
Be polite or impolite? I am referring to the correspondence in
\nthe letters column of The Jakarta Post on Oct. 30, 1996 and Nov.
\n2, 1996.<\/p>\n
I am of the opinion that it is not in good taste to suggest
\nbeing impolite to Indonesians. Being guests of this country,
\nforeigners should do well not to adopt a negative attitude. By
\nbeing impolite, we only end up making the situation more
\ndifficult. I strongly believe the cure is worse than the disease.<\/p>\n
Whenever someone in Indonesia calls you \"mister,\" most of the
\ntime it simply means \"sir\". When traders say \"mister,\" they are
\njust inviting you to look at their wares. If a telephone operator
\nmentions \"Mr,\" this again is not being said in a derogatory
\nmanner.<\/p>\n
There are times in public places when you may encounter some
\nyouth calling \"hello mister\". It could be that he only wants to
\nbe friendly with you or would like to show off his newfound
\nEnglish knowledge to his friends.<\/p>\n
One need not be a Roman in Rome, but at least one can try to
\nbe a human being anywhere. It is difficult to be like Mahatma
\nGandhi, who advocated showing the other cheek when someone slaps
\nyou in the face.<\/p>\n
By the tone of someone's \"hello mister,\" we may reasonably
\njudge whether it is a simple greeting or a sarcastic delivery.
\nMostly, one should be able to return the \"hello\" jovially or, if
\nthe situation really demands, we may even ignore the greeting and
\nmove on. Seldom a foreigner is pursued vigorously and
\nirritatingly.<\/p>\n
By and large, I reckon Indonesians are still friendly and show
\ntolerance toward expatriates. Although, of late, the rat race for
\nsurvival in this highly competitive environment might have
\nreduced their innate natural qualities. yt is a price a
\ndeveloping country has to pay for globalization.<\/p>\n
Aren't we wrong in assuming unfriendly connotations behind
\nsmiling people? Why should we consider that a smile will always
\nbe followed by snide remarks? Courtesy is a two-way street. Once
\nin a while, at least, why don't we start smiling and show a
\ncheerful disposition toward these countrymen?<\/p>\n
\"I like you. You make me happy. I am happy to see you\" --
\nthese are all messages a sincere smile conveys. According to a
\nscholar: \"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.\"<\/p>\n
Lastly, I would agree that people express their opinions from
\ntheir personal experiences and perspectives. But still, basic
\nhuman nature, which is essentially good, cannot be far too
\ndifferent anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n
D. CHANDRAMOULI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-to-people-1-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }