Visual education to fight seduction<\/p>\n
By Rashid Carre<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Mounting serious concerns are expressed in non-
\nWestern countries on the fast growing importance in their
\nsocieties of the U.S. dominated communication and entertainment
\nculture.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto, along with Indonesian intellectuals,
\nexpressed recently his concerns about the eroding of Indonesian
\nculture in a country where satellite TV has mushroomed. Jakarta
\nproudly displays its Mc Donalds, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood
\nand movie-theaters showing American productions predominantly of
\nthe most violent kind, and hosts, amongst others, Nike and
\nBarbie-Doll factories.<\/p>\n
Singapore's senior statesman Lee Kuan Yew highlighted two
\ndifferent aspects of Western and Southeast Asian Democracies: one
\nobsessed with freedom of expression and information at any cost
\nand the other obsessed with information control to maintain
\nstability, considered as a prerequisite to development in plural
\nsocieties. Lee Kuan Yew also lashed out recently at the American
\n"unbelievable assumption of cultural supremacy" expressed in
\ntheir press.<\/p>\n
Shimon Peres, in a recent interview said that Israel is now
\nfacing a real danger which is the steamrolling impact of what he
\nlabels "the Hollywood culture" which jeopardizes the unique
\nachievement of the Israeli society: a Hebrew speaking nation of
\nfive million, with all the history and culture attached to it. He
\nwas therefore advocating a massive increase in the translation of
\nbooks into Hebrew in order, at least, to maintain an elite,
\nferment of any society. Shimon Peres's recommendation echoed that
\nof Neil Postman in his classic Amusing Ourselves to Death: the
\ncounterweight to the devastating hypnotic entertainment effect of
\nTV should be a desperate attempt on the part of educators to
\nstrengthen literacy.<\/p>\n
However an anecdote might indicate that the main solution is
\nnot there. I was recently sketching some of the magnificent trees
\nof the Singapore botanical garden; this attracted now and then
\nschool children on holidays. I ended up talking at some length
\nwith a twelve year old boy, who had traveled to Europe with his
\nparents. He told me that reading was his favorite activity. How
\nmany books a week? -- An average of five. What kind of books? --
\nBooks from the movies, like The Firm...<\/p>\n
The French publicist and image maker of former President
\nMitterrand, Se'gue'la, analyzed in an article on Mitterrand's use
\nof TV the shift from the era of public opinion to the present era
\nof public emotion -- which he was instrumental in spreading,
\nalong with the Madison Avenue experts and other Carvilles.
\nEmotional impact, the 'cool' factor of the youngsters, is at the
\ncenter of this U.S. dominated sub-culture, and I believe this is
\nwhere educators have to concentrate their attention towards the
\nnew generations born in an environment of computers and
\ncommunication.<\/p>\n
One might first ask why this sub-culture is so powerful as to
\nbe a world-wide phenomenon. Paraphrasing Mc Luhan, one might say:
\n"communication is seduction." The psychological sources and
\ntechniques at work in this seduction industry have been profusely
\nidentified by semioticians and analysts of 'motivation research',
\nas well as the reasons for their predominance: enormous
\ninvestments in research and production, adequation of the means
\nto the goals by extremely efficient professionals. Be it
\nadvertising, videoclips, TV series, MTV, action movies and
\nVirtual Reality, the instantaneous emotional impact is enormous
\nbecause their hypnotic power short-circuits reflection and sets a
\nreality of its own that fills the inner space: 'seeing is
\nbelieving.'<\/p>\n
Why does the Marlboro man that greets us at the Jakarta
\nairport shows up everywhere on highways, city walls, magazines
\nand TV screens the world over? Why Rambo, Madonna, Cindy
\nCrawford, the K.C. couple and the GUESS girls? Because they are
\nmanufactured by experts in visual seduction playing on universal
\n'basic instincts': greed and violence, lust and looks, voyeurism
\nand exhibitionism, and on the icon of the Western carefree,
\nliberated and individualistic image of the affluent liberal
\ncapitalism. This highly commercial sub-culture of 'basic
\ninstincts', largely targeted towards teenagers, comes to us,
\nomnipresent, repetitive; it is absorbed effortlessly, instantly,
\nphysically and emotionally.<\/p>\n
Observers of Southeast Asian societies within the past fifteen
\nyears could not fail to notice the parallel between their fast
\neconomic growth and the galloping spreading of the "Hollywood
\nculture", particularly amongst the young generations of the
\nincreasingly affluent middle classes.<\/p>\n
This poses a real challenge: is it possible for Southeast
\nAsian countries to maintain their fast growth, based on market
\neconomy, deregulation and massive foreign investment, without
\nimporting the sub-culture of fun, looks, sex, violence and power?
\nIt is well proven that strict regulations, control and censorship
\nend up in making more attractive what one wants to prevent.<\/p>\n
Signs of reactions against this acculturation are evident in
\nthe younger generations of artists, writers, dramatists,
\nparticularly in Indonesia. Some of their works might be perceived
\nas premonitions of considerable future social disturbances of a
\ncultural, religious and political nature, when upcoming
\ngenerations will question their identity.<\/p>\n
I believe that educators could play a decisive role in
\navoiding, or at least limiting, these foreseeable upheavals by
\ndeveloping a pedagogy of "visual criticism" as a fundamental
\ncomponent of education, an indispensable complement to technology
\noriented programs. Education against seduction.<\/p>\n
In the past four years I have led a number of lectures and
\ninteractive presentations to school students and teachers,
\nputting this approach into practice: from a systematic decoding
\nof images, identify their components and what they imply, which
\nleads to questioning how they affect values and self-image. It is
\nmy experience that youngsters are very responsive to a critical
\nvisual approach; it fascinates them because all youngsters
\nquestion their identity, trying to build up a personality and
\nself-image. Decoding images, still or moving, not only breaks the
\nhypnotic spell of commercial seduction, but in so doing raises
\nissues that concern them deeply.<\/p>\n
In another approach I involved students of all ages and
\nnationalities and teachers in establishing connections between
\nthe Javanese shadow puppet (Wayang Kulit), Plato's allegory of
\nthe cave, the King Arthur cycles and Carl Jung's psychology.
\nSimilar approaches can certainly be developed within the specific
\ncontext of Southeast Asia or more specifically Indonesia. From a
\nRambo movie to Bima play, an exciting path can be traveled with
\nstudents, towards the development of a personal identity and
\ncultural values.<\/p>\n
A clear trend develops in Southeast Asia education towards
\ndeveloping student's autonomy and critical approaches. A pedagogy
\nof visual awareness is essential to the shaping of a genuine
\ncultural and personal identity, in reaction to the seduction of
\nthe 'basic instincts' global sub-culture. Educators might then
\ncontribute a 'miracle' of their own: the growth of a genuine
\nmodern culture along with the economic miracle.<\/p>\n
Rashid Carre teaches Art at the Jakarta International School.
\nHe has lived in Indonesia for the past 26 years and was recently
\nawarded the first place in the International School Services
\nInnovative Educational Practices Contest.<\/p>",
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