Acrimonious debate

Mr Farid Baskoro seems to be prescient. It is as if he anticipated my own protest against acrimony and beat me to it, in June 12, 1995 issue of The Jakarta Post. Mr Baskoro is well known for his negative bias against certain orientations, particularly sporting ones. Despite that, he is always courteous and his letters well researched and presented in excellent English. In the replies to his letters one senses a faint condescension which would not be there were he to sign himself say, Fred Busker. As I say it is nothing overt, just a sort of rasa (taste), to use one of my few and favorite Indonesian words.

If those negative attitudes are only to be sensed and shrugged off, there is the outright acrimony referred to by Pak Farid, which I join him in deploring. Why this talk of people needing psychiatrists? Why these very petty accusations of racism against someone for using the words "small" and "brown?" It is one thing being incensed by blatantly provocative letters, such as those appearing a year or more ago. But why such acrimony over minor matters -- such unsporting remarks about sporting subjects.

Over the weekend I was at a party with a mixed bag of people; Americans, Canadians, Australians, British, South African, German and in my case, Indian. Writers of letters to The Jakarta Post will be interested to note that there was a consensus that the "letters" page was: "the best;" "my favorite;" "the most interesting." A couple of people said that they, too, would like to contribute but feared being ridiculed or sucked into an acrimonious exchange. Perhaps those of you who share this feeling would consider sending the Editor a blue pencil, if they are too fainthearted to write him a letter.

One peripheral point concerns Elizabeth Herman whom I bumped into at the party, after a lapse of several years. Regarding her own writing, people felt that she had been badly done by a recent "letters" column. Elizabeth is a former teacher of English, a drama Director, a costume designer, a color consultant and an entrepreneur; among other things. The general feeling was that the letter, containing a put down of her writing, was unfair and possibly the result of a conspiracy, and I was requested to respond. Why me? Well the others didn't want to get involved in an acrimonious debate!

PETER E.R. CROSS

Jakarta