Acrimonious debate

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