Between the rich and the poor

Between the rich and the poor

JAKARTA (JP): A young girl climbed the stairs to the main
entrance of Plaza Senayan, one of Jakarta's prestigious shopping
malls. She wore torn pants. They seemed to have been ripped
purposely. The shreds were on both knees and the front and back
part of both thighs.

A youngster standing on the pavement a few meters away turned
to his friend and said: "Distortion. The poor want to be rich and
the rich want to look poor".

His friend replied: "It has nothing to do with the rich and
the poor. It's only fashion."

I was very sure they knew well the girl seemed to come from a
well-to-do family, judging from her appearance and her car.

So what? What's wrong with that? Nothing.

But the words: "Distortion, the poor want to be rich and the
rich want to look poor" seriously impressed me. I do not want to
argue with them, but in our daily life we often come across
distortions and odd things. Our world has become one of
absurdity. Right has become wrong and wrong has become right.

How about the rich and the poor? Reality tells us that the
poor want to be rich. But how about the rich who want to look
poor? Isn't it crazy? No, not at all. There are some of us like
that. They are rich but they live in little houses, drive in
cheap or old used car and wear modest outfits in public.

This kind of person may have embraced the philosophy or
concept that modesty and a low profile are beautiful.

What's wrong with them? Nothing. Whether they lead a simple
life like that honestly and sincerely or as camouflage in order
to keep a low profile is not our business. So, do not be
surprised if you see a company director wear a shirt with a hole
in it to work. He is happy with that. Just as happy as the young
girl wearing the torn pants at Plaza Senayan.

Oddity is always around if we open our eyes to it. Let us put
up a question. Where in the world does one have to pay a large
amount of money just to get a job as a civil servant? Here, in
our beloved country. Basically, one has to go to work to get
paid, not the other way around. But here, this practice is
accepted. One has to work for years to get back the money paid to
get the job. Despite its oddity, it is widely accepted. There is
no point of disputing it.

Let us return to the issue of the rich and the poor. Being
poor is really unfortunate. Socially, the poor are always
marginalized. The poor would rather go to traditional markets
than plush malls like Plaza Senayan because they can not afford
the lavish products on display. They even feel discouraged to be
in the malls because they think they have to wear the right
clothes.

If they saw a girl like the one with the torn pants at Plaza
Senayan they might have a mixed reaction. First, they might
wonder why a girl with indecent pants was allowed to enter the
plaza. Second, they might feel they are represented by the young
girl.

But this is only hypothetical because it is not easy to find
poor people at such a luxurious plaza.

-- Sori Siregar