Caring more about packaging than...

JAKARTA (JP): I look around and notice that these days people care more about the packaging rather than the content.

Just take a look at some ladies decked in their Armani suits, Gucci shoes and Prada handbags. They want to show that they are somebody. Most of the time, if you talk to them, they don't know much about what's going on around them, let alone talking about what is happening in this world. These are what we call "EGP -- Emang Gue Pikirin (do you think I care)" or "HIV -- Hemang Ike Vikirin" ladies.

I know a lady who wanted to register her son in a prestigious high school on the East Coast of America wearing all name-brand stuff to the interview. She did not realize, however, that people in the intellectual society of the East Coast do not care about the outside cover-up. It was what she could say about herself, her son, their accomplishments and their way of thinking that would ensure the acceptance of her son in the school. On top of that, wearing high-heel Gucci boots does not help in walking on icy sidewalks during winter time. When she was advised to take off those garbs, she paled and lost all her poise.

Look around and you might see a young man in his Hugo Boss suit, Testoni shoes, Versace tie and the ever present Ericsson handphone. He looks so suave continually talking on his handphone, even though he has somebody in front of him. Try to talk to him about the business that he is doing. Try to have a more in-depth conversation with him. More often than not you cannot pass the "Hi...Hello.." phase. A friend of mine calls this kind of person "keberatan jas", or "his suit weighs more than his brain".

Another man that I know has many cars. Sometimes his wife is confused about which key goes to which car. Once we went shopping together. When we got to her car, she could not open the door to her car. We were flustered. Apparently, she took the wrong key from her handbag. She told me that she would really like to have a simple life and teach her children about being moderate. She always books her flights on economy-class and takes the taxi from the airport to the hotel. But if her husband finds out, he changes the booking to first-class and makes sure a limousine is waiting for her at the airport. All of this is okay, I suppose, if her husband has enough money, but her husband is one of those bad credit borrowers. He needs all his children and grandchildren just to pay off his loans. We call this guy "Mr. Peacock", because he always wants to impress people around him at all cost.

A girl I know, who comes from a not-so-well-to-do family and did not finish high school, married a well-educated, high-paid executive. A few months after the wedding, she convinced her husband to buy her a Mercedes-Benz. One afternoon she asked one of her drivers to take her in the Mercedes to the house of the people who used to make fun of her for being poor.

This girl also spends a lot of money and a lot of time buying brand-name clothes and jewelry. She bought a Bulgari watch the other day. She told me that she likes it because it has the word "BULGARI" around the time piece, so that people can see that she is wearing an expensive watch. We call this kind of lady a "Madam."

If you notice, there is also trend of successful businessmen marrying or keeping brand-name women, namely famous and beautiful ones, and of course young fashion models. More often than not, these men throw away their first wives, like an outdated, unfashionable suit. We call these men "cowok merek" or "men who are crazy about brand-name products", and the girls "cewek matre" or "material girls".

These are examples around me which show that people care more about the packaging and the outside wrap. They don't really care whether a person has accomplished a lot in helping other people, whether a person has studied hard to be knowledgeable, or whether a person has a good heart.

I do not know whether these people are the product or the reflection of our society. What I do know is that their existence is noticeable and, to a certain extent, appreciated. Some even consider these people to be panutan or role models.

-- D.J.