Don't crucify people due to the size of their wallet

Krabbe K. Piting, Contributor, Jakarta

Those dirty rotten filthy stinking rich. Fat cats. Contrary to popular belief, it's not easy being rich. Everybody hates rich people.

Even religion has a say about it: Jesus said to his followers, "I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:23-24).

I also remember receiving a particular religious comic book from my tutor, where the two main characters were twins who got separated at birth. One lived with a poor family, the other with a wealthy family. Guess who ended up in heaven after a life of piety and was loved by all?

The message is clear: poor=good, rich=bad. Rich people are mean ogres who squash their poorer counterparts like insects for fun. That's why we love it when they misbehave and fall flat on their faces in full view of the rest of the (poorer) world.

It seems to be a universal theme. Thus the American fascination-cum-obsession with heiress Paris Hilton. We also secretly delight in their occasional misfortune, proving that sometimes money can't buy everything, after all. But if you live in Indonesia long enough, you'll see how this has been taken to another level.

It is known throughout the archipelago that in a traffic accident involving a car and a motorcycle, the car driver is always wrong. If it involves a motorcycle and a pedestrian, then the motorcycle rider is always wrong. The moral of the story, if you need it spelled out for you, is that the person who looks better off is always the guilty party.

When a bajaj (motorized pedicab) driver recklessly turns and scratches your car, or your driver runs through a red light while you are sleeping in the plush leather backseat, you will be considered an Alexis Carrington incarnate if you make them take responsibility for their actions.

This mentality, while seemingly trivial, helps contribute to a nationwide disease that will hinder progress. While it's true that some rich people acquire their riches through dubious ways, some work really hard to earn it.

Then again, a lot of poor people are poor not because of a bad hand God dealt them, but because they lack the will to earn more. Instead of learning how to fish, they would rather be handed fish for the rest of their lives. And they take it for granted that the more affluent will always be there to help them.

Since the monetary crisis hit the country, Indonesia is in perpetual recession, which means there are less jobs but that does not mean they cease to exist. I've heard countless stories of relatives or friends of friends who've been unemployed for the longest time, yet at the same time I've heard of job openings here and there.

They stay unemployed more because "the right job has not come along". The right job usually means less work but plenty of moolah. Obviously, even in booming times, this is hard to come by. I'm sorry but in my opinion, in pressing times where options are limited, one should just swallow one's pride and grab whatever's available. Even if it means having to shelve an accounting degree and drive a taxi.

Easier said than done? Sure it's hard, but better driving a taxi than going hungry for weeks. Instead of whining, start working. Unless, of course, you don't need that brand new stereo or clothes or paint for the house (darn those neighbors for saying our house look shabby!).

Constantly showering the poor with pity and letting them off the hook is sending the wrong message. There is nothing wrong with charity, of course. But blind charity is in fact robbing the poor of their dignity and eventually crippling them, lulling them into a false "comfort" zone.

On the other hand, I admit that the more prosperous can be condescending. Maybe some people don't need a car with a working A/C or indoor plumbing. As Tim Booth, lead singer of the brilliant band James, sung: "If I haven't seen these riches, I could live with being poor."