Inul-mania has awakened us from slumber

Inul-mania has awakened us from slumber

Dangdut singer/dancer Inul (last name no longer necessary ala Elvis) has once again stolen the public's attention with a recent prolonged brouhaha over her controversial hip dance.

After the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama warned of her shake and dance, saying her body movements were a threat to society's morals, senior dangdut singer Rhoma Irama, also called "the King of Dangdut", criticized Inul, whose dance is renowned as the goyang ngebor or drilling dance.

Rhoma's statement, however, has angered the public and served only to propel Inul's reputation to an even higher level.

Rhoma's comment on Inul during a TV talkshow was a serious matter because he was not only threatening another person's professional career, but also trying to corner a person who looks powerless to me.

To be honest, before the arrival of Inul-mania, I ignored dangdut music. Even when Inul first showed up on television rocking the country with her drilling gyrations, I couldn't care less. Not until a colleague at work whispered to me, "Watch her hips! They'll blow you away!"

Well, I have to admit that her dance amazed me, but I've seen this kind of stuff a lot on MTV.

Inul's recent appearance on television, looking so sad and melancholy, however, changed how I feel about this issue.

With her innocent look, Inul said it was going to take her some time to get her courage back before she re-appeared on TV, after the dispute with the "King".

Though I normally couldn't care less about "this artist fights with another actor" stuff, this one is rare. I found it funny that some people considered Inul's drilling destructive and could damage the morality of the nation, particularly the dangdut lovers.

If this sensual drilling dance can really destroy our morality, how about those under-the-table moves made by some corruptors and politicians who claim themselves the people's voices and representatives?

Think again. These corruptors have a higher educational level than Inul and some of them have even been declared guilty by the courts of robbing the country's wealth. Meanwhile, Inul, who is just trying to make ends meet, is accused of threatening, even destroying, the nation's morality.

I prefer to treat the controversial dance as a sport, which is very beneficial to me: to lose the unwanted-bulky meat on my hips. Even one of my friends who happens to work as an artist once told me that Inul's drilling movement is an art and once you talk about art, the sky is the limit.

Oooh, I see. Since there's no limit, it means people are free to have their own descriptions about it. So, it is natural if some guys think dirty and play with their own imagination after watching Inul, but that doesn't mean they are immoral, right?

There are hundreds of examples that can be considered immoral and can desecrate existing norms in our society.

Speaking of norms, I personally believe that as homo sapiens, we are all blessed with a brain to think and to choose from the good and the bad. When these norms are breached, then something is not quite right.

As we all know, Indonesian people are getting smarter and eager to move forward. I reckon that if we keep positive thoughts in dealing with any kind of issue, particularly about Inul, then our social norms will remain intact.

One thing for is sure, I've learned something from this prolonged Inul-mania. With her sensational dance, maybe she wants to tell us something: that being humble and naive might make us look defenseless. Indeed, these two qualities have made her become the person of what she is today.

--Faye Belnis