Real men don't...

Real men don't...

I was astonished by Sawrey-Cookson's letter (March 23, 1995),
which manifests a lack of respect towards the country which hosts
us.

It's inadmissible that Sawrey-Cookson, because of his
"impelling needs" for information about rugby, passes
disrespectful judgment on Indonesian people.

Sawrey-Cookson's demands are preposterous and, according to
him, Indonesia should be in his service. His assertion that
Indonesians cannot be considered "real men" is absurd. Moreover,
they have been considered of lower level in comparison with
neighboring Asian countries.

How can Sawrey-Cookson judge Indonesians as "physically not
powerful?" Why does he insist on saying that Indonesians do not
excel in soccer? (With all respect for the source, let me ask him
"Why beholdest though the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?").

I'm of the opinion that rugby has at least two irrefutable and
positive aspects:

1. To keep 30 bullies away from the center of town for a
couple of hours.

2. To give a colored man the opportunity to pursue and hit a
white one (especially in America, the UK and South Africa), while
millions of spectators cheer him on.

Badminton, on the other hand, is a combination of many
psychological qualities. Such as: athletic strength, reflexes,
quickness and, above all, intelligence. This is why English
people excel in rugby and Indonesians in badminton.

PIERO RONCI

Jakarta