Having arrived home the rest of this blog, which I do hope to continue by way of diary, will continue with some ex post writing.
One question: The notion of tolerance doesn't very well treat its own limits. In many of my talks on this trip I tried to get people to not think so much of what they would tolerate but what they would not tolerate.
My friend Arifin suggested that a Democracy comes with certain responsibilities -- and not be critical of religion was one of them. My own feeling is that criticism is a matter of respect -- you always criticize things you respect; you call them to something better and point out their flaws because you expect something better.
Limiting that criticism ahead of time simply prevents effective criticism.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
History Presentation at my Friend Vipti's school
We watched a presentation, in English, on US history at Vipti's school.
It was classic Indonesian powerpoint with a lot of color, background, and jumping letters. It took five minutes to load.
It was really good! The students in the class probably knew more about US history that US students! They covered the Revolution to the Civil War in 20 minutes. It was very impressive.
There were some funny interpretations
George Washington was "America's big commander"
Slavery was "taper bondage"
Carpetbaggers were an "ethnic group"
but the best was the discussion of anti-tax sentiments and the tea party -- with the text imposed over a background picture of Che Guevera (noted anti tax activist)
It was classic Indonesian powerpoint with a lot of color, background, and jumping letters. It took five minutes to load.
It was really good! The students in the class probably knew more about US history that US students! They covered the Revolution to the Civil War in 20 minutes. It was very impressive.
There were some funny interpretations
George Washington was "America's big commander"
Slavery was "taper bondage"
Carpetbaggers were an "ethnic group"
but the best was the discussion of anti-tax sentiments and the tea party -- with the text imposed over a background picture of Che Guevera (noted anti tax activist)
Rus' School
My friend Rus (short for Rustiadi) is a teacher, administrator, and guidance counsellor at an Islamic boarding school. He fasts every other day and is a very devout Muslim. In the US "devout" does not always carry with it the image of funny, energetic, open, and generous -- one thinks of a serious mind focused on the after life -- but Rus is all of these things. If he can't make you feel good about the world no one can. We got a lot of questions about the Swiss vote on Minaret constructions (for which we were unqualified to answer); sex education; relations between the sexes (i.e. do people sleep together before marriage) and divorce.
The students, in single gender classes, were incredibly lively. Rus had them play a game where he would pose a question (it was a religion class and it was about the ritual washing before prayer (Wudu). Teams of students raced to answer the question and hand it in and he awarded points for the answers.
I was asked to collect on the second question and did so (I can stand and receive paper with the best of them) but I failed keep them in order of receipt -- I missed that part -- thereby screwing up the game. A deep cultural misunderstanding!
During question period -- there is always a question period -- students kept asking if I wanted to sit down. I am old in Indonesia and people just assume I'm frail -- it gets annoying (how are you? are you hot? Please sit down? Oh, that is so far.) and makes me want just pick up heavy loads and carry them around for no good reason.
At the end everyone did a kind of "clap clap clap YEAH" and, of course, I put this into my "indonesian culture is community oriented" box. Thought about writing about "indonesian group cheers" in my blog -- and the Rus told me he learned it at a Cincinnati Reds game last summer.
The students, in single gender classes, were incredibly lively. Rus had them play a game where he would pose a question (it was a religion class and it was about the ritual washing before prayer (Wudu). Teams of students raced to answer the question and hand it in and he awarded points for the answers.
I was asked to collect on the second question and did so (I can stand and receive paper with the best of them) but I failed keep them in order of receipt -- I missed that part -- thereby screwing up the game. A deep cultural misunderstanding!
During question period -- there is always a question period -- students kept asking if I wanted to sit down. I am old in Indonesia and people just assume I'm frail -- it gets annoying (how are you? are you hot? Please sit down? Oh, that is so far.) and makes me want just pick up heavy loads and carry them around for no good reason.
At the end everyone did a kind of "clap clap clap YEAH" and, of course, I put this into my "indonesian culture is community oriented" box. Thought about writing about "indonesian group cheers" in my blog -- and the Rus told me he learned it at a Cincinnati Reds game last summer.
Education
People argue forever over education -- its purposes, methods, costs, and functions. Although the word "indoctrination" is a bit strong -- and "critical thinking" is on the tongue of every teacher and administrator -- education does indoctrinate the student into the society. The burden of acceptable behavior is like strong air pressure -- influential but invisible.
The positive side of this is that belonging to a group or culture seems to be a human universal and that education, in preparing students for belonging, fills an important role. All of this is difficult to discuss in the US because of our culture of individualism (which we also pass on thru education --- and that is fine) -- but in Indonesia the notion of "this is our culture" or "of course we pass on our culture" isn't questioned -- they feel less guilt about being Indonesian than US schools often feel about being from the US.
The positive side of this is that belonging to a group or culture seems to be a human universal and that education, in preparing students for belonging, fills an important role. All of this is difficult to discuss in the US because of our culture of individualism (which we also pass on thru education --- and that is fine) -- but in Indonesia the notion of "this is our culture" or "of course we pass on our culture" isn't questioned -- they feel less guilt about being Indonesian than US schools often feel about being from the US.
Religious Education
This is a grant that looks at the way in which Indonesia and the US handle religious diversity. The term “religious diversity” has a nice, polite, social science “lets all just love each other” feel but, in fact, coping with it has been an enormous historical challenge. It is about peace and war; belief, tolerance, and salvation.
Not a simple stew.
Both countries are large, religious, diverse, democracies.
The US takes a “negative” approach to religion – government stays away from issues of conscience and religion is not taught in a devotional way in the schools. This system is not without controversy; many of the more stringent forms of separation are recent; and, if given the chance, many in the US would make changes such as allowing prayer in the schools.
Indonesia takes a “positive’ approach. There is a “Ministry of Religious Education” responsible for religious education in the schools. Public schools all require religious education, and students pray each day (in a way – Islam, as the dominant religion, sets the schedule) and schools routinely have us visit the school Mosque (I haven’t been to a school without one) as well as the collection of Catholic or Christian students learning about their religion and praying.
The approaches are so different as to stun students when they hear about the other's practice – but they are rooted in history and culture and both are good faith efforts to solve the very difficult dilemma presented by the conflict between belief and freedom.
One freedom not evident in Indonesia (and this is an observation, not a criticism) is the freedom not to believe. You must declare a religion – it goes on your ID card (Islam, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, and Confucian).
I remember one school where we visited the Christian students while they were praying. There were 10 to 12 students and a teacher. The room was sparse but had a cross and a small Christmas tree. The call to prayers was very loud in that vicinity and one had the impression of a somewhat embattled minority – but I don’t think, in this case, that my impression was right. The students did not feel left out (although one girl said she could date a Muslim boy but not marry him, and she felt sad) and, overall, the system often works.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Scott Brown and Indonesia
I was wrong. I have to figure out a way to debase myself in front of my parties and elections students to whom I said two or three times "Scott Brown has no chance". I was wrong.
In my defense, I did say that he was a very good candidate. But he couldn't win. I said that Coakley was the perfect demographic candidate for the primary (one woman, three men, had a head start -- short campaign) but not a great candidate -- in all that I was right -- but I thought she would win. I was wrong.
Almost everyone was wrong -- and some of those who were right are of the "all clocks are right twice a day" variety of right -- and very few people are owning up to it. The press is full of "the national media did not anticipate" -- just say it authors, you were wrong. You had no idea. You turned in your copy without looking and looked ahead to the next story. You were wrong. At least there is a lot of company.
Why? First of all, it isn't irrational to be wrong. The data, history, and early polls all reinforced the inevitable Coakley victory. Some of it -- maybe a lot -- has to do with the campaign.
Brian McGrory, in an funny if condescending article article in the Globe captures the campaign differences -- with Brown as the handsome stranger who captivates us by paying attention to our conversation at a party.
But it is also about issues -- and larger patterns of American politics. David Broder argues that Americans like a "supportive but not imperious government. His advice
"If I were President Obama, I would spend the next year showing how government can serve a humble, helpful and supportive role to the central institutions of American life. Even in blue states like Massachusetts, voters want a government that is energetic but limited — a servant, not a leviathan."
Although I think Brooks in on to some thing, I'm not sure what humble means -- we already have an enormous and powerful government and could never get rid of it -- it always surprises me when conservatives seem to deny this obvious fact -- but it also amazes me that liberals still look for top down national solutions in the face of their unpopularity.
But whatever it was, a diffuse sense of anger at the world, a poor campaign, opposition to health care -- a great republican campaign run by a talented and experienced group of republican operatives -- all of them are true-- Massachusetts has a Republican senator. What does this mean? Given that I was so wrong about the election, let me now attempt to be wrong about this as well. Here are a series of random thoughts.
Republicans will over interpret this election just like Democrats over interpreted the Obama victory. The interesting race last year was Clinton v Obama -- it was a high personal and political drama more than a contest of ideas. The general election was fairly close to a given. The Bush administration was largely seen as having failed at providing solutions to problems and they wanted to give someone else a chance. Obama's personality, ideology, and campaign all helped in his victory -- but it was a rejection, not an affirmation.
Americans are getting very hard to govern - if we take governance as actually "doing something". Obama did act quickly to pass a stimulus package (in a way different from what Bush would have been done but utilizing a precedent set by the Bush administration). There was (and should have been) an air of emergency about the economy. Aside from that, he has been given remarkably little time to work through his agenda. Talk all now seems to focus on the "fairness and democracy" of 41 senators (Scott Brown's chant "41" "41") stopping things. Past republican criticism for special rules for minorities has now changed to a concentrated concern for minority protection in the US senate. When our government debate is about overcoming a small minority in our already elected bodies, action is in the waiting room while process is given the interview -- and the job.
Obama has been far too nice. Here is a man elected by a reasonable majority -- elected to do something different -- and with an overwhelming majority in the house and the senate and his party can't pass their centerpiece legislation? If I was them, I would stuff it down the throats of republicans using every procedural trick they can -- the republicans would.
The democrats have no balls in this case. People don't care at all about process (for long -- sometimes they do in the short term) they care about results. If Democrats really believe in health care reform pass it and let the results speak for themselves -- people may well really like it once it isn't a theory any more. I'd rather lose defending an action then lose defending a possibility. Does anyone seriously think that Dems won't be attacked for supporting health care reform whether it passes or not? Do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may (I am not at all sure about the health care reform bill -- but if I was a supporter I would take the stance listed above). concern for minority rights and fairness have now appeared in new.
The Brown election will increase Democratic retirements and improve the quality of Republicans who decide to seek office. Good politicians are professionals and a professional knows when she has a chance to win. Brown's victory alters their calculations in the "if it can happen there" mode. A combination of dem retirments and better rep candidates reinforces the normal off-party gain -- and the Republicans pick up more seats.
Local MA republicans should now have a better poll of candidates as well -- although the party has never been good in translating such gains locally -- my gut feeling is that Deval Patrick and the House and Senate Dems (very few of whom have any real campaign experience) are in serious trouble.
The election of Brown may help Obama in Afghanistan. The Massachusetts electorate even applauded his support of waterboarding -- and may be yet another signal that despite a new and very different face, American foreign policy may not undergo a drastic change.
The republicans may do well in the mid-term elections but I still believe that they have a fundamental problem. Generational change on moral questions, and an aging and restive religious right, seriously hampers their national coalition. Being against Obama is a great short term strategy (unless he succeeds -- see above) but in the long run they need a broad, governing agenda -- and the coalition that was successful starting with Reagan is not what it was. Even Brown may find it hard to win re-election in liberal Massachusetts. One danger for the right is that this will be seen as reinforcing their agenda and they will, like the Democrats did in this campaign (It is rumored Coakley mocked Brown for shaking hands outside of a special Bruins game held outside of Fenway park and that she didn't know Curt Schilling played for the Red Sox -- both bizarre in the extreme if true) ignore the local elements of the campaign. They may well overreach and find, when they do, that there is no broad voter support there for a national campaign.
When I give my talk in Jakarta it will be to a largely Indonesian audience in love with President Obama. They have recently built a statue of him here (as a child, releasing a butterfly -- it is above -- I can't figure out how to place the picture in a different place) I will tell them that the Presidency is an institution and not a person. As human beings we naturally gravitate toward evaluating personality and character, but that elected officials are limited by public opinion, culture, and the power of other institutional leaders.
I will also say that the US is now experiencing rapid political change -- it has only been one year from the Obama inaugural to the Brown election; the change those two events suggest is startling -- but I think they both share in common a general discontent -- a discontent -- even anger -- that Obama didn't create -- but that he hasn't erased.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Talk at University
I had been invited by my friend Wahyuddin to talk at the University where he teaches. Ahmad and Dhindin -- both former participants, are also at the school and I visited it last year at a different campus. The rector, who we met, had lived in Minnesota, spoke English, and vaguely remembered me. I am best remembered vaguely.
Through a miscommunication I had prepared a talk on President Obama's first year but the title turned out to be "Democracy and Tolerance: The American Experience". I worked on my talk off and on in the car and upon arrival it was a little bit more of a panel discussion where the rector, Wahyuddin, Sam, and Julienne all spoke and it was very good. My talk was short and was centered on the strangeness of tolerance. We all want it but the word is a little ambiguous --- you don't "tolerate" your friends. And, in fact, Old English usage is "bearing a hard burden". So the point is tolerance is hard.
I also argued it was a political virture, requiring the hard work of law, education, and respect for institutions. Finally, I suggested that the important question isn't tolerance, but what would you not tolerate -- are the boundary conditions -- the fence and enclosure -- of thoughts on tolerance acceptable and what political conversations and actions are available to increase the size of the fence in a way acceptable to (but not subservient to) the culture at large.
Through a miscommunication I had prepared a talk on President Obama's first year but the title turned out to be "Democracy and Tolerance: The American Experience". I worked on my talk off and on in the car and upon arrival it was a little bit more of a panel discussion where the rector, Wahyuddin, Sam, and Julienne all spoke and it was very good. My talk was short and was centered on the strangeness of tolerance. We all want it but the word is a little ambiguous --- you don't "tolerate" your friends. And, in fact, Old English usage is "bearing a hard burden". So the point is tolerance is hard.
I also argued it was a political virture, requiring the hard work of law, education, and respect for institutions. Finally, I suggested that the important question isn't tolerance, but what would you not tolerate -- are the boundary conditions -- the fence and enclosure -- of thoughts on tolerance acceptable and what political conversations and actions are available to increase the size of the fence in a way acceptable to (but not subservient to) the culture at large.
Athirah Makassar School Visit
our first school visit in Makassar was to a private Islamic school. It was founded by Yusuf Kalla's family -- he is the former Vice President of Indonesia and the richest, and maybe most powerful, man on the Island of Sulawesi.
The school ws called the Athirah Islamic School
www.athirahmakassar.com
We were taken to an auditorium where the school officials, in a combination of Indonesian and English spoke of their desire to improve the English skills of their students "I can speak to my friends and family in my local language or Indonesian. I can speak to the world in English".
This is a big school, parent funded, with four campuses and all age groups. It is considered one of the finest schools in Indonsia. They too were very interested in Exchange programs, short and long, and an English teacher at their school. On a strange and embarrassing note -- the headmaster attended Ratna's party later in the trip and we didn't recognize him and say hi. This is the kind of social mistake one trys to avoid. I hope sending an email will help -- they were exceptionally well organized and would be an ideal school for some forms of partnership.
The school ws called the Athirah Islamic School
www.athirahmakassar.com
We were taken to an auditorium where the school officials, in a combination of Indonesian and English spoke of their desire to improve the English skills of their students "I can speak to my friends and family in my local language or Indonesian. I can speak to the world in English".
This is a big school, parent funded, with four campuses and all age groups. It is considered one of the finest schools in Indonsia. They too were very interested in Exchange programs, short and long, and an English teacher at their school. On a strange and embarrassing note -- the headmaster attended Ratna's party later in the trip and we didn't recognize him and say hi. This is the kind of social mistake one trys to avoid. I hope sending an email will help -- they were exceptionally well organized and would be an ideal school for some forms of partnership.
Makassar Visits and Activities January 15th, 16th 17th
NOTE: One Day still needs to be added to this entry:
Today was exceptionally active. As a group we visited with three schools, a newspaper, and had a television interview. It is remarkable to me how hard it is to remember the schools we have visited so on this trip I have made more of an effort to enter the name, headmaster, address, and email of the school just to remember it.
This morning we visited SMA Negri 1 (Makassar).
Headmaster Drs. Herman Hadine, M. PD
The school had abut 800 students and they were in on a Saturday to work on extra projects, classes, and clubs. This is our friend Fitri’s school and the students were excellent. They were arrayed in a U shape instead of classroom seating and the students, juniors in high school, had a host of questions. After about an hour of questions we adjourned to a television interview in the same room. The man gave me 14 questions ahead of time and I asked how long the show was and he said “15 minutes”.
I left Sam and Julienne to go to a local paper and met with George Scholz of RELO (A State Department program designed to provide English language learning. It started very strangely with them telling us about their paper. It continued this way for a long time – they asked no questions – but were very proud of their text message/facebook program. They invite citizen texts about local government problems and corruption and try and get an answer from the town government right away (hey, what about this pot hole?) they print the question and the response in the paper. It has been a very popular and it made me think that their readers would love the chance to “ask an American a question” so I proposed a monthly facebook program where people would post questions to the Civic Initiative and to Alumni in the area. The questions might be about daily life or politics – and the paper loved the idea – they want to start right away.
In the afternoon I went to a vocational school
SMK 4 Makassar
Principal Asmah Baharudding
Assistant Rahmat Wiyrayo
rahmatwijaya68@yahoo.com
08124296961
This was a vocational school (business management, tourism, and technology). I told them I would send some books and ask about sending them an English language teacher.
I also will send them the debating material used by Nurul's group (the Sex Ed debate team) They were also very interested in an Exchange. The small group of student’s represented the schools debating club and they had a lot of questions about the US (questions in a separate post)
At night we went to Ratna’s house for a dinner party. It was a small, very neat and new house across from a Mosque along a narrow street. Over 20 people attended including three English teachers, all young women, from America. They were here for training and teach in different locations in Indonesia. The remarkable thing was that they were all from UMass – and didn’t know each other before coming. One even went to Amherst High School. That was the ultimate small world moment
January 17th
Typing, finances, and packing – we fly to Jogyakarta today on another roundabout trip leaving Makassar for Bali and then for Jogya – four hours for what could be a one hour flight. Note to self – tell travel agent next time to book other airlines (not Garuda) if convenient. I think I believed that Garuda was safer but I am not sure that is still true. Lion, SilkAir, and Merapi all seem good.
Today was exceptionally active. As a group we visited with three schools, a newspaper, and had a television interview. It is remarkable to me how hard it is to remember the schools we have visited so on this trip I have made more of an effort to enter the name, headmaster, address, and email of the school just to remember it.
This morning we visited SMA Negri 1 (Makassar).
Headmaster Drs. Herman Hadine, M. PD
The school had abut 800 students and they were in on a Saturday to work on extra projects, classes, and clubs. This is our friend Fitri’s school and the students were excellent. They were arrayed in a U shape instead of classroom seating and the students, juniors in high school, had a host of questions. After about an hour of questions we adjourned to a television interview in the same room. The man gave me 14 questions ahead of time and I asked how long the show was and he said “15 minutes”.
I left Sam and Julienne to go to a local paper and met with George Scholz of RELO (A State Department program designed to provide English language learning. It started very strangely with them telling us about their paper. It continued this way for a long time – they asked no questions – but were very proud of their text message/facebook program. They invite citizen texts about local government problems and corruption and try and get an answer from the town government right away (hey, what about this pot hole?) they print the question and the response in the paper. It has been a very popular and it made me think that their readers would love the chance to “ask an American a question” so I proposed a monthly facebook program where people would post questions to the Civic Initiative and to Alumni in the area. The questions might be about daily life or politics – and the paper loved the idea – they want to start right away.
In the afternoon I went to a vocational school
SMK 4 Makassar
Principal Asmah Baharudding
Assistant Rahmat Wiyrayo
rahmatwijaya68@yahoo.com
08124296961
This was a vocational school (business management, tourism, and technology). I told them I would send some books and ask about sending them an English language teacher.
I also will send them the debating material used by Nurul's group (the Sex Ed debate team) They were also very interested in an Exchange. The small group of student’s represented the schools debating club and they had a lot of questions about the US (questions in a separate post)
At night we went to Ratna’s house for a dinner party. It was a small, very neat and new house across from a Mosque along a narrow street. Over 20 people attended including three English teachers, all young women, from America. They were here for training and teach in different locations in Indonesia. The remarkable thing was that they were all from UMass – and didn’t know each other before coming. One even went to Amherst High School. That was the ultimate small world moment
January 17th
Typing, finances, and packing – we fly to Jogyakarta today on another roundabout trip leaving Makassar for Bali and then for Jogya – four hours for what could be a one hour flight. Note to self – tell travel agent next time to book other airlines (not Garuda) if convenient. I think I believed that Garuda was safer but I am not sure that is still true. Lion, SilkAir, and Merapi all seem good.
January 14th
We packed, prepared for our flight, compared notes, and handled finances. The flight to Makassar from Balikpapan went through Jakarta which is like going to Washington, from Boston, through Pittsburg. Monsoon storms made the flight one of steady interest. We checked in at 12:30 am -- our local partner, Ratna Haris picked us up -- she must have been exhausted -- and the wind shaking our rooms continued the feeling of the flight. Our rooms thrust out into the ocean like an overbold small animal trapped on a thin stilt. and were held up on wooden stilts.
January 13th
January 13 Balikpapan
This was our last day in Balikpapan and it was a very efficient and interesting trip. Having done this twice, you have the feeling you know what you are doing (sometimes true; sometimes dangerous).
SDN 001 is a very nice elementary school with a charismatic headmaster and a wealthy group of kids (many of the children had cell phones and blackberries)
We arrived and were greeted with traditional dance and music by the kids (the video is on Sam’s web site) and then the students came out, lined up perfectly (about 200 of them) sang songs, shouted back answers in unison, and sat with remarkable patience as about 7 adults (me included) spoke. The sea of uniforms and students perfectly lined up (they spaced each other out at arm’s length) then sitting at the same time and responding loudly, together, is a visual representation of a big difference between an American and Indonesian school – the “communal sense” and the “individualistic” sense. It is easy to make too much of this. Not all of the schools we have attended were as well organized, and American’s often show organized group behavior at rallies and meetings, so, while the difference is real, it is in no way absolute.
This was my first visit to an elementary school and I was frightened – “what am I going to do with little kids?” fortunately, Ms. Julienne, my colleague, is a third grade teacher (who speaks Indonesian as does Sam Camera) was a total stud and had pictures, pen pal programs, a book of greetings from her third grade children – everyone loved it.
I have never seen so many curious children. They stared at us; shook our hands – took pictures and could not decide whether to come with us or run away. There is a great picture of me (taken from above) surrounded by children.
In the afternoon we visited the school of our host’s children – and we also met his wife. I have known, and worked with Sam, for a number of year’s and have always enjoyed working with him but I had never met his wife. We were very excited to meet each other and, for reasons I can’t express, the meeting was emotional. This was not a poor school, but it was not rich, and many of the people, Sam included, felt the difference. Sam gave an emotional talk about how committed he and his family were to improving the school –and I spoke, saying that the school was in the hearts of the teachers and the students – a worn sentiment but one that was appropriate at the time. Short talks, toasts, and speeches often sound maudlin in the recounting but work well in the moment of delivery.
The school was more chaotic, but still good and the kids were incredibly cute and the administration committed to exchanges, international connection, and improvements.
That night we hosted a reception for local leaders participants, and families. It was remarkable to meet the families – they were so happy for the opportunity to see us talk to the people their husband or wife had met in America.
This was our last day in Balikpapan and it was a very efficient and interesting trip. Having done this twice, you have the feeling you know what you are doing (sometimes true; sometimes dangerous).
SDN 001 is a very nice elementary school with a charismatic headmaster and a wealthy group of kids (many of the children had cell phones and blackberries)
We arrived and were greeted with traditional dance and music by the kids (the video is on Sam’s web site) and then the students came out, lined up perfectly (about 200 of them) sang songs, shouted back answers in unison, and sat with remarkable patience as about 7 adults (me included) spoke. The sea of uniforms and students perfectly lined up (they spaced each other out at arm’s length) then sitting at the same time and responding loudly, together, is a visual representation of a big difference between an American and Indonesian school – the “communal sense” and the “individualistic” sense. It is easy to make too much of this. Not all of the schools we have attended were as well organized, and American’s often show organized group behavior at rallies and meetings, so, while the difference is real, it is in no way absolute.
This was my first visit to an elementary school and I was frightened – “what am I going to do with little kids?” fortunately, Ms. Julienne, my colleague, is a third grade teacher (who speaks Indonesian as does Sam Camera) was a total stud and had pictures, pen pal programs, a book of greetings from her third grade children – everyone loved it.
I have never seen so many curious children. They stared at us; shook our hands – took pictures and could not decide whether to come with us or run away. There is a great picture of me (taken from above) surrounded by children.
In the afternoon we visited the school of our host’s children – and we also met his wife. I have known, and worked with Sam, for a number of year’s and have always enjoyed working with him but I had never met his wife. We were very excited to meet each other and, for reasons I can’t express, the meeting was emotional. This was not a poor school, but it was not rich, and many of the people, Sam included, felt the difference. Sam gave an emotional talk about how committed he and his family were to improving the school –and I spoke, saying that the school was in the hearts of the teachers and the students – a worn sentiment but one that was appropriate at the time. Short talks, toasts, and speeches often sound maudlin in the recounting but work well in the moment of delivery.
The school was more chaotic, but still good and the kids were incredibly cute and the administration committed to exchanges, international connection, and improvements.
That night we hosted a reception for local leaders participants, and families. It was remarkable to meet the families – they were so happy for the opportunity to see us talk to the people their husband or wife had met in America.
January 12th
January 12
Visited SMAN 1, a high school where our friend Haryati teaches. On the plane over I talked about how American schools should integrate local environmental knowledge, biology, and work by having students farm or garden at some level. (hardly, I admit, an original idea) In Indonesia many schools do this. SMAN 1 has an enormous number of plants, maintained by the students, with the plant qualities used to illustrate local conditions, biology, and botany. We visited a number of classrooms and talked about the differences between US and Indonesian approaches to religion and the schools. You can see them struggling (and the teachers, and us) with the “positive” approach Indonesia employs with the government insuring equal access to religion in schools. Access is provided by state law and funding through the ministry of religious education. Teacher boards sometimes list the religion of the teacher (Muslim, Muslim, Muslim, Christian (protestant) and so on – and also have white board counts of their student’s religious affiliations (658 Muslims; 23 Protestants; 13 Catholics; 0 Buddhists – I don’t know why they listed a “0” – maybe in case one comes along)
The principal was very happy that his teacher went to the US and is willing to support American students who might come on exchange; even for short cultural visits. He knows a number of potential home stay opportunities and is very excited that we brought email addresses of American students who subsidies with a religious ministry and school.
It always fascinates me how much people want to improve their English. One teacher pulled me aside and asked a number of cultural and “slang” questions including:
-Is it ok to ask a woman her age?
(answer: many don’t care but safer not to if you can avoid it)
-Is it ok to say “hanky panky”
(answer: not many people say it anymore and it has vague meanings hidden and orchestrated bad-doings with historically remote sexual overtones. So, if another word works, and it is hard to imagine one couldn’t be found, he should avoid it.)
-Is it ok to ask people how much money they make? (answer: less of a taboo than it used to be but still best to be avoided unless asked the same question first)
In between school visits we visited the Mayor of Balikpapan. While in the waiting room there was an emotionally arresting painting (I can’t judge the style) of a Dyak (native people to Borneo) on a hill looking at the city. His back is turned to the viewer and you can see he is at the place where the forest ends at the clear cut logging line. The city looks as if it is growing toward him and, if you look closely, you can see that the bottom part of his leg is beginning to mesh with the ground underneath, like they are growing into each other. All of the US visitors saw this as an analogy of encroaching civilization driving out people more closely connected to the earth – maybe because of our own current understanding of the America’s but the Indonesians had a variety of opinions and didn’t inevitably see the man as I did.
The mayor turned out to be a very practical, experience operative who spent almost a full hour with us. He is very interested in exchanges and pledged his full support at finding accommodations for students. He is keenly interested in technical teaching help – Balikpapan is an industrial place with oil rigs off the coast. You can see them from the hotel. I was very encouraged with the meeting – and it was very refreshing to talk specifics.
SMKN 4 Nurul’s school HRM vocational debate club on sex education
In addition to meeting with students and talking about the things they picked up from the Democracy and Tolerance discussions with the students we also watched a debate on Sex Education (in English). This is a vocational school which specializes in Hotel and Restaurant management. The kids (seniors I think) were in two teams of four and they debated the motion “should sex education be taught in the schools”. They did a very nice job. The arguments were exactly the same as they are in the US. The pro side argued it would prevent the spread of disease; reduce unwanted pregnancy; and help to prevent sexual harassment. This last argument seemed their weakest and, during the question period, one of the audience went right after it. It was a more aggressive debate than I have witnessed in Indonesia before.
The “no sex ed” side had about one argument “more sex ed would lead to more sex”. They cited some arguments. First, the referred to a study in Dallas that suggested sex ed leads to earlier and more frequent sex. They also used the somewhat off-topic example of a science book in one of the local school libraries that contained “inappropriate descriptions.” Finally, they argued that 75% of the teens in Balikpapan have had sex. Some said “7500” others “75%” so we weren’t able to get a handle on that one. In all, the pro side had the better argument.
The similarity of the arguments (you can almost hear a conservative school committee member lamenting a lascivious book or an earnest liberal describing the brave new world of disease free happiness that would accompany government efforts) obscures and important institutional difference. In Indonesia, these kind of decisions are made at fairly high levels (even federal) while at the US the debates are often local. The localness seems right to me on this one. One function of federalism is to fob off these hot topics and let local standards serve as a basis for argument. It seems silly to me to not teach sex education in some manner but it seems even worse for the federal government to send people into conniptions by demanding they teach something they don’t want to. I admit this pro federalism argument could be thrown back to me in the extreme “well what is someone didn’t want to teach evolution”. I suppose I would say they are choosing to make their kinds non-competitive in science and that is their choice. A more difficult issue might be “what if they want to teach racism?” That is a much harder question. It is hard, but not impossible, to imagine it now. But an argument for federalism is not an argument for no standard setting at higher levels; it is an argument for making prudent choices about what merits such an effort.
Our friend Nurul was very proud of her students and I committed to looking for some Hotel and Restaurant books. The school has rooms where people can stay, and it has a practice bar and restaurant. People who have a particular view of Islam should take note that a frank (and detailed) debate on Sex Ed took place around the corner from a school with a practice mixed drink hotel bar.
Visited SMAN 1, a high school where our friend Haryati teaches. On the plane over I talked about how American schools should integrate local environmental knowledge, biology, and work by having students farm or garden at some level. (hardly, I admit, an original idea) In Indonesia many schools do this. SMAN 1 has an enormous number of plants, maintained by the students, with the plant qualities used to illustrate local conditions, biology, and botany. We visited a number of classrooms and talked about the differences between US and Indonesian approaches to religion and the schools. You can see them struggling (and the teachers, and us) with the “positive” approach Indonesia employs with the government insuring equal access to religion in schools. Access is provided by state law and funding through the ministry of religious education. Teacher boards sometimes list the religion of the teacher (Muslim, Muslim, Muslim, Christian (protestant) and so on – and also have white board counts of their student’s religious affiliations (658 Muslims; 23 Protestants; 13 Catholics; 0 Buddhists – I don’t know why they listed a “0” – maybe in case one comes along)
The principal was very happy that his teacher went to the US and is willing to support American students who might come on exchange; even for short cultural visits. He knows a number of potential home stay opportunities and is very excited that we brought email addresses of American students who subsidies with a religious ministry and school.
It always fascinates me how much people want to improve their English. One teacher pulled me aside and asked a number of cultural and “slang” questions including:
-Is it ok to ask a woman her age?
(answer: many don’t care but safer not to if you can avoid it)
-Is it ok to say “hanky panky”
(answer: not many people say it anymore and it has vague meanings hidden and orchestrated bad-doings with historically remote sexual overtones. So, if another word works, and it is hard to imagine one couldn’t be found, he should avoid it.)
-Is it ok to ask people how much money they make? (answer: less of a taboo than it used to be but still best to be avoided unless asked the same question first)
In between school visits we visited the Mayor of Balikpapan. While in the waiting room there was an emotionally arresting painting (I can’t judge the style) of a Dyak (native people to Borneo) on a hill looking at the city. His back is turned to the viewer and you can see he is at the place where the forest ends at the clear cut logging line. The city looks as if it is growing toward him and, if you look closely, you can see that the bottom part of his leg is beginning to mesh with the ground underneath, like they are growing into each other. All of the US visitors saw this as an analogy of encroaching civilization driving out people more closely connected to the earth – maybe because of our own current understanding of the America’s but the Indonesians had a variety of opinions and didn’t inevitably see the man as I did.
The mayor turned out to be a very practical, experience operative who spent almost a full hour with us. He is very interested in exchanges and pledged his full support at finding accommodations for students. He is keenly interested in technical teaching help – Balikpapan is an industrial place with oil rigs off the coast. You can see them from the hotel. I was very encouraged with the meeting – and it was very refreshing to talk specifics.
SMKN 4 Nurul’s school HRM vocational debate club on sex education
In addition to meeting with students and talking about the things they picked up from the Democracy and Tolerance discussions with the students we also watched a debate on Sex Education (in English). This is a vocational school which specializes in Hotel and Restaurant management. The kids (seniors I think) were in two teams of four and they debated the motion “should sex education be taught in the schools”. They did a very nice job. The arguments were exactly the same as they are in the US. The pro side argued it would prevent the spread of disease; reduce unwanted pregnancy; and help to prevent sexual harassment. This last argument seemed their weakest and, during the question period, one of the audience went right after it. It was a more aggressive debate than I have witnessed in Indonesia before.
The “no sex ed” side had about one argument “more sex ed would lead to more sex”. They cited some arguments. First, the referred to a study in Dallas that suggested sex ed leads to earlier and more frequent sex. They also used the somewhat off-topic example of a science book in one of the local school libraries that contained “inappropriate descriptions.” Finally, they argued that 75% of the teens in Balikpapan have had sex. Some said “7500” others “75%” so we weren’t able to get a handle on that one. In all, the pro side had the better argument.
The similarity of the arguments (you can almost hear a conservative school committee member lamenting a lascivious book or an earnest liberal describing the brave new world of disease free happiness that would accompany government efforts) obscures and important institutional difference. In Indonesia, these kind of decisions are made at fairly high levels (even federal) while at the US the debates are often local. The localness seems right to me on this one. One function of federalism is to fob off these hot topics and let local standards serve as a basis for argument. It seems silly to me to not teach sex education in some manner but it seems even worse for the federal government to send people into conniptions by demanding they teach something they don’t want to. I admit this pro federalism argument could be thrown back to me in the extreme “well what is someone didn’t want to teach evolution”. I suppose I would say they are choosing to make their kinds non-competitive in science and that is their choice. A more difficult issue might be “what if they want to teach racism?” That is a much harder question. It is hard, but not impossible, to imagine it now. But an argument for federalism is not an argument for no standard setting at higher levels; it is an argument for making prudent choices about what merits such an effort.
Our friend Nurul was very proud of her students and I committed to looking for some Hotel and Restaurant books. The school has rooms where people can stay, and it has a practice bar and restaurant. People who have a particular view of Islam should take note that a frank (and detailed) debate on Sex Ed took place around the corner from a school with a practice mixed drink hotel bar.
Flight and Arrival in Balikpapan
This flight seemed much easier than past flights. I wasn’t all that tired when I got to Singapore or Balikpapan. The jet lag is still brutal – and even as of this writing I am going to sleep at 9 and getting up at 4.
January 9th
Departed from Hartford on NW Flight 7249 at 8:00 am. After stops in Detroit and Tokyo we landed in Singapore at midnight on the 10th, stayed for a few hours in the Changi Crowne Plaze, and flew to Balikpapan on Monday, January 11th where we were greeted by our friend Syamsul (We call him “Sam” but in this blog, to make sure I don’t confuse him with Sam Camera I will call him “Som” which more closely matches the pronuciation. ) and our friends Haryati, Ashari, and Nurul. Sam, Haryati, and Nurul all came to the US. Ashari did not get his Visa in time and wasn’t able to join us.
We checked into the Grand Hotel (Le Grandeur Hotel) in Balikpapan and began planning for the week
January 9th
Departed from Hartford on NW Flight 7249 at 8:00 am. After stops in Detroit and Tokyo we landed in Singapore at midnight on the 10th, stayed for a few hours in the Changi Crowne Plaze, and flew to Balikpapan on Monday, January 11th where we were greeted by our friend Syamsul (We call him “Sam” but in this blog, to make sure I don’t confuse him with Sam Camera I will call him “Som” which more closely matches the pronuciation. ) and our friends Haryati, Ashari, and Nurul. Sam, Haryati, and Nurul all came to the US. Ashari did not get his Visa in time and wasn’t able to join us.
We checked into the Grand Hotel (Le Grandeur Hotel) in Balikpapan and began planning for the week
Indonesian Trip 2010
The new text here is being posted to a blog I did while speaking in 2008. This new data is actually not connected to that trip -- and to be more confusing -- it is related to a trip I took in 2009. The 2009 and 2010 (this trip) are both funded by a US State Department grant we call "Democracy and Tolerance: A Two Nation Exchange.
I did not keep a record of the 2009 trip on line.
The reason for attaching this to my 2008 trip is that many of my 2008 observations may be interesting in light of newer comments.
The following posts have the quality of a "We did this and then we did that" but I wanted to at least post events before I forgot them. Internet access is limited and it you can't ignore how tired you are after a day of meetings and talks in the midst of adjusting to jet lag -- your energy level does not always match the availability of technology.
The program “Democracy and Tolerance; A Two Nation Exchange” involves four separate trips.
The first was in February of 2009 and involved Newton teacher Michael Kozuch; Amherst teachers Samantha Camera, Tom Fricke and Kristen Iverson; and myself.
During that trip we traveled to Jakarta, Balikpapan, Makassar, and Jogyakarta. We learned as we went, made contacts in schools, and recruited teachers for the second trip when 15 Indonesian would come to the US for one month. Our fifteen friends arrived in June of 2010 and returned from Washington DC shortly after the Fourth of July.
Our 2010 trip, for which this blog is a record, is designed as a follow up to deepen partnerships and examine the use of curricula developed earlier, I am accompanied by Samantha Camera (again) and newcomer Julienne Webster. Both Sam and Julienne have lived in Indonesia and speak some Indonesian; both come from schools that are interested in building long term relationships with Indonesian schools; and both are committed to making western Massachusetts a center for the study of Indonesia.
For more information on our grant and past exchanges go to our Indonesian program website
My colleague Samantha Camera (Sam) is also keeping a blog for her students – she both is and has a camera – so for visuals both still and moving go see her site.
I did not keep a record of the 2009 trip on line.
The reason for attaching this to my 2008 trip is that many of my 2008 observations may be interesting in light of newer comments.
The following posts have the quality of a "We did this and then we did that" but I wanted to at least post events before I forgot them. Internet access is limited and it you can't ignore how tired you are after a day of meetings and talks in the midst of adjusting to jet lag -- your energy level does not always match the availability of technology.
The program “Democracy and Tolerance; A Two Nation Exchange” involves four separate trips.
The first was in February of 2009 and involved Newton teacher Michael Kozuch; Amherst teachers Samantha Camera, Tom Fricke and Kristen Iverson; and myself.
During that trip we traveled to Jakarta, Balikpapan, Makassar, and Jogyakarta. We learned as we went, made contacts in schools, and recruited teachers for the second trip when 15 Indonesian would come to the US for one month. Our fifteen friends arrived in June of 2010 and returned from Washington DC shortly after the Fourth of July.
Our 2010 trip, for which this blog is a record, is designed as a follow up to deepen partnerships and examine the use of curricula developed earlier, I am accompanied by Samantha Camera (again) and newcomer Julienne Webster. Both Sam and Julienne have lived in Indonesia and speak some Indonesian; both come from schools that are interested in building long term relationships with Indonesian schools; and both are committed to making western Massachusetts a center for the study of Indonesia.
For more information on our grant and past exchanges go to our Indonesian program website
My colleague Samantha Camera (Sam) is also keeping a blog for her students – she both is and has a camera – so for visuals both still and moving go see her site.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Islamic World
I was frequently asked about whether the election will improve America's relations with the Islamic world. This is an impossible questions to answer -- of the opaque crystal ball variety -- but I tried to dissect it and by the end had at least put a finger on why it was hard to answer (aside from the fact it was a prediction)
1) Yes, at first. People all over the world, including in America, will feel like President Bush leaving will be like opening the windows after a long winter. Here, at least, it is a function of his being unpopular but also we just get tired of President's after eight years. To the extent that "problems with the Islamic world" is a reference to not looking President Bush the issue will be solved by his leaving.
2) But, maybe the question is difficult. indonesians really do feel a part of something called "Islam" in a way that very few (some, but not many) Americans, and even fewer Europeans feel they belong to something called "the Christian world". This sounds like a small thing but it is a major gap in conversation. I don't personally, think of policy toward the "Islamic world".
I think of North African policy or policy toward the Israeli's and Palestinians -- the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know we have a policy toward Kosovo and Chechnya and Kashmir. We have a Southeast Asian policy that encompasses Muslim Malaysia, Buddhist Thailand, Communist Vietnam, Catholic Philippines, Muslim Indonesia, and the hard drinkers in Australia. Our policy is situational, or regional, or nation specific -- not directed at pan-religious affiliations.
This isn't to say we aren't aware that people view "Islam" as a sort of unity nor that we are unaware of the effects our policies have on public perceptions. It isn't even to say that some efforts are made to craft initiatives that do address the Islamic world -- it is only to say that viewing the world as great religious blocks isn't or first instinct or the driver of our foreign policy.
There are, of course, Americans who argue that we are a "Christian" nation and, I'm sure, people who view our battles as blessed by God but these people are a minority (plus viewing yourself as a member of a "christian" nation is very different from feeling a deep sense of unity with the rest of the "christian" world).
I tried to state that the best I could and then gave what many of you will no doubt feel is a weak answer and that is, whoever is elected will have a chance to do things differently. They won't be trapped under eight years of decisions and promises and the rest of the world's views won't be hardened toward them. But, having said that, the world will be the same world. All of the candidates will support the existence of Israel -- all of them will work to negotiate a peace between Palestine and Israel. Much is made of the differences between McCain and Obama/Clinton on Iraq but I am hard pressed to see if there will be a genuine difference after the election -- maybe a matter of some months or weeks on troop removal, possibly McCain is more likely to establish a permanent base (like in Germany, Japan, Iceland, etc.) but all of them will still aggressively pursue the fighting in Afghanistan and the war on terror.
There is a possibility that Obama and Clinton may change the rhetoric of terrorism and give a more narrow definition to the term. I think Bush was trapped politically when he lumped all sorts of movements into the term "terrorist".
Finally, I stated that on economic issues McCain was a little more likely to support free trade agreements (the Indonesians favor them) so in terms of foreign policy -- they would like Obama or Clinton more - marginally and on economic issues they might like McCain more (even more marginally).
1) Yes, at first. People all over the world, including in America, will feel like President Bush leaving will be like opening the windows after a long winter. Here, at least, it is a function of his being unpopular but also we just get tired of President's after eight years. To the extent that "problems with the Islamic world" is a reference to not looking President Bush the issue will be solved by his leaving.
2) But, maybe the question is difficult. indonesians really do feel a part of something called "Islam" in a way that very few (some, but not many) Americans, and even fewer Europeans feel they belong to something called "the Christian world". This sounds like a small thing but it is a major gap in conversation. I don't personally, think of policy toward the "Islamic world".
I think of North African policy or policy toward the Israeli's and Palestinians -- the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know we have a policy toward Kosovo and Chechnya and Kashmir. We have a Southeast Asian policy that encompasses Muslim Malaysia, Buddhist Thailand, Communist Vietnam, Catholic Philippines, Muslim Indonesia, and the hard drinkers in Australia. Our policy is situational, or regional, or nation specific -- not directed at pan-religious affiliations.
This isn't to say we aren't aware that people view "Islam" as a sort of unity nor that we are unaware of the effects our policies have on public perceptions. It isn't even to say that some efforts are made to craft initiatives that do address the Islamic world -- it is only to say that viewing the world as great religious blocks isn't or first instinct or the driver of our foreign policy.
There are, of course, Americans who argue that we are a "Christian" nation and, I'm sure, people who view our battles as blessed by God but these people are a minority (plus viewing yourself as a member of a "christian" nation is very different from feeling a deep sense of unity with the rest of the "christian" world).
I tried to state that the best I could and then gave what many of you will no doubt feel is a weak answer and that is, whoever is elected will have a chance to do things differently. They won't be trapped under eight years of decisions and promises and the rest of the world's views won't be hardened toward them. But, having said that, the world will be the same world. All of the candidates will support the existence of Israel -- all of them will work to negotiate a peace between Palestine and Israel. Much is made of the differences between McCain and Obama/Clinton on Iraq but I am hard pressed to see if there will be a genuine difference after the election -- maybe a matter of some months or weeks on troop removal, possibly McCain is more likely to establish a permanent base (like in Germany, Japan, Iceland, etc.) but all of them will still aggressively pursue the fighting in Afghanistan and the war on terror.
There is a possibility that Obama and Clinton may change the rhetoric of terrorism and give a more narrow definition to the term. I think Bush was trapped politically when he lumped all sorts of movements into the term "terrorist".
Finally, I stated that on economic issues McCain was a little more likely to support free trade agreements (the Indonesians favor them) so in terms of foreign policy -- they would like Obama or Clinton more - marginally and on economic issues they might like McCain more (even more marginally).
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Israel and the "jewish lobby"
This was by far the most difficult set of issues mainly because I wouldn’t give the same answers at home – because the context is different. When an American complains about Israel she is nervous about another nation influencing our foreign policy. When an Indonesian asks the question she means that we are paying Israel to stay in the Middle East instead of leaving and giving the land back to the Palestineans (to Germany or Austria per the suggestion of the Iranian President – a popular figure in Indonesia). I may be wrong, but I don’t think most Americans would want to stand by to see Israel destroyed.
Indonesians were not particularly open about what they would want to happen so when asked the “Israeli Lobby” or “Jewish Lobby” and its influence on the campaign I answered as follows.
There are a lot of lobbies in America that argue their point of view to the president, congress, and bureaucracy. Money is important and often wins the day. This isn’t fair and the power of some lobby groups, in my opinion, is one of the biggest failings of democracy. However, groups and interests organizing to put their point of view across is a vital feature of democracy and how one balances the power of money and the ability to argue is a major issue.
Jewish Americans and Israel have a potent and well organized lobby. However, they are probably more effective at public relations work and at lobbying congress on specific issues than affecting a race for the U.S. President. Jewish Americans themselves, although big supporters of Israel, will almost certainly vote heavily democratic, no matter who the democrats nominate.
It is easy to confuse cause and effect. American presidents have supported Israel since Truman not because there is a Jewish lobby but because they think it is the right (for whatever reason) thing to do.
Imagine this, if we stopped giving money to Israel, Palestine, and Egypt tomorrow there would still be a crisis in the Middle East – people aren’t fighting over trade barriers or tariffs – they are fighting over the very existence of their nation. I think the US could exert pressure on Indonesia to change a policy on, say, the price of sugar, but it could hardly persuade Indonesia to surrender territory to Malaysia. Israel and Palestine have to work it out themselves.
None of our candidates for president has a particularly unique policy toward Israel. In fact, they are very similar. I think a new president, any new president, will have the chance to start the peace process over but the issue is survival, the territory is tiny, and extremists on both sides, although small in number, exert influence through violence.
In a situation like this, the U.S. has less power than much of the world thinks. There is a feeling in Indonesia, and I’m sure in much the rest of the world, the US can do anything. This creates the odd situation of them wanting us to both stop breaking things and to do all of the fixing. At the heart of this is what I think is an over exaggeration of our power and an underestimate of the extent to which we simply respond to events. Power may show itself in the ability to act but certainly not in the ability to predict the outcomes of those actions.
One man asked a laundry list question
1) Attitude toward Islamic world
2) F 16 fighters to Indonesia
3) Bird Flu Vaccine
4) 1965 Coup and the CIA
I didn’t have much to add to 2, 3, and 4 but the underlying belief is “if Indonsian policy isn’t going well, or the world situation is wrong, or my history didn’t turn out the way I thought it should, it must be the fault of the US”.
This attitude is convenient for corporations and the government. Instead of being good corporate citizens or an efficient government they can use the “American Card” and divert attention away from their own issues. In many ways, America and Israel function for governments in Islamic nations (and, I believe, some corporations) like the issue of “moral values” does for Republicans. It keeps people on their side without having to actually do anything.
I got to thinking that the Bush administration has been very good for Iran. He got rid of Saddam Hussin and the Taliban – both thorns in Iran’s two sides – and he has provided the perfect foil for “blame politics”.
I do happen to believe that the US is screwing up a lot and that moral values is a legitimate political issue (I’m personally against them but I respect their right to be in the political arena and their importance to people) but they are clearly deployed to keep people under control. What would happen to the Iranian president if the US and Israeli suddenly became an Iranian ally? He would have to deliver on social and economic issues.
What the Indonesians ought to be looking closer at isn’t Israel, which has no impact on their future, but multi-national corporations intersecting with political corruption (including US corporations) stripping them of their natural resources.
Indonesians were not particularly open about what they would want to happen so when asked the “Israeli Lobby” or “Jewish Lobby” and its influence on the campaign I answered as follows.
There are a lot of lobbies in America that argue their point of view to the president, congress, and bureaucracy. Money is important and often wins the day. This isn’t fair and the power of some lobby groups, in my opinion, is one of the biggest failings of democracy. However, groups and interests organizing to put their point of view across is a vital feature of democracy and how one balances the power of money and the ability to argue is a major issue.
Jewish Americans and Israel have a potent and well organized lobby. However, they are probably more effective at public relations work and at lobbying congress on specific issues than affecting a race for the U.S. President. Jewish Americans themselves, although big supporters of Israel, will almost certainly vote heavily democratic, no matter who the democrats nominate.
It is easy to confuse cause and effect. American presidents have supported Israel since Truman not because there is a Jewish lobby but because they think it is the right (for whatever reason) thing to do.
Imagine this, if we stopped giving money to Israel, Palestine, and Egypt tomorrow there would still be a crisis in the Middle East – people aren’t fighting over trade barriers or tariffs – they are fighting over the very existence of their nation. I think the US could exert pressure on Indonesia to change a policy on, say, the price of sugar, but it could hardly persuade Indonesia to surrender territory to Malaysia. Israel and Palestine have to work it out themselves.
None of our candidates for president has a particularly unique policy toward Israel. In fact, they are very similar. I think a new president, any new president, will have the chance to start the peace process over but the issue is survival, the territory is tiny, and extremists on both sides, although small in number, exert influence through violence.
In a situation like this, the U.S. has less power than much of the world thinks. There is a feeling in Indonesia, and I’m sure in much the rest of the world, the US can do anything. This creates the odd situation of them wanting us to both stop breaking things and to do all of the fixing. At the heart of this is what I think is an over exaggeration of our power and an underestimate of the extent to which we simply respond to events. Power may show itself in the ability to act but certainly not in the ability to predict the outcomes of those actions.
One man asked a laundry list question
1) Attitude toward Islamic world
2) F 16 fighters to Indonesia
3) Bird Flu Vaccine
4) 1965 Coup and the CIA
I didn’t have much to add to 2, 3, and 4 but the underlying belief is “if Indonsian policy isn’t going well, or the world situation is wrong, or my history didn’t turn out the way I thought it should, it must be the fault of the US”.
This attitude is convenient for corporations and the government. Instead of being good corporate citizens or an efficient government they can use the “American Card” and divert attention away from their own issues. In many ways, America and Israel function for governments in Islamic nations (and, I believe, some corporations) like the issue of “moral values” does for Republicans. It keeps people on their side without having to actually do anything.
I got to thinking that the Bush administration has been very good for Iran. He got rid of Saddam Hussin and the Taliban – both thorns in Iran’s two sides – and he has provided the perfect foil for “blame politics”.
I do happen to believe that the US is screwing up a lot and that moral values is a legitimate political issue (I’m personally against them but I respect their right to be in the political arena and their importance to people) but they are clearly deployed to keep people under control. What would happen to the Iranian president if the US and Israeli suddenly became an Iranian ally? He would have to deliver on social and economic issues.
What the Indonesians ought to be looking closer at isn’t Israel, which has no impact on their future, but multi-national corporations intersecting with political corruption (including US corporations) stripping them of their natural resources.
Race and The Election
Will being a black hurt Obama? Will being a woman hurt Hilary?
They meant this question in two ways – in terms of winning and in terms of governing. I told them that the presidency was an institution and that whoever took the office would be treated as president and I doubted that race or gender would effect their ability to govern and, in fact, might be an advantage in some situations. It is clear that Obama would have a real opening to Indonesia – they love him there – and might also make some real progress in Africa.
As far as getting elected I answered as follows – feel free to disagree
No, not a lot. In fact, I think that thus far race has been a positive for Obama. Imagine a white, four year senator from Illinois, named Bob Smith. Would he be running for president? No.
Of course there are people in our country who would not vote for an African American or a woman just like there are people in your country who might not vote for a woman or a catholic or someone from a province they didn’t respect and, of course, there is still racism and gender discrimination in the US but those people, mostly, already vote Republican (I hated to say that but I think it is true) so, in a two party system, the loss of their votes didn’t make any difference.
They may lose some votes from independents or democrats who were nervous about an African-American or a woman, but, in the two party calculus, they would probably pick up marginally more votes from independents and republicans who felt it was about time we did something different.
They meant this question in two ways – in terms of winning and in terms of governing. I told them that the presidency was an institution and that whoever took the office would be treated as president and I doubted that race or gender would effect their ability to govern and, in fact, might be an advantage in some situations. It is clear that Obama would have a real opening to Indonesia – they love him there – and might also make some real progress in Africa.
As far as getting elected I answered as follows – feel free to disagree
No, not a lot. In fact, I think that thus far race has been a positive for Obama. Imagine a white, four year senator from Illinois, named Bob Smith. Would he be running for president? No.
Of course there are people in our country who would not vote for an African American or a woman just like there are people in your country who might not vote for a woman or a catholic or someone from a province they didn’t respect and, of course, there is still racism and gender discrimination in the US but those people, mostly, already vote Republican (I hated to say that but I think it is true) so, in a two party system, the loss of their votes didn’t make any difference.
They may lose some votes from independents or democrats who were nervous about an African-American or a woman, but, in the two party calculus, they would probably pick up marginally more votes from independents and republicans who felt it was about time we did something different.
Name Cards
Indonesia is a big name card culture (it is not alone of course). People like to exchange cards – so do Americans really – it is an efficient assist to our failing memories – but they are more diligent in remembering. I ran out of cards in Jakarta – note to self – bring more damn cards next time. In my luggage I had hundreds of cards . I hope to send all of them an email thanking them for their hospitality.
Last Day in Indonesia
Friday, February 29th.
No meetings, up at 7:00, shopped in mall and walked around town, couldn’t even spend all of my own money. Went in bookstore again to look at anti American shit. Daydreamed about helping the poor and stopping illegal logging. Packed. God did I pack. One problem with this trip, maybe the only negative really, is the packing and unpacking. Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Pakanbaru, Singapore – six hotels in two weeks. And everywhere you receive a gift == plus you buy some things for people – you get name cards, receipts, paper of indeterminate importance, books in Indonesian, and your luggage multiplies like naughty small mammals left alone. Every night empty your pockets, sort your clothes, organize, and go to bed. When time comes to go you pack it all up in newer and more innovative, space-saving combinations, and move to the next place. I packed too much, I kept too much, and I carried too much.
Left the hotel at 3:30. I was on my own at that point – no one from the Embassy was around – although Rachma had organized a car for me no one in the hotel could either a) remember that she had or b) tell me that I was taking the car she had organized. This illustrates a basic rule of the inexperienced traveler – you only vaguely know what is going on. The only way to approach it I guess it to be clear about your goal (must get to airport at this time) and smile a lot and be a dumbass. I was a serviceable insistent, polite, dumbass.
No meetings, up at 7:00, shopped in mall and walked around town, couldn’t even spend all of my own money. Went in bookstore again to look at anti American shit. Daydreamed about helping the poor and stopping illegal logging. Packed. God did I pack. One problem with this trip, maybe the only negative really, is the packing and unpacking. Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Pakanbaru, Singapore – six hotels in two weeks. And everywhere you receive a gift == plus you buy some things for people – you get name cards, receipts, paper of indeterminate importance, books in Indonesian, and your luggage multiplies like naughty small mammals left alone. Every night empty your pockets, sort your clothes, organize, and go to bed. When time comes to go you pack it all up in newer and more innovative, space-saving combinations, and move to the next place. I packed too much, I kept too much, and I carried too much.
Left the hotel at 3:30. I was on my own at that point – no one from the Embassy was around – although Rachma had organized a car for me no one in the hotel could either a) remember that she had or b) tell me that I was taking the car she had organized. This illustrates a basic rule of the inexperienced traveler – you only vaguely know what is going on. The only way to approach it I guess it to be clear about your goal (must get to airport at this time) and smile a lot and be a dumbass. I was a serviceable insistent, polite, dumbass.
Checking Into Aston in Pekanbaru
Got to the Pekanbaru hotel and went thru the check in ritual. When you don’t speak the language, and are in another land, you really do rely on a combination of system, guesses, and ritualized kindness. Security and airport check in always has a rough family resemblance but the sequence of when things are done, their location, and their exact rituals vary. In Indonesia, before you check a bag they put a strap around it so there are little “strap counters” around. In the U.S. of course they want to get in your bag so you can’t even lock it. I think I put my carry on thru two metal detectors – once to get into the airport and the other to get into the gate area and once more to get into the gate itself – but the general attitude of the guards is more casual. You also have to pay a 3.00 airport tax and the location of payment seems to vary.
Let it be said here that the hardest country to get in and out of is the U.S. and this hurts our standing with visitors and potential students. Two people even asked about it during my talks. I never had to take off my shoes on this trip (I did see a woman take off her large boots in Singapore but you could have hidden a cannon in them) and the customs agents were always at least polite. I think I said earlier that in Hong Kong they give you candy. When they explain the rules for entering the US on the airplane (I’m typing this right after hearing it) people just start to laugh they are so complex. The best thing about the US is, well, the US.
People can disagree but, speaking from an Indonesian perspective – and I think a lot of other places as well – people that have visited the US have been amazed at how open and friendly the people are. Borat made fun of the US but can you imagine Cohen trying to even make the movie in France – no one would have talked to him – the movie would have been shorter than a commercial. I’m not saying the people are well informed or always sensitive but, generally, they do what they can to accommodate people’s religious and personal beliefs. I have seen this time and again in the programs run by the Civic Initiative and testified to universally by every visitor I met in Indonesia. There was no dissent on the issue. One man I met had lived in Dayton Ohio (I’m sorry if I’m repeating things I wrote earlier) for ten years. He said that he had never met the kind of open minded people like he did in Dayton. Now, my New England readers may snicker about the red necks in the heartland, but, in fact, people with strong religious beliefs connect BETTER with Indonesians, not a tolerant secular person. He said he met every week for coffee and cookies with an InterFaith council in Kettering, hosted by a local Protestant church, and attended by Catholics, protestants, Jews, and Muslims.
But when it comes to getting here – we look bad sometimes. This isn’t to deny that security isn’t critical nor to suggest that a threat doesn’t exist but everything exists in a balance.
Let it be said here that the hardest country to get in and out of is the U.S. and this hurts our standing with visitors and potential students. Two people even asked about it during my talks. I never had to take off my shoes on this trip (I did see a woman take off her large boots in Singapore but you could have hidden a cannon in them) and the customs agents were always at least polite. I think I said earlier that in Hong Kong they give you candy. When they explain the rules for entering the US on the airplane (I’m typing this right after hearing it) people just start to laugh they are so complex. The best thing about the US is, well, the US.
People can disagree but, speaking from an Indonesian perspective – and I think a lot of other places as well – people that have visited the US have been amazed at how open and friendly the people are. Borat made fun of the US but can you imagine Cohen trying to even make the movie in France – no one would have talked to him – the movie would have been shorter than a commercial. I’m not saying the people are well informed or always sensitive but, generally, they do what they can to accommodate people’s religious and personal beliefs. I have seen this time and again in the programs run by the Civic Initiative and testified to universally by every visitor I met in Indonesia. There was no dissent on the issue. One man I met had lived in Dayton Ohio (I’m sorry if I’m repeating things I wrote earlier) for ten years. He said that he had never met the kind of open minded people like he did in Dayton. Now, my New England readers may snicker about the red necks in the heartland, but, in fact, people with strong religious beliefs connect BETTER with Indonesians, not a tolerant secular person. He said he met every week for coffee and cookies with an InterFaith council in Kettering, hosted by a local Protestant church, and attended by Catholics, protestants, Jews, and Muslims.
But when it comes to getting here – we look bad sometimes. This isn’t to deny that security isn’t critical nor to suggest that a threat doesn’t exist but everything exists in a balance.
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