Kappa's Greenyard of Thoughts

1.12.08

World AIDS Day in Indonesia...

"That's the hardest thing: In Indo[nesia] the supply is inconsistent, sometimes may not be available *sighs* That's why rich kids with HIV go abroad for treatment..."

I just hope that with World AIDS Day this year, we could raise our awareness about our friends with HIV/AIDS. Respect them, protect them, love them. Just as same as YOU who want to be RESPECTED, PROTECTED and LOVED.

YOU, from all people in the world, YOU. And people with HIV/AIDS have RIGHTS to be RESPECTED, PROTECTED and LOVED.

Ministry of Health, please. I know that you guys have tried enough, but we still need you. You guys have the power to change, you guys have the ability to decide. Please use it for good.

World AIDS Day website

Labels: national, sosial

29.11.08

"If we respect the rights of the people living with HIV/AIDS, then we must also respect the rights of healthy people" - ORLY?

Just in case you didn't know the meaning of 'ORLY', I suggest you read this article at Urban Dictionary ~~which also means that we geeks rules t3h world!~~

Okay.

I know this is kinda late but I couldn't keep my mind off from this article. After spending several lunatic days at the office, finally I able to sit and type about my opinions. In such a nice coincidence, there is this One Day For Human Rights event and Indonesia's 16-Days Campaign To Stop Violence. The folks at One Day For Human Rights said that they are inspired by Blog Action Day. Hey, such a cool action! See? The Internet is unlimited! Hmm, I don't know whether here in Indonesia we will have such similar action as Blog Action Day or not, but I think it would be cool if in one day we in Indonesia could blog about one topic regarding some social issues, economics, politics or many more.

Okay, I'm babbling.

Now, the topic for today's entry is about our Papua friends with HIV/AIDS are getting microchips.

Oooo. Microchips. Fear t3h cyborgs you people. Yes, enough goofing around. The question is - ah, my favorite - WHY?

Councilor John Manangsang said the microchips would only be implanted in people living with HIV/AIDS who were deemed to be "aggressive".

"Aggressive means actively seeking sexual intercourse. This is one way to protect healthy people," he said.

"Do not misunderstand human rights; if we respect the rights of the people living with HIV/AIDS, then we must also respect the rights of healthy people."

Well, from my personal point of view, I have this fear that this will lead to something worse.

Maybe the legislative council is having good intentions to limit the spread of HIV/AIDS at Papua since 46% of HIV/AIDS cases in this nation are concentrated at Papua, but then we couldn't avoid a thing called 'prejudice'.

Soon people will diss HIV/AIDS people with microchips and somehow I could see the shadow of Adolf Hitler himself here. You see, majority of Indonesians still see people with HIV/AIDS as people that should be avoided at all costs - and that's wrong. I understand the fear and worries, but then if we all know how to think and act, those people are just the same with healthy people. The key here, friends, is about understanding. It's about being educated and knowing the facts so we could act properly.

Me myself disagree with the idea of putting microchips. We are humans for God sake, not animals. Get rid the idea of using microchips. Increase the education and awareness about HIV/AIDS among people.

Besides, microchips? Dude. How about the microchip reader? It's high tech there. You think people there could afford it?

Again, people, it's about education.

Labels: fatal, national, sosial

26.11.08

[English] Because it's visible

Once my friend at online world asked a question "why such thing like race is important and could lead to racism?"

At first I answered due to the basis of biological conditions. Several races in this world have some special conditions which could be pretty harmful if being mixed -- although thanks to recent's medical and knowledge innovations, that kind of thing could be avoided.

Then just now I knew the answer.

"Sex and Race, because they are easy, visible differences, have been the primary ways of organising human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour on which this system still depends."

Gloria Steinem

Because it's visible. Because it could be seen from outside. Because we could see that the colors of our skin are different.

And some people are afraid of a thing called 'differences'.

Dear me, we all being separated just because our eyes see it as 'different'?

This poem was nominated by UN as the best poem of 2006, Written by an African Kid

When I born, I black. When I grow up, I black.
When I go in Sun, I black. When I scared, I black.
When I sick, I black. And when I die, I still black.

And you white fellow.

When you born, you pink. When you grow up, you white.
When you go in sun, you red. When you cold, you blue.
When you scared, you yellow. When you sick, you green.
And when you die, you gray.

And you calling me colored?

Labels: sosial

24.11.08

[English] We only need a mirror. Sometimes.

I should say that this topic could be quite political and there might be some readers here feel offended with this topic. Nevertheless, I'm trying to be as objective as I could although yes, there might be some words here that you could feel offensive to you and your country.

Here in Indonesia we're familiar about our rivalry with Malaysia. And maybe folks at Malaysia realized it too. Some cases happened between the two countries and the cases never pretty. Some people assume it started since Soekarno discontinued the diplomacy between two countries at 1960s. The diplomacy resumed again yet some issues raised up recently which makes some things going worse.

My sister told me a story about her two colleagues that got their internship at Malaysia several months ago. "I should consider myself lucky," my sis told me, "for Japan never really take a fuss about everything. Their efficiency and discipline made everything is easy for me. Unlike what my friends have encountered at Malaysia before."

So my sister's friends told her that when they arrived at Malaysia, the officials looked at them suspiciously and accused them for nothing. During their internship they also didn't had any improvements in term of dealing with officials. Even in one extent her friends said, "I'm GLAD that we have this Chinese-look. If we have Melayu-look, the officials at Malaysia will think that we are some kind of prostitutes or what."

We could say it as 'dignity'

Oh how bad the image of Indonesia people is. In Malaysia, there's this saying 'Indon' which really really despising Indonesia people. 'Indon' is such a harsh word to call Indonesia people at Malaysia and regard them as low-level. In some extents, Malaysia officials think that people that came from Indonesia only work as housemaids, low-level workers or even prostitutes at Malaysia.

That's the level of our country in the eye of Malaysia.

Why?

I should say that I'm pretty much angry with it. To heck with all, Indonesia is filled with bright people with bright future. However, I couldn't refuse the fact that yes, most of Indonesia people still uneducated. Sadly, those uneducated people going abroad and working as housemaids, low-level workers and prostitutes.

Those people, going outside from this country, directly act as Indonesia's representatives at foreign countries. And practically they are ruining us all.

Okay, so where's the black goat of the family?

I couldn't blame, in this case, Malaysia for the bad image. Oh no. Well, I should say that sometimes folks at Malaysia are sometimes crossing the borders too often -- dude, I warning you, those claws at Reog Ponorogo sometimes real. And you could hear it's gnashing all the time -- but then I couldn't blame them for saying that Indonesia people are stupid because YES, MOST OF INDONESIA PEOPLE THERE ARE STUPID.

There I said it.

With Caps Lock.

Those people coming to other countries with limited or no education at all. They don't know how to operate machines, household appliances and many stuffs. So how a family at Malaysia or Taiwan expect to have such an incompetent maid?

So I think the answer lies on the workforce agencies at Indonesia. I pretty much love the news about how some agencies are giving training and education to the workers. Once my client shown me her works with Indonesia Workforce Department about training for Indonesia workforce that will go abroad. I don't know whether I could expect for better condition for them or not although I must say that yes, I do wish for better condition. I hate it every time I hear news about Indonesia worker who are getting abused in foreign countries. Sometimes we couldn't defend ourselves.

We could yell that "I HAVE THIS MELAYU-LOOK AND I'M NOTHING LIKE THOSE BAD IMAGES WHATSOEVER" Yeah yeah, that's YOU. WE. US. Educated, determined, rich and prosperous. Well, frankly speaking, how about the workers? Majority of them are there, at Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and many other countries. And the sad fact is: They are uneducated and less-fortunate than us.

So yeah, we need a mirror before we started to yell at other countries for bad images about us in their eyes.

Labels: national, sosial

22.11.08

[English] The Most Democratic Of All

Source: Pravni Fakultet Osijek

Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men.

- Jean Jacques Rousseau

We're living the era of gods and goddesses. I'm not saying that we're going back to Ancient Greek or Ancient Egypt (although the history about those two civilizations fascinates me a lot,) but looking from Rousseau's words, I should put my opinion that we're living in that kind of world now. Who are the gods and goddesses? We are.

Well, okay, I couldn't say that ALL of us in this surface of the Earth being included in this group. I should say us, the Netizens. We who contribute and take something out from the Internet. We the producers and the consumers at the Internet. We who uploading our pictures to Flickr, downloading our songs from iTunes and so on.

Different way of communicating, different way of behaving.

The Internet is the most democratic media of all time -- and totally going further from McLuhan's 'hot and cold media'. The Internet is rich with all the data and information, be it from a company's income statement to someone else's picture of wedding party. And the nice part of it is, we could join the group.

The Internet is changing people's way to communicate. Before the Internet had its breakthrough to the public, the two-ways communication is accomplished by telephone. Both parties in different places could give input and take output. However, the system alone is quite limited. Not all people could have conversation with 2 people or more via the phone without getting much hassles in it.

The Internet, the advanced form of the telephone - no matter how savvy the medium looks, all communication's media is going back to the most basic thing that Alexander Graham Bell once invented. The phone - changes all that. Not only delivering voices via the Internet through VoIP (Voice over IP), but we also could share pictures, videos, texts and many more. Best thing of it? We could do it simultaneously with limited or no hassles at all.

From the people, by the people, for the people.

Picture yourself in imaginary world when you're connected to the Net. You wouldn't have only one or two cables that going out from your body. Oh no sweet Jove, you will have thousands of cables going out from your head and body. You take and give, you send and receive, you read and write, you upload and download.

In short, everybody in the Internet have the power to say something, no matter how small it is. Especially with help from Google to sniffing around and finding something that you really need.

You, people, you have the power to talk. You have the ability to say out loud what is on your mind.

Vox populi vox Dei. Return the voice of the Lord to its rightful position to make differences and better condition for all of us.

P.S. This is what happened after you watched 'V for Vendetta' for three times in a row. You're lucky I didn't say "A for Anarchy" yet :P

Labels: personal, sosial

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