One Is Not Born, But Rather Becomes, A Woman - Beauvoir

Being a feminist is not about trying to imitate men, hatred to men, burning bras or naked. Being feminist is about free to decide who you want to be, how to act and be responsible to your choice. It is not a shame to demand respect. 

Source: @grenta's journal

Hard to Spell, Easy to Practice: Misogyny

Being a woman is suck, she said. At a second the wrinkle on the forehead shaped, presenting disagreement. But then, slowly the wrinkle gone, the eyes were pointing to a random object, still thinking. Ah, ya she is not that wrong. I can follow her saying about that. Like it or not, I must admit that being a woman in this patriarchal and misogynist country is utterly suck. The pain of having menstruate every month is not enough, women have also facing affliction, oppression, underestimation, silly cat-calling, and stereotyping, labeling from society.

Being a widow, by a divorce or death separated, is a major deal on this society. By having that status, you have to ready that people will stare at the back and make the opinion that you are about to lose the wealth or poor or difficult to suffice the daily needs for you and the children as well, because there is no spouse to do so for you. 

 I have secret for you, society, protect your own lover or husband to not fall for them, do not let them chat too long, help too often, or even laugh with them. 

By having status as a widow, every main thing will connect to economy and sexual theme. Economy theme will lead their thoughts that you are easy to lean on everyone that has lots of money. Also, It is not a problem being in affair with somebody's husband or being a second or third or so, as long as you can bath money. Well, if  money is not the main thing you count, it is alright to still have someone who holds or shares sexual desire with you. It is because you are so lonely, right? I am damn right. 

Fuck it, people.

Just fuck it. I can not process or even accept that way of thinking. Being widow for a woman is much harder. People use the word 'widow' to allow their logical fallacy of thinking to be true. With the word 'widow' for a women, people disgustingly related to anything lower; economy, morality, behavior. (I am sorry, I related this to my nearest experience). Cut that off!!!

Being a widow for a woman is a real struggle. If you, my good friend, want to know what they really pass on their life is, they actually spare their major time to work and pray. They try to stand up again after losing their life partner to continue the life. Life is keep walking and have to be continued even with the unlikeliest way. There is no time to think about so, to think about what most people have in mind about them and their activities. 

Clean up the mind, spare the time to think that stereotyping and labeling just make your head narrower. Do not see them by the status, but simply human. Respect them just like you want to be respected by others. 

The society is not yet mature enough, can not hope big on it though. But for you, my friends, I hope you do not swim your mind to those rushes. Please turn back, be mature and just respect everyone. For you who struggles on this patriarchy and misogyny world, my friends, even though we may not meet, cry, kiss or, even laugh together, I love you. With all my heart. 

Work of Words

People still have difficulty to move on since the movie Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What's With Love?) was aired again on telly. It could be said, regarded as one of many legendary movies in Indonesia. 12 years had passed since it aired on cinema then it back again with the sequel, which was sponsored by Line (kind of android chatting application). If I may give conclusion, the sequel was Blah!(capital B).Really, you do not have to see it, does not change anything but craving to see the 12 years old version. Seeing the old version also brought to another conclusion that actually Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (What's With Love?) is just like usual romantic teenage movie. The thing that made it legendary was (maybe) when it first launched in 2002, not many Indonesian movie was produced. 

It is just silly conclusion from a toothless then, so beat it. Anyway, still the movie had triggered people to read more of Chairul Anwar's works (tough, major of us only know Binatang Jalang) and Rangga officially became a favorite boyfriend material icon. Still, this four thumbs will be given to Line for such marketing strategies, really smart way to go (besides all of those crappiness and too much slow motion effect, for sure). They played with ex-Indonesian teenagers with memory, no one can refuse it. Good job, Line!

For I am an adorer of works of words, I still like it the poem that heard in the end of movie. It goes like this,

Perempuan datang atas nama Cinta

Bunda pergi karena Cinta

Digenangi air racun jingga adalah wajahmu

Seperti bulan lelap tidur di hatimu

Yang berdinding kelam dan kedinginan

Ada apa dengannya?

Meninggalkan hati untuk dicaci

Baru sekali ini aku melihat karya surga dalam mata seorang hawa

Ada apa dengan Cinta?

Tapi pasti aku akan kembali 

Dalam satu purnama untuk mempertanyakan kembali cintanya

Bukan untuknya, bukan untuk siapa

Tapi untukku

Karena aku ingin kamu

Itu saja.

Best way to woo women, there you go! Another work of words that founded amazing is on Vivian Idris. It goes like this,

Hari ini aku panah yang lepas

Menerabas jalan-jalan kota

Menerbangkan debu-debu jalan

Mengacaukan tenang daun-daun

Menyambar api yang kusematkan di rambut-rambut kota

Dan menari diiringi lagu kebangsaan

Tuhan, Bapak, Ibu

Aku ingin membangkang.

It seems I started to make another out of topic subject, so better end here. But, if really the past greet you again, would you greet them back? Or leave it then? Or what? Because I myself will respond "oh, fuck" instead of, "jadi satu purnama di...." well, it is just me. 

The Look of Silence (SENYAP)

I was having a little tantrum because of unpredictable notification on Gmail. That immature rage brought me to  Taman Ismail Marzuki alone, I was hoping that I still got the chance to watch documentary movie titled The Look of Silence by Joshua Oppenheimer. For you, who already have watched Jagal: The Act of Killing, must be know who that guy is. He is the director of both Jagal and The Look of Silence documentary movie.

The Looks of Silence's movie poster

I myself was more into this one than Jagal, both were amazingly disturbing but The Looks of Silence was more surreal and emotional because it used the view point of a Mother. The first line which a Mother sung in the beginning of the movie made my eyes swollen. Joshua was a wrecker because he made me laughed but guilty in the next second, until I could not anymore laughed. People were still bursting that they forgot about the object that they were laughing at,was the victim of deepest sadness and sorrow, who finally lost and chose to forget the sadness, then be numb in his 100th. This documentary movie, once again question the humanity issue in Indonesia and depict how Indonesian people see it. The result is unfortunately disappointing. You can see the culmination point of anger, sadness, disappointment, confused, and  rage on his eyes.

Adi Rukun (the main actor of SENYAP, brother of Ramli allegedly PKI)

History subject that our teachers had taught us in Elementary School to Senior High School just delivered a dichotomic conclusion, therefore bad or evil, right or wrong. It did not leave the students think critically cause the teacher just put in the dogma. That is what happens on our society seeing communism and G30S PKI. They blabber that communism is an atheist system, need to be demolished, so it is okay killing somebody that an atheist. Killing and drinking their blood, if I my add. Can you process that? killing somebody because one allegedly an atheist and drink their blood to keep sane? This is about humanity (and I believe no religion order their people to do so as well), no one allows to kill  another for being so. It is a violence of human rights! Our symbolic society keep choosing to be deaf anyway. 

Well, I ran out of the words. I can not say much but BRAVISSIMO to this work. I hope this kind of work will slowly but sure, open up the eyes of our society facing Indonesian humanity issue. Let us stop that gengsi act and mind this issue. I also hope many Indonesian sineas will be brave bring up this topic to us to a larger space. Thank you, Oppenheimer!