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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Kisah Jaka Sembung



Ceritanya saya komen di sebuah komik IG. Saya minta format satu page agar gampang disharing karena menurut saya komik itu bagus, tentang kisah si pengarang yang kena misuh-misuh bapak tua yang menganggap jilbab itu lebih penting dari pelajaran sains.  

Lalu ada yang menjawab komen saya, bahwa saya harus bangga dan berjuang menjadi perempuan yang baik tanpa jilbab atau dengan jilbab, bahwa hanya Tuhan yang tahu amal ibadah kita dan seterusnya. Bengong lah saya membacanya.

Pertama, komen saya tentang minta dibikinkan format satu page kalau memungkinkan, bukan tentang pemakaian jilbabnya. Kedua, ternyata dia seorang pria, yang agak dodol menurut saya kalau mencoba menasihati seorang wanita tentang jilbab. Dia aja nggak pake jilbab. Ketiga, saya Hindu.

Paling males kalau ada orang yang tetiba nimbrung jaka sembung. Kadang niatnya baik, tapi kadang (baca: seringkali) niatnya hanya ingin terlihat baik. Menerima 'masukan' seperti ini rasanya seperti ngemilin kembang tabur: wangi saja tapi nggak ada nutrisi dan jelas nggak enak.

Apalagi kalau orang tersebut jelas-jelas nggak ada kepentingannya, atau bahkan nggak perduli sama kita. Asal terlihat baik dan bijak pokoknya. Yay seleb Fesbuk dan IG! Seperti mas ini yang sama sekali nggak ngeh kalau dia melakukan persis seperti di komik yang kita komenin: memaksakan pendapatnya pada wanita.

Sekali lagi, para pembaca: wanita itu nggak hidup hanya untuk pria. Wanita itu ada di dunia atas kehendak Tuhan, bukan? Jadi yang perlu wanita pikirkan ya Sang Pencipta, bukan jenis kelamin tertentu. Hiduplah sesuai apa yang dikehendakiNya. Jadi orang baik, misalnya.

Banyak agama dan kebudayaan yang menempatkan pria sebagai pilar keluarga, sebagai pemuka dan pembimbing. Wajar. Secara fisik wanita biasanya lebih lemah, plus tugas kita yang terfokus pada mengurus keluarga. Tapi bukan berarti wanita lebih rendah.

Terlalu sering kita wanita mendengar omongan "Nanti nggak ada lelaki yang mau sama kamu". Yang hidup kita seolah berpusat pada bagaimana mendapatkan dan memuaskan pasangan. Nggak penting lah kita pintar, kita baik, kita hebat. Yang akan dinilai hanya kemampuan kita mendapatkan dan mempertahankan pasangan.

Makanya saya ekstra sensi saat jaka sembung di komen komik ini ternyata lelaki. Mas bagus, bukan wanita yang mesti diingatkan untuk tetap hebat dengan atau tanpa jilbab. Yang harus diingatkan rekan-rekan pria anda. 

Anda nggak ngerasain disinisin saat lepas jilbab. Anda nggak ngerasain dihakimi oleh teman dekat yang baru mulai pakai jilbab. Anda nggak ngerasain diteriakin teroris karena jilbab yang anda putuskan untuk dipakai. Anda nggak tahu rasanya jadi wanita.

Tapi anda bisa bersimpati dan berempati, bisa mencoba mengerti perjuangan para wanita. Sana, ceramahi para rekan pria anda. Beranikan diri membela wanita dengan lantang, dan bukan hanya yang secantik artis sinetron. Jangan takut pasang badan saat orang lain menganiaya wanita, baik secara fisik ataupun perkataan.

Sudah saatnya pria menjadi rekan setara bagi wanita, bukannya malah menjajah. Pria bisa lho tetap jadi pembimbing dan pengayom, tapi boleh dong kita wanita mencari yang memang sanggup dan bukan hanya karena dia kebetulan punya penis. Wanita dari tulang rusuk pria, bukan? Setara, seimbang.

Sekedar info saja, saya masih lho sangat menghormati pria. Makanya lelaki disini kadang klepek-klepek menghadapi saya. Kita yang didikan Indonesia masih sangat ngemong dan menghargai, barang langka kalau disini. Tapi ya saya pilih-pilih. Kalau nggak bisa menghargai saya balik ya ngapain juga diladenin.

Para wanita, jangan takut untuk berani memiliki preferensi dan untuk menghargai nilai diri kita sendiri. Wanita yang hebat itu berkah bagi dunia lho. Para lelaki, jangan nggak pede sama wanita hebat. Kalian harusnya merasa tertantang untuk mampu menjadi pasangan ideal mereka. Kita semua ingin menjadi manusia yang lebih baik, bukan?

Dan itu artinya nggak usah lagi sepik-sepik sok bijak di urusan yang mungkin anda nggak mengerti. Itu artinya berusaha berempati dan bersimpati, bukannya malah "Harusnya yah…" Jadilah teman, bukan penjajah. Bisa kan?

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

The Pitchforks



I have to tune myself out from the election news because of the constant vitriol and name calling on my Facebook feed. Some who played it nicely would only vague-booking about how "Democracy matters" and how "Americans have spoken".

The exact same thing happened in Indonesia, where the supporters of the current president valiantly defend the president, and the people who oppose him vehemently denounced his presidency. Both have the same solid argument, both hate each other with vengeance.

We say we shouldn't judge. We say we should see people as people, more than just the stigma and past the propaganda. Yet we call each other in a way that if it's referred to other issues such as religion, we'll be considered insensitive or politically incorrect.

Republicans/Conservatives are people who hate immigrant, redneck idiot who worship the crassness of Trump and his goon, who have no respect of whatsoever to women's body, the egoistic selfish maniac who'll do anything for the good of themselves.

Democrats/Liberals are people who won't accept responsibilities, who thinks the world revolves around them and they deserve so much more than they actually worth, who leech off of other people's hard work, who denounce anything than inconvenience them.

In the same breath, this is exactly the same as saying Muslims are terrorist, Jewish are opportunist, immigrants are criminals, black people are violent, white people are supremacist, Southeast Asian is gold digger, people with HIV have a questionable lifestyle, gays are bad, straights are homophobic, and the list goes on.

We can waste our breath debating on whether or not the accusation is true, a debate that will change nobody's mind. Or we can do better: ask yourself what are you fighting for? Are you fighting for what you think it is right, or are you blindly defending your group by reducing the worth of your opponent?

For some, what I write won't matter because of my stance on immigration. I have been labeled as Trump supporter, so to speak. For others, what I write won't matter because I am an immigrant. I have been labeled as a leech and I don't have any right to speak about the US.

Yet this is what I see. I see people vehemently defending their group and their belief without trying to understand what and how other people think. Not just US, but all around the world. One side will win, but at what cost? The cost will be buried ember ready to burst into fiery anger when the time comes.

Democracy is not about winning or losing, it is not about being right or wrong. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population, which means even your opponent has the right to say on the matter, which means you can't just shut them down by saying "You are stupid!" without trying to understand their concerns.

We can hate-vote. We can fear-vote. We can self-righteous-vote. Or we can vote by clearly and objectively considering which will bring the best of the people, and the consequences that will happen. We can vote for what we believe, not to attack others.

Sure, the other group did it first. But you do not live with 'the other group'. You live with yourself. In times, what you believe can and will change. Being civil and understanding is not done for other, it's done for you. You can do that or be trapped in the shallow muddy pool of stigma, sinking deeper into unpleasantness and anger towards others. Your call.

Friday, November 2, 2018

Dear Self



Dear Self,
You don't owe him any explanation
If he thinks you are a bad person
Then yes, to him you will always be
You don't owe him your story
If he thinks you are making things up
Then yes, to him you will always be
You don't owe him your assurance
If he can't see how much you love him
Then yes, to him it'll never be enough
You don't have to beg him to stay
If he doesn't think you will worth it
Then yes, to him you will never be
You can cry but please know it's ok
Respect his free will and respect yours
It will be ok, I promise you that
Dear Self, I love you.

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