Indonesian Stereotypes and Misconceptions

So I'm inspired by Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil, the Canada's adventure couple. They really share many great travel tips. Check out www.theplanetd.com

As proud Canadians, they realize some people tend to have misconceptions about Canadians. And they created an interesting post, Canadian Stereotypes and Misconceptions

So I am a proud Indonesian and I want to make this post so that people won't have misconceptions again about Indonesians.


1. Indonesian language is written in Arabic script
Somehow I often hear people say this. First, let me share a brief explanation about Bahasa Indonesia. The language is actually influenced by Malay, Hindi, Arabic, Dutch, English and local languages like Javanese, etc. Indonesia was ruled by sultanates (Islamic kingdoms) and Indonesia has a very large Muslim population. But the language is never written in Arabic script! Never! We use roman alphabets just like English making it one of the easiest Asian languages. Our alphabets are also very simple. It contains 26 letters. Well, just like English. We don't have things like e accent in French or things like o umlaut in German.

2. All Indonesians are Muslims
Yes it is true that Indonesia has the most Muslim citizens in this world and that's of course something to be proud of (world record yeayy!) But compared to countries in middle east and north Africa, the Muslim population in Indonesia doesn't reach 95%. I guess it's just around 80%. This thing often happens to me in Germany. So I chatted with some Arabians who live in Germany. And they asked me where I come from. I answered: "Indonesia." And then they assumed that I'm a Muslim. Well, there are 6 religions in Indonesia. And note again that the Muslim population is only about 80%, not more than 95% like in middle east and north Africa.

3. Indonesians often see elephants and orangutans in the wild
So you know I'm an intern in a zoo currently. And my colleagues thought I often see elephants and orangutans in the wild because I'm from Indonesia. So let me explain this
Asian elephants and orangutans are listed as endangered species. If I could see them easily, they should not be listed as endangered species! Too bad we cannot see elephants and orangutans easily in Jakarta. By the way, I've never seen elephants and orangutans in the wild. It's probably because I've never been in Sumatra and Kalimantan, where people may find these animals. And also it's because I rarely (or never) visit national parks.

4. Indonesians eat noodle as staple food
Nope, the staple food is rice. Do people have this in mind because of our famous Indomie?

5. Indonesians love surfing
Very wrong. Hell yes Indonesia is a surfer's paradise! The beaches are very gorgeous with great waves for surfing. But not many Indonesians love surfing. It is also not a popular sport in Indonesia. Most surfers in Indonesia are actually Australians I guess. I even never surf how pathetic is that! But, Indonesians love football (or soccer) and badminton... That's true. I guess all Indonesians are born to play badminton. All of us can play badminton for sure.

6. Indonesia doesn't have alcohol drinks
Maybe it's because people think Indonesia is a Muslim country. But actually Indonesia produces and sells beers like Bir Bintang, Anker Beer, etc. We even have many traditional liquors. But of course not all people drink alcohol due to religious reason. I think alcoholic drinks can be found a lot in Jakarta (due to its multiculturalism), Bali (because the Balinese are almost 100% Hindunese and also multiculturalism) and Manado (Manado people are mostly Catholics). But basically alcoholic drinks are easily found everywhere in Indonesia. However, alcoholic drink is not really our culture. It doesn't take many parts in our lives. We're not like Germans or Irish, who believe beers are very important.

7. Indonesians are poor
Fact: Indonesia has the highest Blackberry user in the world. Another fact: Indonesia has the most twitter user. If we're that poor, how can we afford to pay for blackberry and internet? We're not that poor actually. Yes, you may still find people begging in the street and undernourished kids. But it is very normal for developing countries, isn't it? Go to China and India, the world's new economy powers and you'll find the same thing.

8. Indonesians don't speak English
People in travel forum often compare Indonesia and Malaysia. And people often say visiting Malaysia is easier because the people speak English. Well, English may not be the official language in Indonesia but it is widely spoken. In fact, our government worries that Indonesian youths prefer using English to Indonesian. I think Indonesians speak like Indians now. We tend to mix English with our local language. You'll see more "No Smoking" sign than "Dilarang Merokok" (means: no smoking) sign.
By the way, I write my posts in English not because I don't love my own language! Indonesian is a very interesting and exotic language. I love my language. I even wanted to study Indonesian literature. I write my posts in English so that non-Indonesian speakers can understand what I write!

9. Indonesian government does not uphold human rights
Indonesia's a democratic country. We have elections. We have freedom of speech. We have freedom of expression. We're just not that human-right-oriented like western countries. We just still believe death penalty has advantages and it's good to combat corruptions and terrorism. We have not legalized gay marriage and many other democratic countries haven't legalized it too, right? And we have school uniform, but it doesn't mean we don't uphold freedom of expression. It's for equality among students so that nobody wears branded products to school and show them off to schoolmates. I personally love my school uniform. Firstly, it reduces bullying. Secondly, I also didn't have to think "oh what the hell should I wear today?" early in the morning and spend my time mix-and-matching clothes in front of the mirror before going to school.