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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Two And A Half Cents

I really don't like TV shows that focus on low-income families and treat these families as somewhat entertainment-commodities. One of said shows would be "Jika Aku Menjadi". In this show, a guest star (usually a female) is required to live and work with a low-income family for a couple of days, and in between, she would cry and tell the viewers how sad she is to see how much this family "suffer" and struggle on a daily basis, and that she should be more thankful to God for having a better life than them. That boils me.

You see, doing such is no different than walking down the street and approach a random hawker and say, "oh my, your life is so tough. Thank God I have a better life". No matter how "poor" someone is or some people are, we should never belittle their status. I mean, seriously, you cry in front of someone you consider poor, because you're sad that he or she is so poor? Imagine how the poor person would feel. He/she will feel poorer, because someone is making it clearer for him/her that he/she is extremely poor.

I remember a guest star of the TV show giving her comments which more or less sounded like this: "I'm so sad, (cries), because he works so hard (cries), and it's so lonely here (cries). This man works every day picking up tree sticks and gets only Rp.10.000 a day, while I can spend so much for a single lunch (cries). There's no entertainment here, no shops, nothing. I always complain back in the city, while in fact there's so much entertainment there. We have cinemas, malls (cries). I can't imagine living his life".

And how does saying such a thing make that man feel any good?

Wouldn't it be much nicer if we actually made him feel better instead of poorer? Why do we need to emphasize on things he (currently) doesn't have and point out in front of his face that his life is "so poor"? Instead, we should appreciate his hard work whatever his "job" is, no matter how much he earns. We should remind him of how lucky he is, because he is given such good health and strength. We should tell him how much we envy his simple, humble life in the village, because life in the city is full of complexities. We should provide him the faith that he can make a betterment in life if he works harder. We should support him to never feel disheartened, for life, no matter what, works in many different ways. And we guide him with whatever knowledge or information we have, so he can be inspired. If this is done, then providing him (and his family) some cash at the end of the show as a capital for him to start a (better) job would be more relevant.

Helping people is not supposed to be done only by (giving) money. But by (giving) moral support. And respect.

79 comments:

bramandewi said...

i agree with u..
and they just act!
tidak setulus itu air matanya krn air mata bayaran

Unknown said...

Perhaps the idea behind it is not to belittle these people. This is a show, so there's an element of "act" and "staged" behind it. It's probably meant to open your eyes of your surroundings that life happens outside of your comfort zone whether it's sad life or happy life.

Anonymous said...

Totally agreed :'(

SABILA said...

kak diana!! I'm so soo agree with you!! Once time,my friend told me that show and that she cried a lot during the show. Well, I can't cry and I just thing who is the cruel one behind this.. And that crying part is absolutely the worst just like you say, that poor people must be feeling so much poorer inside,, It just mean to make that moment such an entertainment, right?

Ghuraba said...

hello. well dear i think no one thought of the way you think. maybe rare. but i think, well this kinda shows is good for people to be thankful of what they have & to give more to society. but idk about the shows ur talking about but i do agree that those people need respect & moral support beside mere donation.

Lazuli Sarae said...

Maybe the purpose is to create awareness, but as u said, it can be done in a better way...

Moreover, instead of just giving money, the better way is to empower them :)

ivan said...

Maybe the purpose is to create awareness, but as u said, it can be done in a better way...

Moreover, instead of just giving money, the better way is to empower them :)

Izzy said...

I agree with what you're saying. Saying those things about such a person does not make them feel any better about themselves. I wish those who are less fortunate than me all the blessing and happiness.

hanny arianty gultom said...

i just so sad, that most of my TV shows are full of fakes,, i recall my self that it was back then from "Telling Love" time, the first reality show.. the beginning is true, not after the TV shows sells..

I asked my bf why he love to watch something like that even i told him that it was lie. He said that it entertains him how the fakes is going on..

:)

Irviene Maretha said...

hi kak diana,
it was nostalgic for me seeing your writing. I've write about something that have a proximity to your post. too. please check it: http://thememblecompany.blogspot.com/2011/07/envy-is-power.html

i'm totally agreed with you. "comparation" is the key. Either comparation to people who is "lower" or "higher" is no good!

thanks for sharing :)

Claude C Kenni said...

Can't agree more with you
Jaman sekarang orang rela "menjual air mata" demi entertainment...sungguh memuakkan...

Lexy said...

I think so, it's only exploitation for entertainment purpose. What I can't bear is the guest star who always much shed the tears...I think it's just too much..hah..Better they think of idea how to enhance people life by creating social advancement program for a village, maybe with entrepreneurship activity involve main sector in that area (eq:farming) to increase productivity.

fettyasihta said...

For me, it's not entertaining at all. I don't like that kind of show. I never believe that's really happen. I mean it's not real, everything's already set up and full of acting. And I think including crying.
I know those people's condition isn't good, but please don't make it worst. I agree with you, we shouldn't act like that, crying and crying can't make them feel good or even better.
This's just my opinion kak. :)

fettyasihta said...

For me, it's not entertaining at all. I don't like that kind of show. I never believe that's really happen. I mean it's not real, everything's already set up and full of acting. And I think including crying.
I know those people's condition isn't good, but please don't make it worst. I agree with you, we shouldn't act like that, crying and crying can't make them feel good or even better.
This's just my opinion kak. :)

Unknown said...

Well said. :)

Anonymous said...

I know exactly what you mean! today's entertainment has taken such a different and completely horrible turn :(


alittledinasoar.blogspot.com

Jane Reggievia said...

aku juga sempat pernah nonton ini, Kak dan yah... realty show Indonesia makin lama makin nggak ada manfaatnya. reality show kayak gini cuman memperlihatkan sisi kemiskinan masyarakat dan meninggikan sisi kelebihan si artis atau si guest star itu sendiri. mungkin ide cerita bisa diganti setelah (mungkin) salah satu dari pihak acara baca blog Kakak ini.

thanks Kak buat tulisannya, have a great day (:

JANE FROM THE BLOG

wife, 29 tahun said...

i do agree with you
they don't need anyone else to say pitty on them
what they need actually is spirit
indeed, life is beautiful yet full of struggle
they only see from their point of view
poverty is not a commidity

wife, 29 tahun said...

i do agree with you
they don't need anyone else to say pitty on them
what they need actually is spirit
indeed, life is beautiful yet full of struggle
they only see from their point of view
poverty is not a commidity

Sishi Semet said...

I couldn't agree more!
Sebenernya sih kayaknya niat awalnya utk ajak pemirsa buka mata, bahwa hidup tuh susah, contohnya orang2 yg diambil utk jadi subyek di acara itu, jadi kita mestinya bisa lebih menghargai apa yg kita punya & bersyukur. Tapi kok penyampaiannya berlebihan bgt, terutama orang2 yg stay in dirumah subyek2 itu. Pesannya jadi bergeser deh. Instead bikin orang yg nonton jadi melek, malah bikin subyeknya merasa down. Tapi drama & air mata menjual toh? jadi acaranya lanjut terus deh.. hehe

noniko said...

I think its just set up like any other show in Trans. But yah millions people watch it. as long people love such 'Lebai' show they'll keep make it.

Aul Howler's Blog said...

Agreed.
that's why I never watch these kind of programs. It makes me upset -_-

I'm sure the director or someone who produce the TV shows must be arrogant and rich. coz him/her feel happy seeing the low income people work so hard, and take some parts as an entertainment in order to making other people (with same level) happy too.

Ode to Baekhyun said...

i dont like that shows either

Shanen A. Kurniawan said...

that is so true!!!

zahra said...

ak juga sependapat :)
maksud acara tsb mngkin baik tapi cara mengemas n mnyuguhkan ke penonton sangat disayangkan, sangat sangat tdk mndidik mnurutku..
malah trkesan kbahagiaan itu brgantung pada materi, toh meski hdup mrka sederhana mreka mnjalaniny dgn bahagia n byk syukur, itu kan yg sharusny ditekankan bukan mnangis2ny krn kekurangan harta :-|
jika mreka mnjalani hidup mreka yg sederhana itu saja sdh bahagia, yg perlu dikasihani adl kita yg hidup dgn brkecukupan tpi tetap tdk bisa mrasa bahagia

Jump & Down said...

People who still can work can not be consider as poor. These reality show should focus on those real Poor people who don't work, don't have a place to live and can't even have a proper daily meal. That is poor. Those people are the one that needed to be help, not always with money as you said, but with education, support and moral is a must.

Emma said...

Agree!! Words Well put Diana..

Cik Siti Wan Kuncup said...

diana, i am so agree with you! it's okay to cry sympathetically but to say such words are inappropriate. eventho they are poor, they put their best effort to gain money. so instead of discouraging, we should encourage them to do their best in life. btw i think your post just made my day! :)

Maya Floria Yasmin said...

itu tergantung perspektif kita aja ngeliatnya gimana. mungkin maksud acara itu biar kita lebih bersyukur atas apa yg kita punya tanpa bermaksud 'menjual' acara tersebut :)

Keiagasshi said...

I'm agree with you.
But I think the tears and stuff just to made the show looks more dramatic.

Gian Aryanti said...

Agree!

Anonymous said...

It is inappropriate, indeed.

Regardless how misleading it is, the un-so-lucky (poor)'s housing will get fixed, and there will be some food which enough to feed at least a month.

I don't understand with Bramandewi had said, there is no evidence that the show is entirely act and actors are paid to cry.

Summer Heartbeat said...

agree!!!!!! we have that kind of show in malaysia, i would automatically change the channel. hemph!

ranindra said...

Diana, u are out of the box. seriously. i am enlightened.

Adhysti K Zamira said...

Agree!!!
I'm sick with that tv show.

http://adhystikzamira.blogspot.com

Vania Hefira said...

bener banget Kak! Aku gak tau ternyata gak cuma aku yang mikir begitu!!!

*semangat 45 mendukung Kakak*

Obat Kanker Payudara said...

i agree with u,
ga suka banget ..

Elle Luca said...

well said :)

Elle Luca said...

well said :)

Anonymous said...

yes,im agree with u, and this is happend in all of the world, i mean, i'm from Poland, and here money is wasted on this stupid shows too. Every poor person need support, and money of course, but we can do more then those stupid shows. Grrrrrr....
(btw, sorry, my english is not good)

Karina Dinda R. said...

Setuju banget kak Di..

More about Erlin said...

I like your post, your post inspire me to change my mind how to appreciate someone :)

Anonymous said...

Bukannya judulnya "Jika Aku Menjadi" ya?

Tiananda said...

I do agree with you :) For this long i am questioning why my heart says no to watch those kinds of show, and voila, your writing answers my discomfort.

I believe that human, poor or rich, living in village or city, has their own source of happiness. And the very humble life of the villager/poor people doesn't mean they're not happy. God is fair.

Yeah, feeling sorry for their condition and tell it straight to their face is very disrespectful. It's not a sympathy that could bring their level goes up.

And what i hate is, at the end of the show, the guest star give the villager a TV. A TV!!!! Please. Like a TV would make their live better -___-"

*a villager kids should be happy playing traditional games with their friends, while TV makes city kids being individualistic.

Diana Rikasari said...

Thank you so much, everyone...it feels nice to read your thoughts on this..:)

Anonymous: Ahh yess thanks for the correction. Just changed the TV Show name just now..:)

Anonymous said...

Menulis dan belum mencoba sendiri rasa nya aneh dan ganjil ya? Silahkan coba ikut JIKA AKU MENJADI datang ke trans tv tiap jam kerja buat casting! Biar lu semua tau kalo program itu ga ngejual air mata cuma demi kepentingan layar! Thats real no skrip! Silahkan mencoba bahkan kalo perlu liat dilapangan langsung bagaimana proses nya... Terima kasih

babalisme said...

You should have seen by now how LV, with Jolie on its ads, exploits poverty in Cambodia to sell a luxurious handbag.

Unfortunately fashion industry does this too, dear. I think all industries do.

Anonymous said...

Ada pepatah yg blng tak kenal maka tak sayang..
Coba mba ikutan deh jd talentnya, mungkin jd bisa lbh memahami apa yg sbnrnya terjadi.. Jd ga cuma melihat tp jg merasakan.. Tp kata tmnku aku yg prnah ikut castingnya berat, yg jd talentnya hrs cantik bgt dan pinter.. Tp aku yakin mba pasti masuklah.. Slamat mencoba mba..

Anonymous said...

Ada pepatah yg blng tak kenal maka tak sayang..
Coba mba ikutan deh jd talentnya, mungkin jd bisa lbh memahami apa yg sbnrnya terjadi.. Jd ga cuma melihat tp jg merasakan.. Tp kata tmnku aku yg prnah ikut castingnya berat, yg jd talentnya hrs cantik bgt dan pinter.. Tp aku yakin mba pasti masuklah.. Slamat mencoba mba..

Anonymous said...

For all :
Kalian semua yg ga setuju mendingan diem aja dan brfikir .. Acara ini bukan menjual air mata !
Ini menunjukkan bahwa rakyat indonesia msh bnyk yg miskin.. Perduli sesama apa salah ?
Klo cm ngandelin gerakan dr pemerintahan, kpn indonesia mau maju !!?????
Silahkan renungkan...

Anonymous said...

Pernakah anda tidur di kandang sapi dan cuma makan nasi aking selama 5 hari?
Tak kenal maka tak sayan,ikut aja mba diana baru bisa merasakan. Apakah acara ini benar-benar membantu orang atau tidak. :)

Diana Rikasari said...

Hi, Anonymous...I really appreciate your comments and many thanks for this.

I agree with your valid points kok, however I do believe that what you're saying is not in the context of mine. Meaning, pendapat saya sama sekali beda konteksnya dengan apa yang Mas / Mbak bahas. Saya malah sangat setuju dengan pendapat Mas / Mbak...:)

Thank you :)

veda said...

yup, thats why i never want to watch that show.

Anonymous said...

I quote, 'We should tell him how much we envy his simple, humble life in the village, because life in the city is full of complexities'

Do you really envy him? If so, would you like to live like that, a simple and humble life in a village??

Diana Rikasari said...

Anonymous: Thank you for your comment..but once again, komen Anda tidak relevan dan beda konteks. Mohon post saya dibaca dengan lebih seksama..sepertinya Anda salah mengerti...:) But anyways, jika kita memang benar-benar ingin memajukan pertelevisian Indonesia, kritik membangun seharusnya bisa diterima, bukan malah defensif..:)

Anonymous said...

Yup! Anonim yg diatas bnr" salah konteks.

Dan saya setuju dengan pendapat kamu itu, ,
tapiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
mnurut saya,km terlalu berani di. Terlalu . Apalagi dg menyebut judul.
sbaiknya untuk mengkritik hal yg seperti ini,di kolom khusus kritik'y (kalau disediakan oleh pihak yg bersangkutan) .
Supaya tuk menghindari hal" yg ga diinginkan.

anyways,i love u! :*

Hanifah Sausan N said...

i totally agree!
i'm bored since the first time i watched the program

shoeka said...

iya..
kenyataannya banyak yg gak suka tuh jika aq menjadi..

Ordinary 90s Girl said...

Is it possible if maybe one or any of the so called less fortunate people feel happy that because of them, other people can feel grateful ?

Ecky Agassi said...

good point of view, perhaps many people (includes me) missed this perspective :)

capcipcup said...

hi mba diana, saya suka baca tulisan dan persepsi anda ttg Jika Aku Menjadi. beberapa hal saya setuju dg pendapat anda --> "We should provide him the faith that he can make a betterment in life if he works harder. We should support him to never feel disheartened, for life, no matter what, works in many different ways" dan "Helping people is not supposed to be done only by (giving) money. But by (giving) moral support. And respect." Ketika di lapangan, kru dan talent sudah cukup memberikan semangat dan support untuk mereka. Mungkin ini kurang diekspos, tapi terima kasih sudah menjadikan ini koreksi bagi program JAM. Tapi untuk orang 'sesederhana' mereka dan dg cara pikir yg sangat sederhana pula, bantuan yg paling mereka butuhkan adalah ... cash money dan sembako. even seekor kambing dan sapi pun belum tentu akan membuat mrk 'mengerti' akan manfaatnya bantuan tsb. apalagi support moral dan respect yg anda bicarakan tadi. mungkin tidak menjadi prioritas buat mereka. They're human and i know the can feel the other human respect to them. Tetapi... mereka merasa dihargai, bila mereka merasa aman, nyaman dan tau akan ada makanan utk dimakan esok hari :) As simple as that! so..bila anda dan para pembaca tertarik untuk mengetahui sendiri seperti apa kehidupan 'real' the TV Show ini, silahkan langsung mendaftar dan ikut serta terlibat dlm proses peliputannya ^_^ Terima kasih sudah menonton

Diana Rikasari said...

Ordinary 90s Girl: Valid point! Thanks for this...:)

Capcipcup: Hi, dear...many many thanks for your visit and comment..I really understand everything you have written and I find it very true. Perhaps my writing has created a bit of misunderstanding to some point as I can see that some of you are missing out my point. I apologize if I have led you to that misunderstanding as well. Cheers!

Diana Rikasari said...

Intinya begini, everyone. I'd like to make it very clear apa point saya supaya tidak ada yang salah paham atau tersinggung yaah...:) Sepertinya konteksnya jadi melebar, padahal yang saya bicarakan sangat sederhana, bukan tentang "jualan air mata, acaranya pakai script, bahwa kita harus membuka mata". Bukan tentang itu sama sekali, dan saya memang tidak menulis itu.

Analogi post saya sesimpel ini:

Ada seorang perempuan yang dianggap oleh standar publik sebagai "kurang cantik". Sebagai pihak luar yang bertemu dengannya, saya mengatakan kepadanya, "Mbak jelek sekali yaa. Saya sedih melihatnya. Selama ini saya selalu merasa kurang cantik dan selalu ingin bisa lebih cantik, tapi setelah melihat Mbak, saya jadi belajar untuk lebih bersyukur. Ternyata masih banyak wanita diluar sana yang jauh lebih jelek daripada saya". Lalu setelah itu, saya memberikan dia uang, perlengkapan make-up dan juga perlengkapan perawatan kulit.


Lebih baik mana dengan yang ini:


Ada seorang perempuan yang dianggap oleh standar publik sebagai "kurang cantik". Sebagai pihak luar yang bertemu dengannya, saya mengatakan kepadanya, "Mbak cantik. Jangan pernah merasa kurang yaa. Saya malah iri dengan mata Mbak yang bentuknya bagus sekali. Semua wanita itu pada dasarnya cantik, Mbak. Yang penting, kita rajin merawat diri yahh". Lalu setelah itu, saya memberikan dia uang, perlengkapan make-up dan juga perlengkapan perawatan kulit.


:)

capcipcup said...

i got it! there's no missunderstand here :) eniwei, kapan nih mo ambil sepatu yg 'nyasar' ke kirim ke sayah? lama2 dianggurin di kantor, bisa raib tu si anya hihihihi :D

intan said...

i agree, i don't like that show either (and a lot of similar shows)
it's more like a mockery than an attempt to 'open your eyes to different life circumstances than yours'

prin_theth said...

Hai Diana! Saya langsung ngerti postingan kamu kok, tapi mungkin karena dalam bahasa inggris, ada pembaca lain yang nggak langsung nangkep perspektif kamu ya. Hanya ngerti bagian 'kritik' dan 'reality show', jadi komennya melebar kemana-mana.

Resikonya menulis in full English :)

Intinya, JAM jangan sekedar mengasihani, nangis nangis nangis, kesannya mengekspos kemiskinannya banget, tapi hrs menyemangati. That's what I get. And agreed on... ya gak sih...

I was an ex employee for the company, and trust me, television (nggak cuma Trans) seringkali heartless :) To the very, very extreme :)

PS. Saya selalu sebut merk all the time, menurut saya nggak ada yang perlu ditakutin kok hehe. All the best, Die :)

Hanna Irena said...

that's so true. i sometimes watch it too. and it a little bit annoyed, because everyday the story is just the same. always with bombay tear :s

asha said...

totally agree. We should support them, not bring them down.

Selena said...

Point Diana! and you know what I hate the most about these kind of show? This question:

"Why do you work so early at this age?"
"Because I didn't get the chance to go to school"
"Why didn't you go to school?"

We all KNOW the answer, because they cannot afford it. if they can, they will - for anyone's better future. I really hate it. And, the comments - why does it has to be pointed out IN FRONT of the very person? People could have it recapped or something!

Anonymous said...

‎​… (•̯͡.•̯͡)º°˚˚°ºoöh you... You are totally right about it! I rarely watch this show because once I watch it, i hate about what the guess star did! And you know what? A friend of mind is one of the guess star,ough! :) :( @_@

Sharin said...

such an inspiring post. amazing thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Saya sih mendukung kalo kak di ikutan acara JAM sekaligus mencontohkan bagaimana TV show ini seharusnya berjalan seperti kak di bilang dan teman-teman kak di setuju dengan apa yg kak di tulis...semangat kak di!!! Kita tunggu nih nama kak diana rikasari masuk di documentary tv show Jika Aku Menjadi...

hit&miss said...

I totally agree with you. The tv show try to create drama for the viewer by exploiting the hardness of people's life in poor taste. Awareness can be done in better way.

tika ayu novita dewy said...

I'm super agree with u
I think it's only about money .mponey for act !

tika ayu novita dewy said...

I'm so agree with u !
I think it's only about money so she/he cried, and doing something for them (poor family) but positive value is make people thankful of what they have.

Anonymous said...

Wah. baru ngobrolin acara ini dengan suami bbrp hari yang lalu. Tulisan yg bagus. Izin copas ya D. http://toelanksingo.wordpress.com/ thanks

Anonymous said...

Jadi pingin nimbrung :). Saya rasa ga ada yang salah sama tulisannya Mb D, karena saya memiliki pandangan yang persis sama (bahkan sebelum Diana menuliskan di blognya).

Dan juga,..banyak komentar memberikan pandangan yang sama..

Tiap2 orang kan memiliki pandangan masing2 ya,.. kalau memang pandangannya Mb D begitu, kenapa harus marah? memangnya cara orang memandang sesuatu kita yang mengatur? memangnya pandangan orang harus selalu sama dengan pandangan kita?

Ayo mari sikapi dengan bijak. Ini blognya Mbak D, dan dia cuma ingin jadi dirinya sendiri. Meskipun sebut merk saya rasa ga masalah, as Diana said, itu sebenarnya kan kritik membangun ya,. so take it easy,..

Saya rasa orang yang maju itu yang bisa mendengarkan kritik membangun loh, ambil yang baik, buang yang buruk, make a progress,..Insya Allah kedepannya bakal terus menjadi lebih baik dan baik lagi,...Peace loh [^_^]v

Buat Mb D,keep on writing and keep on sharing thoughts,.. you've done a good job so far. I like your writing! ^_^

Aina Sho said...

Totally Agree with you!
I hate that stupid useless drama too, such a negative energy to the villagers.

Aina Sho said...

Totally Agree with you!
I hate that useless stupid drama too, really not important and such a negative energy to the villagers.

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