Avatar: a Feast for the Eyes, a Famine for Progress

Avatar is undoubtedly a visual wonder. I can't heap enough praise on the aesthetics of the movie, it looks incredible, the integration of CGI and live action is almost seamless. Let no one say I didn't enjoy the movie, it was fun, gorgeous and easily the best Hollywood film I've seen in years. That being said, I think the movie is a real indictment of where we are as a culture. Let's first look at the basic story elements (spoiler alert)

1. A foreigner who joins the natives and becomes their saviour

2. A pristine planet inhabited by primitive natives

3. A cloned alien body which can synch with the human pilot's mind via computers

Now I will address these points and give you my view on why they are very disturbing

1. The white saviour is perhaps the most unforgivable flaw to be found in this movie. It is the unadulterated Western fantasy, redeeming the White man for the sins of colonialism by becoming one with the natives, and then proceeding to outdo them at all of their own traditions, becoming a messiah figure, saving them from the evil of his own people. This is deeply insulting, suggesting that the natives are incapable of understanding the issues in greater perspective, an ability reserved only for the interloper. Especially if we compare the main character in Avatar to the young warrior leader of the Na'vi, we see that the Na'vi leader is blindly belligerent, without any introspection or thought. Meanwhile, the human hero is able to understand the right course of action due to his more rational approach. Its classic orientalism through and through, the irrational, bellicose native and the rational Western man, who is prepared to fight, but reluctantly. In addition, we get a nice dose of sexual imperialism thrown in, with the messiah figure easily seducing the chief's beautiful daughter. It is essentially a retelling of the Pocahontas narrative without any nuance.

Another feature that I would like to highlight is the natives pony tail thing. This allows them to 'sync' with the animals and plants of Pandora. It seems like a wonderful idea, everything able to communicate completely and thus live in harmony right? When looked at from another perspective, it illustrates the true loss of our connection with nature. Part of the miracle of man's ability to connect with nature, for example a horse and rider, or even just any of us communing with the trees for a moment, is the totally intuitive nature of that relationship. There is no tangible connection. The horse and rider always remain somewhat of a mystery to one another, which makes those moments of intuitive understanding so magical. The trees never objectively talk to us. We hear them intuitively, subjectively. On Pandora, these mysteries have been reduced to simple, technocentric gadgets, everyone having a universal format "USB" dangling from their head, allowing them to truly connect. This is part of the theme found in this movie which basically tells us our reality is insufficient.

2. One thing comes to mind here, one is the propagation of the noble savage myth. Sure, indigenous peoples deserve our respect and historically, they did suffer in the worst way. That being said, it is highly problematic to portray them as these sublime, infallible people who are deeply connected with every aspect of nature. It is no doubt a flattering portrayal of the natives but at the same time does an injustice to the historical reality and to the multidimensionality of a culture. Obviously the aliens are fictional and thus we can just write everything off to creative license, but the fact that this archetype is such a cliche motif means that we have to recognize that this is a trope and it is being resurrected here.

In addition, as Jared Diamond points out in "Collapse", indigenous cultures are no less fallible than any human society. Many indigenous cultures wreaked havoc on their environments, destroying them and rendering once fertile lands barren. It is not a disgrace to any culture, merely an outcome which is quite common anywhere humans live.

Finally, I believe that the beautiful world found in Avatar, while clearly meant to inspire us to protect our own planet, is actually the death knell of widespread environmentalism. This is due to the fact that the underlying message is that our world is not interesting enough to save. It used to be that we could depict the beauties of our own natural world as a rallying cry to save the planet. The fact that this is now insufficient illustrates the fact that people have truly given up on our own world.

Transportation Trauma

Jakartan traffic is notorious.  The streets are a constant tangle of cars, trucks, semi-roadworthy bajaj, and the ubiquitous motorcycle and even a few lunatics on bicycles.  As someone without their own vehicle, I am forced to rely on the various forms of public transport.  These are numerous and varied

1. Blue Bird Group taxi

This is basically the best way to travel.  Safe, air-conditioned, RELIABLE (a big factor, more on that later) knowledgeable, and if you remember the cab number, you can even retrieve items if you happen to leave something in the back seat.  Starting price 60 cents, which takes you a certain set distance before increasing by 30 cent intervals.  5 minute trip is about a dollar.  Not cheap here, but by TO standards its a real bargain.  Going from my area to downtown is about 5-7.50.  

2. Non-Blue Bird Taxi 

These guys are cheaper and start at 50 cents but their reliability is highly suspect.  They might not genuinely know where they are going, as many rural people have migrated to the city and don't necessarily know their way around.  They might take you around the entire city, or not turn on the meter and try to hustle you.  Cheaper but riskier, and even the locals tend to avoid them.

3. Ojek

This is a motorcycle taxi.  A guy with a motorcycle and sometimes a spare helmet spends his day ferrying people around the city.  They hang out at these stands indicated by a hand-drawn sign, with a platform bed or bench where they play chess and nap.  The cost is highly variable and basically depends on your negotiating skills.  Quick tip, be prepared to walk away, and always agree on the price in advance.  The one advantage of the ojek is that it is not really affected by traffic jams, which are constantly a looming threat in Jakarta.  Conversely, most ojek drivers are also not 

4. Angkot

This is a third-world thing through and through.  It is a small, SUV shaped vehicle, but riding low to the ground.  There is no door, it is an opening into the back, lined with benches and no AC.  The open windows provide natural AC.  There are no stops, you just flag him down.  To get off, you yell out "kiri" or knock on the roof/window.  Again, no stops, he'll let you out as soon as he can when he hears you knock.  The big advantage, it costs only 20 cents flat fee!  This is my favourite mode so far due to the price and the fun.  And, you get to briefly mingle with the people, and you all know me, a man of the people!  

5. Bajaj

These guys are the champions of the city.  They drive these old two stroke three wheel covered motorcycles imported from India (you know you're in the developing world when they import vehicles from India!).  These little orange devils will shake your eyes right out of their sockets as you slowly rumble along, inhaling more fumes than you ever thought possible.  Price on these is a total crapshoot and there isn't as much room for negotiation.  I rode around with an Indonesian guy and on the way we payed double what we payed on the way back and he didn't blink. 

Getting from point A to B is not a small matter, but instead a herculean feat of patience, and bravery.  When you step out into the fray, every form of transport greedily stops, assuming that you want on.  Every shady cab and scruffy ojek calls out to you, beckoning you into their conveyance.  You see the coveted Blue Bird wiz by in the far lane, knowing that he won't see you in time.  Crossing the street is a nightmare, a game of chicken where you as a pedestrian need to act like a car, with the same confidence and aggression, but with the full knowledge that you are delicate blood and bone, while those you compete with are fatal metal and shearing plastic.  Further, the roads are a tangle of non-existent urban planning and I have seen born and bred Jakartans get lost driving around their own city! 

Celebrating Eidol Aza

So, last weekend was Eidol Adha.  This is a muslim celebration which commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac/Ismail (in Islamic tradition it is Ismail) to God.  At the last minute, god magically replaced Abraham's son with a sheep.  So, for Eidol Adha, sheep/goats are sacrificed, as well as cows and buffalo (if the community can afford it) and the meat is then distributed to the poor and shared amongst those who participate in the ritual.  So, I was picked up by Agung, a great guy who worked in Vancouver for 4 years and is the bf of one of my co-workers.  He lives about an hour from me, in a place called Tengerang, just outside W. Jakarta.  He was adamant that I wear a jacket so that I didn't "Masuk Angin".  In Indonesia, the people firmly believe that if you Air (angin) enters (masuk) your body it will make you sick, and further, that the air could become duduk angin (sitting air) which will cause your death!  So, even when you are in 32C weather, when you ride a motorcycle, you need to wear a jacket.  They also sell these things which are best described as bullet proof vests, which ostensibly will save you from getting scraped if you fall off your bike, but sell here due to there defensive powers against masuk angin.  Anyway, I slept over at his house, where I took my first Indonesian shower.  In Indonesia, they have a big square basin, about a metre high, filled with water, and a scooper.  You scoop water out of the basin and pour it onto your body.  The whole bathroom is one big shower stall, so you water just goes everywhere.  At first, I didn't spot the train, and was panicking as to where to dump the water?  Then, I noticed the drain in the opposite corner.  Next day, we woke up, went to the pasture to pick up the goats.  I personally led a goat down the road to the flat area which had been set up for the sacrifice by the way, the whole days activities were accompanied by traditional Indonesian music for Eid called Beduk Lebaran.  It is a fast, rhythmic drumming and Islamic praises sung by a group.  This cassette was played THE ENTIRE DAY!  There were 7 goats, 1 cow and 1 water buffalo.  Buffalo are really muscular and kind of scary to be honest, seems like they could easily kill you.  The goats were trying to hump each other, even though they were all male, as we led them down the road.  Then, a butcher came and started setting things up.  Long story short, they butcher the animals and the whole community helps cut up the meat into portions for distribution.  It takes eight men to flip a buffalo.  I didn't see the buffalo or cow get killed, but i saw two of the goats get butchered.  I was a bit worried that I would pass out and everyone would think I was a wimp, but I was fine.  Then I sat down on the dirty, bloody ground and cut the hot meat, meat so fresh, that when you cut into it the muscle would still flex!  One of the butchers, a thick, muscle bound guy who fit the perfect stereotype of a butcher then showed me the raw, skinned balls of the goat and said "you like?"  I thought this would be a prelude to me having to eat the balls, but luckily, the guy just dropped the whole "set" right into his mouth and swallowed it down.  Balls are highly prized here because they give you "man power" and not in the labour ministry sense.  Finally, the day was over and we all headed back to Agung's house.  There, I ate and talked to his family and his mom said if I ever needed anything, I should consider her as my mother in Jakarta.  Very nice family.  Then, I headed back to my apartment on the back of Agung's motorcycle.  Worst thing was, I literally almost fell asleep!  I never would've believed that I could fall asleep while darting through the traffic of Jakarta but there I was.  I just gripped the back of the bike hard and flexed my legs, you know, get the blood flowing.  Fell asleep around 8 pm back at my Apartment.

Day to Day

I realized that I haven't really touched on the biggest part of my day, my job!  So, for something which at this point has become rudimentary and uninteresting to me, but is probably of interest to those not doing it 5 days a week, here is a general outline of my job.  

Students or "Who Needs English in an Enormous Country Where Very Few People Speak the Language?"

The students are great, they are mostly high school or uni students with a few older businessmen and housewives thrown into the mix.  Some are very rich and don't have jobs or school so they just hang out at the centre all day.  The way it works here is we have a language centre with a very big lounge area with free coffee and tables and couches and a big tv.  Then, there are a few classrooms.  The normal class is max 4 students and the teacher and you have a folder with the lesson plan.  the students hypothetically should know all the info before the lesson due to workbook and solo computer practice.  The lesson is more like a test/interview where they run through a few drills to test their knowledge of the material.  If the students really don't know some key elements of the material from the unit, they must repeat that unit.  The other kind of class is called a complementary class with 8 students max.  This is more like a regular class but again very little teaching, mostly review and monitoring of student errors.  Then our other duty is called social club, where we do fun/educational activities with large groups of students such as jack o'lantern making or bollywood dance or, on the more educational end of the spectrum, a pronunciation workshop.  

My Boss or "Who Owns My Soul in Indonesia?"

The boss is good (very laid back and has the interests of her centre's employees at heart)  for example we recently had a policy shift whereby teachers now have only 3 paid sick days, the rest are from our vacation or they become unpaid.  She said that she will do her best not to deduct any sick days beyond the three and that if we can get another teacher to cover for us, she will overlook the whole thing and assume it is a shift trade.  

The School aka "The Centre (dun dun duunnnnn)"

Location is good too.  Even though we are basically stuck at work from 1:00 to 9:00, we only work 6 of those hours.  Because its in a mall, we can just go hang in the mall during our free time, or use the net in the teacher's room.  Btw, the Indonesian concept of a mall is quite different from the Western concept, so don't get too turned off.  That being said, it does nonetheless contain some of the horrid traits of a mall (temple to consumerism etc) but it is much more open concept, in that there are many outdoor areas you can sit around in or for example, just below the centre is a snack bar which is basically a giant open terrace on the second floor.  Just saying its better than a language school in the middle of nowhere where you'd be stuck in basically a school all day with nowhere to go. 

Accomodations

-the thing about accomodations is that the decision is basically yours.  I opted for the slightly more expensive option because there was no sign of roaches.  All the apt.s I saw were two bedroom, cheapest was $2600 for the year, mine is $4300 for the year. Down side is, there is some kinda funk in the apt. which I don't know how to get rid of.  If you saw the other apartments I saw, you probably would have chosen mine too.  The building has an awesome pool, like frickin incredibly elaborate (no deep end though because most Indonesians don't know how to swim) and a wight room which I have made good use of.  Bottom line, because I've gotten glimpses of how the regular Indonesian lives, I really can't make any legitimate complaint about my apt.  A bank worker here gets $150US while I get $1330 so... basically I feel like a complete piece of human filth if I complain about most things.

Kelapa Gading: Glutton's Paradise

The area I live in IS food. Everything about Kelapa Gading is infused with culinary touches. The name itself means Ivory Coconut, which is a species of coconut known for its deliciousness. The area is home to Kelapa Gading Food City, which is a courtyard of decent restaurants conveniently located in the mall where I work. A note about malls, when I say "in" I don't mean indoors. In Indonesia, most malls have not only indoor shops, but also a courtyard area filled with food stands, and walled in on all sides by restaurants. At these food courtyards, you can find any kind of Indonesian food (more on that later) as well as Indian, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food. The variety of food to be found here is not quite on par with Toronto in terms of geographical breadth, but, this place quite possibly gives Toronto a run for its money on number of dishes available. For example, under the umbrella of Indonesian food can be found literally a dozen different regional foods. There is Betawi food, which is the name of the ethnic group that traditionally inhabited the vicinity of modern day Jakarta and West Java. One Betawi specialty is sun dried beef, which is basically like thick beef jerky. The sound of it slightly turned me off when I heard about it (sun dried+beef=??? rotten beef?) but it is in fact amazing. Also hailing from Betawi comes the wonderful beverage known as Wadung Ronde (I think?). It is comprised of ginger juice, tapioca bubbles, grass jelly, roasted peanuts, mung beans and small pieces of sweet bread. Served warm, it is the perfect way to get cleanse your palet and help your digestive system (via the ginger, and trust me, your digestive system needs help in Indonesia). Then there is Acehnese food, Sunda food, Sumatran food, Padang food, Bandung food and the list goes on. Padang food is worth mentioning. It is spicy, greasy, salty and gets right down to the heart of what culinary indulgence really is. The Padang restaurant 'system' is also worth describing. You can spot a Padang restaurant easily by looking for the two hallmarks of this region. One is the sloped roof, usually just sticking out of the facade of the storefront over the door. Then, there is also the bowl pyramid. Padang restaurants store their food stacked up in brick-like layers formed into a pyramid. When you order, a number of these dishes are brought to your table, and any bowls from which you touch, you pay for. Fried chicken, grilled fish, dried fish quiche (better than it sounds), marijuana marinated beef and green chilli salad (incendiary) all sit before you, challenging you not to sample them. For example, for lunch today, I ordered what I thought was Padang beef jerky only to be informed by a 'helpful' co-worker that it was in fact dried cow lung. It was actually pretty decent, if a little bubbly and grisly. The only bad culinary experience I've had so far also involved offal. It was a pho-like soup laden with msg, and like pho, it contained slices of semi-cooked beef which cooked in your bowl. Also like pho, it had additional goodies like tripe, tendon, something unidentifiable and sprouts. UNLIKE pho, it had no noodles, and lots and lots of the tripe, tendon and 'other'. It was really a bowl of awful/offal.

The Big Durian

That is the moniker by which Jakarta is affectionately known.  First, how did I get here?

I took a flight from Toronto direct to Hong Kong, which is about 14:30 hours.  As expected, I was subject to the "random" body search by security at Pearson.  The irony was, the guard was Pakistani, and asked where I was from.  When I said Canadian/Persian dad, he started speaking some Farsi to me.  It was almost like he himself felt a touch guilty about what he was doing.  Then, I stayed a night in HK (I'm an idiot and I booked it that way) and from HK to Jakarta, another 4 hours.  So, a total of 18:30 hours to get here.  In HK I stayed in a place that was literally a roach motel.  Every time I picked up my back pack to get something out or put something back, several roaches would scatter from under my bag.  I was really worried that I would carry some stowaways into my residence in Jakarta, but luckily, there only seem to be ants there (more on that below).  It was hilarious, the room had a bathroom and shower, which were both in the same area, about 4ft x 4ft.  A sink, a toilet, and above both of them, a shower head.  On the plus side, it was nostalgic to go back to HK, good memories from my study abroad experience.  I was in a part of downtown which is pretty exciting called Tsim Sha Tsui,  a stone's throw from the notorious Chung King Mansion.  This is a huge apartment/business building that is home to the marginalized members of HK society, such as Africans, "South Asians", and some fairly rough looking South East Asians.  To those from TO, buildings (10 stories+) in HK don't house just offices, but if go upstairs, you'll find any number of establishments such as guest houses, massage parlours (the suspicious and legit kind) restaurants, electronics stores... basically anything that is relegated to street level only in Toronto.  So, I was on the 10th floor, which had not only at least 4 other guest houses, but also apartments, a web cafe and some other unidentifiable places.  Anyway, street level TST is pretty fancy, so I just strolled around there several times, looking for some food and some other familiar sights.     Arrival in Jakarta was panic inducing.  Now, if you hadn't had the experiences I've had, you wouldn't be phased by anything other than the rather quaint appearance of the airport.  But, having read a few (in hindsight) fear mongering guides on Indonesia, I was expecting to get the 3rd degree.  The airport is nice, and has some simple yet earnest Indonesian motifs and statues spread around.  But after the impressive monoliths to the future that are the HK international airport and Pearson International, the low ceilings and narrow hallways at Soekarno Hatta IA inspired more of an "awwww, that's so cute" rather than a "WOW..."  But, I had no need to worry, the incredible bored looking immigration officials simply stamp and fill in the appropriate forms as fast as they can.  I was picked up at the airport by Grace, one of the WSI employees who also booked me a hotel.  The hotel was pretty nice, and a welcome respite after the squalor of my HK place.  It was a bargain at around $47 a night for two twin beds, free breakfast buffet (which was my first taste of Indonesian food and it was terrific) pool and good service.  Finding an apartment was a bit of a challenge and I think I fared poorly.  Oh well, I still ended up with a pretty decent unit, and with a bit of personal flare, I'm sure it will look great.

Life in the Bubble

First, a note about life in Jakarta. In Toronto, if you want to go to a given destination, you can walk there, drive there, bike there or take the TTC. The sidewalks are broad, the TTC is reliable, safe and fairly direct (if not extensive) and if your in a car, the roads are wide and parking is plentiful, if a little pricy. In Jakarta, the sidewalks are either non-existent, or absolutely taken up by street vendors called "abang-abang". This means that walking even a short distance, say 15 minutes, becomes difficult (you will get hassled by the vendors and other types trying to hawk their wears or maybe pick your pockets) and the sidewalk might suddenly end and become the gate wall of the next building. So, rather than walk somewhere, or park near your destination and walk the remaining distance, you take a taxi directly to the door, or park in an underground garage of a mall. Consequently, there is quite a lot of shuttling between one enclosed area, such as a mall which may have an extensive open air courtyard but is still sealed off from "the street" and another, such as a restaurant in a strip mall complex, again sealed off from the streets. All the mall entrances have security checks, ostensibly for bombs but also to restrict access to the priviledged. I was in a car that dropped a local off in her area and at the entrance to her neighbourhood, there was a gate and three watchmen, again restricting access. This is a huge adjustment from Toronto, and to those who complain about inequality in TO, they should see this city, where the elite are hermetically sealed off from the "masses".