American Perceptions: Indonesia

Upon first considering Indonesia, a country I have never visited, several perceptions came to mind.  I knew it was a largely Muslim state and a popular tourist destination.  I recognized Java, Jakarta and Bali as Indonesian locations, although I realized I had really only ever considered Bali as a place I'd hoped to visit. This idea is probably perpetuated by how I've seen Bali portrayed in the media.  It's been shown as everything from a surf haven to a peaceful Hindu community, filled with mysterious traditional medicine and wise elderly healers, tropical beaches and lush surroundings (thank you, "Eat, Pray, Love").   I knew a Balinese esthetician once who described her country as one that placed great importance on family values as well as a lively nightlife.  Additionally, as an avid listener of NPR's "Democracy Now," I was able to recall Amy Goodman's description of the Indonesian-led massacre in East Timor that occurred about 20 years ago.   To this day I don't know the exact details of this horrific event, but I do recall the brutality Goodman described as well as the fact that the U.S. did not help but rather lobbied against U.N. intervention.  

The image of Bali as a peaceful, popular and lush tourist destination is perpetuated by media portrayals such as the book and film "Eat, Pray, Love." 

Clearly my initial perceptions of Indonesia were jumbled, random and not necessarily accurate, to say the least.  Knowing this, I was curious about how much other average Americans knew.  I interviewed six sources ranging in ages from 20-60 and with varied amounts of education.  I asked basic questions about the country such as:

• What is the first thing about Indonesia that comes to mind?
• What continent is Indonesia on and what is its capital?  
• What are some historical events that have happened in Indonesia?  

I found that most people's perceptions were similar to mine; that is again to say they were jumbled, random and not necessarily accurate.  Surprisingly, each of the six sources correctly identified Indonesia as "islands close to Asia," and knew that Islam was its major religion.  However, Dane, 26, thought the capital was Port Moresby (which is actually the capital of Papua New Guinea), while Jayne, 20, and Patrick, 25, didn't know.
People's answers varied when asked what the first thing that came to mind about Indonesia was.  Not surprisingly, Dane and Pat, both avid surfers, stated that the waves were the first thing they thought about.  Travis, 20, thought of "sweatshops, poverty, slums in big cities and legal organ trade." This is interesting when considering that in actuality, although Indonesia's economy has historically been troubled, its percentage of impoverished people is not terribly high.  As far as legal organ donation, I was unable to find any records of that in recent times.

The aftermath of a 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali

When discussing the country's historical events, Lindsey, 21, Robert, 60, and Jayne, 21, spoke of the tsunami that occurred in 2004, although Robert was the only one who could identify the year in which it happened.  Robert also recalled the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali, which no one else mentioned.  Most people, including Lindsey, Jayne, Travis and Dane listed overall political corruption as an issue Indonesia has had to deal with in the past.  This, in fact is accurate, as Indonesia was ruled by a dictator until it became a democratic republic in 2004.
Overall, the sources I spoke to seemed to have a general idea of at least where Indonesia is located and some of its historical issues.  However, it is interesting to note the initial offhand perceptions of a few Californians of varying ages and education levels.  As Americans, it seems we are rather isolated and have a lot to learn about this particular country.