FINAL EXAM
ASSIGNMENT:
Making essay of
philosophy
and Character of
particular ethnic.
PHILOSOPH+CHARACTER
What is philosophy?
phi·los·o·phy pl. phi·los·o·phies
 1. The study of the nature, causes, or principles of r
eality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reas
oning.
 2. A system of thought based on or involving such s
tudy: the philosophy of Hume.
 3. The study of the theoretical underpinnings of a p
articular field or discipline: the philosophy of history
.
 4. An underlying theory or set of ideas relating to a
particular field of activity or to life as a whole: an o
riginal philosophy of
advertising; an unusual philosophy of life.
character
:
the way someone thinks, feels, and
behaves : someone's personality
 : a set of qualities that are shared by
many people in a group, country, etc.
 : a set of qualities that make a place or
thing different from other places or things
What is character?
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Character (kăr′ək-tər)
n.1.a. The combination of mental characteristi
cs and behavior that distinguishes a person or
group.
b. The distinguishing nature of something.
2.a. Moral strength; integrity: an educational
program designed to develop character.
b. Public estimation of someone; reputation: p
ersonal attacks that damaged her character.
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3.a. A person considered as having a specific
quality or attribute: "Being a man of the world
and a public character, [he]took everything
as a matter of course" (George Eliot).
b. A person considered funny or eccentric:
4.b. A person or animal portrayed with a pers
onality in comics or animation: a cartoon cha
racter.
c. Characterization in fiction or drama: a scrip
t that is weak in plot but strong in character.
5. A description of a person's attributes, traits,
or abilities.
Indonesian
on the eyes of foreigners

Indonesians
–
fearful;
neurotic;
extroverted/friendly;; warm and friendly
people; lazy; live for today – who cares about
tomorrow?; no planners; religious; familyoriented; invented the rubber-time/rarely on
time; corrupt; superstitious; slow; inferior;
polite; lacking discipline; use feeling not logic;
do not follow rules; hypocritical; resistant to
change; tolerant; low profile; unwilling to
confront or give ‘bad news’; silent in
meetings; can’t swim…
Good trait :
the characteristic Indonesian
people
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Kindness : if you visit the countryside or villages in
Indonesia, almost everyone there know the
neighbors and members of it. if there is a disaster or a
person who dies, then the other surrounding villages
would come to help them
Trust each other : These trait occurs because of the
nature of Indonesian people who kind with each
other. Sometimes even without any evidence they
may believe and try it.
Keep simple : Most people do not care about the
technology because there is a large population in a
small area, except people in the large city. For
people who live in village rich is something not
important, family is something more important.
Good trait :
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Patient : This is the nature of the Indonesian
people. These trait arise because they respect
each other, you can feel it with strong trait in
the solo city (east java)
Creative : Since people in Indonesia have an
enough
patient
to
do
something,
creativity will appears naturally.
Feudal spirit : You must respect to people who
older than you, the young should succumb to
the old
Bad Trait :
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Hypocrite : this can be evidenced by the number of
state officials who break his own promise.
Weak Character : most people are not proud of their
own culture or product, and easily replaceable by
another culture(Korean, Turkey, Indian culture? 
Extravagant (boros, bermewah2) : this can be
proved many Indonesian people who owe. Other
than that this is exacerbated/WORSENED by the
Indonesian people who easily believe, so that many
cases of fraud (pengelapan uang) occur.
Jealousy and Envy
Plagiarism : the loss of some culture in Indonesia
caused by people themselves who not proud with
their own culture, and tends to imitate other people
TOGETHERNESS
 You
will notice that Indonesians rarely do
things or go to places alone. Indonesians
have a very strong sense of community
and prefer to be “one of a group”. They
always like to have a friend to
accompany them and will feel pity for
someone who is alone, saying “Kok
sendirian?” (Oh, you’re by yourself?”)
Common culture
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Anger and Confrontation
Traditional Indonesian culture emphasizes the need to live
in harmony. Open displays of anger – shouting, hands on
hips, rude looks, or slamming of doors – are all considered
highly offensive behavior. Foreigners who behave like this in
public (or in their own homes) are seen as rude individuals,
unable to control their anger. Indonesian methods of
dealing with differences is to strive towards consensus, and
dealing with difficulties behind closed doors so that the
persons involved do not lose face.
Burping/bersendawa
It is not considered impolite to burp, and can even be
regarded as a sign of appreciation of a good meal,
therefore Indonesians generally do not excuse themselves
after burping.
Coughing and sneezing

It is not common for traditional and less educated
people in Indonesia to carry handkerchiefs or
tissues, and often they do not understand how
diseases are spread. Therefore it is not unusual to
see people coughing or sneezing openly without
attempting to cover their mouth or nose. If your
domestic staff or driver have this habit, it would be
best to explain to them your concerns and then
provide them with some tissues and ask them to
cover their mouth or nose when coughing and
sneezing. Alternately, you might suggest they
cough or sneeze into their sleeve (not their hands
as it spreads the germs when they come into
contact with other things).
Hey Bule
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Yes, we know, all foreigners are albinos (the actual meaning
of the word bule). It is not uncommon for people to yell out
“Hey Bule” when they see you … addressing the novelty of
your appearance in their neighborhood.
The best response is just to smile and nod your head … !
Most foreigners are also familiar with the common variety of
“Hey Bule”, which is “Hey Mister” … yes all foreigners are
men.
These verbal pointing episodes are most common when
there is a group of boys or young men gathered, often
trying to comment each other with their verbal
acknowledgment of your presence. If you are a woman
and their form of address is impolite, it’s best to just ignore
them.
Women should understand that dressing immodestly (tidak
sopan) will undoubtedly result in more staring and more
“Hey Misters” or other rude comments.
Smoking
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The vast majority of Indonesian men smoke,
excessively! There are many public spaces where
you will inevitably have to breathe in cigarette
smoke. There is a general lack of understanding as
to the detrimental effects on the health of
cigarette smoking, and little consciousness of the
dangers of inhaling secondhand smoke.
A law that banned smoking in transportation
terminals, malls, offices, hospitals, schools,
universities, places of worship, buses, trains and
playgrounds has been in effect in Jakarta since
2006, but it is not entirely enforced. Most office
buildings and public areas of malls are
complying/obeying, however, there will still be a
smoking section in most restaurants.
Spitting
 This
habit is particularly common during
the fasting month. Some strict Muslims
refuse to swallow their own saliva while
fasting, and spit saliva onto the ground or
in the street. Gargling and spitting is part
of the ritual cleansing before Muslim
prayers.
Squatting

For Indonesians squatting (mejeng/jongkok) is a
very natural and comfortable position and they
can remain in such a position feeling totally
relaxed for a long time. You will often see groups
of men or children by the roadside just passing the
time of day, smoking and chatting, and squatting.
They are trained from infancy to assume this
position and do it with their feet flat on the ground
– something that is very difficult for most
westerners. For most Indonesians this is also the
most natural and comfortable way to use the
toilet, hence the prevalence of squat toilets even
in some luxurious shopping malls and office
buildings.
Use of the Left Hand
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Throughout Indonesian society the left hand is used for
“toilet duties” and is therefore considered unclean.
In Indonesia, it is rude and offensive to hand someone
something with your left hand, especially food or drink, or to
shake hands with your left hand.
When you think of where that person’s left hand has been,
you probably wouldn’t want anything from it anyhow! If
your right hand is occupied, it is best to try and switch the
item to your left prior to receiving an object. If you are
forced, due to circumstances, to hand something to
someone with your left hand, acknowledge the
unavoidable cultural slight by saying “Maaf, tangan kiri.”
(Sorry, I had to use my left hand).
 This
cultural idiosyncrasy leaves the lefthanded person at a constant disadvantage
in society! You may ask, what do the left
handed Indonesians do? Indonesian children
are trained from a very early age to use their
"tangan manis" (sweet hand) and are urged
to do everything with their right hand.
Staring

In Indonesia, it is not considered impolite to
stare. Sometimes when you are out in public,
you will feel yourself the object of staring. Adults
will point you out to their children, people will
stop what they are doing to watch you, etc.!
The fewer foreigners in the area, the more
stares you are apt to receive.

Most expats deal with the staring by just
ignoring it. There is really nothing you can do
about it; no matter how uncomfortable you
are, it will always happen!
Wetness in bathrooms
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On the subject of bathrooms, it may seem to
the average foreigner that the typical
traditional bathrooms are wet all over! A
traditional Indonesian bathroom contains
clean water, from which water is scooped up
in a plastic dipper (gayung) and poured over
the body while standing on the floor of the
bathroom.
After soaping up all over, more dippers full of
water are splashed over oneself to rinse off.
This same practice is utilized when going to
the toilet, resulting in very wet toilet seats!
What about Javanese?
Javanese vs Toba Batak
Javanese vs Toba Batak
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Javanese and Batak are two Indonesian ethnic groups
that are often contrasted with each other due to
different values that seem to oppose each other.
In Indonesian society, be it in real-life situations or only in
fictional movies and TV series, people often treat
Javanese and Batak as two opposite cultures based on
the way the people from these ethnic groups interact
with other people.
The popular stereotype is that Batak people are loud,
aggressive, and often viewed negatively as ‘kasar’
(roughly means ‘rude’). On the other hand, Javanese
people are often viewed as too calm, too polite, and
‘tidak tegas’ (this roughly means ‘indecisive’).
Some questions
 However,
as a skeptical scholar, there
are many questions about these
stereotypes. Are they true? Are Javanese
people really too calm and indecisive?
Are Batak people really rude and
aggressive? Are their cultures really
different from one another? If so, how
different are they?
Why “wong Jowo”?
 Javanese
– This is the largest and most
dominant ethnic group in Indonesia. Solo
&Yogyakarta, located in Central Java,
are the center of Javanese culture. The
majority of Javanese people today are
Muslim, but their culture owes much to
animism as well as Hinduism.
Language + character
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The Javanese language of East Java is more
coarse/harsh/rough and generally considered less
respectful than that spoken in Central Java. In
Central Java, politeness and good manners are
highly regarded. Loud displays of emotion are
considered quite rude.
Thus, the Javanese are known for their indirectness
and great respect to authority in order to avoid
negative, embarrassing or uncomfortable feelings.
This trait stems from the Hindu court traditions of preIslamic influence.
The philosophy of wong jowo
 Kebatinan,
also called Kejawen, Agama
Jawa and Kepercayaan is Javanese religious
tradition, consisting of an amalgam of
animistic, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic,
especially Sufi, beliefs and practices. It is
rooted in the Javanese history and religiosity,
syncretizing aspects of different religions.
 Bersih desa/sedekah bumi/Rasulan,Tahlilan?
The definition
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The term kebatinan is being used interchangeably
with kejawen, Agama jawa and Kepercayaan,
although they are not exactly the same:
Kebatinan:
"the
science
of
the
inner",
"inwardness", derived from the Arabic
word batin, meaning "inner" or "hidden".
Kejawen: "Javanism", the culture and religious
beliefs
and
practices
of
the
Javanese
people of Central Java and East Java. It is "not a
religious category, but refers to an ethic and a
style of life that is inspired by Javanist thinking".
 Kepercayaan:
"belief","faith“ or
Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan Yang Maha
Esa, "Believer in One Mighty God".
"Kepercayaan" is an official cover term for
various forms of mysticism in Indonesia.
 Aliran Pangestu, Sapta Darma, Subud,
dan Sumarah
?
PHILOSOPHY+CHARACTER
 Alon-alon
asal kelakon.
 Nerimo ing pandum/selfsubmission/Qona’ah?
 Mangan-ora mangan kumpul-wether
happy or unhappy, be toghether.
 Surodiro joyoningrat lebur dening
pangastuti/ja’al haqq wazahaqol bathil.
 Ngono
yo ngono NING OJO NGONO.
 Ajur-ajer.
 Gusti Allah ora Sare.
 Luwih apik meneng tinimbang rame.
I
don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
 So
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight...
Your final exam task
 Make
a minimum 5 pages essay dealing
with the life philosophy and character of
particular ethnic like:
 The life philosophy and character of
Javanese/Batakese/Sundanese/Madures
e/etc….
 THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.