Rape is Never a Joke!

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/21/imo-view-rape-never-a-joke.html

Insensitive! It’s not the way I call the sick joke thrown by the candidate of Supreme Court Justice, Daming Sanusi, about rape during his fit-and-proper-test at the parliament. “Idiotic” would be the right notion for his foolish move to what he described as an ice-breaker for the tense atmosphere. It again shocked me to learn that public officials, authority and politicians alike keep making repeated unethical remark on such sensitive issue. Apparently, they have a pact to keep singing their hideous chorus that fit perfectly to the the maxim “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”



Responded to a question from members of House Commission III as to whether death penalty in rape cases was a necessary change from the existing law, Daming said that “both the victims of rape and the rapist might have enjoyed their intercourse together, so we should think twice before handing down the death penalty.” The lawmakers shamelessly laughed at the revolting joke. What a sickening theatrical performance of the Month!


It was totally unethical. It was totally unacceptable. Rape victim is no laughing stock, particularly within the so called ‘respected’ institution! Perhaps, the currently judge at the Banjarmasin High Court should try to animate the crime himself to experience the feeling of rape victims! How would he feel if some brutish men snatched him out of his car, dragged him to remote shabby hamlet, gang-raped him, then left him bloodied and broken? I am curious whether he would stand his ground to put forward that bizarre assumption! And say timidly, “Oh, yes I took pleasure in the crime myself! So don’t blame them!” Duh!

Given his gender bias and insensitivity, I can’t help but thinking on how would justice be served in the face of such attitudes. Instead of dealing with the problem as a law and order issue, he converted the bestial crime against women as a sickening joke to break the ice! Along with many other public officials, they are still stuck within a mentality that looks to excuse the behavior of rapists resulted from deeply ingrained patriarchy within our society.

These public servants have warped mindset of cultivating patriarchal beliefs to always raise fingers at woman when she becomes a victim of rape. It’s the way they dress! It’s the way they behave! It’s their fault! If women obey the men, such thing will not happen! No wonder shocking instances of rape continue to hit the headlines along with the tendency of authority and public administrators to blame the victim.

This victim blaming approach explains why crimes against women continue to be on the rise. Worse, such attitude is perpetuated by the lenient punishment for the heinous crime that only carries a maximum sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment. Mostly, offenders of such crimes received less! If we keep on ascribing blame on women and succumbing to the light sentence, the perpetrators will get away easily. The lenient law will not bring deterrent. A victimized woman will be further exposed to ignominy and trauma. And the monstrous crimes would continue to happen.

Unfortunate as it may seem, we are saved from the odds due to the growing public awareness championed through socia media. A torrent of electronic wrath burst forward following Daming’s comment that went viral across the social media. It has sparked widespread anger and condemnation. The public pressure has helped to build a catharsis for check and balance that has often failed to be executed with grace by our legislation.

Accordingly, the judge and lawmakers could no longer turn a blind eye over their highly unacceptable behavior. The credibility of the the man in question crumbled, thus likely cost him the post. The damage has been done and the social sanction has been imposed. No amount of apology could mend the shaterred image.


In spite of such public pressure, social media campaign and women empowerment, severe retribution through harsher punishment for rapists can be an effective way to free our country from this horrifying offence against women. The fear for strict and stern sanction will subdue the animal instinct in men whose minds are socially perverted.

Another lesson for authority from this raucous uproar is that rape is never a joke! It is a monstrous crime that should be stopped!

Lance Armstrong’s Fairy Tale: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/04/imo-view-lance-armstrong-s-fairy-tale.html

We all have heard the legendary Robin Hood Tale of Sherwood Forest. He was a heroic outlaw in English folklore who helped the oppressed from corrupt local government and sheriff, stealing from the wealthy lords to give to the poor. An almost flawless modern day Robin Hood was reborn perhaps in the fairy tale – like story of Lance Armstrong. A survivor of metastatic testicular cancer, Armstrong beat all odds and became the epitome of strength and grace. One critical question however remains to haunt us: Do the ends justify the means? The validity of this maxim, in my view, is the classic moral debate of all time one hardly ever comes to an agreement.




Once ranked among the greatest athletes of all time by winning seven consecutive Tour de France as well as championships in other cycling events, Lance Armstrong has seen the clouds of doping gather until they have formed thunderstorm destroying all his lifetime’s achievement within one straight blow. The “American icon” had admitted in Thursday’s interview with Oprah that he was victim of his own falsehoods as much as his use of performance-enhancing drugs, ending years of vehement denials of doping allegations. He conceded his deceit over an elaborate doping scheme on a U.S. Postal Service team that put him on top of the podium at the Tour de France time after time over the years.



The colossal scandal irrevocably had tainted what should have been his glorious career. It quickly sparked heated debate over whether Armstrong’s demise outweighed his continuous fight against cancer. Despite the lies, his life struggle has motivated and inspired many people, especially those with cancer. Lance Armstrong Foundation had raised millions of US dollars for cancer research from the sales of yellow “LiveStrong” bracelets and other fundraising efforts. It helps change lives. It helps save lives.



In spite of this remarkable contribution towards humanity, the question remains irksome for many. Cheating is ethically, morally, and legally wrong. For me personally, his drug abuse cannot be tolerated or justified no matter how noble the end is. As a member of society, I agree that any drug abuse, lying, and cheating in professional sports should not go unpunished. We don’t want to build a society based on lies and cheatings.



It scares me to think the kind of society we will be seeing if we encouraged people to cheat, lie, steal and do whatever drugs are necessary in order to accomplish good things.



For example, in schools, we are always taught to be honest in facing the exams – that cheating is WRONG! It’s unbearable to think any teachers have intention to encourage dishonest behavior such as lying, cheating, and stealing among their school children to pass the national exam as in the case of letting the ends justify the means. Surely, such misconduct will firmly imprint the conception that ‘it’s ok to do ethically and morally wrong action to gain greater good! It helps to fertilize the seeds of corrupt habits and behaviors.



For that reason, should we accede to the maxim ‘the ends justify the means’; it would be like letting contagious disease to spread. It would infect others like raging fire until it is too late to stop the damage. We do not want to see our society have no moral scruples and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Therefore, I personally think that Armstrong’s ends doesn’t justify his means.



I used to admire Armstrong for his extraordinary achievements in sports. Now, I was disappointed. His life story was based on lies and denials. It was wrong. Yet, I can’t turn a blind eye of his significant contribution to save lives through the cancer foundation he built. His support for those who have cancer is noteworthy. Many still feel thankful and supportive of Livestrong. I think the foundation will survive but he must answer to his crimes.



In the end, Lance Armstrong is after all NO modern day Robin Hood. I doubt his initial motive to win at any cost is to help people with cancer. Yet, along the journey, he has successfully weaved a fairy tale story that inspired many, thus has helped to save lives. He will remain as a complex figure that many will find it difficult to place him clearly into any one category. Is he a hero or a villain? For me, he is both.