Didin's Introductory Essay

The Future of Indonesian Cultures

by Khulafaur Rosyidin, 12320088, Dk

It cannot be denied that the presence of globalization in our country brings many positive things in terms of economic aspects and technological aspects. Globalization has been a way of the opening of international market which facilitates goods accesses from other countries. It subsequently becomes an endorser of the increasing of economy in our country. Technologically, globalization helps people to do a lot of activities practically and quickly. People are getting easier to have long distance communication, to get more information, knowledge, and science. On the other hand, globalization really erodes the existence of cultures in our country as numerous cultures have been entering our country mostly through mass media. Consequently, the Indonesian cultures will be dying away by force of many cultures which are carried by globalization.

The globalization really alters Indonesians’ style in wearing clothes. Javanese formerly wore Kebaya to be their daily clothes but they currently prefer to wear T-shirt as form of western products. Kebaya is now only used in particular events, as traditional ceremony and Javanese wedding party. Following the world’s newest fashion is also as if a must in our country. Those who do not follow the fashion feel that they are old-fashioned. The phenomenon of K-Pop Boy and Girl Band becomes the trending topic of fashion for teenagers lately in our country. Not only the citizens but also the villagers follow the Korean fashion now. It reveals that globalization has changed the Indonesians’ style in more radiused clothes. When the people hardly ever wear their original Indonesian clothes and prefer to wear other nation’s clothes, we are going to see nobody wearing Indonesian genuine clothes anymore in the future.    

Besides clothing, globalization also influences Indonesian languages. Nowadays, people are prouder of speaking other languages than their own local languages. They assume that speaking their own languages, such as, Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, are not cool anymore. They will look cooler if they can speak other languages, such as, English. For the reason that English is the international language, they think it is more prestigious to speak English than their own local languages. Another impact toward language, globalization affects Bahasa, many people mix up Bahasa with English in their daily speaking. For instance, ‘Sorry’, jaringan ‘trouble’, pinjam ‘headset’nya dong!, ‘download’ lagu, ‘so what’ gitu loch, etc. When the people begin to leave their own local language, what is going to happen to the language is extinction. Meanwhile, language is the soul of a culture, meaning that if the language vanishes, so does the culture. Likewise, when Indonesian speak Bahasa by mixing up, it will break the authenticity of Bahasa itself.

Indonesian morality is also one of the elements of the culture which is eroded by globalization. As one of the eastern countries which has really tough eastern culture, Indonesian did not acquaint with the term “free sex”. However, presently, the term is no longer strange in our ears since that western culture has infected Indonesians, especially the teenagers. Free sex is really contrary to the Indonesian culture. When there are many people do it, of course, it breaks the social norm and value that has been planted within Indonesian culture. The Eastern and the Western are different, especially in viewing the morality.

In the globalization epoch, indeed, it is quite difficult to hold down the existence of our own culture inasmuch as a lot of cultures enter through most mass media. The awareness of people in conserving their own culture, consisting of local clothing, language, and morality has to be enhanced right now because those are the identities of our nation, Indonesian. It should be as what mahatma Ghandi said “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”