when angry, count to four.

They say you shouldn't do things when you're angry. You shouldn't think, you shouldn't write, you shouldn't yell, you shouldn't do anything. You should take deep breaths and count to four, calmly, to let it dissipate eventually and think with a clear head.

But do I want to do that right now? Hell no, and I should warn you now, I'm not even gonna bother to censor my thoughts here. Because if that bothers you, then any hopes I have for the human race might as well be lost. What, do we not even get freedom of speech anymore?! I am, once again, going to talk about something that is really important to me: religion and the intelligence quotient, however small it may be, that some people have in this country.

Here's the thing: Lady Gaga is scheduled to hold a concert (sold-out, may I add) here in Jakarta. I'm not a fan, but I think it's great news for those who are. Getting international artists to come here is something that, just years ago, was considered damn near-impossible. Especially an artist as huge as Lady Gaga. LET'S REMEMBER THAT. Not only it pleases her fans and brings money for everyone who's worked hard at making this happen, it also makes for good tourism. Maybe not directly, but it does. So, you can imagine how angry everyone was when news broke out that the goddamn extremist Islamic group who fancy themselves as "protectors" of Muslims basically ORDERED to CANCEL the concert. Now, as of this moment, it hasn't happened yet, so we may still have hope that this country has still got some integrity left. But the news is everywhere now. On TIME, BBC, CNN, what-have-you. (From TIME: Indonesian Police May Cancel 'Satanic' Lady Gaga Concert)

I... RAGE. (.... Against The Machine. Hahahaha, look, I crack myself up.) I don't know, some people say that maybe we are all overreacting. That damn group is overreacting to Lady Gaga, we are overreacting to them, and the world, in turn, is overreacting. Who knows? I just know that I find it all disgusting and so shameful. Who gives them the right to say what's "indecent" and how Gaga could "destroy the children's sense of morality"? BOLLOCKS. What about those dangdut singers, huh? With their boobs and va-jay-jay all over the place? And don't even get me started about our so-called, beloved, sinetrons. If that doesn't destroy the children's sense of morality, then I give up. Add to that, I read somewhere that, as defense of the dangdut singers vs. Gaga competition, someone from that blasted group said: "Gaga's different, she's a foreigner." EXCUSE ME WHILE I KICK YOUR BALLS. What kind of shitty argument is that?

You say you're our protectors, saviours, and what not. But how come all I ever feel whenever you people are involved is this: humiliated. You people don't protect us from evil, as you say. You prevent us from being a country with smart and open-minded individuals while still holding on to our values. You're holding us back. Fascists.

NOTE: I don't pretend to be an expert at all, just voicing my thoughts. I know it might be dangerous, especially doing it here, in such a public space. But I couldn't just stay silent. Like I said before, at least give me freedom of speech.

© Photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash