Thread: Respect

As a newbie expat, I am struck by the behaviour of some (and I stress some) short-time visitors to this beautiful island. I ended up so annoyed and embarrassed at the carryings-on of certain cultural buffoons over the last 2 weeks that my latest blog post turned out to be a rant - and it's normally a light-hearted look at the tribulations of a wet-behind-the-ears expat ...

The full rant is at http://tinyurl.com/mhewuk

Am I being over-sensitive? Does anyone else feel the same when confronted with disrepectful behaviour towards the locals here?

Yea, sure, that stuff is annoying, and one of the reasons I chose not to live in or around Kuta, but what can you really do? I've told a few people before not act like dickheads to Balinese people for no good reason, but usually the message doesn't really sink in, for whatever reason. Can't spend my days playing mr. police officer or anything. I'm as young or younger as most of the people that you see acting disrespectful towards the locals around Kuta, and usually the response I get is something along the lines of "come on mate, it's holiday, lighten up, besides what could any Balinese person do to me?". Oh well

Am I being over-sensitive? Does anyone else feel the same when confronted with disrepectful behaviour towards the locals here?

Unfortunately, too often.

I had a read of your full rant and enjoyed it.

Why did you buy a girl's bike again?

:D

Originally Posted by spicyayam

For some reason you link is blocked here in Saudi Arabia

I've noticed that many places block tinyurl (which I used for the link) because it has been ocassionally associated with s p a m.

Try the home page http://borborigmus.wordpress.com

I read your full rant, and to be honest I wish I hadnt, reason being that Upon reading your examples I felt my chest tighten and my whole body tense. These people are so insensitive , they demand respect, yet give none.


There was a cafe I would eat at most days in Seminyak, that was untill a time recently when few days in a row I observed a gentlemen consistantly talk to the staff with no respect- at all... for the first few days I could remain calm, everytime i found myself getting worked up, i would meditate on the values that I have learnt from my Balinese friends during the last 3 years. Had it been 3 years ago I might have jumped the guy and beatin him with my rolled up newspaper.
I can no longer eat there, for fear of having to listen to this guy again and loosing my self control.

At 21 I first came to Bali, and all though I might not like to admit it, i was once the arogant uneducated poppies guy. However, after some time I made many indonesian and Balinese friends. Initially when I would join them out I still had the habit of behaving like a drunken loon. In Australia this behaviour might be met with encouregment by mates, friends might marvel at how "smashed you were last night" and give you a pat on the back. It was here in Bali that I could no longer hide behind the false sense of justification afforded to me by friends in Australia. Although none of my Balinese friends ever told me that I was behaving like a goose, I was no longer getting the pats on the back... over a period of some time my arrogance slowly erroded and i relised that my actions were embaressing to my friends, and they became embaressing to me. Although im a long way off perfect, im so thankfull for the lessons i have learned in just a short 3 years in Bali. It couldnt have come at a better time as I have just had my first son, Im so gald that he will grow up in Bali, and have the opportunity to learn the Balinese wayf life.