Letters: Reading and Jakarta’s
Most Indonesians don’t read even if they can spare the time and afford to buy reading material such as books, magazines and the like. Middle class Jakartans, as well as the ones from other big cities, spend most of their free time frequenting malls; I call them the “mallers”.
The mallers sometimes go “malling” to kill their boredom, or just to see and be seen. Sometimes they buy things they don’t need, especially when there are sales on; as sales can be on all year round, they spend time all year round hunting for branded stuff as well as nonbranded items. The housewives are really housewives, not homemakers as most married women in developed countries call themselves.
Reading is still the exception rather than the norm. It’s very difficult to ask friends to meet at people’s homes to discuss social, economic or even political issues.
I once asked my friends to join me reading books on selected subjects to be discussed later at our respective homes, but none of my friends were interested. ..... (adopted from thejakartapost).
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete