Written by Anastasya Dwi Tantya (016201200010)

If you are asking what taboo means.. the word 'taboo' itself came from the Tongan language tabu (also spelled tapu). It is a term in Polynesian and is generally defined as a prohibition against a particular activity. The prohibition of an action based on the belief that such behaviour is either too sacred and consecrated or too dangerous and accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake. People often associate taboo with ancient history, cultural anthropology, norms of religion, or perhaps with aboriginal tribes. Social taboo tells people what is proper behavior and what is not. Why many people associate the word 'taboo' with ancient history? Because people now are living in a modern world and thus it has shaped them as modern society. People nowadays have their mind more open to new things which maybe once were considered as taboo in ancient societies. We don’t, however, often use the term as an aspect of modern society in the developed world.

The fact is that taboo is part of culture. A culture from one society may be different with other societies, one religion different with other religion, and so on and so forth.. that is why people will likely find different taboos in different places. Here are some examples of taboos you may find around the world:

1. Openly discussing divorce. Kristy Campbell explores how divorced women, in particular, struggle with being able to share about their past marriage, and the painful process of divorce.

2. Streaking at sports events. I’m pretty sure you can just chalk this up to public nudity in general, but Steve Rushin at Sports Illustrated claims that it’s the ‘last taboo on television‘.

3. Breastfeeding in public and/or with older children. As the controversy stirred up by this recent cover of Time Magazine demonstrates, breastfeeding can be quite the touchy subject.

4. Re-gifting presents. Christopher Shea of the Wall Street Journal argues that the negative association attached to re-gifting presents is based on a simple misunderstanding.

5. Artistic skin-branding and scarring. Though the practice has been common in many cultures around the world, it’s now illegal in parts of the U.S.

6. Being alone. In what is probably my favorite read on the list, Susan J. Matt argues that loneliness is far more prevalent than we think, and is misrepresented because of our refusal to admit when we’re experiencing it. She also discusses the impact of social media sites like Facebook.

7. Showing childbirth in Hollywood. Steve Knopper points out how the one thing you can’t show on the big screen is a woman giving birth. This, according to Knopper, is Hollywood’s last taboo.

8. Openly discussing mental illness. Similar to divorce and being alone, mental illness remains a topic we don’t like to share with others. Author John McManamy started a blog in hope of offering a solution.

As it has been mentioned before, the people now are not taking taboos seriously. In fact, there have been some taboos-breaking. For example a long time ago people considered that showing sexuality is taboo. There was no particular movies showing sex on screen or perhaps sex issue on a magazine. But recently, a French film "Blue is the Warmest Color" with explicit lesbian sex scene won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and went onto garner rave reviews. This just one example that shows on how our society has developed culturally.

Written by: Grace Debora C.O. (016201200028)

Asia is known for the ability to use everything as the ingredients for food. Some of the weirdest food can be found here in Asia. But first, we will focus first on the bizarre food in East Asia region. Here are several food that will give the word “appetite” a new meaning. Bon appetite!

1. Beondegi (Silkworm Larvae)

Where to find: South Korea
Literally meaning “chrysalis” or “pupa” in Korean, the Silkworm Larvae are a popular snack in South Korea. They are either steamed or boiled, and then seasoned before serving. If you can get through the subtle, nutty aroma, these little guys are crunchy with a unique, strange texture inside.

2. Drunken Shrimp

Where to find: Shanghai
Our first thought of Drunken Shrimp might be the usual style of steaming your shrimps in a healthy dose of wine and alcohol. It gives the shrimp an additional dash of sweetness. The actual Shanghai Drunken Shrimp however, is an entirely different experience – most notably because of the absence of steaming, or any kinds of cooking whatsoever. The shrimps are not only raw, but live! They are served bathed in strong liquor, which helps to make the shrimps less feisty, and you eat the still twitching body right away after you decapitate the poor fellow.

3. Tuna Eyes

Where to find: Japan
If you can handle your food staring back at you, feasting on tuna eyes should come as a pleasure. Except for the bizarre situation of having to look at your food in the eye, they are actually pretty tantalizing for its fatty, jelly-like tissues around the eyeballs. Some prefer to eat it raw, albeit the fishy taste, others would rather steam or fry it alongside garlic or soya sauce to spice it up. Selling for less than 100 yen (approximately US$1) in Japan, this is a popular local delicacy worth trying out!

4. Baby Mice Wine

Baby Mice wine is a traditional Chinese and Korean “health tonic”. This amazing concoction consists of rice wine mixed with fermented baby mice. According to local folk medicine, this stuff can help cure all kinds of ailments from asthma to liver disease.

To make it, days old mice babies who don’t even have hair or open eyes are dropped into a bottle of rice wine and left to sit for about a year. The finished product has been described as tasting like “roadkill mixed with gasoline”.

5. Horse – Basashi (Japan)

You may well have had sashimi at a Japanese restaurant before, but perhaps not like this. Raw horse meat is served with the sashimi and a drizzle of soy sauce on the side. If you go to a local bar around Japan, you could get this as finger food with your beer. And if that doesn’t scare you, the sweet and smooth meat is also used to make basashi ice cream.

6. Dog – Bosintang Soup (South Korea)

This highly prized dish is still served in traditional South Korean restaurants, despite a ban on dog meat in the country. Pieces of dog are boiled and mixed with green onions, leeks, ginger, garlic and Taro stalk. A particular mint herb known as perilla is also added to disguise the intense smell that dog meat produces when cooked.

7. Chocolate / Ice Cream Ramen Soup

The Japanese candy maker Lotte teamed up with Ghana, the popular chocolate manufacturer to introduce the first ever chocolate flavored Ramen. If you've ever had Ramen noodles, you probably know there's nothing sweet about the spicy soup meal. The chocolate flavored Ghana Miso is nothing short of a bizarre combination of sweet chocolate with salty Ramen soup broth. Some Ramen Shop in Tokyo also serves other startling ramen, such as Vanilla Ice Cream Ramen, Green Tea Ramen and even Yoghurt Ramen.

You might find that some of these food either normal or disturbing to be eaten. Indeed, what is “normal” is different in different culture, especially when it comes to East and West. Probably some will find it disgusting eating insects. But, in Thailand, for example, they make a very delicious snack. Well, if you have a chance, maybe you can give some of the food a try. who knows you might like it after all.

Written by Anastasya Dwi Tantya (016201200010)

Bhineka Tunggal Ika is the official national motto of Indonesia. Bhineka Tunggal Ika is an old Javanese phrase which means unity in diversity. The phrase was taken from a book written by Sutasoma which is one of the Hindu bibles. For Hindus and Buddhists, the phrase was meant to teach us about tolerance. 

For a country with many different tribes, culture and religion, I think our official motto fits really really well. The only problem is will you make the phrase a part of your daily routines?

I paid a lot of attention to this year's presidential election and I was expecting a fun packed democracy party but what I saw is far from fun. It is heartbreaking to see how people still use SARA (tribes, religion, race and anatomy) as a black campaign material and what's worse is people actually buy that. 

I understand if narrow minded old generation people still holds on to the pride of their tribe and sometimes they judge people because of it. But if the young generations did exactly the same as those narrow minded old generation, it is just pitiful. My pity is not for them, it is for Indonesia. Because Indonesia is a gold mine, but the gold is not in the land, it's in the people. 

You want a strong country? A country that is respected by others? It is not about choosing number 1 or 2. The answer is not Prabowo or Jokowi. The answer is right there all along, engraved in our nation's official symbol. 

We have 5 more days to see the official real count of the presidential election and during that time why don't make sure that in July 22nd, Bhineka Tunggal Ika will win and unity in diversity will no longer be a phrase that students memorize. Unity in diversity should be a way to live, for peaceful and greater Indonesia. 

 

Written by: Grace Debora C.O. (016201200028)

Culture is everywhere. That includes how people nowadays do things. I found this picture online. It is meant to be funny but I found some ring of truth in it. People nowadays are very dependent on gadgets and technology. Virtual media are the main hub for socializing. People care more about what others think of them; by what interesting stories they post, what nice pictures they share. People are so focused on what they "look like" that they become more individual.

Written by Debora Valentini Ginting (016201200026)

Talking about globalization, many people perceive about how the globalization gives the effectiveness and efficiency for the people whether in working even the daily life. It is shown by the advanced technology, the tremendous number of vehicle users and also the easiness to move and get the product from one country to another country. All of those facts are considered as the positive impacts of the globalization. Ignoring the fact that due to the globalization the gap between the poor and the rich is bigger, actually there are some negative impacts of the globalization that people do not really notice such as the individualism and egoism.

The picture is about the various warnings and allurements that we may find in so many places. Aware of it or not actually we have to questioning since comparing to the past, actually we do not need that kind of things. It feels like the behavious of people tend to be careless about anything and we need to remind them again and again. Take a look of the sign of saving the energy. It is put on the wall in every electrical plugs and light switches. What does it actually mean? It seems like the people tend to use the electrical based on their using not their needs. It means that actually people know about how to use it effectively and save the energy, however because of the value of egoism the people just think about themselves and do not care about the long term effects of what they have done. Comparing to the past that we do not need that sign because people only need the electrical only for the basic needs such as the lighter, the fact right know that people looks like the child who needs to be reminded due to the overusing of the electrical and causes the energy crisis.

The other sign is about “No Parking”. It is a common sign we may find so many places. However, the people are apt to do not care about it and it may be seen as the individualism. Surprisingly, there are some signs placed in the same place with the short distance, yet many people still park their cars along that side. Obviously, we may see that how individualists the people right now. The one who parks in the street may do not care about those signs, they just need to park their cars and that is what they are doing. In the other side that the people who notice about it do not care also even though they know that the others do something wrong due to the egoism. Therefore, that is the other face of the globalization that we need to know. It is not merely all about the positives and the beauty of globalization. Thereby, we need to control more the effects of globalization, do not let it makes us “un-socialized” and more aware of anything happen around us.  Literally, those behaviors and values are our culture which means the globalization itself may affect the culture to be the victim of being more consumptive, individualist and egoist. SO, let’s introspect ourselves even though it is hard to be done. Thank you.! J

Written by Debora Valentini Ginting (016201200026)

Culture is one of the words that are difficult to be explained. It has so many interpretations depending on how people distinguish the word of “culture” itself. However, received generally that culture is about us that is why “We are our culture”. That quote seems cannot be separated from the attitude and behavior. Yet, it is not as simple as it is seen many people merely perceive the culture only by what they might see. In the fact it is more than that way. Let’s see a picture that offers us about how and what actually the culture is.

Picture beside may tell that the culture is like the iceberg. This term had already been used by some people before. Thereby, culture as a whole is divided into two “sections”, they are observable and unobservable. Conclude that culture can not be interpreted and seen solely by naked eye. Due to the elements contained in the culture itself is very complex makes it is hard to describe it as a whole. The understood cultures we see are only small part of the culture when compared with parts that can only be seen if we really take part in it and make observations about the culture itself. That is the reason why we can not judge something just by its look because we never know what is behind it. Know deeply first before you are dare to judge..!!!

Knowing that the culture is ourselves means that when we are in the new place we are facing the new people which is implying we will face new cultures. It is encouraging us to do the term of “adjustment” or adaptation. There is a “W” curve portrays the process of the adjustment in the new place. Here it is..!

The curve is enlightening that we are keeping our own culture, nevertheless when we are in the new place the first time we might not receive the differences. The pace in this one is the culture shock when the situation seems so different and you can not stand for it. Temporary time goes by it is likely people may adjust themselves and get used to mingle and even absorb the new culture. Then, they go back to their origin place and culture. It can be the new one for them and they need to re-adjust themselves. It puts in the picture that the culture is everywhere and dynamic, therefore we have to be aware about that. Be aware, keep moving and be flexible..!! 

by Maria Tania Tomatala (016201200015)

All the people must not believe about what they see in this photo. The photo is a picture of a very big island, its two times of the size of Texas is floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii. It consists of 80 percent plastics and weighs some 3.5 million tons of floats where few people ever travel, in a no man's land between San Francisco and Hawaii. 

Mounds that resemble the shape of a luxury building is a mound of garbage at sea. By the time, mounds of garbage on the island continues to grow. Not all the garbage that piled it can decompose properly, even a lot of materials that are not biodegradable at all and if the world community does not care about the condition of the island, can we imagine what will happen in the future? 

The garbage pile would interfere with many things, especially in the marine ecosystem itself. contained in marine life nearby would be disturbed, because the garbage will give good effects for marine life. Human waste would give toxic to the marine life. The chemicals which is present in the waste pile will pollute the ocean and the life within it. 

As the young generation who working in the world of International Relations, we must be aware of this issue and start to make a change to the earth. There are many people who are still not aware of the importance of marine life for human, then there are still many people are tend to ignore to talk about the issue.  

Eco-ciede is one of the issue in International Relations which is rarely touched by countries. If there is enough countries who are care enough, they should be ready to handle the garbage problem which must be bring a bad impact to the neighboring countries. It will be better if the countries in the world pay more attention to life in the sea. People should show to the world that, this is not human culture which is do damaging the nature.