By The Way: Porn bill fuel for a modern-day witch hunt

Annisa R. Beta ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 11/16/2008 8:33 AM  |  Headlines

Reading the great play The Crucible by Arthur Miller in my American literature and culture class, I couldn’t help but wonder, are we still witch-hunting? My first response is, no way, dude.

Witch-hunting is so way behind us, isn’t it? It’s time for the Internet, e-mails, Facebook and online news.

We’re logical people. We’re modern, or maybe even postmodern. We are humans who have had evolution, and even revolution, for most part of our lives. We are green lovers, we are peacemakers and we are problem solvers.

But wait, have we really passed the witch-hunting era? Have we really passed the tragic phenomenon in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts?

Have we no trace of the tragedy that in essence is about finger-pointing, false witness, mass hysteria, jealousy, hatred and superstition? The tragedy which so easily define black and white, right and wrong?

I am now staying in the country where it all happens, and I would say, quite assuredly, that we, as human beings, have never really lost that trace of the Salem witch hunt, even if we don’t even know what the tragedy was really about.

They’re always in us because that’s how we were taught to live, and survive.

I honestly would say that I have always had the essence of that tragedy in my daily life. I’ll finger point when I feel I’m cornered.

I keep my hatred and jealousy for someone, let it out by saying something bad about him or her to my close friends, when I know that I’m spreading negativity.

I’m devilish? If you think I am, that’s just clear evidence that we are raised to easily point at the devil, which sounds so much like what happened in Salem more than 300 years ago.

We’re Indonesian, but surprisingly we might inherit some of the Puritans’ characteristics that initiated The Salem Tragedy, even if we are living so far away from the historical context.

Here’s some evidence: We can’t stop believing that bad children learn from bad parents, can we? We won’t agree that woman can lead the country. We see freedom of religion as something sinful and hellish, that we have to ban any belief that we consider unfathomable. Even some of us, especially those in high positions, cannot take the responsibility of planned “mistakes”, that we have to accuse other people. And we can’t handle the long-repressed greed, so we have to tackle anybody who gets in our way. The freshest example that we witness together now is the passing of the porn bill.

Now, let’s compare.

The Salem Witch Trial objectified women as witches just because their jealous and voracious neighbors pointed out that they saw something suspicious or smelled something fishy.

At that time, neighbors could say, “I heard that woman singing, and suddenly I felt my body ache. She’ a witch!” People could make up stories and improper accusation in a snap, and the court would make what was actually false witness as the basis of a witch trial.

Now, with the porn bill, any women can be objectified by any horny toad or nasty gossiper who would love to point the finger at ladies they resent or envy.

And now it’s not impossible to hear rapists saying, “It’s a woman’s fault for making me horny, the way she dresses and the way she moves turns me on! So don’t blame me for being a man, and do what any real man would do to this strumpet: Rape her!”

It’s possible to see the man walking free, while the woman has to suffer accusations. Now the woman is a witch because she has created a provocative atmosphere. Ah, Indonesian and Salem people are not so different, are they?

So, let’s not be surprised when a tragic phenomenon happens in our country. Maybe, we can simply say, “Let’s go witch-hunting!”

— Annisa R. Beta

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