Gray Crown Named Privilege

Photos and illustrations (Pixabay, Ilham Amin / VOI)

Welcome to VOI's signature Series Posts. Until next Friday, we will explore privileges. Seeing how real privileges are to social life. Privilege is not just about birth blessings. Privilege can be established, socially or politically. Stay tuned on this topic, "Privilege: Myth or Real?"

Everyone has their own destiny line. Some live very easily. Others are more steep. However, there is a "special route" for some people to make life easier than others. He is called privilege or privilege. Recently, this concept has been widely discussed. 'The gray crown' is even a controversy.

Remember how the social media conversation was when President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) appointed seven millennials as special presidential staff? Citizens sued the seven persons' privileges, which many believe were the basis for the appointment. Others, defend. According to them, they have capabilities that are worth seeing. Both opinions are reasonable. The seven of them are influential people.

Putri Tanjung is the CEO and Founder of Creativepreneur. Others, Adamas Belva is the founder of Ruang Guru), Ayu Kartika (formulator of the Merauke Sabang Movement), Angkie Yudistia (founder of Thisable Enterprise), Gracia Billy (a young Papuan who won an Oxford scholarship), Aminuddin Ma'ruf (former Chair of the Indonesian Ilsam Student Movement ( PMII). In addition, the name Andi Taufan was also highlighted as the founder of the Amartha financial institution.

Under those circumstances, those who were for and against at least had a solid foundation. A brilliant-headed writer, Eka Kurniawan, also expressed his opinion. According to Eka, the privileges possessed by seven names are real. Eka even criticized Jokowi's decision to choose the seven names. In Eka's eyes, those seven people will not be able to see the real condition of the nation with all the privileges they have.

Jokowi and his millennial staff (setkab.go.id)

"The special staff should be from the blangsak. Listen to them, every day, of course with special staff salaries, yes, because the blangsak are as many citizens as possible ... The children of the rich, this and that CEO, are appointed special staff to the president. , work in the palace, with a palace salary, keep telling the Indonesian people to be fair? They have the opportunity to be heard by the President almost every day and can influence policy, is that not a privilege? " Eka wrote in his Twitter account.

Eka's opinion was expressed in response to the Instagram upload of director Angga Dwimas Sasongko who is on the opposite side. According to Angga, there is no privilege in the appointment of Putri Tanjung and her friends. Angga even called criticism of the privileges of the seven millennial staff as "social class sentiment." This opinion was confirmed by Eka who wrote: Is this a class sentiment? Maybe yes. What Anga talked about was also class sentiment. He's defending his class.

Myth or real?

If a thing is real or not is determined by scientific theory, then privilege is a real thing. Sociologist, Tantan Hermansyah explains a theory that explains privilege as a result of interactions between subjects (individuals) who then have functions in the relationship between these subjects.

"For example, in an organization. A group is an individual who agrees. When the agreement gets bigger, what we call society will emerge. The community is in practice a collection of these individuals. They are bound by the rules," said Tantan when contacted by VOI, Tuesday 3 March.

Referring to the concept of agreement, true privilege is a very vague concept. Its formation is very dependent on the agreement of individual groups (society). For example, an organization specializing in women will be escorted home if the event is late at night. This is a privilege for women. Privilege in the form of protection.

"The basis of the privileges can vary, depending on what is agreed in the relationship," added Tantan.

Another example of how relatively privileged is explained by Tantan in another analogy. About how a professor who is highly respected in the academic environment, for example. When shopping at the market, he would be the equivalent of even an immortal student. Thus, the existence of the privileges is very dependent on environmental conditions and situations.

Good or bad?

Relativity in the privileges also touches on good and bad perspectives. We did an independent survey and found a number of answers about privileges. The good and bad stories that Twitter users experience about the privileges they have.

An account @tonobencinyamuk - not the actual account name - for example, one that tells, "When I wanted to take a certificate (I made it again because the TU employee was careless) he was told to wait for the principal to finish the meeting to ask for an autograph. The principal left the meeting to sign immediately because the father called. friends in the Education Office, "he wrote.

Three other stories are told by people who claim to have the privilege of "the power of the dalem." David --not his real name-- was one of them. He admitted that he succeeded in getting into a company because of the help of people he knew in the company. "I came to work because I was a royal. The general secret, it was not what I wanted to do. In the end, the job was not good," said Daud.

Apart from the two cases above, several others expressed their feelings about the privilege of being Muslims in Indonesia, a country that is predominantly Muslim. "So Muslims in Indonesia have become privileged. Serve calmly, never been disturbed," wrote one tweet. Others have the same opinion: To be Javanese and Muslim in Indonesia is a privilege.

About the not-so-good privileges, Budi (pseudonym) told me. Like David, he entered a company with the help of a family. However, pressure after pressure he found due to the privilege he got. "So, while I was there, I was looking for my mistakes, until the peak I got bored in that circle, I resigned," said Budi.

Another interesting story about privilege was also told by Melati (undercover). About a friend who has the privilege of being a lecturer child. According to Melati, her friend was actually trying hard to limit herself from the benefits she got as a lecturer child. However, the environment rejects the reality that the friend is trying to make. No matter how much his friend tries, the achievements he get are still seen as an advantage as a lecturer son.

Privilege earned by his friend even spread to Melati. The environment considers Melati to be splashed with the privileges of the privilege owner friend. "For friends who are not close to him, we are always sneered, if we get good grades because they are considered to be leaks. Other friends underestimate our ability. In fact, many courses are truly pure without the help of their parents," said Melati. .

Next Article: Privilege in the Groin of Rulers and The History That Described It