I am barely watching TV lately. I blame my downloaded doramas that make me stick to my monitor.
But, it's Christmas moment. And I am betting on all my Japanese novels that most of the channels have already prepared what so-called their Christmas Special Program.
Another religion commodification.
What is this commodification thing? Can you find it in the dictionary? I can't. But, I will stick to that word because I can't find the literate word for what I am going to discuss here.
Prolog: Comodification
I heard it first from my senior's thesis. Coming from the word “commodity”, then modifying it with -fy. Literary, I define it as converting something-was-not-categorized-as-a-commodity-previously becomes a commodity. And everyone knows what commodity means: Things that give you a lot, lot of money.
Yup! I am talking about the capitalism bastards again!
Main topic: Christmas
What's Christmas, again? Can somebody tell me?
Oh, I remember! Isn't it a moment where Christians SHOULD celebrate Jesus' birth and the value beyond the birth? Or, has the meaning changed already? Even though I am being indifferent lately, I don't think it has changed. Because it is written in the BIBLE, for God's sake!
Then, why did those advertisements dance there? After every segment in what so-called Christmas Special Programs, I saw bunches of advertisements. Ah, yes ... it's a SPECIAL PROGRAM. And special programs means a lot of special sponsors, like the things I see in the Miss Universe broadcasting and so.
That's why they have annual special programs. And I just got another reason to dislike media's capitalism.
Beyond main topic: Religion Commodification
I remember making a paper for my Protestant Class back in college. I expressed my disagreement to those religion-based parties.
I don't have any grudge against any present political parties in Indonesia. And I don't affiliate with any.
I say: let politic stand alone. Having a religion as a base is considered a fraud. It's a religion commodification: they silently promoting that religion as their leading point compared to other more secular parties.
Leave the religion alone. Don't politize it. I have trauma from my childhood when these two sides fight each other to get the highest position in my church organization. I have enough with that!
Don't mix water and oil. You will have them ruined. You won't get any good of it. The only one way to get rid of them is fire. Set the fire, and the bad mixture will be gone.
I can smell anger in this writing. I can see moral judgment. And I won’t deny both this time.
2 comments:
Kapitalisme adalah ideologi ekonomi yg bersanding dg liberalisme; materialisme; berwatak darwinian (homo homini lupus, zero sum game) dan freudian (atau meminjam istilah Yasraf Amir Piliang: libidonomics). Kapitalisme terobsesi dengan pertumbuhan dan mengenyampingkan pentingnya distribusi pendapatan (wealth distribution). Kecenderungan liberal, penghormatan terhadap kebebasan individu untuk menumpuk kekayaan, berjalin dengan watak inventif dalam entreprenuership, maka komodifikasi bisa dilihat sebagai konsekuensi "wajar."
Di bangku kuliah saya pernah belajar bahwa amat penting untuk menciptakan model-model bisnis baru (dan produk-produk baru). Karena itu kita mengenal produk-produk konsumerisme semacam walkman, mp3 player dsb. Dulu kita tidak mengenal adanya Ojek Motor, paling juga ojek payung. Keduanya menjadi komoditas saat ini. Komodifikasi. Wajar. Lucunya, saat ini banyak dijual kaos-kaos yang me-reproduksi simbol-simbol marxisme yang sejatinya musuh dari kapitalisme itu sendiri. Tapi tentunya ada pergeseran tanda dan penanda. Karena itu kita bisa menyebut "marxisme is sexy!" Konsumen membeli kaos-kaso dengan siluet wajah Che & Marx bukan karena paham dg ideologinya, tapi karena keliatan cool, keren atau menyimbolkan perlawanan yang ironisnya dimengerti secara absurd.
Komodifikasi menjadi masalah ketika ia menyentuh persoalan etika dan agama. Saya juga kesal ketika menyetel TV di saat SAHUR di bulan puasa harus melihat sebegitu banyak acara yang intinya hanya HAHAHIHI & kuis-kuis yang mengejar materi keduniawian. Padahal sahur sejatinya adalah salah satu momen kontemplatif, hening, khusyuk. Mengutip Himawan, seperti pagi hari bagi Umat Buddha, waktu bagi mereka untuk sembahyang.
Disini sebenarnya pentingnya peran negara untuk membuat aturan penyiaran (Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia). Tapi seperti kasus Empat Mata, KPI dicuekin. Masalahnya, sejak awal didirikan wewenang KPI amat terbatas (diamputasi).
As usual, gw selalu belajar banyak dari komen2 lu, Son. :)
"Komodifikasi menjadi masalah ketika ia menyentuh persoalan etika dan agama." --> Saya suka kalimat ini. :)
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