What do Balinese Taxi Drivers and Internet Anarchist Have In Common?

Remember, remember...

During one of my numerous late night dinners, at this rather good barbecue warung near Bintang Supermarket (seriously, don't shop there), something peculiar  drew my attention as I was applying myself to devastate yet another serving of chicken.

A couple of thin, long faced white masks proudly harboring a "Fawkes" beard style, embellished with some inventive additional eye make-up were stacked between kerupuk and local newspaper, on sale for IDR 150.000 apiece.

What about Fawkes?

The "Fawkes" beard style isn't called so for nothing. 

Guy Fawkes, a military man part of what we would now call a religious terrorist group, attempted to blow up the UK Houses of parliament in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

The 2005 movie V for Vendetta, where the main protagonist constantly harbor a Fawkes mask as a symbol of his desire for anarchist, vengeful and badass retribution has largely contributed to that beard style's popularity… and is at the origin of the mask becoming the symbol of a something much, much bigger: the Anonymous movement, an Internet based activist group responsible for several global initiatives ranging from innocuous pranks to massive cyber-attacks against governments and corporations alike.

"We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." is one of the group's motto, one to be believed if you are an Internet celebrity, a cat molester or, say, Israel.

Guy Fawkes white face is now one of the most famous memes on the internet.

Here is the original mask, now a widespread expression of anonymity.
(source)

Now, what does any of this have to do with Bali? 

Indonesians being in general a social media hungry population, it's not surprising to see meme's instances randomly pop-up every now and then. But what made me tick isn't the mask. It's the make up.

With a few drops of paint and a standard white mask, an early 17th century terrorist, the symbol of internet anonymity, the paragon of anarchy, is now officially Balified, for the lulz and, well, IDR 150.000 a piece.
Naturally, questions are now dancing in my chicken fueled brain: did the mask vendor know about the meme? Does it have a meaning beyond being pretty, or disturbing, or weird?

Personally, I am convinced that the person behind it isn't aware of the symbolism, of if s/he is, don't give a rodent's bottom about it. After all, we're not all meme-literate and many of us just won't bother -and well that's not a bad thing.

But here, right here, this Bali style meme show a number of cultural disconnections: Internet versus non-Internet versus Balinese versus non-Balinese.

• Those who know about both Balinese creativity and the lol-based aspect of Anonymous will smile, when those not knowing Anonymous enough to see the derision or actually fearing the group will cringe. 
• Those not knowing about the Balinise often mischievous artistic sense but knowing about Anonymous, even as a nondescript meme might see the item as a proof of ignorance. 
• Those not knowing about either Bali or Anonymous… well, suffice to say that Wikipedia isn't going anywhere. 

You can imagine that, in any case, reactions will be few. After all, we're talking about a rather nice audience here. But this is just another iteration of a phenomenon even better illustrated by the No Taxi Lady.

What with the taxis again?

A couple of days ago, I was grabbing a chat with a long time friend from Jakarta, sitting at Anomali Cafe, Ubud, and saw a foreign woman slowly walking down main street with a HUGE 'NO TAXI' sign held visible at chest level. Said lady looked rather upset if you're to believe anything about facial expression and body language.

But it's okay, it's got a smiley face on it.
Note: edited for anonymity purpose, i'm not attacking anyone here.

"If you don't like it, just go home and stop trying to grab attention", my friend reacted.
I understand his feelings, but I think there is much more going on here.

For as longs as I remember, Balinese taxi drivers have been quite direct about offering their services. If, in Ubud, most of them are polite and non-intrusive, it's a different story down South: they will go as far as following you even if you repeatedly show them your helmet, car keys, or blood-stained serrated fangs.

Here again, disconnection. On one hand, lads who obviously don't come from privileged backgrounds, working to the point of endangering both themselves and their passengers. On the other hand, people who try to escape the mundanities and stress of our modern life, sometimes spending years of saving, being repeatedly offered a service they obviously do not want.

What do taxi drivers and Guy Fawkes have in common, then?

The mask, the tourists, the taxis and the Not Taxi lady are all part of the same problem, the same lack of understanding between radically different cultures. This problem can only be solved through open-mindedness and communication between all involved parties, that's a given. But, there's a but.


Here it is: Indonesians, Balinese, aren't stupid. They observe, they learn, and they process information as well as anybody. Only, their main focus is on their own society -duh. Between ceremonies and work, they will find time to listen to what you have to say and show great interest, especially if you express yourself without anger.

This (and the fact that here, we are a guests), is why it's important that we, as foreigners, make the fist step and initiate the dialog without succumbing to knee jerk reflexes. It's not always easy, and even after 13 years of contact with Indonesia, I still regularly feel my patella tickle. But it's worth a try.



I know, I know, once again I sound like a condescending grump, but before you stop reading, ask yourselves: Indonesians/Balinese are just like us, they have ears to ear, eyes to see and a mouth to speak. We, as foreigners, are all responsible for our collective reputation. What will happen when we're seen reacting without being heard explaining? 



As I see it, foreigners and locals are on the opposite side of the diversity river and, if locals are definitely not inclined to burn the bridges, the building must start from our own bank.

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