How Does It Feel Like to be Stereotyped Based on Your Ethnicity?

I wasn't sure sure how my conversation with a friend about our jobs the other day turned into a discussion on different ethnic groups in Indonesia—there are hundreds of them, by the way. “I don’t like people from Yogyakarta,” he said flatly. “They are hypocrites. Their friendliness isn’t real.”

Born and raised in Yogyakarta, I could’ve gotten mad at him and smack him in the face, but I didn't. I just smiled. It’s a reminder that in 2018, ethnic stereotypes have become so pervasive in this country that they have become normalized. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve heard people saying that you shouldn’t marry Sundanese women because they are gold diggers or that people from Papua are troublemakers. Stereotypes like these aren’t helpful or accurate at all—instead, they encourage tension between ethnic groups.

Nobody knows why Yogyakarta natives are considered the friendliest of all Indonesians. When I visited Deli Serdang, for example, I met Karo people who are super friendly to me even though we didn’t know each other. One stranger even gave me a ride when buses were no longer running then. I also don’t understand why Sundanese women are seen as gold diggers—aren’t we all? And when I was a university student in Yogyakarta, my friend who’s a Papua native was the friendliest and most selfless person I knew. There’s no correlation between someone’s behavior and their ethnicity. So why have so many of us experienced these kinds of stereotypes?

I reached out to four young people from different ethnic backgrounds, and we talked about their experience in stereotyping people and being stereotyped, and the dumbest stereotypes they’ve ever heard, and how they dealt with them.

VICE: Hi Hani, what do you think about stereotypes about Sundanese people?
Hani: I was born and raised in a community of majority Sundanese people, but I had never heard those stereotypes until I moved to England in 2016. There, I interacted quite intensively with Indonesians from various ethnic backgrounds, and we talked about those stereotypes. There was a friend who mentioned that Sundanese men are shy. But from my experience talking to Sundanese men, I don’t think it’s true. I admit that they are less straight-forward, because Sundanese people put forward “undak usuk basa” (language etiquette) when interacting with others. This etiquette teaches levels of politeness based on who we are talking to. I think it applies generally, not only for men.

We also talked about stereotypes on Sundanese women. People believe that the reason prostitution and erotic massage parlors are famous in West Java is because the women are beautiful. The stereotype then creates the two unrelated variables—beauty and prostitution. That’s why, saying Sundanese women are beautiful is not a compliment. It’s actually degrading. Stereotypes are dangerous, especially the one about Sundanese women being materialistic. One friend joked once that his parents didn't want me to marry a Sundanese woman she'd probably be a gold digger. It confuses me from where these stereotypes come from and why they are so pervasive in society, because I never see Sundanese people who are materialistic.

Have you ever become a victim of stereotype?
When I act dominant or bold, they will say, “You’re different from other Sundanese women.” And I was like, “What are Sundanese women like?” Especially when I curse. But, I think women who like to curse are frowned upon generally. [laughs]

Have you ever been prejudiced towards someone because of their ethnicity?
Yeah, to a Bataknese. I always thought that they were violent and rude. That’s what I heard from other people. After getting to know a friend who’s Batak and living with a Bataknese family for more than a year, I realized how wrong the stereotype was. They did talk loudly. But they are not violent at all. Bataknese people I know are very nice and friendly.

VICE: People say Javanese people are friendly and polite, but they are not sincere and like to talk behind your back. What do you think?
Triyono: Not only the Javanese like to talk behind other people's back. It’s what people do. Indonesians hate confrontation in general, so we rather talk behind someone’s back.

What do you think about Yogyakarta natives' friendliness?
Yogyakarta people are stereotyped as friendly, and maybe it's because Yogyakarta is a plural city. There are many people whoa are not Yoygakarta natives who come and live there. We make them feel welcome, because the residents there are very simple. We never mind other people’s business. Let’s say you meet thugs in the street. There are friendly and not so friendly thugs. It depends on the person though. If we greet them, the friendly ones would probably greet you back. If they are not friendly, they usually would give you scary look. Friendliness can be found everywhere.

Have you ever been stereotyped? Have you ever been prejudiced towards someone?
People like to stereotype me sometime. They say Javanese people are shy. For example, my friends and I bought martabak to eat it together. If I don’t eat the last piece, they will say, “Feel free to eat it! Don’t be so Javanese.” It doesn’t bother me, though. I’ve stereotyped Eastern Indonesians before. It I used to avoid them because there used to be a lot of violent conflicts initiated by Eastern Indonesians. But, it was probably just a group of them. I believe not every one of them is like that.

Do you think that stereotypes and prejudices can lead into bigger problems?
I’ve never seen people who are like that before, but maybe there are people who hate certain ethnicity. I mean, there are already a lot of inter-ethnic conflicts in this country. There are also people who hate other religions beside their own. I don't know.

VICE: Padang or Minang people are stereotyped as stingy. What do you think about this?
Rachel: That's sort of true, but we just know how to manage our money well. If we trace it from ancient times, the lineage system is matrilineal. Women get inheritance, while men don’t. That’s why most men migrate and trade. The marriage culture there is that the woman must “buy” their partner, because men are not inherited. They need to save a lot of money for their marriage.

Do you think it is OK to stereotype certain ethnicities?
Yeah, I think so. As long as it’s positive and there is history for that, because it’s related to their cultures and customs.

How are Minang people like? Can we generalize that all Minang people have those characteristics?
We are careful, have a critical thinking and strong beliefs. So strong that people thought we are stubborn. I think we can generalize it, maybe that’s just how we are. It all comes back to our culture and ancestry that we inherit and pass on for generations.

VICE: People say that Karo people are violent, materialistic, and like to hold grudges.
Johanes: I disagree. People from other ethnicities can have those negative traits, not only Karo people. There is no relation between those traits and specific ethnicities.

What’s the dumbest stereotype you've ever believed about somebody?
I used to think that my friends who come from ethnicity with gentle characteristics never resist whatever we ask and tell them to. It’s like they don’t know how to stand for themselves. But I admit that I don’t know how all Javanese are like, so I can’t generalize them.