The Most-Overrated Pieces of Pop Culture in Indonesia Today

Sometimes it's hard to say what you really think of something—especially when that "something," is loved by nearly all of your friends. We've all been there before. Maybe you thought a certain book by a certain much-loved Indonesian author wasn't as good as the hype. Maybe you were stuck sitting through another installment of a never-ending pop culture franchise with your friends (who showed up in costume) just to be polite. Maybe you just really hate how art museums have turned into selfie factories.

Yeah, us too. So to lessen the risk of pissing all of your friends off with your "unpopular opinions," we're going to do it first. So, that way, you can feel free to jump in while your friends are moaning about how VICE is so pretentious that it doesn't even like Star Wars. I mean, who could hate something as nostalgic as Star Wars? Read on:

George Lucas’ favorite Star Wars character is also his most-racist creation— the alien Jar Jar Binks. I’m not even kidding. But, if we’re being honest here, the character that best captures what the Star Wars franchise is all about isn’t Luke, Leia, or Hans. Hell, it isn’t even the badass Boba Fett or the incredibly quotable Yoda. It’s Jabba the Hutt. Star Wars, today, yesterday, and forever, is nothing more than a bloated, greedy cash-grab that’s more concerned with keeping studio execs rich than telling a halfway decent story.

Now, I know this is definitely an unpopular opinion. But hear me out. When the original Star Wars was released all the way back in 1977 it wasn’t seen as some kind of new classic. Instead, it was the 1970s equivalent of a Marvel movie—a massive, big-budget spectacle for kids that the studios were convinced would be a box office flop. It was a childish space opera cribbed from far better directors (like Akira Kurosawa), grafting time-tested tropes, and tired characters onto a paper-thin plot about an intergalactic war that somehow felt smaller than a family feud.

How did this half-assed children’s series become the revered sci-fi franchise it is today? Why do full-grown adults think a series about space worms and laser swords is some kind of masterpiece? I honestly have no idea. But with new Star Wars films planned through 2020 and Disney hard at work trying to set up another never-ending franchise, it makes me wonder if the world really needs another war that never ends. — Jonathan Vit

I'm going to admit it here: I am one of those snobs who always reads the book before seeing the movie. So when my friends were all raving about The Great Gatsby, the movie, I decided to first read The Great Gatsby, the book. I figured, what the hell, I've been meaning to read it forever, and it is considered a classic and all, one of those books you have to read before you die.

Sadly, the book doesn't live up to the hype. It’s basically a story of an insanely wealthy man who throws ridiculous party just to attract his longtime crush. At 180 pages, it’s supposed to be a quick read but I had to force myself to finish the damn thing.

The characters are just so unlikeable. Daisy is shallow and selfish. She only cares about herself. Actually, I’m more annoyed at Fitzgerald for this, why did he decide to portray her so low? Gatsby and Daisy’s love story is also way too unrealistic. And, side note, I’m so sick of reading books where the characters constantly feel the need to cheat on their partners. We need more fictional books that promote healthy relationships, you know.

So, maybe I’m dumb, or maybe The Great Gatsby is just trash. But, either way, there are definitely plenty of amazing books out there—don’t waste your time on this one. — Annisa Nurul Aziza

When Indonesia's first ever contemporary art museum opened in 2017, a lot people were thrilled with the idea. So was I. But that was before the endless flood of selfies taken in Yayoi Kusama's infinity mirror rooms started to hit my feed. By then, my excitement had started to wane.

I’m not against people who selfies in art museums, but at MACAN, it's gotten to the point where you can't even enjoy the museum because so many people are just there to pose in front of the art, snap a pic, and move on. Seriously, do I really have to wait to for some influencer to finish an entire photoshoot in front of some #art so their followers think they're #deep just to see some paintings?.

So instead, I refuse to even go. I don't want to hand over Rp 100,000 ($7 USD) just to have to push through the throngs of people crowding out the "Instagrammable" parts of the museum. — Sattwika Duhita

I know that people are going to hate me for saying this, but The Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer is not a masterpiece. Now, don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that I hate the book. I actually think it's pretty good. We get to read and imagine what nationalism felt like long before Indonesia even existed. But in the book, the relationship between Minke and Annelies feels too rushed. There are way too many coincidences as well, and the dialogue often feels too stuffed with ideas and viewpoints to feel natural.

I know I am not alone in thinking this, but I feel like a lot of people who don't love The Earth of Mankind are too afraid to admit it, lest they be hunted down by Pram's hardcore fans. Pram is the only Indonesian author to ever be listed as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature, so of course, there are a lot of people who think the author can do no wrong. But if you really want to get into Pram's work, then just start with any other book. — Ardyan Erlangga

My Trip My Adventure is everywhere. It's a wildly successful travel show on Trans TV, a line of official MTMA merch, and, of course, a deep collection of bootlegs and knockoffs. MTMA is basically a Indonesian version of National Geographic, and it single-handedly convinced Indonesians to get out there and take drone shots for Instagram.

The whole point of the show is to “explore the beauty of Indonesia” with MTMA's two attractive male hosts. Whenever they visit a new place, they make sure to meet and talk to the locals about things that make viewers feel all "nationalistic," later on.

But everything in the show is just too well-planned (it seems fake) and the hosts just spend the entire time joking around. I think it will be better if they also talk about the places they visit, so the people who’ve never been there will know what it’s like. —Arzia Tivany Wargadiredja