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COMMENTARY: Beware of becoming an unhappy celebrity
One risks instant YouTube notoriety if they think they’re entitled to jump the queue, drive in the bus-way lane or park anywhere they want just because their car has a sticker stating “We are a TNI [military] / Police family,” for instance.
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One risks instant YouTube notoriety if they think they’re entitled to jump the queue, drive in the bus-way lane or park anywhere they want just because their car has a sticker stating “We are a TNI [military] / Police family,” for instance. (Shutterstock/Castleski)
P
ray for your husband so that his superiors like him, so that he gets a promotion; this was the advice from my late mother-in-law. But when he gets to a very high position, take care, for this is when the Mrs. may feel a sense of superiority, she said, citing her own experience as a former high ranking member of Dharma Wanita — the compulsory New Order organization for civil servants’ wives.
After her husband retired, she said, she felt very hurt when her superiority in the organization was much deflated — at the monthly arisan (savings gatherings) she was now seated at the back with wives of low ranking officials, no longer in the respectful place reserved for her when her husband was still a high ranking official.
I recalled her advice after the wife of a police brigadier general won instant notoriety when a video of her slapping a security officer at the Sam Ratulangi airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, went viral. The women was captured in the act after refusing to have her watch scanned. The video has garnered almost 2 million views on YouTube. Reports say she also slapped another female officer.
Mrs. Brig. Gen. could learn from my mother-in-law — To avoid the pain of a fall from grace, remain humble even when your husband is king of the land.
Probably lacking such advice, the woman who wore big sunglasses, identified as Joice Warouw of Manado, may have to learn the hard way from the massive social media backlash that must be dreadful for the whole family.
The lesson was not, however, immediatly learned. While the officer who was slapped reported the incident to her superiors, Joice also reportedly filed a report about the “unpleasant behavior” of the officer. The unpleasant aftermath did indeed see her miss her flight though she was able to board a later one.
The incident was shocking, but not really surprising; we sporadically still see remnants of a past sense of entitlement among those who believe they have some sort of leverage. The difference is that today we had better watch out if we wish to claim we’re the family of this or that big shot because our bragging and actions could go viral within seconds thanks to some bystander with a smartphone.
