This morning news on TV keeps on bugging my mind. It's about a death of a boy (third grade student) in West Java, Indonesia. The parents suspected that their son was deeply injured due to a 'fight' at school... and the fight was 'Smack Down' style. The boy played smack-down with other two boys, just like the famous TV show from US. Initially, the parents had no idea why their son had to be hospitalized. X-ray showed that the boy had broken ribs and lungs. Apparently, the boy's friends who visited him while he was hospitalized for six days, told the parents about the smack down fight at school.
Later on in the news, there was another case that happened in Central Java, precisely two boys (about the same age as the poor boy in West Java) who fainted after a smack down fight at school. One boy's head was bumped to wall by his senior in elementary school. On TV, the two boys said they got their lesson and would never watch nor play smack down fight again.
On the Internet, I also found several similar cases (all victims are in elementary school) who got injured after smack down fights. Schools respond by applying close-watch to kids activities during breaks. Some schools put announcements which say that kids who conduct smackdown fighting would be punished, even expelled from school (after the third notice).
The news anchorpersons reported that the father of that poor boy in West Java went to police to request that the respective TV station should stop the program. People who were interviewed on this issue said that the TV Program Commission (Komisi Penyiaran) should be strict on censoring such program. Onthe other hand, the TV station explained that the program is aired at 10pm - pass kids' (normal) bedtime - with a rating symbol.
Well, who's to blame?
Should we blame the TV station for being such capitalists, airing program with high-rating, obtain pecuniary benefits from advertisement....yet, ingoring their social responsibility as public education agent?
Or, is it the fault of Government of Indonesia, particularly the legislative, for being such insensitive politicians, who only care about their private interests... yet ignoring that government and legislative are people's representative in the country's administration?
Perhaps, the blame should be on parents and family? Parents and family are the smallest unit in the community that should protect the next generation. They are the ones who hold the control in their respective households, not the kids. Discipline and basic education, plus love and responsibility are in the hands and hearts of parents.
Yet, subsequent question popped up in my mind.... who are the educators of parents? Their parents and grand parents?
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As a mother of a young man (first grader, precisely), what I can do on this subject is to educate my own flesh and blood, our immediate families, our friends that we, parents, have the ultimate responsibility to develop better generations for the country and the world.
I sincerely extend our condolences for the parents in West Java, Indonesia, who just lost their son. I do hope that's the only (I know) and last victim of smack down.
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News on smackdown victim, read here.
Comments fromt TV station - that will not stop the program, read here.
All links are in Bahasa Indonesia
1 comment:
Blog barunya... idea bagus..kumpulan puisi ya? mudah mudahan berlanjut dan bisa jadi penulis yang lebih top, Smack Down, mungkin Orang tuanya harus protect ya, seperti disini sangat jelas Rate dari TV atau siaran yang disiarkan , jadi kita bisa protect TVnya apa saja yang pantas di tonton sama anak anak, Aku sendiri nggak pernah ngerti kenapa orang suka banget nonton orang berantem begitu. amit amit deh, kejam sekali keliatannya orang dibanting di pukul tanpa rasa kemanusiaan..kanibal banget rasanya
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