Unspun

Beware bules who like pembantus


 This is a dangerous world it seems. Even for the old, decrepit bules who frequent unsavory drinking holes and night clubs in Block M and other venues prowling for their pembantu-looking dates for the night to satisfy their basic needs. Celibacy seems the best bet for these Om Om Genit.

See the warning from the US Government below:

U.S. Embassy Jakarta Warden Message
February 22, 2008
U.S. Embassy Jakarta
U.S. Consulate General Surabaya
U.S. Consulate Medan
The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta would like to inform U.S. citizens that the Indonesian National Police reports that there has been an increase in “drink-spiking” incidents within the last month, targeting males who are frequenting clubs and nightspots.  We have confirmed that five males of varying ethnicities have been victimized in this manner since January 18, 2007.  At this time, we do not believe that American citizens are being targeted in these incidents.

The effects of this drug, believed to be an animal tranquilizer, are extremely powerful.  Besides putting the victim in an unconscious state for a long period of time, the side effects include memory loss, nausea, headaches and vomiting.  Although these incidents involve male victims it is important to remember that females have been victimized in the past with “Date-Rape” drugs.  Everyone should consider carefully the following guidance:

How Can You Protect Yourself?

  • The best way to protect yourself is to not put yourself in a position where you’re bringing a stranger back to your residence or room.
  • Never accept a drink from someone you’ve just met.
  • Do not leave your drink unattended if/when you are out socializing.
  • Make sure any bottled beverage that is served to you is sealed; have the server open it in front of you.
  • It’s a good practice to go out with a friend or group of people.
  • If you find yourself a victim of such a crime, please seek medical help immediately upon regaining consciousness.
unspun

9 responses to “Beware bules who like pembantus”

  1. Hafiz Avatar
    Hafiz

    Sorry if this comes as an intrusion but there is an effort to get as many bloggers as possible to blog about bloggers whom are running for public offices on one particular day. One blogger candidate per day.

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    Please join! For more information, visit http://maddruid.com/?p=1563

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  2. Rob Baiton Avatar
    Rob Baiton

    Unspun…the title of this post is not only misleading but highlights the prejudices and biases you are about to espouse in but a mere few lines of text!

    The connection between the Warden’s warning message and Blok M is what? The connection between old decrepit bules and Blok M is what? And the connection between going to a bar for a drink with the fellas after work and sex with pembantu looking women?

    Is it your sugesstion that every bule married to an Indonesian (or Malaysian) does so only so they can find themselves a pembantu to look after them in their old age or are you suggesting that decrepit bules only marry pembantus?

    I am glad that Sophie Latjuba and Paramitha(?) among others are nothing more than high-class pembantus! Yet, there are many more Indonesian women who may not be soap stars or singers or famous but who are hard-working women who fell in love and married a bule!

    But I am going to guess that if you respond to this comment that you will distinguish between these women and the pembantu looking women who frequent the bars and nightspots of Blok M and ‘other places’.

    Dude, your prejudices and biases betray you! But, alas, to each his own! In that sense you can have your opinion and you can write as you will.

    But what must be noted is that it is a message to warn about drink spiking and you turn it into an opportunity to disparage white folk, Indonesian women who make a living as maids, and women who frequent bars and nightclubs suggesting they are all prostitutes, but it is with interest that you explicitly identify bules when the warning clearly states varied ethnicities…

    By the way and as a matter of interets; are there savoury drinking holes? are all women who enjoy a night out “pembantu looking”?

    I will still read unspun and your posts and I note that you have been provocative in the past with posts dealing with bules and pembantus!

    The word ‘bule’ itself in Indonesian discourse is probably worthy of an academic paper. The reality is that it is a racist term. I teach advocacy classes at a number of Indonesian universities and just in this past week had cause to touch on this subject.

    Most young Indonesians do not understand the history of the word bule and consider it to be completely and untterly inoffensive. Perhaps this is the beauty of language that over time words can take on different meanings (you can look at my post on offensive language and the word ‘faggot’ for an example of this)…

    Sorry for my comment being longer than your original post!

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  3. unspun Avatar
    unspun

    @Rob: Love your outrage. It is the US warden’s message and guess who’s their target audience? US citizens. Most US citizens are what? Caucasian. There are also African Americans and Asian Americans but to a much lesser degree. At any rate what do we call them? Bules? If not Bules, what?

    You are extending my argument to the point of unreasonable-ness. The observation being expressed here is that if you go to the mall holes such as Klub 30, the Block M dives, BATS, the dive at Aryaduta…many of the the patrons are rather aged, mining type bules looking for a good lay. Their choice of women are usually slutty looking types. The type usually referred to locals as ayams.

    This by no means should be taken as every or even a majority of bules frequent these places. Also, this should not be taken as that the bules are the only Om Om Genit. There are many Malaysian, Chinese, Korean and other Om Om Genit but they usually frequent other haunts like 1001 and the Kota areas.

    My question to you, Rob, is this: what if your observation is that largely old, lonely Caucasian miner types frequent such drinking holes (one of them proudly call them “moll holes”). What if they have a preference for slutty looking women, who are referred to some locals as ayams or pembantu-types. Assume that it is a correct observation. How then do you express what you have observed without sounding like a bleeding heart American Liberal? (The patrons of drinking establishments of certain socio-economic classes have a tendency to strike up relationships with members of the opposite sex, often of dark complexion, body hugging attire and exhibiting behavior that some prejudiced locals think are reflective of mating signals?)

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  4. pj_bali Avatar
    pj_bali

    Hi Unspun

    Just my 2 cents. Although the embassy did make mention of niteclubs it could also be coffee shops, theatres, restaurants etc…
    I heard of things like this happenning on public buses.

    To use your words the old “decreipt bules” – bit of a sideswipe that – are probably the last people on earth who need such a warning. They have seen it all and are probably savvy to most of these little games. Its the more naive types who should be more aware of whats happenning around them.

    Cheers

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  5. unspun Avatar
    unspun

    @PJ: Unspun thinks you are right. Except for those susceptible to the Pinkerton (of Madama Butterfly or M. Butterfly fame) Syndrome 😉

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  6. Rob Baiton Avatar
    Rob Baiton

    Not so much outrage boss! Stirring the pot!

    Yep, could not agree more on the US Wardens message and the target audience. On the ‘what de we call them if not bules’ front. Well, considering the warning is targeting US citizens how about Americans?

    Unreasonableness or logical extension — arghhhhh, subjectivity is in the eye of the beholder (and in this case the stirrer of the pot).

    Generalizations cut across the whole spectrum. I am assuming that you are speaking from experience and have frequented these “moll holes” that you describe so eloquently in your post and comment. I would agree that there are many oil and gas types, along with the staff of embassies, bankers, financiers, Indonesian government staffers and officials, a whole range who frequent these places…

    I guess what bothers me is the characterization that the ‘ayam’ are all slutty looking types and that these slutty looking types are then equated to pembantus. I look at my pembantu and would hardly call her the slutty looking type!

    I don’t know that I said your observation was not accurate. What I was questioning was the generalization and that it is possible to take those generalizations to logical extremes (perhaps unreasonable extremes). Personally I think that your observation is one of many that is regularly made but to generalize is to label all things the same. The reality is that there are other observations to be had on this front as well.

    But once again the back and forward banter is enjoyable and enlightening…particularly the political correct version contained at the end of your post! Not totally bleeding heart liberal (not all bleeding heart liberals are Americans by the way) but on the way…

    PJ: Agreed it is probably not the old timers that need the warning!

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  7. CC Avatar
    CC

    unspun,
    maybe you should call slutty pembantu looking prostitute ‘ayam kampung’ instead of ‘pembantu’ since not all prostitutes have muka pembantu, and pembantus arent prostitutes

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  8. Rob Baiton Avatar
    Rob Baiton

    On the drink spiking front…It seems that the New South Wales Government has introduced legislation into the parliament to toughen the drink spiking laws…

    http://au.news.yahoo.com/080227/2/15yyj.html

    So, if you are unwilling to protect yourself it seems that the government will step in and give you a little legislative help along the way…

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  9. Bob Avatar
    Bob

    Unspun, late reading this, and thought we’d been there on this topic before. But it’s worth saying again:

    The term ‘pembantu-looking’ is racist, chauvinist and snobbish.

    It implies that there is a certain class of people that, through birth and looks, are and always will be socially inferior. If you’re having trouble seeing it this way, exchange the word ‘pembantu’ with ‘servant’ and you can hopefully see the offensiveness of the phrase.

    While I admire your blog I really think you should resist this kind of thinking which demeans many Indonesians and yourself.

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