Many Indonesians dream of studying abroad. Some, apparently, also dream of a romantic adventure in foreign lands on top of getting good grades, to the point that an education consultancy firm planned to hold an online seminar sharing "tips" on how to tie down a foreign partner.
Recently, a social media post by education consultant WeCareEducation went viral, promoting a seminar titled "Special inspirational sharing on education and soulmates... Your soulmate could be a European, Australian, or American bule," using the local slang word that refers to caucasians or foreigners in general.
The poster also featured a photo of the speaker, who was said to have studied abroad and met his caucasian wife, who is identified as nothing more than a "bule mualaf" (the latter word meaning convert to Islam).
Below that photo is a breakdown of the seminar topics, which we've translated in all its inferior complexity below:
- Understanding characteristics of bules
- How to approach them step-by-step
- A shortcut to winning their hearts
- Challenges to getting bules
- The joys and sorrows of getting a bule soulmate
As expected, the post was slammed online.
Soulmates shouldn't recognize race, let alone having to think hard about how to get a bule. It's as if having a bule partner is an achievement. This kind of thing indirectly degrades one's own race. My reaction to this cringey class: pic.twitter.com/DyUkPW5pAg – Bu Samidi (@shallhar) April 26, 2020
How did it end up like this? I looked for a scholarship to study abroad with the intention of gaining knowledge. It's not wrong to want to marry a bule. That's one's right. But if they turn it into a seminar like this, it feels off. – Nadirsyah Hosen (@na_dirs) April 28, 2020
WeCareEducation immediately published an apology on Instagram, in which it acknowledged several things wrong with the seminar.
"It's unbecoming that personal topics became the topic of this discussion, [which was going to be held] on an educational platform and not a dating app. The points mentioned in the poster, such as 'Understanding characteristic of bules,' 'How to approach them step-by-step' were fatal mistakes on our part," a passage in the apology read.
"Other mistakes that we made were the result of our lack of information and knowledge on issues such as race and gender inequality. First, the use of 'bule' as one category reduces the social and cultural diversity of nations in Europe, America, etc. It was as if all foreigners are the same.
"Secondly, the topics we wrote on the poster gave the impression that we degraded women. It was as if women were the object of experiment for men. To those who were bothered or hurt by the seminar, we apologize."
The seminar, initially scheduled for May 3, has been cancelled.