What do you think about stereotypes?

What do you think about the use of stereotypes in movies and music? How does it re-enforce stereotypes?

What is race? How does someone know what race they are? Is it different from ethnicity? How do people think of race in Indonesia? America has gone from being very explicitly racist at times, to a more subtle form of racism. What is racism like in Indonesia? How does racism emerge here?

Is being "Indonesian" a category of race or is it something? What races exist in Indonesia? Besides what we discussed in class, what kind of racism has Indonesia experienced and experiencing today? During the presentation about racism in European Football, there was some discussion about how to limit racism on club teams. How should this be done? This presenters suggested harsh punishment, but who is it we are punishing? How do we punish fans? Can you think of situations when this could be difficult? Has there ever been problems with this in Indonesia? Is it difficult to control individual behavior when it is part of a larger group?

What do you think about the Iraq war? America has feared Communism for many years, what kinds of experiences has Indonesia had with communism? The American government started a "pre-emptive" war with Iraq, mean they were going to war to prevent Iraq from doing something bad. When do nations have the rights to go to war with other nations?

In class we discussed two different situations in Indonesia: Aceh and East Borneo. One question to consider is how to limit these kinds of conflict. Should transmigrating citizens be required to learn about the culture they are moving to? How can theses conflicts be stopped and how can people find a resolution to such conflicts? In Aceh, how could this situation have been handled better? Do countries have the right to get involved in another countries domestic conflicts? One question I was thinking throughout the presentations is that Indonesia is such a large diverse area, whose national borders are basically the territory the Dutch controlled. We countries gain independence from colonial powers, should new borders be developed? How can such issues be resolved?

Should Yogya legalize prostitution? Why or why not? Should customers of prostitutes be punished in the same manner that prostitutes are? Have perceptions of sex and sexuality changed over time in Indonesia? If so how? If not why not?

What should the governments role be in regulating religions? Should the government intervene or should it stay out of issues regarding religion? Do we have a human right to practice whatever religion we want? If so, what then is government's role with religion?

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