The Punks are Alright!

I am very happy I got to see the documentary film, The Punks are Alright. Not only did I learn about the lifestyles of Brazil and Indonesia, I also learned about the origin and popularity of punk. Creating your own punk band is an example of DIY. Punk is known for supporting the DIY attitude in Brazil and Indonesia as it takes a confrontational approach. For both countries punk helps develop community building. Not only are the two countries similar, but they are also very different. It was very interesting to step into the lives of Dolly and Heinrike. I totally underestimated the amount of love given to punk music and the struggles the people of those countries encounter.

Although my mental image of the lifestyle of Brazil is not totally accurate, the movie did change my perception quite a bit. Heinrike did an outstanding job of describing the city and the people. I had already imagined the people of Brasil suffering from poverty and crime being an issue. However,  I did not know that the drug trade was a major attraction for the youth. The children are living in a violent environment with negative influences surrounding them. Many of the people spend their money on drugs, whether they use them or sell them. Henrike has sympathy for the young kids' situations and is willing to help improve their lives. He taught at a school where kids are from a very violent part of the city. The school enables the youth to receive an education, learn English, stay away from trouble on the streets, and receive guidance. Many of the kids come come from a hostile background such as being raped by a family member, living with alcoholic parents, being sexually assaulted and many more unfortunate happenings. The children's history took me by surprise. Henrike believes anything can be punk. He considers the school to have a "punk" demeanor because it incorporates the do-it-yourself theory. The kids can be who they want to be and have the opportunity to excel in speaking English. So many students in Brazil cannot learn English because they do not have the opportunity. The kids at this school are blessed and also have access to work with computers. I was touched when I the kids' joyful smiles when Henrike entered the classroom. Religion was a very touchy subject and Henrike ended up not wanting to discuss it any further. I admire how he wants to keep his religious beliefs private. His tattoo of the Virgin Mary does have a lot of meaning to him. He is bothered by how much the individuals are quick to jump to judgmental conclusions about him. Religion is something that is not in favor of discussing in Brasil. The story of when he was in the church and older women made the sign of the cross towards him on their way out of the church was about being judged by people who do not even know you.

 Dolly's story really had me glued to the t.v. with all of my attention. The life of Indonesia is so much worse than what I expected. Overall, his interview made me want to appreciate more of what I have in life. It takes Dolly two hours to get to work and two hours to get home. His boss is verbally abusive even though he follows all of the orders respectfully. I felt so bad for him and was wondering why he did not speak with a more defiant tone in his interview instead of being so nice and sweet. Spending that much time commuting is ridiculous. It made me feel guilty for all the times I complained about being in 30 minute traffic on my way to work because it is nothing in comparison to Dolly. I was surprised that punk music is so popular in Indonesia for it being a violent environment. People love going to the concerts and participating in crowd surfing. I was speechless when I heard that the band, "Superman is Dead," sometimes can only afford to practice two times a year. The Indonesian government use to really be aggressive with the practice of punk and send people to re-education camps. That information truly shocked me because why should Indonesia do that when punk is not a bad thing, it is serves as an escape route for those who suffer from the cruel capitalism. I learned that Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. Like Brazil, they do not like to speak of their religious values. I found it very fascinating when I saw the people praying at the church. The church was packed, people were even gathered outside the church doors. In general, the people of Indonesia are economically stuck. They are at a crossroads of westernization and Islam. Some people are truly troubled by this two way path because it has led to the country being corrupt.

I do not struggle financially as much as those in Brazil and Indonesia. I do not suffer from starvation and am not pressured to participate in the drug trade. I am not living in a country that practices capitalism nor do I need to work in order to survive. Although my living situation is not like those living in Brazil and Indonesia, I have family in Cuba who has a similar lifestyle. My family in Cuba only makes 30 dollars a month no matter how many members are in the family. Cubans live in a communist society and if they do not work, they will become homeless and will not survive. I can also relate to those in Brazil and Indonesia by the need to express my emotions through music. For them, punk is a way of screaming in the face of society and releasing all their stressful emotions. Even though punk is not my preference of music, I use my taste of music as an outlet to escape from all my problems.  I agree that music can take me away from all my issues and help me come to my senses.

I find it interesting that my purchases of goods from America have an impact on those who live in foreign countries, such as  Indonesia. I see this concept as a chain reaction equation. If America benefits, the Indonesia benefits and if America does not benefit, then Indonesia does not benefit. America and Indonesia have a mutual relationship when it comes to producing and purchasing shoes.  Dolly is a perfect example for my scenario. He works in a Nike factory in Indonesia and makes $2.65 per day. The Indonesian government changes the labor law policies so they can get more laborers to produce more Nike shoes. The Nike shoes that I wear are made in Indonesia. Americans buying these Nike shoes made from Indonesia enable the Indonesians to stay employed. If Americans stopped making these purchases, the Indonesians would go unemployed because their factory would have to eventually shut down. This would then force Indonesia to become independent and create their own small company and thrive on their own instead of depending on America's help. The way I think of it is, when I buy a pair of shoes, I just saved the unemployment rate from increasing. If the factory were to raise Dolly's salary, then Americans would have to pay more for their Nike shoes. Now when I go shopping for things besides shoes, I will always consider how my purchase will affect the country it was made in.