Environment Essay: Solid Waste Management for Sustainable Development in Developing Countries

Solid Waste Management for Sustainable Development

in Developing Countries

Retno Damayanti Kusumaningrum

rdamayantikim@gmail.com

Environmental issue has been becoming the most problematic issue in many countries nowadays. One of those problems is about the solid waste that haven’t managed efficiently, especially in developing countries. The amount of solid waste has increased significantly per year. The data from United Nations Environment Programm states that current global waste generation levels are approximately 1.3billion tonnes per year, and are expected to increase to approximately 2.2 billion tonnes per year by 2025. This represents a significant increase in per capita waste generation rates, from 1.2 to 1.42 kg per person per day in the next fifteen years.  

The composition of global waste depends greatly on the economic development of a country, as well as on its culture, climate, and other factors. Low-income countries have the highest portion of organic waste at around 53%. High-income countries produce a high share of paper (24%), plastics (11%) and other inorganic material, with organic waste's share at only 34%. (Stiehler, 2017). Typically, countries with higher incomes produce more packaging materials and recyclable wastes; lower-income countries have less commercial and industrial activity and therefore lower waste generation rates, more organics and higher water content. (GTZ Spies, 2010)

Solid Waste Challenge in Developing Countries

Comparing to the developed countries, the developing countries face more challenges and limitations of how they manage their waste efficiently. There are various factors that influence the management of waste treatment. First, the lack of human resources. There are a limited number of experts who have enough experience to handle waste efficiently. In addition, the level of public awareness of waste management is still low. On the contrary, the participation and awareness of public is a key element to support the good waste management system. Second, the growth of population that is uncontrolled. The increase of population in a country give an effect to the solid waste management. The more population has grown, the more volume of solid waste will increase. The increasing of solid waste will give a bad impact on the environment if the governments are unable to manage it.   Third, regulations and financial constraints obstruct the management system. The funding allocations do not give a priority to the solid waste management. Besides, the developing countries do not have enough financial support to assist the waste management like what developed countries did, because waste management infrastructure requires high investment to operate. Gunsilus and Whiteman (2010) also stated that Unclear distribution of responsibilities, the inefficiency of public waste management services, non-transparent management processes and poor financing mechanisms are some of the common problems in waste management in developing countries.

Solid Waste Management Should Become A Priority

Waste management is a global as well as a national and a local issue. Waste management plays an important role in the global cleanliness.  When the waste is disposed of properly, the pollution in the air and marine ecosystem can be prevented early. We will get many bad impacts if we disregard the waste disposal.

Solid waste is part of modern daily life in line with the increasing number of people, the rising amount of waste generated per person and also the substances of waste are increasing in complexity.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that solid waste accounted for 3% of global Green House Gas emissions in 2010, mainly due to methane emissions from landfills. It causes the local air pollution and influences the air pollution on earth indirectly. Uncollected solid waste also clogs drains and causes flooding and subsequent spread of waterborne diseases. Not only dangerous for the environment, uncontrolled waste management also give effect on health risk.  The more waste is generated, the bigger its impact will be on the environment and on our health. If hazardous wastes are present in the garbage, contact with critical compounds3 may occur. The exposure to these can cause cancer, birth defects, metabolic problems and failure of some organs.

It is obvious that proper waste management helps to create eco-friendly ambiance, whereas the uncontrolled way of managing waste can cause the damaging environment. The good environment will create the healthier society and support the sustainability of a country.

Waste Management Strategies

Managing solid waste well and affordable is one of the key challenges of the 21st century, and one of the key responsibilities of a city government. Waste management can preserve the environment. We can’t simply burn all waste. It can be dangerous to the environment because it releases toxins, pollutions. It can be harmful for the ozone layer as well. There are some strategies in order to manage waste properly. First, the developing country cities are still experiencing rapid population growth, so one element of an integrated solid waste management solution has to be how to tackle the exponential growth in waste quantities. (Spies, 2010). Second, there should be an addition to funding allocation in order to create better infrastructures for managing solid waste and also clear framework or policies. Third, the waste management should use the proper way that can help to reduce the amount of solid waste and also prevent the environment from the bad effect of disposal.

There are several methods are commonly used for waste disposal. Each method has its own effect on the environment. Landfilling is the least favorable waste treatment method. Waste is buried, and this process is accompanied by negative side-effects such as great atmosphere damage, produce flammable gas like methane, and pose a hydrological threat which could result in pollution of groundwater. The next method is incineration. Incineration is a process by which the organic substances contained in waste are combusted. The process turns waste into ash, flue gas and heat.  It is an expensive waste-disposal method.  Incinerators use three to five times more energy than they recover from waste. Even though attempts are made to clean the by-products from pollutants, incineration generators are great polluters compared to fossil fuel operated generators

According to the United Nation Environment Programme, the priorities of good resource management are expressed by the ‘3Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce the quantities of waste being generated. It is also important for rapidly growing cities in middle- and low-income countries to bring their waste growth rates under control. Reuse products that can be reused, repaired, refurbished, or remanufactured to have longer useful lives. Recycling is a process by which waste material is converted into reusable objects. Recycle needs materials that can be extracted, recovered and returned to industrial value chains, where they strengthen local, regional and global production. The last, return nutrients to the soil, by composting or digesting organic wastes together with safely managed and treated human excreta. These are sources of key nutrients for the agricultural value chain, and their proper utilization is important to food security and sustainable development. Following this method, it focuses on attempting to repair and reuse products before turning to disposal.

Conclusion

Managing solid waste is important because waste management is related to many fields, such as health, environment, and society. The indicator of good governance can be seen from the services of waste management. However, solid waste management in developing countries is still having low priority area. Therefore, in order to create the effective waste management, the government should be supported by the stakeholders, company, and communities. There should be an understanding and adequate knowledge from the society. The system of reducing, reusing and recycling is still be considered as the most desirable disposal method. The most important thing is that protecting the environment should be participated by everyone all around the world.

REFERENCES

Africa, P. S. (2010). Solid Waste Management in the World’s Cities. Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities: Water and Sanitation in the World's Cities, 26.

GTZ, S. S. (2010). Health Risks Related to Solid Waste Management. Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities: Water and Sanitation in the World's Cities 2010, 14.

Gunsilius, E., Whiteman, A., Scheinberg, A., Wilson, D. C., & Rodic, L. (2010). Waste management and governance: Collaborative approaches for public service delivery. Solid waste management in the world’s cities, 187-190.

Mamen, S.A. (2016). Holistic Waste Management Approach  For Eco Towns. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Post, V. (2010). Special Waste Streams. Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities: Water and Sanitation in the World's Cities 2010, 8.

Stiehler, A. (2017). Longer Term Investments Waste Management and Recycling.  CIO WM Research. Accessed on March 25, 2018 at https://www.ubs.com.

Waste in the UK and the World. Accessed on March 23, 2018 at https://www.populationmatters.org/documents/waste_in_the_uk_and_the_world.pdf.

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The Dynamics of Chinese Diaspora in Semarang, Indonesia

The Dynamics of Chinese Diaspora in Semarang, Indonesia

Chinatown in Semarang [ Image source]

China is a country which has a lot of population around the world. According to United Nations Projections, China’s population in 2018 is 1,42 billion.  This country has an estimated population density of 145 people per square kilometer or 375 people per square mile. The great quantities of China’s population have long been a hot issue in China.

There are an estimated 30 million ethnic Chinese living outside China. In the 1990s such expressions as ‘The Chinese Diaspora’ or ‘Global Chinese’ are widely heard, and some countries have at least a small ethnic Chinese population. (Wickberg, E. 1994) According to Boldurukova (2014), the spread of the Chinese all around the world is the result of the process lasted for less than one century. It especially started from the middle of the 19^th century, The Chinese moved to Southeast Asia, Australia, and Northern America to earn more in the new places. The report from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council People’s Republic of China states that there are approximately 40 million Chinese Diaspora worldwide and more than 7 million  in each of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The first arrival of Chinese people in Indonesia occurred in the early 15^th century. The came with the mariner Cheng Ho who arrived at the northern coast of Java. After the Dutch expropriated Jakarta (Batavia) in the 17^th century, the Chinese immigrants were increase along the north coast of Java. The Dutch tried to enhance the economy by seeking a large number of Chinese to handle the trading business. The migration did a little success and it gave a good impact on economic.  The Chinese people are widespread around many cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Singkawang, and Semarang. Many of them didn’t return to China. They got married and lived sedentary in some cities.

Chinese is a country which has a lot of culture and the people keep holding their belief and culture wherever they are. According to Wickberg (2007), the Immigrant Chinese bring a variety of their own Chinese cultural context of which they have been a part, whether in China or somewhere else. They come to the global city and form groupings or communities. Therefore, as a result of mass immigration of Chinese, there are some Chinatown in some cities in Indonesia. It is known as “pecinan” in Indonesian. The Immigrant of Chinese live in a community. They usually have a family business that is inherited from generation to the next generation.

Semarang is the second of Indonesia’s most Chinese city after Singkawang. Since it has been developed as a port city, it is visited by variety of ethnic group including Chinese and this city become the trading center in Central Java. There is a Chinatown in this city. It has a multifunction, not only a settlement area, but also for economic center around this area. (Widiatuti, Rahmat, Aseani, 2014) Therefore, Semarang has a strong feature of characteristic value of Chinese culture and still can be identified until nowadays.

Acculturation of Chinese and Javanese Culture

Acculturation of Chinese and Javanese culture came as a result of interaction between the immigrants and the local people. Mostly, this social phenomena occured because of the marriage between the chinese immigrant and the indigene. The evidence of this acculturation can be found in many aspects such as names, dialects, architecture, arts, and food. It is emphasized with the study that was conducted by Widodo in 2015 that the combination of the personal and communities name between the name of Chinese people and the name of indigene Javanese of personal shows the existence of this phenomena. It was developed from the perspective of socio-cultural function. The immigrants who settled permanently usually change their names into Indonesian language in order to socialize easily with the indigene Javanese. For instance, the name of Gian Kie was changed into Giantoro. The people around Semarang Chinatown also use the particular dialects that is different with the people outside Semarang. The dialect sounds like Javanese, but it doesn’t look like the original Javanese. In some cases, they often use the Indonesian language rather than Javanese.

Some of buildings and arts in Semarang can be identified as the inheritance of this acculturation. The house of Chinese can be identified by the different shape and different ornament. It also has many functions, not only for living but also for trading. The first floor has a function as a shop and the second floor as the house where they are living. Obviously, the building with the thick Chinese characteristic is “Chinese shrine”, the local people call it as “Klenteng”. There are many China shrine that is scattered around this city. The greatest is Sam Poo Kong China shrine. In the aspect of arts, potehi puppets (Wayang Potehi ) comes as a combination of the Chinese and Javanese culture. This performance can be seen in the Chinese shrine in certain festival as an entertainment. It uses Chinese and Javanese letter. This performance has a function as a tool of unity between Javanese and Chinese.

Food is also being a part of this acculturation. Semarang has a special food that is very well known by people either inside and outside  Semarang. It is called lunpia.  Originally, it is a kind of food that was brought by the Chinese immigrants. Then, it was modified with some Indonesian spicies or flavors. It becomes a very popular food and we can find it easily in Semarang.

The problems of ethnicity

The existence of the Chinese people in Indonesia were facing some problems. One of them is about the stereotype towards the Chinese Immigrant of the new order era ( Soeharto era) until 1998. The Chinese people were descriminated and they couldn’t get a job in the governmental area. There was a distinction between the indigene and the immigrants because the Chinese lived in a group or communities, it seems like the communication didn’t run well. It happened because of the misunderstanding and there is a lack of tolerance. As the time passed by, those problems fade away gradually. Especially after the reformation era, the indigene has been acknowledged on the existence of the Chinese people and also their culture and their beliefs.

            It should be admitted that the Chinese diaspora in gave effect in some aspects, such as economic, social and culture. It also teaches people to live in the diversity.  Living in a diversity with many kinds of culture is wonderful. It helps people learning another culture, another customs, and the acculturation might happen in some ways.

References

 Boldurukova, N. B. (2014). Potency of the Chinese Diaspora. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 143, 576-580.

 ‘China Population 2018’. World Population Review. www.worldpopulationreview.com/countries/china-population/ . Sighted March 13, 2018.

Harani, A. R., & Motic, K. (2017). Pengaruh Fasade Bangunan Terhadap Karakter Visual Kawasan (Studi Kasus: Pecinan Semarang, Malaysia Dan Singapura). Jurnal Pengembangan Kota, 5(1).

Wickberg, E. (2007). Global Chinese migrants and performing Chineseness. Journal of Chinese Overseas, 3(2), 177-193.

Wickberg, E. (1994). The Chinese as overseas migrants. In Migration: The Asian Experience (pp. 12-37). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Widiastuti, R., Rahmat, A., & Aseani, W. (2015). Conservation and revitalitation in Semarang Chinatown (Klenteng “chinese shrine” as physical characteristic in Semarang Chinatown). Procedia Environmental Sciences, 28, 549-556.

Widodo, S. T. (2015). Interethnic Acculturation in Java: The Names of Chinese People in Lasem–on the North Coast of Java. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities Vol, 4, 4.

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Kelangsungan Hidup Terumbu Karang di Perairan Indonesia Timur

Kelangsungan Hidup Terumbu Karang

di Perairan Indonesia Timur

Indonesia merupakan negara kepulauan yang memiliki wilayah perairan lebih luas daripada daratan. Wilayah perairan Indonesia ini termasuk kedalam kawasan Coral Triangle, yaitu suatu kawasan perairan dengan tingkat keanekaragaman hayati yang tinggi yang mencakup enam negara di dunia. Maka tak heran apabila pemerintah Indonesia menjadikan kemaritiman sebagai beranda terdepan dan juga pusat pertumbuhan ekonomi nasional. Karena negara ini memiliki banyak sekali ragam biota laut dengan bermacam macam species, menyebabkan wilayah perairan Indonesia begitu dikenal di mancanegara baik untuk sektor pariwisata maupun perikanan. Sebagian besar wilayah perairan yang memiliki banyak sekali keanekaragaman hayati adalah bagian laut Indonesia Timur.

Terumbu karang merupakan salah satu dari sekian banyak keanekaragaman hayati di perairan Indonesia, khususnya di laut Indonesia Timur. Terumbu karang terbentuk dari sekelompok binatang karang yang bersimbiosis dengan sejenis alga dan membentuk suatu ekosistem bawah laut. Ekosistem ini memiliki nilai ekologis yang tinggi sebagai habitat hewan laut dan juga memiliki nilai ekonomis yang tinggi sebagai daya tarik wisata bahari.

Berdasarkan laporan dari World  Resources Institute, Indonesia adalah rumah bagi 16% terumbu karang dunia dan hampir 60 juta penduduk Indonesia mata pencahariannya bergantung pada terumbu karang. Karena letak negara Indonesia yang berada di daerah tropis, sangat memungkinkan bagi berbagai jenis karang untuk hidup dan berkembang biak. Namun, penyebaran terumbu karang tidaklah merata di seluruh perairan Indonesia. Hal ini karena disebabkan beberapa faktor, diantaranya adalah suhu perairan, cahaya matahari, salinitas, sedimentasi, kualitas perairan, arus dan sirkulasi air laut, serta substrat yang stabil (Giyanto, dkk, 2017). Beberapa wilayah di Indonesia yang disebut sebagai surga terumbu karang diantaranya adalah Raja Ampat, Kepulauan Derawan, Kepulauan Nusa Penida, Pulau Komodo, Taman Laut Wakatobi, dan Taman Laut Bunaken. Semakin ke arah barat dan selatan perairan Indonesia, semakin berkurang pula kekayaan jenis karangnya. Perairan Raja Ampat merupakan tempat terbaik yang memiliki lebih dari 500 spesies terumbu karang. Artinya, 75% dari total semua jenis karang di dunia berada di Raja Ampat.  Sehingga menyebabkan wilayah ini kaya akan keanekaragaman hayati dengan berbagai jenis ikan dan hewan laut lainnya.

Terumbu karang di Wakatobi (Sumber)

Namun, bagaimana dengan  kondisi terumbu karang dalam beberapa tahun terakhir? Ternyata, sebuah penelitian yang menyebutkan bahwa terumbu karang di Indonesia saat ini statusnya cukup memprihatinkan. Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI) menjelaskan bahwa status terumbu karang Indonesia tahun 2017 pada wilayah  bagian Indonesia Timur menghasilkan prosentase sebagai berikut, 6,39% sangat baik, 23,4% baik, 35,6% kondisi sedang, dan 35% kondisi buruk.

Tentu saja keberadaan terumbu karang bukanlah tanpa ancaman. Perubahan terumbu karang dari waktu ke waktu sifatnya sangat dinamis. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh kondisi lingkungan dan juga aktivitas manusia. Dalam satu dekade ini, penyebab mayoritas pemutihan karang disebabkan oleh peningkatan suhu permukaan lautnya (Santoso, 2006). Jika hal ini terjadi secara terus menerus, maka akan sangat mungkin terjadi kematian terumbu karang secara masif. Selain itu, kerusakan terumbu karang juga terjadi karena ulah manusia. Nyatanya sampai saat ini masih banyak manusia tidak bertanggung jawab yang membuang sampah anorganik di laut dan membuang limbah kimia langsung menuju laut tanpa diolah. Tidak hanya itu, para  nelayan pun masih ada yang menggunakan bom dan racun berupa kalium sianida untuk menangkap ikan. Hal yang mengejutkan adalah bahwa akhir akhir ini kerusakan terumbu karang juga disebabkan oleh aktivitas snorkelling dan diving yang menyalahi aturan, sehingga menyebabkan terumbu karang banyak yang rusak akibat terinjak injak dan patah akibat kayuhan kaki katak yang tidak benar. Untuk itu, maka aktivitas ini seharusnya hanya dilakukan oleh penyelam yang memiliki lisesnsi diving.

Untuk melindungi kelestarian ekosistem terumbu karang, maka diperlukan strategi pengelolaan, yaitu dengan membuat daerah perlindungan laut, membatasi perikanan di terumbu karang, menjaga pengelolaaan pesisir terpadu, dan melakukan restorasi dan konservasi terumbu karang (Muzari, 2017). Dalam hal ini dibutuhkan kerjasama antara masyarakat dan pemerintah. Diperlukan kesadaran dan partisipasi masyarakat untuk bersama sama menjaga kelestarian terumbu karang. Regulasi, penegakan hukum, kontrol, monitoring dan evaluasi terhadap manajemen pesisir laut juga perlu diperketat.  Sehingga keberlangsungan ekosistem terumbu karang di bawah laut dapat terjaga kelestariannya dan terus memberikan manfaat bagi kita, Indonesia.

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REFERENSI

Burke, L., dkk. 2012. Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle. Terjemahan Yayasan Terangi. World Research Institute.

Christy, H. 2014. Aktivitas Snorkelling dan Diving Mengancam Kerusakan Terumbu Karang. www.kompasiana.com/hizkiachristy/aktivitas snorkelling-dan-diving-mengancam-kerusakan-terumbu-karang/. Diakses pada tanggal 16 Februari 2018.

Giyanto, dkk. 2017. Status Terumbu Karang Indonesia 2017. Jakarta: Coremap CTI Pusat Penelitian Oseanografi – LIPI.

Muzari, R.A. 2017. Pemutihan Terumbu Karang. https://pgsp.big.go.id/pemutihan-terumbu-karang/. Diakses pada tanggal 16 Februari 2018.

Santoso A.D. 2006. Pemutihan Terumbu Karang. Jurnal Hidrosfir. 1(2); 61 – 66.

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Resting Bitch Face Syndrome Bukanlah Penyakit Sosial

Image source : AllPosters.com

 Ekspresi wajah merupakan hal yang penting dalam hubungan interpersonal (Suslow, Dannlowski, Arolt & Ohrmann dalam Swinney, 2017). Seperti yang dikatakan oleh Montepare & Dobish dalam Swinney (2017)  bahwa ekspresi wajah seseorang dapat memberikan informasi bagaimana keadaan dan juga perilaku orang tersebut. Dalam berkomunikasi, manusia tidak hanya menggunakan bahasa sebagai alat penyampaian pendapat, tetapi bahasa tubuh dan raut wajah juga dapat digunakan sebagai alat untuk menyampaikan makna

Istilah Resting Bitch Face  saat ini masih terdengar asing di telinga  masyarakat. Padahal kehadiran orang – orang yang menderita sindrom  ini cukup banyak. Apabila kita mau memperhatikan orang – orang di sekitar kita, maka kita kan menemukan beberapa orang yang dianggap selalu memasang ekspresi wajah yang murung, tidak bisa tersenyum, penuh dengan kebencian, dan seakan akan ingin  memukul orang yang sedang ditemui oleh para penderita sindrom ini. Orang – orang yang mengalami sindrom ini belum tentu selalu bersikap jahat, galak, sedih, ataupun kesal. Mungkin mereka memiliki sikap baik yang tertanam dalam hati maupun kepribadiannya. Hanya saja mereka tidak bisa menunjukkan ekspresi netral yang terlihat gembira di wajah mereka. Apabila ada pepatah yang mengatakan bahwa terkadang hati, dan pikiran, memang tak selaras dengan rupa, hal tersebut benar adanya, karena inilah yang sering dialami oleh para penderita sindrom RBF (Resting Bitch Face).  

Ahli bedah plastik menyatakan bahwa fenomena ini sering ditemui di dunia bedah. Tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa memang ada kelainan yang terdapat pada otot wajah penderita sindrom tersebut. Kelainan tersebut membuat para penderita selalu menunjukkan wajah yang tidak bersahabat dalam keadaan atau posisi dimana wajah mereka memang sedang dalam keadaan netral. Karena mereka berada dalam keadaan  dimana mereka merasa kesulitan untuk mengontrol bagaimana ekspresi wajah mereka. Bahkan, para penderita sindrom ini tidak menyadari bagaimana ekspresi wajah mereka ketika mereka berhadapan atau berbicara dengan orang lain.  Sehingga banyak dari mereka yang mendapatkan citra sebagai orang yang mahal senyum dari beberapa   orang.

Pengaruh Stereotip Gender

          Sebagian besar penderita Resting Bitch Face Syndrome merupakan wanita. Pada dasarnya anggapan apakah seseorang menderita sindrom  tersebut merupakan sesuatu yang tidak jauh dari subyektivitas belaka. Hal yang patut menjadi pertanyaan adalah, mengapa sindrom ini banyak diderita oleh wanita? Tentu saja istilah stereotip gender ikut terlibat untuk menjawab pertanyaan ini.  Mari kita telaah pernyataan tersebut dengan melihat lebih jeli mengenai perilaku yang terdapat dalam masyarakat. Camia (2016:7) menjelaskan bahwa  sejak usia muda, para wanita telah diajarkan bahwa mengekspresikan kemarahan merupakan hal yang tidak lazim. Sadar atau tidak, bahwa sejak zaman nenek moyang dulu, masyarakat sering memberi label  terhadap wanita bahwa seorang wanita itu hendaknya selalu tersenyum, lemah lembut, dan haram hukumnya untuk cemberut. Berbeda dengan laki-laki yang tidak mendapat label tersebut. Malah akan terlihat aneh apabila seorang laki – laki sering tersenyum, karena citra yang dimiliki antara laki – laki dan perempuan jelas berbeda. Laki – laki cenderung akan terlihat lebih maskulin tanpa harus selalu tersenyum seperti apa yang seharusnya wanita lakukan.  Hal tersebut tentu dapat dikaitkan  dengan budaya patriarki dimana laki – laki memegang peranan yang dominan dalam masyarakat. Laki- laki memang mengharapkan wanita  untuk selalu tersenyum, dengan begitu wanita akan terlihat lebih cantik. Reyes (2015:13) dalam penelitiannya mengenai jenis wajah yang menarik perhatian pria pada wanita menemukan bahwa pria lebih menyukai wajah wanita yang awet muda dengan ekspresi ramah. Wanita yang lebih sering tersenyum memiliki peluang yang lebih besar untuk membuat orang lain menjadi tertarik. 

          Tidak hanya itu, pengaruh ekspresi wajah juga berpengaruh dalam hal pekerjaan di masyarakat. Pernyataan tersebut juga didukung oleh Brescoll dan Ulhmann (2008:273) dalam artikel penelitiannya yang membahas mengenai perbedaan status, jenis kelamin, dan kemarahan menemukan bahwa para wanita yang mengekspresikan kemarahannya secara konsisten atau dengan kata lain sering marah,  mereka cenderung memiliki status jabatan yang lebih rendah dan dipandang kurang kompeten. Meskipun yang sebenarnya terjadi pada wanita penderita Resting Bitch Face, hanyalah ekspresi wajah mereka yang menunjukkan kemarahan , namun orang lain cenderung akan  melihat pertama kali pada wajah. Hal tersebut tentu saja  secara tidak langsung akan mempengaruhi reputasi, karir, dan kesuksekan wanita tersebut.  Namun , lain halnya dengan laki-laki. Meskipun ada beberapa dari mereka yang juga memiliki sindrom Resting Bitch Face, hal tersebut tidak akan menjadi masalah bagi karir dan  pekerjaan mereka. Hal ini dapat dilihat di lingkungan sekitar kita bahwa banyak dari mereka yang sukses dalam pekerjaan dan  memiliki jabatan tertentu dalam karir mereka.

 Menentang Kearifan Lokal

          Ramah dan murah senyum merupakan budaya yang diagung-agungkan  oleh masyarakat Indonesia. Terlebih lagi, anggapan anggapan  bahwa Indonesia   adalah negara yang masyarakatnya ramah dan tidak mahal senyum telah menjadi ikon dan ciri di dunia pariwisata.  Hal tersebut merupakan hal yang patut dibanggakan.. Sudah jelas bahwa orang akan lebih senang ketika melihat orang lain senang. Karena emosi itu sejatinya dapat menular.  Namun, hal tersebut malah menjadi momok bagi para penderita sindrom Resting Bitch Face. Apa yang mereka rasakan tidak selaras dengan budaya yang dimiliki oleh bangsa ini. Orang normal cenderung akan mengatakan bahwa apa susahnya untuk tersenyum. Sedangkan yang dilakukan oleh penderita Resting Bitch Face Syndrome adalah sudah berusaha untuk tersenyum ketika bertemu orang lain. Hanya saja, orang lain seringkali menangkap ekspresi netral yang seharusnya ketika orang normal berekspresi datar atau biasa saja, namun yang nampak pada  penderita Resting Bitch Face Syndrome adalah ekspresi sedih atau marah.  Tidak mungkin bagi seorang penderita sindrom ini untuk selalu tersenyum selama berjam–jam, karena hal itu akan menyebabkan otot wajah, terutama pada bagian pipi akan menjadi sakit akibat dipaksakan untuk terus menegang. Sejatinya para penderita sindrom tersebut tidak perlu dipersalahkan. Karena pada hakikatnya mereka juga tidak bersedia menjadi penderita. Hal yang menjadi masalah adalah ketika banyak orang beranggapan bahwa penderita sindrom tersebut telah melanggar norma sosial yang ada di masyarakat. Ada juga yang beranggapan bahwa Resting Bitch Face Syndrome merupakan pembenaran dari perilaku buruk yang dimiliki oleh seseorang, terutama wanita.  Sepertinya masyarakat kurang memahami mengenai nilai moral yang sering terdapat dalam cerita dongeng klasik, yang menyatakan bahwa “jangan menilai seseorang dari penampilanya”. Pelanggaran norma sosial bukan mengarah pada bagaimana penampakan seseorang, tetapi lebih kepada perilaku menyimpang yang dilakukan  seseorang dengan  sengaja.

REFERENSI

Brescoll, V.L. dan  Uhlmann, E.L., 2008. Can an angry woman get ahead? Status conferral, gender, and expression of emotion in the workplace. Psychological science, 19(3), Hlm. 268-275.

Camia, E., 2016, Desember. RBF and the Reluctance to Accept Women’s Anger. Dalam The SAGES University Seminar Essay Awards.

Muñoz-Reyes, J.A., Iglesias-Julios, M., Pita, M. dan Turiegano, E., 2015. Facial features: What women perceive as attractive and what men consider attractive. PloS one, 10(7).

Swinney, K., 2017. I Love Your Face: Attraction and Facial Expressions of Emotion. Disertasi.   Murray State University.

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