"It seems that they (the American mass media) could not accept the reality that the Indonesian nation exists along with its culture and art, traditional as well as modern . . . They believe that modern art belongs to the Western people, to be invented and developed by them; what is attributed to Indonesia is primitive or classical art for which Indonesian art is dearly appreciated by them . . . however strong was the foundation of any painting in modern Indonesian art, it would still be considered as an unoriginal work by Western public" (italics mine).

The ethnic tourist rejects the everyday tourism because (s)he searches for the "traditional." Just as Westernization is so often substituted for modernization, the primitive is equated to the authentic. Authentic encounters only occur, according to the ethnic tourist, when (s)he travels to the remote, pristine villages. Authenticity cannot be found in a tourist restaurant. Authenticity is a discovery that requires time and effort. The tourist performance or site is not discovered by the tourist, but instead presented to the tourist with no effort on the tourist's part. But the fact remains that one cannot, or at least should not, judge the "other" according to one's own preconceptions. Just because what one encounters does not fit the "exotic" label, this is not reason to deny the "realness" of the situation. This is ultimately denying the reality and totality of entire cultures and peoples.

The Ambiguity of Tradition
Shaping Images of "Us" and "Other": National Geographic and Mass Media
The Effects of Tourism: Indonesian Dance
Shopping For Culture & Bringing It Home
Bibliographic Materials on Tourism