The Word 'Idiot'

I was born and raised in Surabaya. My mother was raised in Makassar and my father was from Mollucas. They lived in Java after they had been married. My parents used common Bahasa Indonesia to talk to me. One day, my mother and I had to go to Makassar because grandpa passed away. We had to attend the funeral. The extended family members was also coming back from places all around Indonesia, such as Papua, Surabaya, Manado, etc. When they meet each other, they talk very bluntly as Makassar people. After the funeral had finished, we had lunch at grandpa's home. After finishing the lunch, some family members sat around the dining table and reminiscing about my grandparents. We were also talking about their friends. We were talking about this certain friend of grandpa's. But, we forgot his name. Neither my mother nor I knew this person. Then, my cousin mentioned a name, but she pronounced it wrongly. Correcting her, my aunt said, "That's not it, you idiot!"
I was shocked with the word 'idiot'. Although my mother is harsh, she didn't say 'idiot' or 'stupid' so easily to me. More surprisingly, the girl responded calmly like it's nothing disturbing. She just laughed, scratched her head, and said, "No? I was sure I said it right..."
After that, both of them fell silent. When they turned to me, I just smiled because I didn't know what to do. At least, smiling there won't be considered an offense. Finally, my mother broke the ice and tried to continue the conversation.
In the evening, my mother said to me that she was also shocked with the way my aunt talked to my cousin. At first, I was glad that I was not the only one feeling that way. But then, I wondered why my mother was shocked. I mean, it's her family and she would have understood. It should be a usual thing for her, since she was raised in Makassar that way. We are used to politeness in Java.

The culture in our surroundings can change us in many way. It could change the way we talk, our daily habits, our point of view, or our ways of thinking. Culture is not in our genes. Although it is passed through generations, the surrounding society and the place we grow or learn also take part in shaping our mind, our speech, and our behavior.

Christy - 11410004