It is a sad feature of life in Britain that many adults find themselves living in fear of certain groups of young people. Whatever the reasoning spouted by sociologists, youth workers, politicians or education workers, the sorry fact is that some kids can be extremely intimidating. I’m quite sure that most people reading this will be able to relate in some way to that horrible feeling of fear that a pack of teenagers can arouse as they stalk the streets or commandeer half a bus. With this, comes that panicked hope that they will just leave you alone. Moreover, there is a certain shame attached to the fear as they are after all, only kids. But the riots last year showed that sometimes, the fear can be justified.
The hoodie. A symbol of disaffected youth. Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/drgaz/
Unsurprisingly, it is a rather liberating feature of foreign life to be freed from this peculiar aspect of British life. Of course it does exist across the world, but either through fortunate geographical positioning or linguistic ignorance, I am yet to experience a youth culture abroad as exists back home. I am not afraid of, nor intimidated by kids from other countries.
That is not to say that the other countries don’t have problems of their own. In Finland, for example, it is the alcoholics who occupy every square in Helsinki the moment their benefit cheques arrive. They congregate in loud groups and clutch their crates of overpriced lager, slowly drinking themselves deeper into their sorrow. But this can often provoke a feeling of empathy amongst innocent passers-by, who find themselves on the receiving end of the slurred drunken outbursts that break up the monotony of the drunk’s day. Although it is possible to empathise with the kids in Britain for whatever has guided them towards their situation, the immediate reaction amongst most people is undoubtedly fear.
Here on Bali inhabitants are subjected to a different terror, but one that draws a number of parallels with those sad aspects of youth culture in Britain. Here, it is the dogs. Those four legged-best friends of ours, who provide so many British owners with companionship, obedience and protection. Well in Bali it is the same story, only here there are a host of difficulties associated with dogs that will cause even the most devoted canine lover to raise their guard as they walk the streets. They are not the healthy, loved animals that we are familiar with, but underfed, unloved mongrels who exist at the very bottom of the pecking order. They are wild.
As with the aggressive elements of Britain’s youth, it is from the pack mentality that the dogs derive their power. A short walk into the village makes this immediately evident, as one is met by the first mongrel upon approach. Upon sight, he will begin to bark incessantly. With unrelenting fervour, he yelps a dry, throaty cry that drums out a monotonous rhythm until the invader is long gone. The bark itself is an irritating sound. Like the dogs themselves, it is not healthy and full of life, but bedraggled and rough. It sounds as if each animal is barking through a throat lined with sandpaper.
This alone would be manageable, irritating as it is. Unfortunately the dog is not alone. It’s is a warning to other dogs and it sparks a chain reaction that shoots down the village like a nerve impulse. The beasts come racing to the road and ring out a chorus of aggressive barking that goes unanswered by their owners (if they have one). Some braver individuals race up behind you and begin to stalk you with a low, sinister lurking. They skulk slowly at your heels, continuing to snap their rasping bark as they follow.
A particularly rough specimin. Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/axaphoto/
It is extremely aggressive behaviour and unfortunately it comes at every turn on the mountain. It is easy to imagine that any one of these dogs can and will bite, whether provoked or not. The rabies crisis that has plagued Bali since 2008 makes this a very serious danger indeed.
The dogs are the hoodies of Bali, although the ASBOs have been overlooked in favour of mass vaccination and culling programmes. They amass in groups intent on intimidation for their entertainment and they make it impossible to walk through their territory without arousing fear.
The Badgerwolf 