Valdy Wiratama has contributed several writing pieces and they have been published by local publications, including The Jakarta Post and Magdalene. You can find the articles by clicking the following titles:
The Economics Behind Album Releases During a Pandemic
In March 2020, HAIM and Lady Gaga announced that they were postponing the release of their upcoming albums due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These postponements raised a few eyebrows since other artists like Dua Lipa and The Strokes were able to release their album on time and as scheduled. However, there are justifiable economic theories that could explain the logic behind the delays.
‘High Fidelity’ Gender-flips Its Lead Character to High Success
For those who grew up reading Nick Hornby’s novel, the narcissistic Rob is someone who readers love to hate. However, the character spends the entire book complaining about his entitlement without ever apologizing for his lack of self-awareness. Enter the female iteration on Hulu which gives viewers a more compassionate character who is worthy of a 10-episode arc.
The Economics behind Fyre Festival – the Greatest Party that Never Happened
In the eyes of the law, what Fyre Festival pulled off is considered as fraud. From a microeconomic lens, however, the organizers simply succeeded in manipulating the concept of asymmetric information and abusing their monopsony power.
Expressing Vulnerability: A Different Portrayal of Masculinity on the Big Screen
Male protagonists have been poorly represented in movies. Take the early films of James Bond, for example, which have him depicted as a masculine figure who solely depends on his ability to fight. In real life, men are more complex and experience just as much emotions as they do with the thrill of physical endurance. This characteristic was brought to light in 2018 when the movie industry began to focus more on telling stories about emotionally complex male characters.
Real Men Cook (And Do Dishes): Gender Equality in the Kitchen
A 2015 collaborative report by the UN finds that the majority of men living in Jakarta, Jayapura, and Purworejo still perceive cooking as a female domestic trait. Between 84 to 91 percent of the sampled men believes that it is a woman’s most important role to take care of the house and cook for her family. Even for Indonesian couples living in a flexible or task-based sharing household, cooking for two or more remains a woman’s job.
Sam Fender Tuning Out Toxic Masculinity with ‘Dead Boys’
Suicide is a recurring global epidemic, with 13.5 in every 100,000 men reportedly taking their own lives in 2016. Several studies have recognized depression as being one of the risk factors and yet, this finding has been largely avoided in pop culture. Luckily, a rising musician from Newcastle, UK was able to tackle the issue on his debut EP.
Valdy Wiratama has also done some writing during his time as a student in university. One of which that is still circling around on print and digital is the following:
Why So Serious When Game Theory Can be Fun (published by WARTA IE in 2017 as a column in page 25, under the name ‘A. Devaldi Wiratama’)
Some of the characters’ decision making in The Dark Knight (2008) can be rationalized using a familiar theory in economics. In fact, the Joker’s social experiment on the climactic ferry scene involves 2 players who could either cooperate or detonate the bomb planted. Sounds familiar?
VAL WRITES ABOUT STUFF 