I've visited this website for health buffs, where they seem to count every calorie on every menu item/product of every company/fast food chain in America.
I thought, wow. You really must be a sucker for healthy living if you follow everything they say here. But then, if you aren't, you'd want to get your money's worth. You'd want to go for those large helpings and calorie-laden items. And, let's admit it, we don't really care for the calories, do we?
Actually, this magazine couldn't possibly find a market here in the Philippines, since our primary concern when eating out or shopping for food at the supermarket is the price. Bargain buys are always better than healthy options. In fact, you're already lucky to eat enough for a day. Millions of families survive on only P90 a day, while some even live on only around P50 to P60 a day.
How's that, health suckers? Yeah, buy another exercise machine. Renew your membership at a slimming salon. Chuck out all that "junk food" in your fridge to the waste bin. And you're free to consume all non-fat, low-calorie whatever on sale on those posh supermarkets.
After all, you're the only ones who can afford that kind of lifestyle. While us mere mortals (especially those who are mired deeply in poverty) survive on MSG-heavy cup noodles and instant mixes—sometimes on plain salt (that's sodium to you) and coffee (caffeine in your book).
Yeah, not very healthy, but unlike you, we don't have a choice. They don't have a choice, at least if they want to survive. It's not even a question of "what will you eat?" but a question of "do you have anything to eat?"
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Beyond charity
I would never claim to know everything there is about Philippine society. Only a fool would proclaim that, for to do so is an admission of one's ignorance and presuming arrogance.
Nor would I claim that I fully understand the big picture. For I have lived and experienced only a fraction (my social exposures are limited to a mere few days or hours at a time), and while some would say that that is enough to estimate the rest, I beg to differ.
To fully understand poverty, you need to experience poverty. Just the same, to fully understand the situation within a community, you need to immerse yourself in that community. Live with the people, live like them. You need to communicate with them. It makes the difference between simply knowing the facts and understanding the situation. Doing so gives faces to concepts like poverty and social inequality; it gives whole new meaning to these concepts.
Studying theories and knowing hard facts and statistics can only do so much. Without actually stepping out of one's comfort zone to mingle with the masses, one is but an armchair activist. All talk, no action. It's like standing inside an ivory tower, seeing and knowing everything that goes on, but not doing anything about it. (In fact, I think I am guilty of this. There's this community I promised I'd return to, but I still hadn't found the time. Before this semester ends, I hope I can return and live some time with the people there.)
And when I say concrete action, I do not refer to charity and all those condescending "acts of mercy" of the elite. Many non-profit organizations and/or charity institutions don't really "act." They just "help"...or they think they help, without fully understanding the conditions of the people they are helping. It's enough to paint them as poor and pitiable, without even considering why and how they came to be poor.
They don't realize that only by understanding the how and why of things can we come up with real and lasting solutions, beyond charity and short-term aids.
Nor would I claim that I fully understand the big picture. For I have lived and experienced only a fraction (my social exposures are limited to a mere few days or hours at a time), and while some would say that that is enough to estimate the rest, I beg to differ.
To fully understand poverty, you need to experience poverty. Just the same, to fully understand the situation within a community, you need to immerse yourself in that community. Live with the people, live like them. You need to communicate with them. It makes the difference between simply knowing the facts and understanding the situation. Doing so gives faces to concepts like poverty and social inequality; it gives whole new meaning to these concepts.
Studying theories and knowing hard facts and statistics can only do so much. Without actually stepping out of one's comfort zone to mingle with the masses, one is but an armchair activist. All talk, no action. It's like standing inside an ivory tower, seeing and knowing everything that goes on, but not doing anything about it. (In fact, I think I am guilty of this. There's this community I promised I'd return to, but I still hadn't found the time. Before this semester ends, I hope I can return and live some time with the people there.)
And when I say concrete action, I do not refer to charity and all those condescending "acts of mercy" of the elite. Many non-profit organizations and/or charity institutions don't really "act." They just "help"...or they think they help, without fully understanding the conditions of the people they are helping. It's enough to paint them as poor and pitiable, without even considering why and how they came to be poor.
They don't realize that only by understanding the how and why of things can we come up with real and lasting solutions, beyond charity and short-term aids.
Sa pagbasag ng mga ilusyon
Reporma. Ang sarap pakinggan, di ba? Yan ang pagsusulong ng pagbabago sa lipunan sa pamamagitan ng mga batas. Maraming porma nito, isa na ang sinasabing extension ng CARP na may halong reporma (CARP extension with reforms, mababasang nakapaskil sa labas ng DAR office sa Quezon City).
Iyan din ang pagkakaiba ng Katipunan ni Andres Bonifacio sa La Solidaridad nila Jose Rizal at ng iba pang mga ilustrado.
Reporma ang isinusulong ng La Solidaridad. Gusto nilang pairalin ang karapatang pantao sa Pilipinas. Hindi soberanya ang hiningi nila, kundi awtonomiya lamang. Gusto nilang maging probinsiya ng Espanya ang Pilipinas.
Subalit sa huli, ang nagpasya naman ng "kalayaan" (sana, kung hindi umeksena ang Estados Unidos) noon ng Pilipinas mula sa mga Kastila ay ang rebolusyong pinamunuan ng masa.
Ngayon naman, kung magpupumilit kang sabihing reporma ang solusyon, isipin mo ito. Ang problema kasi sa pagsulong ng reporma ngayon, may mga pinangangalagaang interes ang mismong mga nakaupo sa pwesto—ang mga may hawak ng kapangyarihang isulong ang pagbabago sa pamamagitan ng batas. May mga lupang hindi kailanman ipamimigay, mga korporasyong nakikinabang sa batas na mababang pasahod at kontrakwalisasyon.
Mamamatay tayong dilat ang mata kung hihintayin nating "makita nila ang liwanag" at bigla na lang ipamigay ang kayamanan nila para mawala na ang kahirapan sa bansa.
Repormista o rebolusyonista? Sa huli, masa naman ang mapagpasiya. Masa ang magpapasya.
Iyan din ang pagkakaiba ng Katipunan ni Andres Bonifacio sa La Solidaridad nila Jose Rizal at ng iba pang mga ilustrado.
Reporma ang isinusulong ng La Solidaridad. Gusto nilang pairalin ang karapatang pantao sa Pilipinas. Hindi soberanya ang hiningi nila, kundi awtonomiya lamang. Gusto nilang maging probinsiya ng Espanya ang Pilipinas.
Subalit sa huli, ang nagpasya naman ng "kalayaan" (sana, kung hindi umeksena ang Estados Unidos) noon ng Pilipinas mula sa mga Kastila ay ang rebolusyong pinamunuan ng masa.
Ngayon naman, kung magpupumilit kang sabihing reporma ang solusyon, isipin mo ito. Ang problema kasi sa pagsulong ng reporma ngayon, may mga pinangangalagaang interes ang mismong mga nakaupo sa pwesto—ang mga may hawak ng kapangyarihang isulong ang pagbabago sa pamamagitan ng batas. May mga lupang hindi kailanman ipamimigay, mga korporasyong nakikinabang sa batas na mababang pasahod at kontrakwalisasyon.
Mamamatay tayong dilat ang mata kung hihintayin nating "makita nila ang liwanag" at bigla na lang ipamigay ang kayamanan nila para mawala na ang kahirapan sa bansa.
Repormista o rebolusyonista? Sa huli, masa naman ang mapagpasiya. Masa ang magpapasya.
Progressing vs. Regressing (Song lyrics, 1st batch)
I don't want to write anything now, I still feel a bit too agitated for me to assure you that my post will be coherent or if it will be plain ranting. So. I'll just post song lyrics here.
Nangingibang-bayan ang aming masisipag at matatalino / Ang pangunahing eksport nami'y nagugutom na mga desperado / Kinabukasan ng nakararami'y sinasalalay sa Lotto / At ang mga pag-asa ni Pepe'y tumitira ng rugby sa kanto / Whoa! Pilipinas
Umiimport kami ng mga binabasurang produkto / Mga mamamahayag nag-eendorso ng alak, gamot at shampoo / May mga titser na nagbebenta ng insurance, damit at tocino / Karaniwang pasahod kasi'y sapat lang bumuhay ng aso / Whoa! Pilipinas
Ang bagong relihiyon ng masa ay tele-pantasya / Kaya mga artista dito'y mga pulitiko rin at vice-versa / Andaming kampon ni Bonifacio na nasa center na ng mga elitista / Na nagiging tambayan ng mga bagong burgis na dating aktibista / Whoa! Pilipinas / Galamay ng sindikato ang mga pulis at sundalo
Nagiging congressman ang mga sugarol at babaero / Pwedeng-pwedeng maging milyonaryo sa sweldo mo sa gobyerno / At umuupo sa pwesto mga di naman nananalo
Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Nang inyo nang makita / Mga di ninyo nakita / Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Nang inyo nang makita / Mga di pinapakita sa inyo / Mga di pinapakita sa inyo.
UP Naming Mahal
Alternative version
Tatsulok
Buklod
Totoy bilisan mo, bilisan mo ang takbo / Ilagan ang mga bombang nakatutok sa ulo mo / Totoy tumalon ka, dumapa kung kailangan / At baka tamaan pa ng mga balang ligaw / Totoy makinig ka, huwag kang magpagabi / Baka pagkamalan ka't humandusay dyan sa tabi / Totoy alam mo ba kung ano ang puno't dulo / Ng di matapos-tapos na kaguluhang ito / Hindi pula't dilaw ang tunay na magkalaban / Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan / Hangga't mas marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan / At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayayaman / Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok / Hindi matatapos itong gulo / Lumilikas ang hininga ng kayraming mga tao / At ang dating lunting bukid ngayo'y sementeryo / Totoy kumilos ka, baligtarin ang tatsulok / Katulad mong mga dukha ang ilagay mo sa tuktok / Hindi pula't dilaw ang tunay na magkalaban / Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan / Hangga't mas marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan / At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayayaman / Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok / Hindi matatapos itong gulo
And I See
Datu’s Tribe
A B C D CPP, CIA KMU PNP / DOH CBCP, IMF WB / Now i know my ABCs / Ilang taon na lang magiging NIC / A B C D ADB, RAM YOU AFP / DOJ NUC, MNLF PACC / Now i know my ABCs / Ilang taon na lang magiging NIC / Lupa galing sa libingan / Patungo sa kabusugan / Patungo sa kabusugan / Ang dami nang naghihintay / Lahat nagaaway-away / Patungo sa kaunlaran / Patungo sa kaunlaran / Patungo sa kaunlaran / A B C D NBC, DSWD PCGG / DPWH ERB, MWSS PLDT / NUCD, LDP, PCHR, DAR, KNP / BAD, DOLE, DFA, GADD / Now i know my ABCs / Ilang taon na lang magiging NIC
Buksan ang iyong puso
Buklod
Ano kayang bukas ang darating / Sa bayang may pasakit pagka't biyaya'y pinagkait / Kayrami nang batang nagigising lamang / Sa maagang pagpanaw ng pag-asa o buhay / Buksan ang iyong puso / Huwag ka nang magsawalang-kibo / Pagluha'y di sapat / Ang kailangan ay pagganap / Ibahagi ang iyong panahon / Sa pagtugus ng nilalayon / Damhin mo ang hapdi at pait ng kahirapan / na ngayo'y nararanasan ng iyong mamamayan / Ilan na bang mga musmos ang sinawi ng dalita / Ilan na bang mga bayani ang nag-alay sa lupa / Kailan mo pakikinggan ang tawag ng bayan / Ngayon na ang panahon / Ang pagkilos mo'y kailangan / Nagpipiglas ang damdamin / Maayang bukas ay yakapin / Buksan ang iyong puso...
Tumindig Ka
Buklod
Tumindig ka ipaglaban ang karapatan / Tumindig ka ipagtanggol ang karapatan / Daangtaon na ang nakalilipas / Ilang pangulo ng ang nagdaan / Wala pa ring asenso si Juan / Subsob pa rin sa kahirapan / Tumindig ka ipaglaban ang karapatan / Tumindig ka ipagtanggol ang karapatan / Daangtaon na ang nakalipas / Ilang pangulo na ang nagdaan / Wala pa ring masilungan si Juan / Tagpi-tagpi pa rin ang kasuotan / Tumindig ka ipaglaban ang karapatan / Tumindig ka ipagtanggol ang karapatan / Daangtaon na ang nakalipas / Ilang pangulo na ang nagdaan / Wala pa ring sariling lupa si Juan / Nakikisaka't baon sa utang / Tumindig ka ipaglaban ang karapatan / Tumindig ka ipagtanggol ang karapatan / Daangtaon na ang nakalilipas / Ilang pangulo na ang nagdaan / Kulang pa rin ang sweldo ni Juan / Wala pa ring sariling lupa si Juan / Wala pa ring masisilungan si Juan / Subsob pa rin sa kahirapan / Tumindig ka, tumindig ka / Ipaglaban mo si Juan / Tumindig ka, tumindig ka / Ipagtanggol mo si Juan
Whoa! Pilipinas!
Datu's Tribe
Nangingibang-bayan ang aming masisipag at matatalino / Ang pangunahing eksport nami'y nagugutom na mga desperado / Kinabukasan ng nakararami'y sinasalalay sa Lotto / At ang mga pag-asa ni Pepe'y tumitira ng rugby sa kanto / Whoa! Pilipinas
Umiimport kami ng mga binabasurang produkto / Mga mamamahayag nag-eendorso ng alak, gamot at shampoo / May mga titser na nagbebenta ng insurance, damit at tocino / Karaniwang pasahod kasi'y sapat lang bumuhay ng aso / Whoa! Pilipinas
Ang bagong relihiyon ng masa ay tele-pantasya / Kaya mga artista dito'y mga pulitiko rin at vice-versa / Andaming kampon ni Bonifacio na nasa center na ng mga elitista / Na nagiging tambayan ng mga bagong burgis na dating aktibista / Whoa! Pilipinas / Galamay ng sindikato ang mga pulis at sundalo
Nagiging congressman ang mga sugarol at babaero / Pwedeng-pwedeng maging milyonaryo sa sweldo mo sa gobyerno / At umuupo sa pwesto mga di naman nananalo
Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Nang inyo nang makita / Mga di ninyo nakita / Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Halina't bumisita / Whoa! Pilipinas / Nang inyo nang makita / Mga di pinapakita sa inyo / Mga di pinapakita sa inyo.
UP Naming Mahal
Alternative version
UP naming mahal / Pamantasan ng bayan / Tinig ng masa / Ang siyang lagi nang pakikinggan / Malayong lupain / Di kailangang marating / Dito maglilingkod sa bayan natin / Dito maglilingkod sa bayan natin
Silangang mapula / Sagisag magpakailanman / Ating ipaglaban / Laya ng diwa’t kaisipan / Humayo’t itanghal / Giting, tapang ang dangal / Mabuhay ang lingkod ng taongbayan / Mabuhay ang lingkod ng taongbayan
Silangang mapula / Sagisag magpakailanman / Ating ipaglaban / Laya ng diwa’t kaisipan / Malayong lupain / Di kailangang marating / Dito maglilingkod sa bayan natin / Dito maglilingkod sa bayan natin
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Middle class rant
I can't seem to find my voice to find a suitable retort. I know the right answers but I'm just one, and they are so many...
I badly need to release my thoughts, so here I am now.
I remember I said to someone that I don't want to become rich. Why? Because that would be the biggest insult of all — acquiring worldly wealth in a country where 75 percent of the population is poor, where millions of families live on less than P100 a day. Then I'll condescendingly give them a fraction of my earnings and call it charity.
No. I don't want to become rich. I don't want to be one of those glittering, fake people who smile and wave at cameras. Showbiz people or politicians, there isn't much distinction in them. They are all whimsical butterflies feeding on the masses.
The problem with acquiring wealth is that you can never get enough. Because of competition, you need to struggle to remain at the top—stepping on a million others to get what you want.
And this culture of endless acquisition, of excess, of surplus, is an inherent trait of the current system.
I have other dreams. Being famous or rich isn't among them.
I feel uncomfortable with contradictions. But I know that someday, I must break free from my middle class woes, fight against middle class aspirations and finally tell my family what I want to do in life. Of course, disappointment is to be expected. I don't really plan to put my course to use. Maybe I'll get a job for several years, but I'm not sure if I'll stay on. Nothing's definite in my future, I guess (but then, whose future is really certain?). But in the end I will have to leave.
I just hope that, despite the disappointment, my family will be able to accept and respect my decision when that time comes. Along that, I hope they'll accept what I have to say, they'll accept me still.
Why am I saying this? Or better yet, what am I talking about? I don't know.
But it feels good to know that I have something to go back to in times when my resolve is weakening.
I badly need to release my thoughts, so here I am now.
I remember I said to someone that I don't want to become rich. Why? Because that would be the biggest insult of all — acquiring worldly wealth in a country where 75 percent of the population is poor, where millions of families live on less than P100 a day. Then I'll condescendingly give them a fraction of my earnings and call it charity.
No. I don't want to become rich. I don't want to be one of those glittering, fake people who smile and wave at cameras. Showbiz people or politicians, there isn't much distinction in them. They are all whimsical butterflies feeding on the masses.
The problem with acquiring wealth is that you can never get enough. Because of competition, you need to struggle to remain at the top—stepping on a million others to get what you want.
And this culture of endless acquisition, of excess, of surplus, is an inherent trait of the current system.
I have other dreams. Being famous or rich isn't among them.
I feel uncomfortable with contradictions. But I know that someday, I must break free from my middle class woes, fight against middle class aspirations and finally tell my family what I want to do in life. Of course, disappointment is to be expected. I don't really plan to put my course to use. Maybe I'll get a job for several years, but I'm not sure if I'll stay on. Nothing's definite in my future, I guess (but then, whose future is really certain?). But in the end I will have to leave.
I just hope that, despite the disappointment, my family will be able to accept and respect my decision when that time comes. Along that, I hope they'll accept what I have to say, they'll accept me still.
Why am I saying this? Or better yet, what am I talking about? I don't know.
But it feels good to know that I have something to go back to in times when my resolve is weakening.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Indulging in excess
What's the essence of Christmas? Is it the gift-giving, the merry-making? Is it spending all you have to celebrate?
Does a "merry" Christmas equate to the amount of worldly gifts you receive, the amount of noche buena food you partake in?
If so, then Christmas might just be the most convenient excuse to indulge excessively.
I'm really quite the pessimist.
Does a "merry" Christmas equate to the amount of worldly gifts you receive, the amount of noche buena food you partake in?
If so, then Christmas might just be the most convenient excuse to indulge excessively.
I'm really quite the pessimist.
On police brutality
Crime rates are pretty high during Christmas, so this is not off-topic, is it?
I don't think my blog has ever been this alive before, so forgive me for posting every now and then today. It's just, I don't have anything much to do, so I spend time thinking (in between the pages of the manga I am reading), and sometimes those thoughts have merit so I blog them.
Anyway, a few days ago, December 16 (Oblation run and before the centennial lantern parade, so I won't forget), I covered a crime story along with three group mates for my BC132 (Broadcast documentary) class.
We camped out in Camp Karingal in QC, the CIDU headquarters to be precise, from 7 pm till around 11 pm. We transferred to Station 10 of the QCPD in Kamuning at around 11 but decided to return to CIDU after about 15 minutes of sitting idly.
It was promising to be a peaceful night. Until, around 1 am, the phone in the CIDU rang informing us of an encounter between the anti-carnapping unit of QCPD and two "riding-in-tandem" robbers. Both robbers were killed.
I won't tell you the gruesome details of the crime scene. (That was my second crime coverage, so the shock wasn't really much, but it's enough to turn the stomachs of the uninitiated) But I noted something which made me really think.
The robbers were armed, of course. They took a scooter and led the police to a merry chase to *that* road (I won't mention where). But the position of their bodies caught my attention.
First, they abandoned the scooter they nabbed. I think the bodies were two to three meters away from the vehicle.
Their positions indicate that they weren't in the offensive. In fact, they were running away.
Another: the shots they took were fatal. Actually, both robbers died of head shots (I told you it was gruesome).
So what's my point, you ask? The robbers were escaping when they were shot. In the head. By the respondent police unit.
Some would say they deserve it. But (I'm not justifying robbery or anything), let's think about it. There are objective conditions which would have led them to resort to robbery. Poverty, mayhap. Man is not inherently evil, there are circumstances which drive us to do what we do.
So perhaps the robbers were in the wrong. But we need to understand their reasons instead of merely painting them black. And that's where police interrogation comes in, along with due process. If you ask me, their lives were too high a price to pay for whisking off a scooter. It wasn't balanced.
That brings me to my second point. Why aim for the head? Why aim to kill them? Granted, they were armed, but there's such a thing called "shoot to disable," where you aim for the arms and the legs of your quarry. In fact, that's a more difficult shot to execute than aiming for the head...which was the case in this particular story.
Besides, if my observations were correct, even if the robbers were armed, they were in the process of running away. Not fighting. So there wasn't really any real danger involved. Deaths could have been prevented had the police acted responsibly.
Where's the justice in that? There was no due process involved. You did not bring them in; you chose to silence them forever. The rule of the gun took over.
It's a challenge to the police force of the country. To serve and protect us Filipinos, and to avoid deaths when it can be prevented. Being a criminal doesn't make you inhuman. At least, in the case of petty crimes such as theft and robbery.
One's life is too high a price to pay for that. Or was that the message, to scare off would-be criminals? That's a disappointing logic which treats human lives with impunity.
I think we ought to reconsider. Even those who hate wrongdoers so much. Let's not stereotype them or anything as naturally evil. Then maybe we'll understand the country's situation better.
P.S. It's Christmas and I'm thinking dark and heavy thoughts. Will there be a moment when I won't think of such anymore?
I don't think my blog has ever been this alive before, so forgive me for posting every now and then today. It's just, I don't have anything much to do, so I spend time thinking (in between the pages of the manga I am reading), and sometimes those thoughts have merit so I blog them.
Anyway, a few days ago, December 16 (Oblation run and before the centennial lantern parade, so I won't forget), I covered a crime story along with three group mates for my BC132 (Broadcast documentary) class.
We camped out in Camp Karingal in QC, the CIDU headquarters to be precise, from 7 pm till around 11 pm. We transferred to Station 10 of the QCPD in Kamuning at around 11 but decided to return to CIDU after about 15 minutes of sitting idly.
It was promising to be a peaceful night. Until, around 1 am, the phone in the CIDU rang informing us of an encounter between the anti-carnapping unit of QCPD and two "riding-in-tandem" robbers. Both robbers were killed.
I won't tell you the gruesome details of the crime scene. (That was my second crime coverage, so the shock wasn't really much, but it's enough to turn the stomachs of the uninitiated) But I noted something which made me really think.
The robbers were armed, of course. They took a scooter and led the police to a merry chase to *that* road (I won't mention where). But the position of their bodies caught my attention.
First, they abandoned the scooter they nabbed. I think the bodies were two to three meters away from the vehicle.
Their positions indicate that they weren't in the offensive. In fact, they were running away.
Another: the shots they took were fatal. Actually, both robbers died of head shots (I told you it was gruesome).
So what's my point, you ask? The robbers were escaping when they were shot. In the head. By the respondent police unit.
Some would say they deserve it. But (I'm not justifying robbery or anything), let's think about it. There are objective conditions which would have led them to resort to robbery. Poverty, mayhap. Man is not inherently evil, there are circumstances which drive us to do what we do.
So perhaps the robbers were in the wrong. But we need to understand their reasons instead of merely painting them black. And that's where police interrogation comes in, along with due process. If you ask me, their lives were too high a price to pay for whisking off a scooter. It wasn't balanced.
That brings me to my second point. Why aim for the head? Why aim to kill them? Granted, they were armed, but there's such a thing called "shoot to disable," where you aim for the arms and the legs of your quarry. In fact, that's a more difficult shot to execute than aiming for the head...which was the case in this particular story.
Besides, if my observations were correct, even if the robbers were armed, they were in the process of running away. Not fighting. So there wasn't really any real danger involved. Deaths could have been prevented had the police acted responsibly.
Where's the justice in that? There was no due process involved. You did not bring them in; you chose to silence them forever. The rule of the gun took over.
It's a challenge to the police force of the country. To serve and protect us Filipinos, and to avoid deaths when it can be prevented. Being a criminal doesn't make you inhuman. At least, in the case of petty crimes such as theft and robbery.
One's life is too high a price to pay for that. Or was that the message, to scare off would-be criminals? That's a disappointing logic which treats human lives with impunity.
I think we ought to reconsider. Even those who hate wrongdoers so much. Let's not stereotype them or anything as naturally evil. Then maybe we'll understand the country's situation better.
P.S. It's Christmas and I'm thinking dark and heavy thoughts. Will there be a moment when I won't think of such anymore?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas in crisis
It's December 24 today. Christmas eve later, in Catholic customs.
Our dining table was totally empty earlier today. The electricity was busted too, until about an hour ago when it was finally fixed.
It's promising to be the most pathetic Christmas. Ever.
The Philippines is really in crisis. But then, we are in perpetual crisis that we don't realize just how dire our circumstances are. In Philippine culture, we must continue celebrating even if there' s no reason to do so, even if we do not have the means to do so. That's how it is; even if it would drain all your resources, you must have that one special day or meal, way better than your regular fanfare. The more extravagant, the better.
I think it's money and consumption which comprises the celebrations. I realized that it's true, too, that money makes the world go round. At least in present conditions and the current system. If you don't have money, you can't even feel excited about Christmas. Or any other holiday for that matter.
Money. The one thing that controls everything else in the capitalist world.
Nowadays, happiness really does come for a price. And, in most cases, that price might just be too high to pay, we just don't realize it.
P.S. Last week I had to go somewhere and stay there for several days. Well, in that lane where we stayed, there was only one house full of Christmas lights. The rest didn't feel like they were celebrating at all. I think it indicates just how the crisis has affected the Philippines today.
By the way, this post has everything to do with holidays and the current crisis (which everyone seems to believe has passed, but I beg to differ. There's no denying poverty everywhere). I'm not criticizing Christians or whatever (technically, I'm Christian too). While I believe in religion, and I respect each religion, since it's a matter of choosing what actually works for us, I just don't think that religion and religious customs should be used to control people. Nor do I believe in using religion to sell, or to urge them to consume more than they can.
So yeah, I guess I am criticizing Philippine culture as pertaining to Catholic customs.
Our dining table was totally empty earlier today. The electricity was busted too, until about an hour ago when it was finally fixed.
It's promising to be the most pathetic Christmas. Ever.
The Philippines is really in crisis. But then, we are in perpetual crisis that we don't realize just how dire our circumstances are. In Philippine culture, we must continue celebrating even if there' s no reason to do so, even if we do not have the means to do so. That's how it is; even if it would drain all your resources, you must have that one special day or meal, way better than your regular fanfare. The more extravagant, the better.
I think it's money and consumption which comprises the celebrations. I realized that it's true, too, that money makes the world go round. At least in present conditions and the current system. If you don't have money, you can't even feel excited about Christmas. Or any other holiday for that matter.
Money. The one thing that controls everything else in the capitalist world.
Nowadays, happiness really does come for a price. And, in most cases, that price might just be too high to pay, we just don't realize it.
P.S. Last week I had to go somewhere and stay there for several days. Well, in that lane where we stayed, there was only one house full of Christmas lights. The rest didn't feel like they were celebrating at all. I think it indicates just how the crisis has affected the Philippines today.
By the way, this post has everything to do with holidays and the current crisis (which everyone seems to believe has passed, but I beg to differ. There's no denying poverty everywhere). I'm not criticizing Christians or whatever (technically, I'm Christian too). While I believe in religion, and I respect each religion, since it's a matter of choosing what actually works for us, I just don't think that religion and religious customs should be used to control people. Nor do I believe in using religion to sell, or to urge them to consume more than they can.
So yeah, I guess I am criticizing Philippine culture as pertaining to Catholic customs.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Waiting
I can't wait for it to happen. I know chances are bleak that I would witness the completion.
And I know that to rush things would be a grave error which might only delay things more.
So, I wait. I do my best, and I wait.
I'm beginning to think that waiting may be the hardest part.
And I know that to rush things would be a grave error which might only delay things more.
So, I wait. I do my best, and I wait.
I'm beginning to think that waiting may be the hardest part.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Money, money, money
Yesterday (or rather, earlier today), I journeyed home at 1 am. Despite a *slight* mishap at Q ave, I managed to go home safely. Since there are no more buses going to Malinta then, I had to use the Monumento route and ride a jeep there. I noted several things while on my way home.
One, there are many *bars* in Caloocan. And not the high-end or even standup comedy sort of bars. The sort where there are lots of women and there's videoke and drunk men all over (I passed about four or more of those, almost side-by-side). I wonder why that sort of business is tolerated...
Anyway, beyond that, I also noted just how many people are still journeying home at that time. And not the well-dressed yuppies (call center agents), too. Some are those who have blue-collar jobs and stuff.
Then I thought, in a year or so, will I be one of these people, going home during witching hours and having little rest before another day? After all, that is the working drill, right?
But then, I can't help but think, it's just money. Why are people so wrought up about it? Why must you work so much to earn so little (or to earn some more)? They're just pieces of paper and metal, after all.
The answer, however, came to me in a moment: money is what makes this world go round, at least with the current system. With a culture of consumption and capitalism, money is needed to survive. We must always strive to have more; such is the culture fed to us. For there is no such thing as "enough," we must always acquire more profit, more possessions. There's no level of satisfaction.
In a capitalist society, money is one of the most essential things to survive. I guess, then, that this is why we always strive for more. And this is why many among us work to the wee hours of the night. We need money to buy more, consume more. Money, after all, is our capital. And this is a capitalist society, driven by money.
I hope to see a time when money (or lack of it) is no longer a big issue. So that we can stop killing ourselves to live and survive.
One, there are many *bars* in Caloocan. And not the high-end or even standup comedy sort of bars. The sort where there are lots of women and there's videoke and drunk men all over (I passed about four or more of those, almost side-by-side). I wonder why that sort of business is tolerated...
Anyway, beyond that, I also noted just how many people are still journeying home at that time. And not the well-dressed yuppies (call center agents), too. Some are those who have blue-collar jobs and stuff.
Then I thought, in a year or so, will I be one of these people, going home during witching hours and having little rest before another day? After all, that is the working drill, right?
But then, I can't help but think, it's just money. Why are people so wrought up about it? Why must you work so much to earn so little (or to earn some more)? They're just pieces of paper and metal, after all.
The answer, however, came to me in a moment: money is what makes this world go round, at least with the current system. With a culture of consumption and capitalism, money is needed to survive. We must always strive to have more; such is the culture fed to us. For there is no such thing as "enough," we must always acquire more profit, more possessions. There's no level of satisfaction.
In a capitalist society, money is one of the most essential things to survive. I guess, then, that this is why we always strive for more. And this is why many among us work to the wee hours of the night. We need money to buy more, consume more. Money, after all, is our capital. And this is a capitalist society, driven by money.
I hope to see a time when money (or lack of it) is no longer a big issue. So that we can stop killing ourselves to live and survive.
Assuaging consciences
Charity is bad. Nothing good ever comes out of it.
I got your attention, didn't I? You'd probably say I don't have a heart; that I am one of those *apathetic* souls who don't give a whit about the social realities around me.
On the contrary, though, I care. I care a lot.
Remember that old phrase, "Give a man a fish and he survives for a day, teach him to fish and he'll survive for many days" (or something like that)? Well, that is practically the point. Except that in my case, I don't believe that even "teaching" someone "to fish" would really solve the problem. With a problematic social strata like the Philippines, no matter how talented/gifted you are, you can never reach your full potential if you have to worry about basic necessities still. In short, these objective conditions will impede one's growth and shrink opportunities for development.
Anyway, back to charity. I started with *charity* on mind, too. However, I realized the so-called evils of charity soon enough.
Okay, let's take it one at a time. Let's start with small-time charities (e.g. giving alms). This sort of charity, well...the shallow analysis would be that it breeds laziness. But actually, the "evil" of this type of charity actually pertains to the giver, not the recipient (for in actuality, even if you are physically capable to do jobs, there are, again, little job opportunities in the country which you can take on). Charity of this sort, I believe, makes the giver feel good (smug, even), that he/she has done something morally right, as dictated by social standards. Thus, the level of social awareness will never go beyond giving alms or that sort of act. You give a peso or two and forget the social reality you saw. It soothes our bothered consciences; therefore we can put it at the back of our mind until another beggar comes along and stirs that deep-seated conscience once more.
Now, big-time charities (oh, you know all those charitable institutions, so I won't mention them). The sort that the rich occasionally take part in, in the spirit of generosity and giving and whatever crap they want to call it. Still, it's charity. And for me, it's still bad. Why? Well, essentially, what these charitable institutions do are kind of okay...however, to allow such acts to proliferate, we are actually sanctioning the state to abandon its duties to these institutions. Instead of providing funding for social services, the state then relies on charities to provide what its citizens need. And that, people, is what makes it bad. It becomes a scapegoat, an excuse for the government to shirk its duties.
Also, *some* charities are rather discriminating; there are some charitable institutions whose help is exclusively available to a certain sect or group (again, I won't mention names) alone. That nature of charity alone causes disparity and rifts among members of different groups, social classes and whatnot.
Point is, charity may be the entry level of social awareness, but to remain caught up in romanticizing charity as compassionate acts of kindness makes me retch. Charity may assuage our consciences for a moment, but in the end, we have not initiated true change.
I got your attention, didn't I? You'd probably say I don't have a heart; that I am one of those *apathetic* souls who don't give a whit about the social realities around me.
On the contrary, though, I care. I care a lot.
Remember that old phrase, "Give a man a fish and he survives for a day, teach him to fish and he'll survive for many days" (or something like that)? Well, that is practically the point. Except that in my case, I don't believe that even "teaching" someone "to fish" would really solve the problem. With a problematic social strata like the Philippines, no matter how talented/gifted you are, you can never reach your full potential if you have to worry about basic necessities still. In short, these objective conditions will impede one's growth and shrink opportunities for development.
Anyway, back to charity. I started with *charity* on mind, too. However, I realized the so-called evils of charity soon enough.
Okay, let's take it one at a time. Let's start with small-time charities (e.g. giving alms). This sort of charity, well...the shallow analysis would be that it breeds laziness. But actually, the "evil" of this type of charity actually pertains to the giver, not the recipient (for in actuality, even if you are physically capable to do jobs, there are, again, little job opportunities in the country which you can take on). Charity of this sort, I believe, makes the giver feel good (smug, even), that he/she has done something morally right, as dictated by social standards. Thus, the level of social awareness will never go beyond giving alms or that sort of act. You give a peso or two and forget the social reality you saw. It soothes our bothered consciences; therefore we can put it at the back of our mind until another beggar comes along and stirs that deep-seated conscience once more.
Now, big-time charities (oh, you know all those charitable institutions, so I won't mention them). The sort that the rich occasionally take part in, in the spirit of generosity and giving and whatever crap they want to call it. Still, it's charity. And for me, it's still bad. Why? Well, essentially, what these charitable institutions do are kind of okay...however, to allow such acts to proliferate, we are actually sanctioning the state to abandon its duties to these institutions. Instead of providing funding for social services, the state then relies on charities to provide what its citizens need. And that, people, is what makes it bad. It becomes a scapegoat, an excuse for the government to shirk its duties.
Also, *some* charities are rather discriminating; there are some charitable institutions whose help is exclusively available to a certain sect or group (again, I won't mention names) alone. That nature of charity alone causes disparity and rifts among members of different groups, social classes and whatnot.
Point is, charity may be the entry level of social awareness, but to remain caught up in romanticizing charity as compassionate acts of kindness makes me retch. Charity may assuage our consciences for a moment, but in the end, we have not initiated true change.
Friday, December 5, 2008
More on dichotomy
Damn it. This is not a feminist blog. It just so happens that everything I seem to ponder on recently is the gender inequality on Philippine society (and even that topic's debatable to be a bourgeois pursuit/interest).
Well, more on the virgin-whore dichotomy. I think that it invariably has an effect on the way women's minds work, as well. I just realized...the enmity I felt for several girls in high school could have been caused by this very dichotomy fed to society through media and literary works.
Why?
Well, simply because, as I recalled the resentment I felt, I began caging our personalities in the bida-kontrabida context (with me as the bida, of course). I felt antagonistic against those girls because I framed them in my mind as the whore I have to compete with. I skimmed the surface and never dug deeper to objective conditions which led to our misunderstanding. Sometimes, I even argue just for the sake of fitting our roles—I felt the need to argue, not because I really wanted to, nor needed to.
But, the thing is, I realized...such petty quarrels are exactly the sort we must let go of, the things we must rise above of. Maybe, if everyone didn't think in that frame of mind, there'd be less misunderstanding in the world.
Or then again, if such petty quarrels no longer exist, then we are no longer living in a socially stratified world. If liberalism and individualism were set aside for a bigger, common goal...
Social injustice and inequality may cease to exist in this world.
Well, more on the virgin-whore dichotomy. I think that it invariably has an effect on the way women's minds work, as well. I just realized...the enmity I felt for several girls in high school could have been caused by this very dichotomy fed to society through media and literary works.
Why?
Well, simply because, as I recalled the resentment I felt, I began caging our personalities in the bida-kontrabida context (with me as the bida, of course). I felt antagonistic against those girls because I framed them in my mind as the whore I have to compete with. I skimmed the surface and never dug deeper to objective conditions which led to our misunderstanding. Sometimes, I even argue just for the sake of fitting our roles—I felt the need to argue, not because I really wanted to, nor needed to.
But, the thing is, I realized...such petty quarrels are exactly the sort we must let go of, the things we must rise above of. Maybe, if everyone didn't think in that frame of mind, there'd be less misunderstanding in the world.
Or then again, if such petty quarrels no longer exist, then we are no longer living in a socially stratified world. If liberalism and individualism were set aside for a bigger, common goal...
Social injustice and inequality may cease to exist in this world.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Truth causes mayhem
iuI'm scared. I'm exhilarated and absolutely flattered with the outcome, but just the same, I'm scared.
And now the issue's getting bigger. Mainstream's beginning to stir it up. I'll bet they'll soon connect it with *that* incident. Before we know it, we'll be accosted and attacked from all fronts.
Another rough ride for us, then. We better stock up our ammunition and be prepared for another onslaught of attacks and a full-fledge battle.
Then again, telling the truth is never an easy thing. They're affected, means there was merit to our arguments. We got to them. They panicked and resorted to a counter-attack and minimize the damage we've done...or perhaps to simply deny what we have claimed.
Can I be any vaguer?
And now the issue's getting bigger. Mainstream's beginning to stir it up. I'll bet they'll soon connect it with *that* incident. Before we know it, we'll be accosted and attacked from all fronts.
Another rough ride for us, then. We better stock up our ammunition and be prepared for another onslaught of attacks and a full-fledge battle.
Then again, telling the truth is never an easy thing. They're affected, means there was merit to our arguments. We got to them. They panicked and resorted to a counter-attack and minimize the damage we've done...or perhaps to simply deny what we have claimed.
Can I be any vaguer?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Dichotomy and racism in creative works
I just read Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddess. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when I really liked her, particularly for the chick lit Can You Keep A Secret?
However, having read two of her works, I came up with a pattern on her characters. And, like the many other writers before her, Kinsella employed a sort of female dichotomy in her books. The virgin-whore dichotomy, I mean. Even if it weren't so clear cut, unlike in others, where the message was glaring—the women fight over a single man, as if he were a sort of prize. Here, we see something else, more subtle, perhaps. The women who surround the heroine come across as stereotypes.
It's not the only novel, though. It's everywhere.
Okay, I am not making any sense. Or am I?
Oh, well. I just wanted to say that women empowerment nowadays is just an illusion that ought to be spurned. For if we are truly empowered, why are we branded as promiscuous or whatever when we don't behave the way the Virgin Mary supposedly did? Why are rape victims stigmatized and not the rapists? Why is abortion--for whatever reason or defense--inadmissible?
I'm not really feminist, at least not exactly. I just believe that men are not superior to women--they're just different.
So they have no right to dictate how women ought to behave. And we, as women, should realize that it is demeaning for us to employ patriarchal ideas in whatever we do and accept them as social truths. For truly, they are not.
AFFIRMATION
1. Men are not prizes worth enough to be fighting over.
2. Women are not delineated by being a virgin or a whore. That's like saying everything is classified in black and white.
3. Women are not objects. We are not trophy stuff to be won either. Flattering, you might think, but I say otherwise. Can you stand those skimpily-clad women in shows? That's a form of objectification. So are many advertisements we see on TV.
4. Abortion ought not to be illegal. There are numerous scenarios where it is, indeed, the only way out. Where it is justifiable. Not because it's legal, it means all women are going to do it, too. Legalizing it is only meant to keep women's options open.
5. Rape ought to be a criminal case so that perpetrators will be persecuted even if the victim refuses to file a case. The state can file the case. And there's nothing to be ashamed of in rape. We are the victims, the blame is not on us.
6. Is virginity a big deal? Somehow I doubt it. It's just reducing a woman to being a pussy, to put it crudely. We are thinking individuals, not mere vessels or sex objects. There's plenty more for us to be proud of than just being...well, you know it.
However, having read two of her works, I came up with a pattern on her characters. And, like the many other writers before her, Kinsella employed a sort of female dichotomy in her books. The virgin-whore dichotomy, I mean. Even if it weren't so clear cut, unlike in others, where the message was glaring—the women fight over a single man, as if he were a sort of prize. Here, we see something else, more subtle, perhaps. The women who surround the heroine come across as stereotypes.
It's not the only novel, though. It's everywhere.
Okay, I am not making any sense. Or am I?
Oh, well. I just wanted to say that women empowerment nowadays is just an illusion that ought to be spurned. For if we are truly empowered, why are we branded as promiscuous or whatever when we don't behave the way the Virgin Mary supposedly did? Why are rape victims stigmatized and not the rapists? Why is abortion--for whatever reason or defense--inadmissible?
I'm not really feminist, at least not exactly. I just believe that men are not superior to women--they're just different.
So they have no right to dictate how women ought to behave. And we, as women, should realize that it is demeaning for us to employ patriarchal ideas in whatever we do and accept them as social truths. For truly, they are not.
AFFIRMATION
1. Men are not prizes worth enough to be fighting over.
2. Women are not delineated by being a virgin or a whore. That's like saying everything is classified in black and white.
3. Women are not objects. We are not trophy stuff to be won either. Flattering, you might think, but I say otherwise. Can you stand those skimpily-clad women in shows? That's a form of objectification. So are many advertisements we see on TV.
4. Abortion ought not to be illegal. There are numerous scenarios where it is, indeed, the only way out. Where it is justifiable. Not because it's legal, it means all women are going to do it, too. Legalizing it is only meant to keep women's options open.
5. Rape ought to be a criminal case so that perpetrators will be persecuted even if the victim refuses to file a case. The state can file the case. And there's nothing to be ashamed of in rape. We are the victims, the blame is not on us.
6. Is virginity a big deal? Somehow I doubt it. It's just reducing a woman to being a pussy, to put it crudely. We are thinking individuals, not mere vessels or sex objects. There's plenty more for us to be proud of than just being...well, you know it.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Scorning society pages and all that jazz
I happened upon an online petition, or should I say, sig campaign, calling for the resignation of three columnists in a certain local broadsheet in the Philippines, whose names I shall not divulge for I know that for some, these names are of certain "prominence" in Philippine society. I leave the readers the liberty of reading the petition itself, in this page: http://www.petitiononline.com/nogucci/
Having gone over the petition itself, I agree with the person who shared this link with me--the contents of the petition were rather filled with personal attacks with no enough basis. So I decided to research a bit more on the issue especially after reading the comments of people who signed the petition.
You will have to find the blog where the full story behind the petition is posted, but I have the gist of it: one of the three columnists have been accused by someone of thievingm , fraud and every notion of freeloading and social-climbing I can think of.
So have the other two, even the drugs part.
Having dispensed that, allow me to continue.
I read some of the rather vicious comments of the petitioners and I am loathe to admit my disgust on the comments. They scream of how these writers lost credibility, of how they corrupt young minds, and how these freeloaders don't deserve any space in any newspaper.
Yet in the process of doing so, I have unveiled the cause of their rage--I mean, these are the people who actually read the work of the columnists before. I won't even be surprised if some of them are actually freeloaders themselves, if not struggling to fit in with the latest fashion.
These are the "elite" of Philippine society talking--raging about some people who have, it seems, fooled them that they belonged with them, and now they shun them aside after the discovery.
Oh, how very important it is to have these three resign, to have their lives--or rather, social statuses destroyed.
It is most important for them that these three pay for their sins. For fraud, for thieving, for the deception, for freeloading for everything.
So they are guilty, let us say. So what?
Is this what has become of Philippine Society? Chasing after "Gucci gangs" and all that crap, for some crime which may not be considered petty, but at some point, rather beside the point compared to other things happening.
Oh, the sensationalism.
Oh, the crap.
To think there are a good two thousand people who signed, raving about these columnists.
Their efforts are so very wasted. While morality and credibility create media practitioners' foundations of respect, to merely see these shortcomings for what they are is avoiding the deeper problems rooted beneath.
There's the issue of substance abuse. There's the issue of "elitism" and all that bullcrap they feed us. The high-end life and all that which most Filipinos silently aspire for. Getting newspaper everyday, they are led to believe that what they see in the papers' society pages are what they can become.
Some petitioners even called for Filipinos to not be apathetic. That this is an important issue.
I scoffed. Come on, some freeloaders being hunted by someone foolish enough to be...well...fooled, or conned?
Come on.
That's important? Oh, believe me, one of these days we'll just find the headlines of our newspapers bearing society and entertainment "news," or rumors, as I believe. Pages after pages of blind items and all sort of yellow journalism crap filling the newspapers.
These are exactly the individualistic endeavors which we must overcome.
Might I ask just how many of those two thousand individuals ever considered fighting the tyrranical political regime, or stop political killings happening everywhere? Did they ever join rallies of any sort? Even just for appearances?
Maybe they do. Or will. When the regime threatens their little butterfly haven of a society.
I doubt if they ever heard of the missing Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan...students, barely out of the schoolroom who may very well still be suffering for their cause...which I believe has more to be said about than trying to bring down louts who are freeloading their way to the "creme-de-la-creme" of society.
God, the day everyone is at the rage after some Gucci-loving fools is the day I declare the Philippines hopeless. And it can very well happen.
Or not. After all, I still count. And while I rage at this foolishness, I will never try and go after some low con-actors and try to give them a piece of my mind.
Society papers disgust me. And so are the artifices surrounding them.
And not because the people there are famous and I am jealous and envious. Fame has always been overrated, a fickle f(r)iend to those who seek it.
I never did care for appearances.
Having gone over the petition itself, I agree with the person who shared this link with me--the contents of the petition were rather filled with personal attacks with no enough basis. So I decided to research a bit more on the issue especially after reading the comments of people who signed the petition.
You will have to find the blog where the full story behind the petition is posted, but I have the gist of it: one of the three columnists have been accused by someone of thievingm , fraud and every notion of freeloading and social-climbing I can think of.
So have the other two, even the drugs part.
Having dispensed that, allow me to continue.
I read some of the rather vicious comments of the petitioners and I am loathe to admit my disgust on the comments. They scream of how these writers lost credibility, of how they corrupt young minds, and how these freeloaders don't deserve any space in any newspaper.
Yet in the process of doing so, I have unveiled the cause of their rage--I mean, these are the people who actually read the work of the columnists before. I won't even be surprised if some of them are actually freeloaders themselves, if not struggling to fit in with the latest fashion.
These are the "elite" of Philippine society talking--raging about some people who have, it seems, fooled them that they belonged with them, and now they shun them aside after the discovery.
Oh, how very important it is to have these three resign, to have their lives--or rather, social statuses destroyed.
It is most important for them that these three pay for their sins. For fraud, for thieving, for the deception, for freeloading for everything.
So they are guilty, let us say. So what?
Is this what has become of Philippine Society? Chasing after "Gucci gangs" and all that crap, for some crime which may not be considered petty, but at some point, rather beside the point compared to other things happening.
Oh, the sensationalism.
Oh, the crap.
To think there are a good two thousand people who signed, raving about these columnists.
Their efforts are so very wasted. While morality and credibility create media practitioners' foundations of respect, to merely see these shortcomings for what they are is avoiding the deeper problems rooted beneath.
There's the issue of substance abuse. There's the issue of "elitism" and all that bullcrap they feed us. The high-end life and all that which most Filipinos silently aspire for. Getting newspaper everyday, they are led to believe that what they see in the papers' society pages are what they can become.
Some petitioners even called for Filipinos to not be apathetic. That this is an important issue.
I scoffed. Come on, some freeloaders being hunted by someone foolish enough to be...well...fooled, or conned?
Come on.
That's important? Oh, believe me, one of these days we'll just find the headlines of our newspapers bearing society and entertainment "news," or rumors, as I believe. Pages after pages of blind items and all sort of yellow journalism crap filling the newspapers.
These are exactly the individualistic endeavors which we must overcome.
Might I ask just how many of those two thousand individuals ever considered fighting the tyrranical political regime, or stop political killings happening everywhere? Did they ever join rallies of any sort? Even just for appearances?
Maybe they do. Or will. When the regime threatens their little butterfly haven of a society.
I doubt if they ever heard of the missing Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan...students, barely out of the schoolroom who may very well still be suffering for their cause...which I believe has more to be said about than trying to bring down louts who are freeloading their way to the "creme-de-la-creme" of society.
God, the day everyone is at the rage after some Gucci-loving fools is the day I declare the Philippines hopeless. And it can very well happen.
Or not. After all, I still count. And while I rage at this foolishness, I will never try and go after some low con-actors and try to give them a piece of my mind.
Society papers disgust me. And so are the artifices surrounding them.
And not because the people there are famous and I am jealous and envious. Fame has always been overrated, a fickle f(r)iend to those who seek it.
I never did care for appearances.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Educating the blissfully ignorant in chatrooms
I was crazy to have done it. But then I wouldn't have seen for myself just how ostracized and apathetic Filipinos have become.
Confession number 1: I tried to facilitate an educational discussion online. Stupid, right?
Confession number 2: I never got to start it. Needless to say most people are too apathetic. What I have been claiming for most of my "enlightened" days with Kule, that social apathy, is true, after all.
Confession number 3: Then again, it might have been my fault for being negative and antagonistic. Same faults they've seen at me since forever. But you can't expect me to set aside my principles for some diplomacy bullshit, right? That's how I see it, that's how I will say it.
Then again, I could have been more subtle.
Picture this: I am not a chatting fan, but I visited sites now and then to observe people. Of late I stayed at all-filipino channels. I have not visited this IRC channel/network for months, and lo! Before it had been a rather nice sanctuary, even if it was only a bit of fluff to relax on.
But now, all that has changed. I think OFWs dominated the place, or else Filipinos who live anywhere but here. You know why I think so? Because they spoke in rampant English. I was shocked at my findings. They were throwing foreign brand names here and there, talking as if they were anything but Filipinos.
Using an alternate persona, I wanted to rant on their hypocrisies, about how they dare speak like they're not Filipinos. How pretentious they were. One chatter noted of it, but I don't think she got to the bottom of my angst.
I entered the chatroom with a different persona. It was on impulse, I thought it wouldn't work. But work it did. This persona isn't like the first one--angst-driven, english-raving, bourgeouis. This persona was everything that I became with the help of a lot of EDs and whatnot--activist, participant, social critic and commentator. The one who called for change.
I started talking. Then an impulse came over me: I wanted to ED these people.
I tried to ED in said IRC channel (which I shall not name), all right, using this second persona. I had scruples, but they said go ahead. So, fine. I tried.
I started by trying to see their disposition on certain issues. I asked about their stand on the ongoing protests to bring GMA down.
Then one of them (the only one I debated with, apparently) said it could be generalized since I was asking their opinion. So I clarified that I wanted to see how they see things in individual perspectives.
One of them, whom I believe is an OFW, said she did not know anything about the issue. I guess that did it, at some point. How can someone detach him or herself from what is happening in his/her country and call him/herself a citizen of this country?
Oh, well. Let me tell you this: These OFWs I've been seeing a lot of in this channel aren't heroes. Nope. They're individualistic, with more care as to how they can be Americanized further by their endeavors. I can hardly wait until the US Recession becomes a big depression, and we'll see who're going to be so depressed about it.
It will be bad for us, of course. I shouldn't be wishing ill of us, but I can't help it. Whatever will happen once this recession becomes full-blown depression is to blame on the Philippine government for not creating our own industry and relying heavily on outsourcing and OFW remittances.
In fact, if you ask me, this anticipated blow is exactly what our country needs to wake up. America isn't a hero. Yet most of us insist that it is. Well, that would be one rude wake-up call which hopefully will clear the addled minds of Filipinos and set them to proper motion. And if GMA is still around by then, then she won't be around any much longer after. I don't mean we are giving up the present struggle, for clearly, we are not.
Oh well. So much for that OFW thingy.
The chatter who debated with me turned out to be an ex-activist. Or maybe, she thought she was an activist. I'm not so sure if she was a UP graduate or not, but it does not matter, for presently she is blissfully unaware of goings-on. She claimed she's not an activist anymore, if she ever was, for now she spends her endeavors on "relevant" work to help herself and others. Herself, meaning these endeavors are individualistic.
I didn't trust myself to comment on her views. After all, I was gauging her openness to a full-blown ED which I would have delivered as well as I could possibly do. So I just asked her follow-ups. I asked her to give examples of these endeavors and she riled up. She said she didn't have to justify her work. I argued that I merely wanted an example. She went all philosophical-cum-logical on me, giving out hasty generalizations and saying I was defeating my own argument and all that bullcrap only a Philo major would have known. What I understood from what she said was this: either she cannot justify what she said, or she's afraid to justify what she said for fear that I would find gaping loopholes, or she was simply not prepared to give the answer for she knew it was an incorrect assumption.
She escaped the question by saying I either drop the subject or else she'll leave. Didn't scare me, but I said my piece anyway and said she's entitled to her opinion. She is, after all, her own person.
But, I said, it does not mean that I accept her opinion as it was, as mine.
And it didn't mean I will allow her opinion to be the majority's opinion while mine remains that of the silent "minority."
Bottom line is, if ever she was an activist (that remains in dispute), then she is a very ostracized one. Bottom line is, most Filipinos fear to tread on these unholy paths. The unspeakables.
Activism and whatnot.
I never got to ED. Not that I gave up, but they weren't prepared for what I had to say, fully.
God forbid whatever crazy ideas I may have. EDs aren't meant for this medium, nor is it for chatting. Computers add an impersonal touch to everything.
EDs are meant for those who are prepared to hear the worst, face to face.
I should have known that--a long time ago.
Confession number 1: I tried to facilitate an educational discussion online. Stupid, right?
Confession number 2: I never got to start it. Needless to say most people are too apathetic. What I have been claiming for most of my "enlightened" days with Kule, that social apathy, is true, after all.
Confession number 3: Then again, it might have been my fault for being negative and antagonistic. Same faults they've seen at me since forever. But you can't expect me to set aside my principles for some diplomacy bullshit, right? That's how I see it, that's how I will say it.
Then again, I could have been more subtle.
Picture this: I am not a chatting fan, but I visited sites now and then to observe people. Of late I stayed at all-filipino channels. I have not visited this IRC channel/network for months, and lo! Before it had been a rather nice sanctuary, even if it was only a bit of fluff to relax on.
But now, all that has changed. I think OFWs dominated the place, or else Filipinos who live anywhere but here. You know why I think so? Because they spoke in rampant English. I was shocked at my findings. They were throwing foreign brand names here and there, talking as if they were anything but Filipinos.
Using an alternate persona, I wanted to rant on their hypocrisies, about how they dare speak like they're not Filipinos. How pretentious they were. One chatter noted of it, but I don't think she got to the bottom of my angst.
I entered the chatroom with a different persona. It was on impulse, I thought it wouldn't work. But work it did. This persona isn't like the first one--angst-driven, english-raving, bourgeouis. This persona was everything that I became with the help of a lot of EDs and whatnot--activist, participant, social critic and commentator. The one who called for change.
I started talking. Then an impulse came over me: I wanted to ED these people.
I tried to ED in said IRC channel (which I shall not name), all right, using this second persona. I had scruples, but they said go ahead. So, fine. I tried.
I started by trying to see their disposition on certain issues. I asked about their stand on the ongoing protests to bring GMA down.
Then one of them (the only one I debated with, apparently) said it could be generalized since I was asking their opinion. So I clarified that I wanted to see how they see things in individual perspectives.
One of them, whom I believe is an OFW, said she did not know anything about the issue. I guess that did it, at some point. How can someone detach him or herself from what is happening in his/her country and call him/herself a citizen of this country?
Oh, well. Let me tell you this: These OFWs I've been seeing a lot of in this channel aren't heroes. Nope. They're individualistic, with more care as to how they can be Americanized further by their endeavors. I can hardly wait until the US Recession becomes a big depression, and we'll see who're going to be so depressed about it.
It will be bad for us, of course. I shouldn't be wishing ill of us, but I can't help it. Whatever will happen once this recession becomes full-blown depression is to blame on the Philippine government for not creating our own industry and relying heavily on outsourcing and OFW remittances.
In fact, if you ask me, this anticipated blow is exactly what our country needs to wake up. America isn't a hero. Yet most of us insist that it is. Well, that would be one rude wake-up call which hopefully will clear the addled minds of Filipinos and set them to proper motion. And if GMA is still around by then, then she won't be around any much longer after. I don't mean we are giving up the present struggle, for clearly, we are not.
Oh well. So much for that OFW thingy.
The chatter who debated with me turned out to be an ex-activist. Or maybe, she thought she was an activist. I'm not so sure if she was a UP graduate or not, but it does not matter, for presently she is blissfully unaware of goings-on. She claimed she's not an activist anymore, if she ever was, for now she spends her endeavors on "relevant" work to help herself and others. Herself, meaning these endeavors are individualistic.
I didn't trust myself to comment on her views. After all, I was gauging her openness to a full-blown ED which I would have delivered as well as I could possibly do. So I just asked her follow-ups. I asked her to give examples of these endeavors and she riled up. She said she didn't have to justify her work. I argued that I merely wanted an example. She went all philosophical-cum-logical on me, giving out hasty generalizations and saying I was defeating my own argument and all that bullcrap only a Philo major would have known. What I understood from what she said was this: either she cannot justify what she said, or she's afraid to justify what she said for fear that I would find gaping loopholes, or she was simply not prepared to give the answer for she knew it was an incorrect assumption.
She escaped the question by saying I either drop the subject or else she'll leave. Didn't scare me, but I said my piece anyway and said she's entitled to her opinion. She is, after all, her own person.
But, I said, it does not mean that I accept her opinion as it was, as mine.
And it didn't mean I will allow her opinion to be the majority's opinion while mine remains that of the silent "minority."
Bottom line is, if ever she was an activist (that remains in dispute), then she is a very ostracized one. Bottom line is, most Filipinos fear to tread on these unholy paths. The unspeakables.
Activism and whatnot.
I never got to ED. Not that I gave up, but they weren't prepared for what I had to say, fully.
God forbid whatever crazy ideas I may have. EDs aren't meant for this medium, nor is it for chatting. Computers add an impersonal touch to everything.
EDs are meant for those who are prepared to hear the worst, face to face.
I should have known that--a long time ago.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Revolution
Arroyo's audacity has attained new heights.
Reports have stated that 10,000 people calling for PGMA's ouster. However, a colleague of mine states that there might be as much as 20,000 people rallying in Makati today.
The Palace has released several press statements insulting the movement, saying that people are "tired of destabilization" and that progressive mass actions are "waning in number."
This may be true, but the releases are obviously geared to dishearten the Filipinos.
And ultimately, these words will remain true unless the Filipinos unite.
However, if and when a revolution pushes through, Filipinos must remember to never make the same mistakes again and again. To replace the ruling few with yet another member of the pack will be erroneous. The country's problems will perpetually manifest if the system remains the same.
Allow me to quote Buklod's Tatsulok (revived by Bamboo).
Habang may tatsulok, at sila ang nasa tuktok, di matatapos itong gulo.
No truer words can explain the persisting problems of Philippine society.
What are you waiting for?
Revolutions are not miracles--they are the result of constant struggle for what is right.
So long as we remain pliant and yielding to the ruling system, nothing will change.
Reports have stated that 10,000 people calling for PGMA's ouster. However, a colleague of mine states that there might be as much as 20,000 people rallying in Makati today.
The Palace has released several press statements insulting the movement, saying that people are "tired of destabilization" and that progressive mass actions are "waning in number."
This may be true, but the releases are obviously geared to dishearten the Filipinos.
And ultimately, these words will remain true unless the Filipinos unite.
However, if and when a revolution pushes through, Filipinos must remember to never make the same mistakes again and again. To replace the ruling few with yet another member of the pack will be erroneous. The country's problems will perpetually manifest if the system remains the same.
Allow me to quote Buklod's Tatsulok (revived by Bamboo).
Habang may tatsulok, at sila ang nasa tuktok, di matatapos itong gulo.
No truer words can explain the persisting problems of Philippine society.
What are you waiting for?
Revolutions are not miracles--they are the result of constant struggle for what is right.
So long as we remain pliant and yielding to the ruling system, nothing will change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
