Top 12 Things I Could Have Learned In the Last Three Weeks
If I did not have a brain, the following are lessons I could have learned in the last three weeks.
1. A brain drain in the fields of psychiatry and psychology is something this country will never suffer from. It is a great relief to know that there exist so many experts in these fields of specialization and I have been truly blessed to have been the subject of so much analysis - my motivational factors, the state of my mental state, my IQ, and even the state of my sex life have all been sufficiently analyzed. Dra. Margie Holmes and Dr. Randy Dellosa need not have to worry about having me as their patient ever, I have had enough analysis to last me a lifetime.
2. When people disagree with you, they do not necessarily just have a different perspective. They are 101% absolutely right. Therefore, you are automatically stupid and a moron. But when they actually call you those things, they refuse to see it as being judgmental either. They call it freedom of expression. They think their opinions are bible truth - as if they have a 24-hour hotline to God.
3. The Darth Vader principle is alive and well in this country: if you are for them, you are a friend. If you are against them, you are their enemy. Forget that crap about "just being for yourself" or about "simply expressing yourself" there are no such things. It is all a matter of being on the same side.
4. Despite the preponderance of evidence, despite the open admission of Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Senator Ping Lacson that they were offered a seat in the proposed junta, there was no conspiracy to overthrow the government through extra-constitutional processes last February. When Cory Aquino went to Fort Bonifacio to "pray" at the height of a military struggle it is was still consistent with her avowed stand that she will always support constitutional processses. A military takeover is not sufficient reason to feel threatened.
5. Even if you are the author of something (e.g., a letter, a blog entry), you are not necessarily the best source of what you intended to say in what you wrote. There will always be other people who are in a better position to interpret for you what you meant in what you wrote. Therefore, to other people, it doesn't matter what you write, what is important is what they see in what you write. Therefore, writing is about pampering to other people's wishes.
6. Freedoms and rights are absolute concepts. These concepts have no limits, no boundaries, no responsibilities attached to them. They are privileges and they do not have to be earned at all. They are there to be wantonly abused by anyone and everyone. Anyone can stand in the middle of EDSA and cause a major traffic jam for two hours to express his or her right. Anyone can say anything anywhere. There are no rules of libel, oral defamation, or basic rules of civility and courtesy.
7. The real state of the country is not measured in terms of what is really happening "out there." It doesn't matter that there are millions of Filipinos out there who are doggedly trying to make things work by working their asses off to build a nation. It is all about what media "sees." Therefore, the only things that Filipinos are preoccupied with on a day to day basis is demonstrating and ranting about the government, bludgeoning each other, taking shabu, watching celebrities inside a glass house, etc. There are no good things happening in this country. We are in a state of anarchy.
8. Just because people do not wear black while taking coffee at Starbucks or do not feel like extending their thumbs in a downward gesture, they are apathetic. Just because we do not feel like linking arms with Imee Marcos and Dinky Soliman, we are unpatriotic. Just because we are not out in the streets, we are reactionary fools who have no principles, no morals, no values.
9. Having feelings is a crime if what you are feeling happens to be different from those of others. Ergo, never say you are angry, you run the risk of being called stupid, egocentric, reactionary, weak, unpatriotic. You are not entitled to your feelings.
10. Grammatical mistakes, bad sentence construction, mixed metaphors are indicative of what kind of person you are. If you make a grammatical slip, the whole weight of your ideas automatically becomes suspect. And it doesn't matter that they themselves commit grammatical hara kiri every other sentence, it is not about them, it is about you.
11. Just because there are dumb people in the cabinet - government officials who overreact and make martyrs out of other people who are masters at the game called "how to gain media mileage and elicit public sympathy," many Filipinos do not reach for the remote switch everytime the handsome countenance of Chiz Escudero, or the pretty face of Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, or the rainbow-streaked hair of Dinky Soliman appear on television. Yeah, we loooooooooove these people to bits, we prefer watching them over some Korean actors. Thus, Koreanovellas rate lower than the news.
12. Everyone can be bought. Everyone is a paid hack. When a group of people pool money to be able to publish that letter in some newspapers, when people forward that letter because they agreed with it, when people print copies of that letter to distribute to others who have no access to the net, they are paid hacks of Malacanang.
Fortunately, and despite what others would like to think and believe, I am really not that stupid. Well, maybe just a little. After all, I persist in writing about these things instead of watching pirated DVDs (which by the way, is not cheating according to many people).
And oh, there is one thing I did learn in the last few weeks.
I am not alone. That was one lesson that struck me many times.
And oh, there is a 14th lesson that I am sure I am bound to learn after this entry is posted: there will be people who will insist that the personal lessons I have learned are wrong and would insist that I apologize for them.
If they hate me so much, I wonder why they keep on reading me?
1. A brain drain in the fields of psychiatry and psychology is something this country will never suffer from. It is a great relief to know that there exist so many experts in these fields of specialization and I have been truly blessed to have been the subject of so much analysis - my motivational factors, the state of my mental state, my IQ, and even the state of my sex life have all been sufficiently analyzed. Dra. Margie Holmes and Dr. Randy Dellosa need not have to worry about having me as their patient ever, I have had enough analysis to last me a lifetime.
2. When people disagree with you, they do not necessarily just have a different perspective. They are 101% absolutely right. Therefore, you are automatically stupid and a moron. But when they actually call you those things, they refuse to see it as being judgmental either. They call it freedom of expression. They think their opinions are bible truth - as if they have a 24-hour hotline to God.
3. The Darth Vader principle is alive and well in this country: if you are for them, you are a friend. If you are against them, you are their enemy. Forget that crap about "just being for yourself" or about "simply expressing yourself" there are no such things. It is all a matter of being on the same side.
4. Despite the preponderance of evidence, despite the open admission of Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Senator Ping Lacson that they were offered a seat in the proposed junta, there was no conspiracy to overthrow the government through extra-constitutional processes last February. When Cory Aquino went to Fort Bonifacio to "pray" at the height of a military struggle it is was still consistent with her avowed stand that she will always support constitutional processses. A military takeover is not sufficient reason to feel threatened.
5. Even if you are the author of something (e.g., a letter, a blog entry), you are not necessarily the best source of what you intended to say in what you wrote. There will always be other people who are in a better position to interpret for you what you meant in what you wrote. Therefore, to other people, it doesn't matter what you write, what is important is what they see in what you write. Therefore, writing is about pampering to other people's wishes.
6. Freedoms and rights are absolute concepts. These concepts have no limits, no boundaries, no responsibilities attached to them. They are privileges and they do not have to be earned at all. They are there to be wantonly abused by anyone and everyone. Anyone can stand in the middle of EDSA and cause a major traffic jam for two hours to express his or her right. Anyone can say anything anywhere. There are no rules of libel, oral defamation, or basic rules of civility and courtesy.
7. The real state of the country is not measured in terms of what is really happening "out there." It doesn't matter that there are millions of Filipinos out there who are doggedly trying to make things work by working their asses off to build a nation. It is all about what media "sees." Therefore, the only things that Filipinos are preoccupied with on a day to day basis is demonstrating and ranting about the government, bludgeoning each other, taking shabu, watching celebrities inside a glass house, etc. There are no good things happening in this country. We are in a state of anarchy.
8. Just because people do not wear black while taking coffee at Starbucks or do not feel like extending their thumbs in a downward gesture, they are apathetic. Just because we do not feel like linking arms with Imee Marcos and Dinky Soliman, we are unpatriotic. Just because we are not out in the streets, we are reactionary fools who have no principles, no morals, no values.
9. Having feelings is a crime if what you are feeling happens to be different from those of others. Ergo, never say you are angry, you run the risk of being called stupid, egocentric, reactionary, weak, unpatriotic. You are not entitled to your feelings.
10. Grammatical mistakes, bad sentence construction, mixed metaphors are indicative of what kind of person you are. If you make a grammatical slip, the whole weight of your ideas automatically becomes suspect. And it doesn't matter that they themselves commit grammatical hara kiri every other sentence, it is not about them, it is about you.
11. Just because there are dumb people in the cabinet - government officials who overreact and make martyrs out of other people who are masters at the game called "how to gain media mileage and elicit public sympathy," many Filipinos do not reach for the remote switch everytime the handsome countenance of Chiz Escudero, or the pretty face of Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, or the rainbow-streaked hair of Dinky Soliman appear on television. Yeah, we loooooooooove these people to bits, we prefer watching them over some Korean actors. Thus, Koreanovellas rate lower than the news.
12. Everyone can be bought. Everyone is a paid hack. When a group of people pool money to be able to publish that letter in some newspapers, when people forward that letter because they agreed with it, when people print copies of that letter to distribute to others who have no access to the net, they are paid hacks of Malacanang.
Fortunately, and despite what others would like to think and believe, I am really not that stupid. Well, maybe just a little. After all, I persist in writing about these things instead of watching pirated DVDs (which by the way, is not cheating according to many people).
And oh, there is one thing I did learn in the last few weeks.
I am not alone. That was one lesson that struck me many times.
And oh, there is a 14th lesson that I am sure I am bound to learn after this entry is posted: there will be people who will insist that the personal lessons I have learned are wrong and would insist that I apologize for them.
If they hate me so much, I wonder why they keep on reading me?
Comments
They keep on reading you because your letter has created quite a stir while theirs has not. is that riding on your pseudo fame s you call it?
They keep on reading you because if your are not with them, you are against them. Therefore you are an enemy. Their enemy becomes necessarily the friend of their other enemy.
You’re 101% right. You’re not alone. This is the reason they hate you (?) and what you write.
They who hate this administration want to prove right the survey, that 80% of Filipinos believe that GMA lied, blah, blah and that 60% want her out of office. Much to their dismay whenever you express your sentiments, many come and agree with your perspective. Then it comes down on them that indeed the warm bodies that they desire to embody the surveys are not just out there.
The harsh, judgmental words that come out of them are a reflection of desperation in their cause. I wonder why they fail to realize that the more they insult people, the more they turn off rational and critical thinking people; that after two EDSA’s people had wise up to surveys and the game of perception. And, by golly, those who are colored red want to turn us color blind.
I am sorry for the pelting but I must say keep on Bong. You are doing a service to Filipinos who are not as articulate as the anti-government propagandists. For when your articles become our mouthpiece, you are doing service to this country in preventing “endlessly quarrelling, inherently incompatible, power-mad machos take over, and turning the Philippine Republic into the FUBAR Republic: F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition.” (this quote is from Mr. Antonio C. Abaya of Manila Standard).
Why are you harping on bong's social responsibilities? What about yours?? He's doing more than most of us working with the Remedios Aids Foundation. But even so, who are we to point at another and say "It's your social responsibility...."
Sino ka ba? Did you ever think of YOUR social responsibility. What a bunch of crap...
See, this is the very thing that gets a lot of people turned off - the arrogance!
just be yourself! Dont be discouraged by stupid people mascarading as intellectuals.
"From what i've seen so far, the discussion has centered more about feelings than on ideas, which in itself also says something."
Maybe those who expressed feelings just wanted to say amen to the open letter, and never felt the need to discuss Bong's ideas.
Strangely, those who disagree with Bong also refuse to discuss the ideas in his open letter. Or consider his ideas, that for all they know, Bong could be right. (The Black and White Movement could be right too)
What is wrong with the willingness to lose freedoms, just to push the country forward?
The anti-GMA people seem to prefer risking the creation of millions of jobs, just to kick her out of office.
It seems that for the anti-GMA people, if you are not for her removal, you must be pro-GMA (on this, may magagawa ba tayo, officially, siya ang nanalo, so we are stuck with her till 2010)
What is wrong with - (1) lets make the best of a GMA-till-2010 situation and (2) its possible to propel our country forward even with Ate Glue around in Malacañang.
Anthony Scalia, losing freedoms means an actual person on the receiving end of State oppression. It may be people we do not like, but they are people nonetheless. Venting feelings is fine, but ideas are the true benchmark. The millions of jobs that you speak of are not necessarily tied to GMA, only to the violence that she may beget. Yes, Bong could be right, he could also be wrong. We cannot speak in certainties only in terms of conviction based on probabilities.
As a friendly advice, I suggest Mr. Austero shield himself with some kind of Teflon vest to minimize the personal “dents” arising out of these uncharitable criticisms and analyses.
One recommended “vest” could be:
“What can any one do against thee by his words or injuries? He rather hurts himself than thee, ..” – 2 Mach. VII.35.
The ready accessibility and ubiquity of present-day media (blogs included) have made it possible for any and every eager participant to bounce out of the woodworks and join in the excitement.
Thinking aloud. If blogging and commenting on blogs involved “considerable” personal costs, with very minimal expectations of returns, one wonders how on-line discussions would be shaped.
"don't let the bastards grind you down"
1. Do not hold a rally in Makati and expect press reports to shape the opinion of people. This is an unrealistic expectation because:
a. People are in buildings, so they can look down and actually see how many people are in the rally. Not that many...
b. In case you do get enough people in the rally to impress the Makati folk. The Makati folk still need to walk the streets to go home, so they can see that your rallyists are probably being compensated for their presence. How can we tell? Maybe the blank stares?
c. Since people see the real size of your rallies and the individuals who compose it, and you piss them off by inconveniencing them, it's inevitable that emails will start flying. Sometimes you don't even have to write the email, you just forward it. :)
2. If lesson 1 isn't so obvious, below are the ideal conditions for a rally.
a. No buildings. If nobody can look down on a rally the size of the rally can never be determined, so you can throw out a number and nobody can contest it. This also implies that there are no helicopters.
b. No witnesses, except for "friendly press". This way you can keep the cost of the rally down, since you don't have to compensate so many people. You can then channel these funds to motivating your "friendly press". As an alternative you can have impartial witnesses, but you need to give your rallyists more training. Like how to project conviction and etc. Of course this will drive your costs up.
c. Best of all there will be no flying emails. Since you don't motivate people to write or forward them you don't have to worry about this. So your press will have the sole eye witness account of what happened there. Assuming people still read them.
I think freedom parks fit this description...
Please add additional insights here.
Would you be willing to affix your signature on this proposed resolution (http://www.quezon.ph/blog/?p=875)? If now is not the time, when? Just asking.
"Whereas, under the Constitution the Republic of the Philippines, sovereignty resides exclusively in the people;
Whereas, under the Constitutions and the laws of the Republic, the citizenry has been empowered to initiate and approve resolutions as a basic means of expressing the sense and opinions of the people, whether on local or national issues;
Whereas, the President of the Philippines, by her actions and behavior, has disgraced her office, cast her position and legitimacy into disrepute, divided her people, and refused all reasonable petitions from the public to be held accountable for her actions;
Whereas, the time has come for the people to reclaim for themselves the power to be heard by those elected into office, from the humblest barangay official to the President of the land;
Now therefore be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, by the people of _________ that we wish it known that,
We, the sovereign Filipino people, do hereby resolve and make it known to all, that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo no longer enjoys the trust and confidence of the people, and that we, the people of _________, hereby withdraws our support from her administration."
I didn't call you stupid.
Pingkian,
IMO, AT THIS POINT, the issues hounding us should not be viewed from a values or morality standpoint - those are too personal and varies with every individual. I say if we can all follow traffic rules and have our raodways working like a German autobahn is when we start talking about values. We all contributed to this problem, in our own little way. So let's drop the values and morality fingerpointing, please, cause it won't get us anywhere.
Our differences are basically in the RESOLUTIONS we are looking at. We all want the same things, let's just work to get there with as little destructive fallout to our country's future and to the most vulnerable of our population - the poor.
and yeah, eddie villanueva is the worst thing that has ever happened to our country.
-- Jeg
i'm not a pessimist. individuals can determine resolutions. everything started as one man's thought. i'm not an idealistic fool, but i know for certain we can be proactive and make a difference in the world. i'm a realist and I know that time and time again, this theory of one man making a difference has been proven.
anonymous #1`
anonymous#1