The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. – US philosopher William James
One of those who reacted to our column last week entitled "A revolution cannot be a dinner party" was ex-President Fidel V. Ramos. He wrote: "You should write again about this revolution. The evident lack of interest, much less enthusiasm, in the 20th anniversary celebration of our first People Power Revolution (Edsa 1) on the part of many of our people is deplorable, and inexcusable for officials elected to high positions in government starting with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo… Turning our backs on the spirit of EDSA would be tantamount to debasing the spirit of 1896, the Spirit of Bataan during the Japanese invasion. Do not forget and betray the ideals of the Edsa Revolution."
I agree with the former President’s lofty views, but these days, I’d prefer to ignite a cultural revolution across the country.
According to my cousin Joy Yang, a manager at HSBC on Fifth Avenue in New York City, many Filipina nurses working in the US and Canada are married to chemists. "Che-misis umaasa!" she laughed. These shameless men should be arrested and dispatched to the gallows or in training camps. Guys who cannot or will not work should be left alone to starve to death.
How many female movie stars, singers or models work like carabaos and even have to debase themselves doing sexy stunts in idiotic movies or nightclub shows while financially supporting their lazy boyfriends, jobless husbands or lovers? Ask Philippine STAR entertainment editor and talk show host Ricky F. Lo who they are, and I’m sure you’d be shocked.
This unspoken but quite pernicious phenomenon of the "chemist" is one reason my brainy classmate at the Ateneo vowed that she would not marry a Filipino husband, but would rather get hitched to a foreigner. How many of our hardworking women toil as sidewalk vendors or run carinderias as entrepreneurs in order to make both ends meet? But how many of their potbellied husbands are goof off as istambay (another word that should be blasted out of our vernacular vocabulary via atomic bomb!) drinking liquor, gambling or indulging in all sorts of vices which they can’t even afford?
Do we have to scratch our heads and wonder why our economy is doing poorly? Look no further, just observe all those chemists and pensionados – possibly numbering in millions – who waste their God-given talents, their brains and their brawns by not working. No work is so low in status, no work is too taxing or too demeaning.
Perhaps we should learn a trick or two from Mao Zedong’s cataclysmic Cultural Revolution in China from 1966 to 1976, when youthful Red Guard zealots publicly dragged feudal landlords and other so-called "foes of the revolution" in the streets and persecuted them. In our own version of cultural revolution, let’s drag shameless Juan Tamads, chemists, and corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in our potholed streets for public humiliation and condemnation.
The worst Juan Tamads in Philippine society are the imbecile and amoral political animals who live off the resources of our republic through their excessive corruption. May the Church pardon me but these scoundrels deserve to be executed by musketry or via the old-fashioned Spanish-style garrote in the public plazas.
The reason corruption has continued in a brazen manner and scandalous scale is because we have abused the Christian tradition of forgiveness and mercy, so there is no real punishment or full accountability for the high crime of plunder. Is it due to sheer intellectual or moral laziness, a lack of a sense of history, and no sense of justice and closure on questions of right and wrong? After so many Edsa revolts, how many of the alleged perpetrators of high crimes against the people have been truly tried in court with due process, convicted and locked up in chains inside dungeons?
Friends who frequent nightclubs tell me that not a few of the most beautiful nightclub guest relations officers (GROs), strip club dancers and even call girls are single mothers whose irresponsible or absent husbands or boyfriends have abandoned their kids. Worse than being abandoned by useless men, some of these women even have to support freeloaders. This is abominable and unacceptable, so women should revolt.
A cultural revolution shouldn’t just involve irresponsible, emotionally immature and lazy guys being dragged into cultural re-education. There should also be a total cultural emancipation of the more hardworking, long suffering and resilient Filipinas who must learn not to spoil or baby guys – whether it be their partners, or sons who might become future grown-up chemists! To paraphrase the inspirational icon of the 1896 Philippine Revolution, Dr. Jose Rizal, who once said that there are no oppressors if there are no slaves, there are no chemists if there are no martyr wives or girlfriends!