August trend report: The dork knights
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MANILA, Philippines - You’re either with us or against us.
There’s an alarming trend this August, as the RH Bill debates in Congress came to a close, leaving the country divided between those who support the bill and those who oppose it. Public debate is an integral part of democracy, but there is vitriol in the air, and it’s disturbing. Pro-RH campaigners are being called baby-killing heretics; anti-RH forces, mindless slaves of religious dogma.
It seems there is no middle ground in this debate. The CBCP, for example, has said it wants Catholic schools to terminate teachers who don’t side with them. Perhaps the fastest way to win an argument is to get rid of your opponents, but we’re calling out the CBCP. These “shepherds” are leading by terrible example.
We’ve seen too much of this before — the dumbing down of national discussion by extremists who fashion the world in a manner in which one is either with them or against them. Pro-Marcos, anti-Marcos, pro-Erap, anti-Erap, pro-RH, anti-RH, Kapamilya, Kapuso , Kapatid — perhaps the reason debates don’t contribute to our democracy is that they become less about the issues, and more about the people involved. Supreme puts the red light on this trend.
The dork knights
A person who dishes crap will get crapped on by the Internet. Take Sen. Tito Sotto, who plagiarized a speech attacking RH Bill advocates, and Robert Blair Carabuena, who was caught punching a modest traffic enforcer. Filipinos on social media sent them an avalanche of hate this August. The scrutiny was enough to put Sotto on the defensive, and send Carabuena to the hospital.
It’s possible these two got what they deserve. But remember Christopher Lao, the man who gained notoriety over a video of him getting his car stuck in water and blaming the world for it. And recall Anne Cruzada and Marian Tan, teenage girls, who, at the height of this month’s habagat, found their names trending on Twitter and received death threats over nasty things they allegedly posted. What good has come out of these incidents? Has society gained anything by lynching the characters of Lao, Cruzada, Tan, Carabuena, and Sotto?
They say pick your battles, but netizens picked the right ones, we would have already found Jovito Palparan and Delfin Lee. Supreme puts the yellow light on this trend. We really must pause and rethink our priorities.
The Filipino spirit
August brought out the best in Filipinos, as well. When parts of Luzon were under floodwater, we used social media to coordinate relief efforts, and we came together and helped. “The Filipino Spirit is waterproof,” was our battle cry — a rare show of unity in a country that can be so tritely divided.
Supreme does see a trend toward cooperation. Grassroots movements are blooming online. This month, we featured Anti-Epal, a Facebook page that has declared war on shameless politicking. The 13,000 member-strong campaign is beginning to see results, which shows what an effective tool the Internet can be when used right.
We began this review by citing the extremism and childishness in public debate, reasons for which the Philippines has been called the sick man of Asia. But now, we see movements blooming in ways that elevate debate, and taste, and intellect in our society, and perhaps we’ve found our cure.
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Tweet your reactions to @PhilStarSUPREME, and to the author @PepeDiokno.
