Art mirroring reality

Many of my friends dislike Vice Ganda or Jose Marie Borja Viceral in real life. He was once called out for making rude comments and insensitive rape jokes on live television. However, his recent work on the "Piliin mo ang Pilipinas" makeup trend has gained traction. He first did the face transformation from bare-looking into a full Filipiniana costume, yet the video did not only end there. He comically portrayed the realities of heavy traffic in the Metropolitan along with the problem of jeepney modernization and the ongoing spat in the West Philippine Sea. His work mirrored the current reality of how difficult it is to love the Philippines.

Vice is only one of the many artists who use their craft to send a message. He has reached a point in his life that it is no longer about making people laugh plainly. The laughs are now being associated with a stronger message, one that mirrors reality. Satire, if used correctly, is a powerful tool to strike a message to a bigger audience. The element of fun, when deeply interrogated, translates into a political protest. For this, he is saying that we deserve better as Filipinos.

We have to agree with him. For such a long time, the country grapples with transportation woes. Our officials have been to countless countries many times with the intention of "benchmarking" what they are doing to address their traffic situation. When they come back, they bring with them their own personal memoirs and souvenirs. Only little goes back as investment to our treasury, as only a few of these pointers are implemented to our own country. My best friend's mother-in-law, who comes from Malaysia, said that we are just like their country. The only catch is, we are decades behind them.

Sometimes it is in the entertainment industry that we see reality. We often think that the things that we see on television or the internet are a waste of time, but they actually give us a picture of what is going on. This is why the free press is important because it is the media's role to portray this reality to us. Until we are able to see the greater picture through different platforms, only then will we be able to understand the different realities that we are facing today.

Art allows us to create our own public opinions. We are dumbed down by the things that we only choose to see. Thus, we are refusing to accept that we are living in a country whose own sovereignty is in danger. If we live within our social media echo chambers, we are denying ourselves to the fact that politics continues to endanger our living. The state of the economy continues to fall into the brink without even a concrete plan of action. This is a trap that blinds us from the truth. We support the arts because it is not just something pleasing to look at but because it tells a true tale.