Heneral Luna stuff

I just saw Heneral Luna over the weekend, and I am thoroughly impressed. It was money well-spent. I’m strongly in favor of the hype it has caused about nationalism but I don’t think the people have thought deeply enough about it just yet

Many have cheered when Heneral Luna dished the question to some members of the Aguinaldo cabinet, “Negosyo o kalayaan? Bayan o sarili?” At the same time, many of us have dissed the UPLB studentry for their disrespectful treatment of the Vice President. The directness of the questions were seen as being rude and yet we loved Heneral Luna’s seeming “rudeness” in the film. I’m calling it hypocrisy.

Luna was repeatedly called “mayabang” because of his actions and his treatment of erring officers. This behavior is not limited to the Aguinaldo cabinet. It is a deeply ingrained habit of Filipinos. In the age of social media, this has taken the form of calling for respect of an opinion. We call openly critical people “mayabang” because they express what they think and many of us can’t do that. Some may even consider this defense mechanism as cowardice, an act which Luna himself abhorred in the movie.

Luna’s inaction about his brother’s imprisonment is laudable. However, traditions are hard to break. Family members aren’t even allowed to hold a different set of beliefs in this part of the world. It is a matter of pride. In the film, it is evident who influenced Luna’s decision in the matter. It shows that the smallest unit of a society is a double-edged sword.

While the movie has been earning a lot, I hope it does not end there. I hope it does not end with the audience feeling satisfied with seeing a hero as human. I hope they see themselves in the movie’s perspectives. I wish the movie made people, reflect on things at least. I’m sure I missed a lot of subtle meanings while I was watching and now that I’m writing about it. I guess a second run won’t hurt. In the meantime, I’ll ponder on my answer to Luna’s “Bayan o sarili?” question.

Dahil mainit

Punyeta mainit
Kahit pa nakahilata lang sa sahig
Pinagpapawisan pati singit
Kahit sa pagkakabukaka
Akala mo mag-iisplit
Nakaligo na nga ng ilang ulit
Walang magawa kundi magngitngit
Ang bentilador,
sa direksyon ko nakapihit
Sabi ng conyong,
“Shit, ang humid”
Hay sigurado ngayong gabi
Tulog na nga malakas pa ang anghit

Happy for The Dead

Aren’t you happy for the dead?
I know for sure I am

In sickness, he breath his last
Mind and body laid down to rest
Away from bullshit and showbiz pests
Distant from vanity’s long and tiring quest
Far from hype of the empty and pointless
One less cause for teen hormonal mess
Out of the limelight and into a pit of darkness

I’m so happy now that he’s dead
After this drawn-out fuss
His name, you’ll surely remember last

The 2015 Papal Visit and My Non-belief

I vaguely remember my first “Pope experience”. I was still a kid then, and like most kids born in a Catholic family, I was raised a Catholic. It was in Roxas Boulevard, around high noon. We stood there waiting for some time until finally a white vehicle zoomed past us. It was gone in a snap.

After losing my faith, the pope has become nothing more than a political figure, a representative of a state that gains money (known as donations, I call it tax) from its many embassies we call churches. The advertisement of his arrival? Just plain propaganda. His messages, mostly typical if not for the “saving the environment” bit in one of his undelivered speeches. I think it’s pretty much the same with any pope. Most broadcasting networks claim that “Filipinos are close to their hearts.” The statement isn’t at all wrong though. They have to keep a great hold on Asia’s only Catholic country, after all. Sa sobrang babaw nating mga Filipino, mabanggit lang sa misa, ok na.

I have heard homilies about love and family long before I became an atheist. None of what the Pope has delivered is progressive. The Catholic church has always told us to love, and yet, the same church brands the LGBT as threat to the concept of family. The Pope has also emphasized the love of children and the poor. Yet, the church continues to dismiss the RH law as, again, a threat to the family. This unrelenting hate against contraceptives have also undermined the rights of women but the Pope has also noted the lack of representation of women. There is also no mention of condemnation of sexual predators in the priesthood. At the same time, the pope isn’t “Charlie”.

I will never understand the hype of these past few days. Don’t get me wrong. This much devotion for something that people believe in is great but I think this energy could have been redirected somewhere else, not just with what reaffirms a person’s faith. It would also be great if we do not avert our eyes in the nature of the organization that a person represents.

Like many of us, I hope something good comes out of this visit. In fact, this has been a very enlightening experience. Nonetheless, I am now sure that I want no affiliation with any religious in the foreseeable future. Mukhang hindi ako magbabalik-loob sa mga susunod pang taon.

“Others” stuff

“The Philippines has two universities: UP and others.”

Bago pa man ako makapagtapos ng high school, naririnig ko na ang “paniniwalang” iyan. Patotoo sa sinasabing mayayabang ang mga taga-UP. Dahil na rin sa paniniwalang iyan, ang label na “others” ay nangangahulugan (kadalasan) ng isang mababang pagtingin, sa wikang taga-UP at least. Ang yabang talaga nitong mga taga-UP.

Pinaniwalaan ko rin ang kayabangang ito, hanggang dumating sa puntong hindi nakatulong ang simpleng pagiging taga-UP upang makahanap ng trabaho. Hindi pinapakain ng pekeng pride ang kumakalam na sikmura. Walang napapala ang pagiging kapit-tuko sa pangalan ng University of the Philippines, kahit pa dugtungan mo ng “Diliman” sa dulo. Karamihan ng tao sa mundo, walang pakialam.

Ngayon, nauungkat ang “others” bilang label daw ng dalawang taga-Diliman sa mga taga-ibang campus. Tulad ng inaasahan, may mga nasaktan. Hindi ko inaasahang may masasaktan dahil talaga namang masakit pakinggan. Inaasahan kong may masaktan dahil may mga taong sadyang mabababaw.

Oo, mababaw. Para bang pinagkaitan lang ng karapatang magyabang ang mga na-offend. Ang tono kasi ng mga nasaktan ay may dating na “wag niyo kaming ihanay sa kanila. Sila lang ang ‘others'”. Parang nagmamakaawang isama sila sa “in-group” dahil ang mga “out-group” ay mga taong hindi dapat pakisamahan. Ewan ko kung bakit pero, parang hayok magpaka-elitista. Masakit daw ang matawag na “others” kasi taga-UP din sila. Double standards, ang pucha.

Hindi ko sinasabing tama ang pag-iisip ng dalawang nagsabi ng “others”. Ang sinasabi ko, pangit tingnan kung pati ang ganitong bagay ay ika-o-offend pa. Alam mo na ngang taga-UP ka e. Enrolled ka na. Pumapasok ka sa klase. Kailangan pa ba ng affirmation sa mga taong hindi mo kilala na taga-UP ka? Isa lamang opinyon mula sa mga taong wala namang alam tungkol sa iyong pagkatao. Walang kailangang patunayan sa isang taong wala namang pagkakakilanlan. Kung sa puntong ito ay hindi mahalaga na hindi mo sila kilala, bakit importanteng dibdibin at ikainis ang kanilang opinyon?

Panay ang gamit ng mga na-offend sa “#OneUP”. Mali ito sa aking palagay. Parang sinasabi nitong “nabuo na ang konsepto ng #OneUP kaya dapat kampi-kampi tayo.” Ang konsepto ko ng #OneUP ay isang UP na kayang tumayo sa sariling mga paa ang bawat isang campus. Ang mga mag-aaral ay hindi hayok sa pagkilala ng mga tao ngunit nagtatrabaho tungo sa pagpapatunay sa “Honor. Excellence.” na motto nito. Ang pinaghuhugutan ng pagkakaisa ay ang pagnanais na makamtan ang excellence. Hindi dahil “taga-UP rin kaya ako”. Sa huli, hindi ang pagiging taga-UP ang magiging sukatan kundi ang kakayahang napulot sa pamamagitan ng UP.

Punyeta! Paano tayo mananalo sa Cannes niyan?!

Talo

Hindi panalo. Hindi champion. Hindi top 1. Walang hawak na korona. Sa madaling salita, talo.

Masyado yatang dinidibdib ng ilang taga-UP ang pagkatalo. Ang saklap di ba? Maraming ayaw tumanggap. Maraming bumubuo ng excuses. Nandyan yung:

– Ok lang. Standard naman ang UP sa cheerdancing.
– May pera kasi sila.
– Hindi kasi naniniwala sa equality ang mga judge.
– Ginawa na ng UP dati yung mga routine na yan e.
– Hindi sila talo. Runner-up nga e.

…at marami pang iba.

Ang hilig ng mga tao na mag-deny ng reality. Palibhasa kasi masakit. Palibhasa kasi, kapag talo, wala ka sa tuktok. Mas mababa ka. Ang hirap maging sore loser. Ang daming sisisihin, ang daming pagbubuntunan ng galit.

Ayun naman pala e, naibigay naman pala ang mensaheng nais maiparating. Sabi nga ng marami, tumatak siya sa maraming tao. Pag-uusapan sa mga darating pang taon. Kung talo, e di talo. Ano pang problema roon? O sige, para hindi masakit hindi na lang panalo. Hindi na lang champion.

Nag-set naman pala ng panibagong standard e. So anong problema nating hindi atin ang korona? Tandaan na ang pagse-set ng standard ay nangangahulugan ng pagbuwag sa naunang standards. Syempre, hindi porke bagong standard at papalit sa luma ay agarang tatanggapin. Hindi siya laging swak sa unang standard. Kasi nga bago. Kung nakahanay pa rin siya sa lumang standard, hindi siya ganun bagong bago. Hindi siya revolutionary. Hindi siya nakakabago ng standard.

Malamang ito rin yung dahilan kung bakit nakapuntos ang “ginawa na dati ng UP Pep”. Hindi ko sinasabing mayroon ngang nanggaya pero magkakaroon at magkakaroon talaga ng pag-uulit ng stunts o moves. Pero parang awa niyo naman, hindi pagse-set ng standard ang pagtayo habang nakadipa. Nagkataon lang na yun ang simbolo ng UP.

Pinaka-nakakainsulto siguro yung tungkol sa pera. Sa huling pagkakaalam ko, hindi nabibili ng pera ang ensayo at pawis. Kung ganito lang din mag-iisip ang maraming fans ng UP Pep, aba parang hindi rin pinanindigan ang sigaw para sa pagkakapantay-pantay. Lumalabas na naman ang pagiging ipokrito.

Kung tatanggapin ang pagkapanalo ng ibang koponan, tanggapin na lang. Hindi naman ikinababa iyon ng husay ng UP Pep. Siguradong timba-timbang tiis sa pagod at acads ang ginawa nila. Hindi kailangang lumikha ng kung anu-anong palusot pa. May dangal sa pagiging talunan na lumalaban. At mga talunan lang ang bumabalik ng mas gutom para sa korona.

Ad hominem, Apologies and Arrogance

Now that I got some sleep, my thoughts are much more clearer. This is to explain my stand in things.

People value things differently causing them to be offended about different things. I understand that people can take anything I post the wrong way. Satire is one of the things I enjoy. It pokes fun at the truth while being ridiculous at the same time. In this part of the world, such literary work is not appreciated, not even by those who claim superior intelligence. Some people do not know when to draw the line between reality and what is not. It is usually misunderstood and hence, resulting to people getting offended.

But is it the fault of the messenger? I created a joke in my head. I put it out there. Misunderstanding happens on the side of the receiver. However, the offended refuses to see that the world does not revolve around them. He/she/it assumes that they have full understanding of it and rejects any defense that the author of the thought puts out. It’s sad, isn’t it? Instead of asking for clearing things up, people focus on their own emotions, despite the joke not directly about them.

UP Baguio declared safe, returns to state of non-existence.

— Carlo Santos (@tayapski) Agosto 27, 2014

The word respect has been thrown out too many times. In this case, it has always been me who has lost it for them. This I won’t deny. I do not have respect for people or things I do not know. This does not mean, however, that I am rude. It simply means I do not care. Respect has to be earned and I am giving UP Baguio the respect it is due as an institution of quality higher education. It is not out of disrespect that I’ve thrown the joke. As a matter of fact, it’s because UP Baguio has already established itself that I am able to come up with such an idea. This kind of reflection is obviously lacking on those who were offended. Instead, they resort to ad hominem, something done by those who can’t refute using logical arguments and at the same time trying to be rude. It’s ironic that someone who asks for respect fails to give the same thing.

The funny thing is, in this whole fuss about nothing, I’m the only one who doesn’t have manners. I have been called ugly, a moron, a douche and implied a retard. I have been given the Duterte finger twice. And yet, I’m still just the only one who has to apologize. I salute you for your double standards, by the way. This is why I am sure that this is nothing more than just a case of high egotism. Too bad I don’t offer consolation for those who have been offended for nothing. If not everyone has been offended, your claim of offense is simply a case of butthurt. Go have it licked somewhere else.

It is not out of arrogance that I have written this. I do not, however, deny the fact that I am arrogant. You will come off as arrogant to many people if there are a lot of things/people you don’t care about, things/people that do not matter to you. You had fun with the joke? Great. You didn’t? That’s great too. It was supposed to end there. It was in bad taste? Sure thanks for the info but do not expect me to rub your ass. It is also arrogance to expect me to do so. It’s disappointing that not apologizing and standing by my own ideas is just plain arrogance. It’s disappointing that it came from someone like him.

If the joke was in bad taste because it emerged AFTER the reported bomb threat in UP Baguio was declared negative, then the people are just nitpicking.

Jokes aside, hopefully that bomb threat is just an empty threat.

— Carlo Santos (@tayapski) Agosto 27, 2014

Additionally, it has been declared safe. It’s not like a tragedy actually happened so I don’t think I have to wait 36 days before I poke fun on it. It’s not even directly related anymore.

I have been a lot of stuff in just a few hours. Nawalan nga rin yata ako ng “pakikipagkapwa-tao” at “simpatiya”. Pati utak ko bumaliktad. Wala rin akong manners.

If there’s anything I have to apologize for, it’s not seeing why I have to. Or maybe overestimating the amount of understanding people have. It’s all been ad hominem, straw man, and even appeal to emotion. It just doesn’t make any sense. You failed to understand it, be responsible for your own failure.

Some Things I Learned about Joking Today

I thought of a joke. Then I tweeted it. People got offended. I learned a few things. And I find it funny. Here are some of my insights

• People react as if what you said was actually true. Well, if this was true, then I guess the truth does hurt. But it’s not. Someone tried giving statements that are offending. Unfortunately for her, her efforts don’t even scratch the surface.

• People don’t mind using ad hominem. They’d even curse you. I find this very ironic. Since I’m whatever-name-they decide-to-use-to-insult-me, then why are they so mad at me? Ad hominem is usually the resort of someone who can’t bring down another person’s logic. If they can’t come up with proper arguments, they try bringing down your humanity.

• People do not intend to call out someone presumably on their side when they resort to ad hominem. This is actually very disappointing. It’s even more disappointing if it’s someone who speaks of good manners. Hooray for double standards.

• People stop reading your reasoning and will focus on their own feelings. They do this because they want revenge. They’re after your head. The more you resist, the more they become offended. Some people resist by asking for respect but if you refute them properly, they will resort to ad hominem just the same.

• People don’t really care if someone from their institution came up with a similar joke. They still want you to apologize because, well, you’re an outsider. It’s a lot like an in-group and out-group but still self-centered because even if people from the in-group weren’t offended, they are still out to get your head.

• Whoever made the joke is at fault. The joker is expected to take all tolerances possible. I find this ridiculous and is a direction headed for complete idiocy. A joke is a thought and if thoughts should be repressed because it challenges your emotions, we’re not bound for much progress. Nonetheless, it’s the joker’s fault that people get offended easily.

• Do not apologize and people will immediately lead to conclusions on your attitude. They do not take into consideration that an apology is a person’s freedom, that some apologies cannot be made because the one suspected does not see his fault. Again, they would rather strip you of your humanity than make you see you’re in the wrong.

 

Love is Life

[Still a work in progress but let’s make it public. lol]

Love is life
Nagkamali lang ng type
Pero nagiging hype
Kahit hindi pa ripe

Nagsimula kay crush
Na lagi kang pinapa-blush
Sa kanyang arms, gusto mo mag-dash
Pero di mo ma-date kasi walang cash

Ang pangarap na kiss
Laging nami-miss
Sige na pahingi ng konting tamis
Basta ikaw, papatulan kahit anong risk

Jejemon, Mga Komento Ko, At Komprontasyon

JEJEMON

Dumarami daw ang jejemon posts sa group. Siguro nga. So? Problema daw ang mga jejemon sa group. Bakit? Dahil nakakapagpost sila? Kung tuluyang babawalan ang mga jejemon sa grupo, tuluyan ba nitong mareresolba ang “problema”?

Matindi ang disgusto ng mga tao sa “Jejemon”. Oo, ayaw kong nakakabasa ng Jejemon pero ang sabihing problema ito ay isang malaking kalokohan. Oo, dumarami ang mga jejemon ngunit kaakibat ito ng paglaki ng grupo. Hindi ito mako-kontrol at hindi rin mapipigilan. Maihahalintulad nga ito sa pagkapuwing. Ang nagsasanhi ng pagkapuwing ay ang mga jejemong nagpopost. Ang mga pumapatol naman sa kanila ay ang pangangamot ng mga napuwing na hindi alam ang dapat gawin kapag sila’y napuwing. Ang mga admin naman ang tanging paraan para maalis ang nakakapuwing na jejemon post.

Tulad na rin ng pagkapuwing, hindi naman talaga ito problema. Nagiging problema lamang ito kung pinabayaan na hindi pa naman ginagawa ng mga admin. Wala pa rin naman akong nababalitaang tuluyang nasiraan ng paningin o kaya’y ikinamatay ito. Ang pagsasabing sobra na ang isang pagkapuwing ay tulad ng pagnanasang wala na lang dust particles sa mundo. Idagdag pa natin na hindi rin lang naman mga jejemon ang nakakapuwing. Hindi lang mga jejemon ang nanghihingi ng follow-back, ang humihiling na magpa-add. Ang tunay na problema ay ang nagiging direksyon ng paggamit sa social media ng mga taong ito na wala namang kinalaman sa pagiging jejemon. Kung conyo naman ang gumawa ng ganito, ganun din naman ang magiging reaksyon ng mga tao.

 

MGA KOMENTO AT “KOMPRONTASYON”

Aaminin ko, mayabang ako. Wala kasi akong hilig sa pagpapaganda ng mga sinasabi para di masyadong masaktan. Sinasabi ko ng direkta kung ano sa tingin ko ang mali dahil handa rin naman akong masabihang mali ako. Oo, mali ang maging mayabang pero mayabang ako hindi dahil minamaliit ko ang ibang tao. Mayabang ako dahil alam ko kung sino ako, alam ko kung ano ako. Hindi ko ikinukumpara ang sarili ko kahit kanino dahil ako lang ang sumusukat sa sarili kong kakayahan. Alam ko kung saan ako mali, alam ko kung saan ako tama.

Ang ayaw ko lang ay yung mapagpanggap na komprontasyon. Yung ikakalat ng kung sinu-sino yung pangalan mo sa kung saan-saan para humanap ng kakampi kasi hindi ka niya kayang harapin ng diretso. ‘Yung kukwestyunin ka pero wala namang ibang ginawa kundi ang gumamit lang ng name-calling. At dahil nga di ka niya mabasag ang mga paniniwala mo, naghahanap siya ng kakampi tapos saka babanat. Haharapin ko naman e (maliban dun sa ibang wala na kong pakialam). Sadyang dumarami ang walang bayag, ‘no De Leon?