“Madaya ang ating alaala. Pinipili lamang nito kung ano ang ating aalalahanin. Pinipili rin nito kung papaano natin aalalahanin ang mga gusto nating alalahanin.” – Amang Jojo, sa nobelang Ang Banal Na Aklat Ng Mga Kumag
TO ARGUE a political and legal issue in a personal and emotional manner does not lead to a better understanding of the said issue. The recent discourse about the ICC, to some, has become combative, destructive, and divisive.
Sensitive people, or those who get easily offended by the arguments or choice of words of the opposing side, are not fit for this kind of discourse. Their reasoning has no merit. But then, where’s the thrill in that? Let them join the fray at their own peril.
The most accessible and chaotic discussions happen on social media. Fake news, fake accounts, and filtered identities can insidiously manipulate a person’s point of view. There are of course some commendable and educational FB posts. The comments are professional, the arguments are topic-oriented, and personal attacks or feelings are set aside.
But some people do not have the heart for such a healthy, constructive, and formative discussions. Interestingly, the market of ideas has attracted the “wannabes” and the “great pretenders,” saturating the FB discourse with dismal and pathetic posts.
The market of ideas, under the freedom of expression clause, can be cutthroat, violent, and dismissive. And since there is no liability or punishment in arriving at—and in sharing—a wrong conclusion, some individuals get emboldened, becoming self-entitled experts and self-appointed advocates and representatives of the oppressed and marginalized. And there are willing consumers to this superficial show of sympathy.
These consumers are the bottom-feeders. I say bottom-feeders because they can only make the most of the crumbs, leftovers, and recycled “food for thought” offered to them by those who are pulling the strings.
The bottom-feeders easily get excited and inspired by what little trivial information they have encountered. Such discovery is already a eureka to them. They read a sentence and they know already the entire chapter. They see a trailer and they already know the whole movie. They can name a song just by hearing one of its tunes. They have moments of grand political epiphanies and thus, they have the answers to our social problems.
The bottom-feeders know it all. They know what is wrong with you. And they also know that the dissenters do not know that they don’t know. Ignorant about their ignorance.
These bottom-feeders know very well how the legal processes happen in the Philippine courts and the international courts. You can’t fool them. They can preempt motives, predict outcomes, and cast into hell the dissidents. They have personal access to divine interventions.
The bottom lot is rowdy, entertaining, and irritating. But this is just one dimension of the trending issue.
There is an entirely different conversation going on from those who are wielding the powers. The issue is not about the issue being discussed “wholeheartedly” on social media. Unlike the supporters who are busy fighting for justice, these “gods of Olympus” think about monetary repercussions and financial rewards, the right connections and loyalty checks, and political careers vis-à-vis impeccable reputations.
It takes time to know the truth.
Before an issue can be properly discussed, it has to be studied first. Scholarly not partisan. Objective not subjective. To detach oneself from personalities and to research about principles, doctrines, and court decisions, this is the road less taken.
This approach requires a lot of time. It is not exciting or popular. Neither will it attract many followers or viewers.
Sino ngayon ang mas may karapatang makapagsasabi na nasa panig nila ang batas at hustisya?
“Isa-isa kayong magsalaysay sa akin ng inyong mga kuwento at ako ang huhusga sa bandang huli kung sino ang nasa tama at kung sino ang nasa lisya at sa wakas ay makikita ng lahat kung kanino dapat mapunta itong sagingan. Tandaang ibabatay ko lamang ang aking paghatol sa bisa ng inyong pagkukuwento kaya pagbutihin ang pagbabalik-tanaw.” -Amang Jojo, sa nobelang Ang Banal Na Aklat Ng Mga Kumag
Tayo ang bida sa sarili nating kuwento. Itinuturing nating banal ang sariling pananalita. Ang kabilang panig, may sa demonyo ang kanilang mga pahiwatig. Puro kasinungalingan ang kanilang bukambibig. Walang kuwenta ang kanilang kuwento.
Kaya’t dapat huwag tayong pasupil. Walang karangalan sa buhay ang inaapi.
“In war, what matters is not who is right, but who is left.”—paraphrasing Bertrand Russell/PN
