Rejecting the rude and the bully in politics
We should all start to learn to listen to each other more. And we should seek to control our impulses to attack every hint of disagreement.
Adevelopment that thinkers like Fr. Ranhilio CallanganAquino and Dr. Tony La Viña has constantly pointed out is the poisoned atmosphere of public discourse. The observation is practically self-evident and one sees that most clearly in social media today.
Bloggers and social media “stars” attack, harass, or intimidate at the slightest disagreement or opposition to their views. And these are the people who claim to be “free thinkers.” This is not to side with anyone: whether it be Yellow or proDigong, it is to the Philippine’s best interests to uphold civility and standards in public discourse.
Snarkiness, sarcasm, irony — all established tricks in public debate are par for the course. But such are a far cry from trolling people, ganging up on them, bullying them, insulting them personally or their faiths, and even going so far as to demand that they lose their employment or income. All in the name of political partisanship. Everyone has a right to speak up on their views, albeit with civility and respect: students, government employees, priests, laymen vis-a-vis any profession.
I say this also because another strange propensity has come up in public discourse ( or perhaps it’s been there all along) and that is to shut an exchange of views by resorting to academic or technical gibberish; unsubtly implying that as the other person lacks academic or professional credentials, he is thus unworthy of speaking. This is utter rubbish. We’re all Filipinos with constitutional rights that every public servant swore to uphold and protect.
And there’s also this: no amount of Facebook “likes” or “followers” can decide what is true.
In fact, any slight deviation from the truth, no matter how well intentioned, are always lies. No academic jargon should persuade you otherwise of this commonsensical truth.
An argument was made that the hostility one sees now in social media is merely an expression of the rise of the ordinary Filipino.
Pent up as they were, so the argument goes, in the past by elitist politicians and public commentators, with anger bottled up from years of being ignored, they now revel in the freedom that social media has given and are speaking out. If anyone criticizes the way public discourse is being conducted now, regardless of how twisted or hostile it is, you are an elitist wanting the old order back. This, again, is rubbish. We are all Filipinos. We may believe different paths on how to be a better country. But we all want that better country.
Besides, any sane person who has seen the insanity that is the six years of the Aquino administration have much to be angry about. I certainly do. Then again, there is much in our history to lament and in need of correction.
Nevertheless, all this hostility or emotional verbiage (no matter how well backed up by copy paste articles or serious research) remains beneath us.
And are we going to be in a never ending cycle of political and social retaliation simply because some people delude themselves into thinking they are mightily relevant just because they (or their preferred leadership) is currently in Malacañang? Forgetting all the while that the person they are insulting today might seek revenge tomorrow?
Sadly, that mentality has dominated our politics for the past hundred years and in today’s supposedly enlightened age supposedly savvy social media thought leaders are still aping it. So much for “change is coming”. The fact is: no one knows all the answers; no one can claim infallibility regarding State policy.
And the one you detest or who vigorously opposes you today may turn out to be your political cause’s Sts. Paul or Augustine tomorrow.
Instead, what we should be constantly mindful of are our values and morals as a nation. Take that away, no matter what “good” anyone pretends he is fighting for, is worthless.
We would become just a number of people who happen to live in a group of islands. Nobodies to be easily divided and exploited.
We should all start to learn to listen to each other more. And we should seek to control our impulses to attack every hint of disagreement. We should remember that our children are watching us: they will emulate what we do and not what we say.
Closing, I invite all to heed the words of Alasdair McIntyre, in that what matters for us now “is the construction of local forms of community within which civility and the intellectual and moral life can be sustained through the new dark ages which are already upon us. And if the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without grounds for hope. This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament.”