Are you tired of hearing about the coming elections? Are you, as I am, sick of trying to figure out the odds, of speculating and calculating?
I am bored with surveys. Some say they are rigged. I don’t know about that. Is it true that elections are held just to know if the pollsters were right? Not funny.
Are you as worried as I am? The “what if’s” keep me awake nights.
In the meantime, how can we survive the avalanche of comments, of lies and disinformation, obscenities and blasphemies? Sometimes I can’t believe what I hear.
At the same time, from across the ocean, we also get an earful of news about the US elections that are still nine months away. They, too, have their share of crazy moments with candidates who make news by being bigoted and arrogant, as if these were pluses to get them elected.
Confidence and class
I just watched a video of former US President Bill Clinton at a rally for Hillary. He had to deal with a heckler carrying a Trump banner. There were no cuss words, no insults. Clinton spoke with accustomed ease, oozing with his famous charisma, confidence and class. The heckler just slunk away.
Will Clinton get his wife elected? That remains to be seen. But he got his point across and made his presence felt. I always liked him, despite the Monica thing. (I must have a weakness for charming rascals.)
The Internet, and Facebook in particular, provides the ideal venue for varied opinions. But all the arguing and bickering by rabid followers of the candidates and their paid mouthpieces are sickening and serve no good purpose.
They say you can sell anything on the Net. But instead of becoming a showcase for discourse, it has become the most used and abused vehicle for rants and rages, for expletives, profanity and rapid-fire destruction. It has become the bearer of “language most foul.”
There’s a place for all that garbage. It belongs in the rubbish bin with the rest of the smelly and filthy refuse.
These netizens do their candidates a huge disservice, by the way, when they wallow in the gutter. I have read comments with vicious lies posted by individuals I thought were upstanding and decent. How disappointing!
Case in point: Our country under the present leadership has earned unprecedented respect and admiration from all over the world. Everybody knows that. So I can’t understand how anyone can brazenly sell a bag of barefaced lies about how poorly we are doing. I have seen posts that make me think they are talking about some other country, not the Philippines.
Deep pockets
I am all for political debate. I believe it should be encouraged for the edification of voters. What we have instead is the usual battle of deep pockets. Whoever has the backers and the bucks can buy the votes. Anyone is for sale. Any price is right! Never mind the candidate’s platform or reputation.
The late President Ronald Reagan, also known as the Great Communicator, once said: “Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
A fellow “senior” describes the scene: “Give our politicians a microphone and they will take it as tacit permission to rip the opponent’s reputation to shreds. They don’t discuss the issues because these may backfire. Instead they lie through their teeth. The speeches are loud, empty. Somebody cranks up the music. Dancers and comedians take the stage. It gets rowdy. It turns ugly. The crowd sits, stands, claps and laughs on cue. When it’s over, they line up to collect a few pesos, a sandwich and a lukewarm drink in a plastic bag. It’s just another day in the office!”
I am upset when I see young people actually amused by a candidate’s display of poor taste. “It does not mean we will vote for him,” they claim. “But he is so funny.” Ugh!
The immortal comedian Charlie Chaplin said it well: “I remain just one thing and one thing only, that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.”
What to do?
My friend is concerned and asks: “What signals are we giving our young people? How can we get them excited to go to the polls and encourage them to choose wisely, when perhaps we ourselves are ambivalent and would rather stay home? We must do something!”
So tell me. What are my marching orders? Can I tell them who to vote for? No? Surely I can tell them whose name should not be on their ballots! I must!
Love it
A couple of years ago, I read “My Short Essay About the Philippines,” written by Kim Jae-youn, a Korean student. His words have stayed in my heart.
He wrote: “Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.”
Sad to say, there is awesome truth in that observation.
With that in mind, my first piece of advice to the young Filipino voter would therefore be, “Love your country.”
There will be no need to elaborate.