Tuesday, September 16, 2008

A Smaller Box for the Adult Filipino Mind?

I think I just said I don't normally write about politics in my blog, but this caught my eye. I really think it should catch yours too.

A person named John Silva who describes himself as "a writer, a fundraiser, and an advocate for the arts and heritage preservation" just started a campaign blog, and I'm including the first .jpg file from that blog here to help him in his campaign. If you want to read on, there's more in his blog. Click on the image below to enlarge.


I grew up in a pretty liberal UP Diliman household and my parents never censored what my sister and I watched or read. If we didn't like what we saw or read, we simply didn't watch them again. It was a bigger deal arguing about having to sleep early after dinner because there was school the next day. If we didn't understand what we saw or read because we were too young, we returned to them later to figure out if they made better sense once we had a bit more maturity. Or if we appreciated them at all. I guess we were lucky, because when we asked questions, our parents tried to answer as well as they could and not patronize us just because we knew less of the world.

People I know/knew who were either oppressed or repressed in different ways while growing up tended to go to extremes in behavior, rebelling. Ran away, got pregnant, got others pregnant, did drugs, became petty and mean, or became too uptight, took things too seriously, or did a host of other sorts of things that kept everyone awake at night with worry. We all suffer from hangups, but when the government starts telling us how it's not all right to look at things prevalent and pervasive in our culture and media, it's like we're being PARENTED all over again. It's ok if we were children, but majority of us in the voting population no longer are.

I knew some Singapore kids going berserk while studying in Australia. Very intelligent, but had lots of gum in their cabinet drawers, and no condoms. Out every week at the clubs in their best, most expensive finery, whining about not having Filipino maids (yes, and in my face, at that. They think I'm universal Chinese) and on the look out for a white person to date. As though those were the things that mattered. No offense, Singapore might be an economic tiger, but it has talented youth who chafe under the bit.

We have more of a choice. To stay, watch and learn, or to walk away because what we see doesn't suit us or our needs. Our behaviors are our choice. As adults we have responsibility over them, and should be accountable to our loved ones if they are affected. But this bill, if not rewritten, will just keep Filipinos ignorant and immature. We may not be aware that we are slowly being shorn of our right TO KNOW.

If you tell me that [enter starlet's name here]'s billboard bikini pictures will contribute to a population explosion, why... you're right. That's because in this country it's easier to pay for a movie ticket than it is to get FULL EDUCATION ON SAFE SEX AND CONTRACEPTION. Or even get access to family planning options. Don't even get me started on sexuality and women's reproductive rights.

[And gee, who do you think perpetuates this attitude? No, I'm not bashing the Catholic Church. Perhaps people themselves perpetuate it unconsciously. I'm just saying that people believe one thing and yet close their eyes to problems on earth in THIS life caused by faith that the life after will be better. This life is just as important. Not all people who define themselves as religious practice their belief with a moral purpose. They do things by default -- virtuously mouth what the parish priests say -- but don't really listen -- so that other people will think well of them. This doing things by default is what causes a lot of anguish. The road not taken is always the harder road.]

You have a choice, so if you agree or not with this Anti-Obscenity Bill, I would rather that you AGREE to at least read more about it. Or take a step and contribute your opinion instead of letting the politicians who are supposed to be serving your best interests do it by default. "Our best interests" is something they would have to define first.

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