“PARANG napanood ko na ‘to.”
This is the kind of feeling we get whenever the election season approaches. The difference now is how modern technology is drawing political characters to appear more artificial than realistic.
It feels like watching an animation movie that appeals more to imagination than to reason. But it has a wide audience especially among the youth who enjoy online wars and among us of the gone past who try to catch up with what trends.
“Pagbabago” and “tuloy-tuloy” remain the “walang kamatayang” sound bites that compete.
“Walang nagawa” still comes handy as a sweeping tirade of gung-ho anti-administration diehards.
“Talunan” is forged into sharp arrows by administration loyalists to pierce the rock-hard pride of their opponents.
These exchanges of brickbats grow in intensity and viciousness in social media drowning even the more emphatic evidence-based arguments. Memes of half-truths are shared and commented on, amazingly by both opposing sides who enjoy the cruelest banters exploited by well-earning vloggers.
This is freedom and democracy now no matter how we cringe over the practices they bring about.
Those who desire to advance noble causes will have to learn to wade through the sticky mud of political slinging and bravely bring across messages of true worth to society.
Self-fortification with values is a must to be able to morally survive the temptations that come with political exercises. The old and time-tested notion of social consciousness must overtake the fast-moving individualism that misconstrues political anarchy as progressive revolution.
But seriously, I have the gut feeling that more of our “kababayan,” including the young voters, will inevitably discern what is imaginary and what is real.
It will come when the reality of life conditions that they face daily hit home. And I have the gut feeling it will, slowly but surely through the smoke of emotional battles in this pandemic.
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