Time to think
It’s true what they say about traveling, especially on your own: you discover new things — about yourself, your country, and the rest of the world.
Last month, I joined an exhibit at the Israel Children’s Museum in Holon called “Invitation to Silence”. It’s one of three interactive exhibits in the museum that any tourist in Israel mustn’t miss.
At some point in the series of activities during the exhibit that both kids and adults can find enjoyable, the Deaf guide asked the participants who among us were together and from where we hailed. We were ten in the batch, nine of whom were from the US, traveling as a family.
It was easy for my fellow guests to answer the queries with improvised hand signs. All the family patriarch had to do was point at each member of his family then mimic the pose of the iconic Statue of Liberty and everyone knew which country he was referring.
I had some trouble with my response. First, I had to clarify I was traveling alone: with fingers spread out and palm facing down, I moved my right hand diagonally upwards to the left to signify “flight”. Then, I pointed to myself and raised my index finger, indicating “me”, and “one” or “alone”. Whew, at least I got that covered.
The more difficult part was describing my country, the Philippines. I wondered what we’re most recognized for, at least in the international community. Filipinos are recognized as compassionately hardworking and markedly talented. But how can I improvise a sign for that? We have jeepneys, though doing a “driving” motion won’t be clear enough to indicate my homeland. We have thousands of beautiful islands, each boasting of a unique experience: beaches, canyons, mountains, caves, heritage cities — name it, we have it! — but which one do I manifest?
Perhaps noticing my dilemma, the guide swayed as if she were dancing to Hawaiian song Pearly Shells. I shook my head. Then, she did a half-squat, placing one foot on top of the other lap, hands resting on both her knees, palms facing upwards, index finger and thumb touching — imitating a classic Buddha pose. Again, I shook my head.
As a last attempt, she signed diving and swimming. I thought about it for a while but decided that wasn’t it.
It was only at the end of the hour-long exhibit, during a forum, when our Deaf guide got a definitive answer. Our interpreter signed “Philippines”. Apparently, that was also the answer she aimed for in her third guess. She told the group she’s been to El Nido in Palawan — often listed as one of the best beaches in the world — so she’s quite familiar with the beauty of our islands. Beaches — that’s what most foreigners identify my country with.
Among the many things the Philippines may be known for, I find most pride in the fact that the historic 1986 People Power Revolution was the first “bloodless revolution”, touted as one that “surprised the world” — ending the two-decade rule of the late president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose legacy is marred by blatant corruption and human rights violations.
^ One of the most remembered photos of the event;
grabbed from the Philippine government’s Official Gazette
The world saw the first EDSA Revolution (named after the 54-kilometer highway where the peaceful demonstrations took place) as testament to the power of an active democracy and a united public. After all, government officials are called public servants precisely because that is their mandate: to serve the public.
Related reading: Philippine History — EDSA People Power Revolution
Today, we see protests happening in various parts of the world. Some media outlets refer to this as the “global protest wave”. Borrowing words from the New York Times’ newsletter The Interpreter:
It’s that last sentence in the quoted text that perturbs me. (Of course, the writers explained the bases of this statement well in their newsletter.) I see it happening in my country where protests are gathering fewer warm bodies.
The question begs to be asked: Whatever happened to Filipinos who first harnessed “people power”, a mass dissent that changed the political landscape of the time?
The dictator it overthrew has now been buried among the nation’s heroes, a staunch opposition senator is detained, a Supreme Court chief justice was impeached and ousted by her own colleagues, thousands upon thousands of Filipinos are killed without due process in the name of the President’s crackdown on illegal drugs... — I can go on, but you get the point.
If any of these isn’t enough, what else would and could incite public outrage?
For the first People Power Revolution, the breaking point was the assassination of opposition senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino. For the so-called Edsa Dos, or the second People Power Revolution in 2001, it was the senators’ alleged blocking of evidence in the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada.
I’ve discussed this with my best friend and soul sister Zandra some months, perhaps even a year, ago. My theory is that for as long as the Filipino public has access to and can freely vent on social media, there is an avenue for their frustrations. There is no reason to take it to the streets.
All one needs is a series of tweets to let off steam and to cool down. Host and stand-up comedian Ellen Degeneres perfectly described this phenomenon in one part of her response to netizens’ uproar over her photo with former US President George Bush: “A lot of people were mad, and they did what people do when they’re mad — they tweet.”
After some weeks, I found the following talk by America’s first bi-racial and African-American president Barack Obama.
His words echoed my sentiments about the prevalence of social media today and the manner by which we utilize this technology: We have become polarizing, self-righteous and discriminating, all feigning actual involvement in social change.
It’s time to think about our actions and the impact we make in the world. •
Last month, I joined an exhibit at the Israel Children’s Museum in Holon called “Invitation to Silence”. It’s one of three interactive exhibits in the museum that any tourist in Israel mustn’t miss.
At some point in the series of activities during the exhibit that both kids and adults can find enjoyable, the Deaf guide asked the participants who among us were together and from where we hailed. We were ten in the batch, nine of whom were from the US, traveling as a family.
It was easy for my fellow guests to answer the queries with improvised hand signs. All the family patriarch had to do was point at each member of his family then mimic the pose of the iconic Statue of Liberty and everyone knew which country he was referring.
I had some trouble with my response. First, I had to clarify I was traveling alone: with fingers spread out and palm facing down, I moved my right hand diagonally upwards to the left to signify “flight”. Then, I pointed to myself and raised my index finger, indicating “me”, and “one” or “alone”. Whew, at least I got that covered.
The more difficult part was describing my country, the Philippines. I wondered what we’re most recognized for, at least in the international community. Filipinos are recognized as compassionately hardworking and markedly talented. But how can I improvise a sign for that? We have jeepneys, though doing a “driving” motion won’t be clear enough to indicate my homeland. We have thousands of beautiful islands, each boasting of a unique experience: beaches, canyons, mountains, caves, heritage cities — name it, we have it! — but which one do I manifest?
Perhaps noticing my dilemma, the guide swayed as if she were dancing to Hawaiian song Pearly Shells. I shook my head. Then, she did a half-squat, placing one foot on top of the other lap, hands resting on both her knees, palms facing upwards, index finger and thumb touching — imitating a classic Buddha pose. Again, I shook my head.
As a last attempt, she signed diving and swimming. I thought about it for a while but decided that wasn’t it.
It was only at the end of the hour-long exhibit, during a forum, when our Deaf guide got a definitive answer. Our interpreter signed “Philippines”. Apparently, that was also the answer she aimed for in her third guess. She told the group she’s been to El Nido in Palawan — often listed as one of the best beaches in the world — so she’s quite familiar with the beauty of our islands. Beaches — that’s what most foreigners identify my country with.
Among the many things the Philippines may be known for, I find most pride in the fact that the historic 1986 People Power Revolution was the first “bloodless revolution”, touted as one that “surprised the world” — ending the two-decade rule of the late president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose legacy is marred by blatant corruption and human rights violations.
^ One of the most remembered photos of the event;
grabbed from the Philippine government’s Official Gazette
The world saw the first EDSA Revolution (named after the 54-kilometer highway where the peaceful demonstrations took place) as testament to the power of an active democracy and a united public. After all, government officials are called public servants precisely because that is their mandate: to serve the public.
Related reading: Philippine History — EDSA People Power Revolution
Today, we see protests happening in various parts of the world. Some media outlets refer to this as the “global protest wave”. Borrowing words from the New York Times’ newsletter The Interpreter:
It’s not your imagination, and the last few months are not an outlier: Mass protests are on the rise globally.
They’ve been growing more common, year over year, since the end of World War II, now reaching an unprecedented level of frequency.
And if it might seem difficult to find a common thread — anti-corruption rallies in Lebanon, separatist demonstrations in Spain, pro-democracy marches in Hong Kong, protests against inequality in Chile and over election results in Bolivia, to name just the most recent — that’s not a coincidence.
Because this is all being driven by more than just the proximate causes of each individual uprising. The world is changing in ways that make people likelier to seek sweeping political change by taking to the streets.
Before we explain those changes and how they have created an era of global unrest, there’s one other trend you should know about.
Protests are also becoming much, much likelier to fail.
It’s that last sentence in the quoted text that perturbs me. (Of course, the writers explained the bases of this statement well in their newsletter.) I see it happening in my country where protests are gathering fewer warm bodies.
The question begs to be asked: Whatever happened to Filipinos who first harnessed “people power”, a mass dissent that changed the political landscape of the time?
The dictator it overthrew has now been buried among the nation’s heroes, a staunch opposition senator is detained, a Supreme Court chief justice was impeached and ousted by her own colleagues, thousands upon thousands of Filipinos are killed without due process in the name of the President’s crackdown on illegal drugs... — I can go on, but you get the point.
If any of these isn’t enough, what else would and could incite public outrage?
For the first People Power Revolution, the breaking point was the assassination of opposition senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino. For the so-called Edsa Dos, or the second People Power Revolution in 2001, it was the senators’ alleged blocking of evidence in the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada.
I’ve discussed this with my best friend and soul sister Zandra some months, perhaps even a year, ago. My theory is that for as long as the Filipino public has access to and can freely vent on social media, there is an avenue for their frustrations. There is no reason to take it to the streets.
All one needs is a series of tweets to let off steam and to cool down. Host and stand-up comedian Ellen Degeneres perfectly described this phenomenon in one part of her response to netizens’ uproar over her photo with former US President George Bush: “A lot of people were mad, and they did what people do when they’re mad — they tweet.”
After some weeks, I found the following talk by America’s first bi-racial and African-American president Barack Obama.
Former President Obama to young people: “This idea of purity and you're never compromised and you're politically woke, and all that stuff — you should get over that quickly”
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 30, 2019
Obama goes on to slam people who engage in cancel culture and who look to create constant online outrage pic.twitter.com/qQPdeJb7nV
His words echoed my sentiments about the prevalence of social media today and the manner by which we utilize this technology: We have become polarizing, self-righteous and discriminating, all feigning actual involvement in social change.
It’s time to think about our actions and the impact we make in the world. •