Duterte, rape and our insidious minds

Rody Duterte may actually be cuddly cute to some, a monster to others. Whatever he dishes out gets the banner story spot because, for the second time, we have someone who talks like a toughie and claims that he is the real McCoy.

Well, I had one during my teen days, and based on my experience, some are just huff and puff guys and most are, well flexing their muscles to hide their weaknesses. What gets everyone's attention is the disruptive ways Duterte does things. Of course, people would take notice because these are things often left as stuff classified as "for the boy's"

What is so worrisome, to say the least, is what's on Duterte's insidious mind. Are we protesting because Duterte spoke his mind and there are children around? Or are we protesting because he said something bad (or stupid to some, horrible to others)?

Is it bad to think about beautiful ladies being raped and you're not one of those who lined up for the take? Yes, because that shows borderline serial rapist. The mere thought of raping someone is automatically, a sign of a sick mind. It does not just offend the victim, and former victims of violence--it also offends even those decent persons out there who were treated with this inanity.

But, someone would say--which is more offensive---wholesale rape by the State or a gang rape by prisoners or rape by a mayor? I am reminded of Mayor Sanchez of Calauan Laguna who raped and brutally murdered a young UP Los Banos student.

I remember that incident because it laid bare local political dynamics, of how townfolks literally made the mayor their local god, of how they praised him and even defended this Mayor inspite of the gruesome rape and murder he did with the UP student.

Rape, by all means, is simply not just a sexual assault or an act committed not just to debase the humanity of the victim--but to show power, to show who is "boss". There is still no in-depth research but I think that rape or the idea of rape is something which is deeply imbedded into our conscious or sub-conscious minds and is a left-over act from our Stone Age life.

Duterte said, his utterances were "left overs" from his proletarian life--a life which he probably invented and he probably convinced himself that he belonged to the lowest of classes. Duterte did not belong to the poorest ranks because his father was a judge and his mother, a teacher. He, himself, was a fiscal and a mayor for many years.

Besides, I don't believe those who belonged to the lowest rungs of our society would ever think of lining up and raping someone and getting satisfaction from it. Poor people are more decent than the wealthy and the power-trippers--remember those scions of Cebuano families who were convicted of raping a young girl in Cebu city?

Worrisome or not, but Duterte is really in his element right now---creating buzz. Of course, these are simply not attributable to his PR handlers, namely Lito Banayo, Willie Fernandez and another old fogey. These people do not need tons of money for their client to get printed space--Duterte, by his own, is cover material.

A revolutionist is someone who disrupts things, who creates opportunities and definitely Duterte fits  that mold "like a T". The problem really is, Duterte often forgets that he is gunning for the presidency--not the mayoralty race. Duterte knows that there are certain sensitivities, often cultural, that someone like him, who is now a national celebrity, that he must consider before opening his mouth. That is not a skill---but a necessary trait a person aspiring for the presidency must remember if he definitely dead-set on becoming one.

Now, for those who worry about the likelihood of a Duterte presidency, the solution really is for everyone to ignore Duterte's rants and pants and just maintain unspeakable silence.