Boyet Fajardo Scandal & Dela Paz-Pangandaman

Two things---the ongoing online lynching of a Filipino Fashion designer Boyet Fajardo and the Dela Paz-Pangandaman golf melee.

The first one is being discussed animately in both online and offline circles with the main issue--the people's disgust against the action of a man who thinks he is above everything. Same goes to the DelaPaz-Pangandaman incident. People got angry when a Cabinet member did'nt intervene to resolve a simple misunderstanding.

Use of power. Use of influence. Perceptions of being "strong" and championing the perceived "weak". That's the story.

Looking at this, I ask myself---I would love to see such outrage happen against government officials. I would love my fellow bloggers to rant, holler and shout invectives against erring government officials.

But, nay, the Wisdom of the Mob is a hard thing to understand.

What's the Wisdom of boycotting somebody's products just because he blew his top? What's the Wisdom of asking someone to resign when he's not even a party in the bugbugan (mauling)?

Such is the Wisdom of the Crowd.

Maybe people identified with this despicable situation and realized that they are as worst as those who were "victimized". That the outburst were all knee-jerk reactions, the kind that most probably, people would repent later on.

People judge based on initial observation. Look at this Boyet Fajardo scandal. People already judged him based on the video circulated on YouTube. Without even hearing what transpired and without even considering the side of Boyet Fajardo, people already judged him.

Can you judge a person's acts simply by looking at the video? No. Those acts can be interpreted and misinterpreted in so many ways. Boyet Fajardo may have been animately discussing things with the cashier, and not castigating him as what the aggrieved "victims" accused him of doing.

Did Boyet Fajardo ordered the employee to kneel down before him? No. According to reports, it was the Duty-Free sales manager who ordered him to kneel down. But, as what bloggers and online kibitzers believe, it was Boyet Fajardo who ordered him to do so.

Maybe, what Boyet Fajardo did mirrored the acts done in secret by these people who already judged him? Maybe they saw themselves in Boyet Fajardo and they want to divert attention from themselves?

Did the bloggers even considered why these cashiers tried to accost Boyet Fajardo because he's a physically handicapped guy? No. Did they ever considered that one of the reasons why those cashiers did not allow him to buy those chocolates was because they had this animosity against physically handicapped people?

That, based on reports, these cashiers saw that Boyet Fajardo was disabled and they thought of making a big joke out of him? That they did'nt believe that he's capable of having a credit card because he's handicapped and a gay?

Those who got the worst end of the rope when it comes to public service went ballistic when they heard of how a Mayor of an unknown municipality alleged mauled a fellow golfer.

Without even considering that this guy Dela Paz is known as a golf course "brawler" and a "hard-head" and a " difficult guy to begin with" and he instigated the incident.

That both Dela Paz and the Pangandamans tried to use their "power" and "influence" and they tried to "bully" each other up were never considered.

Some bloggers were quick on their feet judging the incident as if they were there and witnessed the entire thing with their eyes open and wrote passionately on the "first-hand" basis.

Such is the Wisdom of the mob.

Alex Magno, columnist of Philippine Star maybe right. There are some bloggers out there who are irresponsible. We need to write as responsible opinion writers, not someone who writes with an armalite pen in hand.