A writer over at FilipinoVoices wrote that there is too much attention being given by the people with this Katrina Halili-Hayden Kho scandal that other issues, like this proposed tax on books, are being glossed over. Manolo Quezon agreed and other people over the netsphere.
Probably he's right but I disagree on some points. First, this issue just shows you how pervasive the internet is becoming, from just a place for research, to a place for destroying or prepping up reputations. What this Halili sex scandal shows not just the non-sensical fascination of a people on sex and gossips, but rather a genuine concern for the effects of the New Media on a hapless victim (willing or not willing).
What public discourse just want us, observers and analysts to see, is the way they are being affected by this New channel of communication. That Filipinos care for other Filipinos. That it is not just ideas or books that we must be concerned about---we should be concerned with the personal lives of real people allegedly affected by this new medium.
What Filipinos are trying to figure out is whether to accept this change as calmly as possible, or repulse it with a New law called Cyber Law. By populating public discourse with such a scandal, we are being made to choose between embracing a New Medium, or crucify it by tagging it as an evil tool. This is the reality we are grappling about here. The despicable acts done by Dr. Hayden Kho are just superficial; yet, if we are to lift that layer off, we find that the core issue lies on the new media having an emotional connection with the people. And the numbers of people affected ranged to 22 million, not to fret nor frown upon.
It also shows how net issues have permeated the national psyche and has even dominated public discourse.
Having said that, there lies the challenge for us, writers in the netsphere. We know the medium. We know how now it has established a personal, emotional connection with our fellow Filipinos. It is now our tasks to see to it that Filipinos accept this medium as part of their lives and use it to empower the masses to change the way things are.
We are entering a New Era, where New Ideas are slowly eating old ones up and it is our responsibility to make people accept this New Era, like what Americans did in accepting Kris Allen as winner of American Idol season 8.
We must seize this New Era by the hair and take it to wherever the welfare of the People is.
Likewise, the way some gloss this scandal over, shows the communicative disjunct between those who profess to know what the masa feels with the masa. The challenge is to bridge that gap. From a stage where we are, which I described as gesellschaft, we must ascend this stage to a gemeinschaft, or what we term as a community.
As long as this gap remains wide, there is still no connection between intellectuals and the People whom they profess to serve.
You really do not get much comments and feedback, do you? Maybe you should cross-post at FilipinoVoice or at Ellen Tordesillas.
ReplyDeletewell...it's okey po. this is a commentary page, so, i expect people to either disagree or not. If they agree, surely, they either comment or not, which is fine. If they disagree, that's the time they comment.
ReplyDeleteand this site is explository. so, comments are not really expected. although I appreciate other bloggers who linked this site to theirs. That, for me, my friend, is more than enough.