The Philippine Politics is a Meme
Comedic at best, embarrassing at worst
Laughter is the best medicine — unless your elected officials is the joke, then you’ll need to go find a better cure for headache.
Sure you’ve seen random kids in department stores throw tantrums after being denied of the toy they badly want. Well, it’s no different watching two politicians on national TV fight over that one “birthday treat” they both want.
That’s the Philippine politics in a nutshell!
Judging by the emoji reaction of news enthusiasts on Facebook wherein almost every political news is dominated by the laughing emoji react — even the most serious one — it seems that people are so done at taking these politicians seriously. Or, well, maybe they just try to laugh it off as a way to release their frustrations. Who knows!
But what I do know is that these are only a few of the many [for the lack of better term] comedic twists in the Philippine politics:
Exhibit A: Sarcasm is the New Black
Finally, people have outgrown from the sweet-talking tactics of traditional politicians. But that’s not good news when, for a change, they go for someone who speaks fluent sarcasm regardless of the occasion. Now, if we complain about an irresponsible pronouncement, we get blamed for missing the sarcasm. As if the sarcasm wasn’t enough to confuse us, we listen to a spinmeister explain it using metaphors. If he gets misinterpreted, it’s our fault for not being poetic enough.
Exhibit B: Harry Potter and the Cursed Adults
If you are one with me in fantasizing about living in a wizarding world, you need not look farther because sorcery is just around the corner. Just look around and you’ll be astounded by the way some politicians are renewed a seat in public office as if the six years of probationary period wasn’t enough to notice all the red flags, not to mention the misguided counter-arguments (or should I say…incantations?) during debates/interviews. So here we are, collectively being cursed to watch them give insensitive remarks and implement politically tone-deaf policies for another six years.
Exhibit C: The Alchemy in Political Scandals
One moment, you watch these politicians being investigated for plunder, graft, corruption or whatever it is that eventually pressures them to snatch a neck brace on one hand and a wheelchair on the other. And then the next thing you know, they are reelected for a.n.o.t.h.e.r term in the office. In all the ways I’ve imagined a political scandal would go down, gaining even stronger public faith is definitely not one of it. No wonder many of them seem to be enjoying this so-called “unfortunate experience” magically transformed into a spellbinding political stunt.
Exhibit D: The Fifty Shades of Limelight
People are easily sold on any form of publicity. And I think it has something to do with our knack for voting by popularity that leads those who got even the slightest shade of limelight to think it’s their social obligation to enter politics despite having nothing more to offer than their fame. With this misplaced spirit of democracy burning in our hearts, we are not far from electing a YouTuber with no political agenda but can impresively pull off a funny, flawless prank.
Exhibit E: The Greatest Showmemes
What’s worst than arguing with the wall is arguing with a personality cult. It’s like the only information that matters to them are those that praises their political leader. The rest is fake news. They wear their obsession to a politician as a badge of honor and anyone who attempts to call them out are simply discounted as money-grubbers. You tell them about the alarming police brutality and they’d go after your physical appearance. You tell them about the disturbing injustices in the country and they’d question your mathematical ability. You can never get it right with people whose morality depends on one politician’s mood swing.
Now, what if I tell you that you are the meme?
WE ELECT POLITICIANS, NOT LEADERS
I hate to admit it but every time I watch these elected officials take turns in hitting the news headlines for all the wrong reasons, I used to take comfort in the fact that the next election will soon come to save us like a knight in shining armor. Until recently, I stopped looking at it as an emergency exit from a palace on fire because with the kind of political culture that we have right now, I rather see it as an invitation to a disaster anew.
Karl Marx said it best, “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” The way I see it, elections these days have become nothing but a consolation for the oppressed, to lead them into believing that they are still in control of things. It has become merely a ceremonial act of changing names and switching sides, there’s nothing much for the rest of the elements. But should we fully hold it against the oppressors? I don’t think so. Because for me, it’s us who largely participated in discounting its value.
THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE
Sadly, elections have become a battle between the worse and the worst instead of the good and the better. And no one but ourselves should be blamed as to why we are trapped in the illusion of choice. Most politicians run for office not because they have a good vision for the country, but because they see a good chance of winning despite the lack thereof. They draw their confidence from our knack for voting by familiarity/popularity. While those who have the ability and the heart to serve are disheartened because we don’t make space for them.
In a dialogue with a friend about the elections, I somewhat naively agreed to his statement, “it’s not like we have the luxury of better options,” which — as I pondered overnight — is just basically a wordplay for Beggars Can’t Be Choosers: Filipino Voters Edition™. Thinking about it, I realized that agreeing to that statement is like disowning the responsibility as to why we are caught in this hopeless position.
Blaming our lack of better options to the oppressing class who we keep on electing time after time only proves what political analyst Sam Greene said about us that “voters have grown dissociated from the consequences of their votes.”
It’s saddening how we have created a political culture that favors the interests of the oppressors. And even more saddening how we led ourselves into believing that we are just victims and not the culprits of this kind of political culture. Until we realize our participation in starting this broken political culture that has lived through generations, only then will we be able to truly acknowledge our power as voters in ending it.
But dismantling a broken system that we ourselves created should start at home: So first, let’s cancel the celebrity culture in politics. While it’s a good thing to express our praises to someone who is doing a good job, let’s be mindful to not cross the line of becoming a personality cult. Second, let’s be critical in choosing our leaders. While it’s safe to vote for someone we are already familiar with, let’s also try to get to know the other candidates who may not have made a big name in the field of sports or film-making but have created a good reputation in public service or community service in their own ways. This, while minding that being a philanthropist does not automatically qualifies a person for a seat in public office. Third, let’s not fall easily with their warm promises. While it’s good to go for someone who has a promising political agenda, let’s also learn to dissect a realistic political agenda from one that is obviously just a desperate reach to get our votes.
But along with our desire for better options should be our willingness to raise our standard and strengthen our guard. So if you are eligible to vote in the next election, please register to vote now and be counted on May 2022 and onwards. Let’s make the next elections finally work for us and not for the politicians who take advantage of the system’s weaknesses.
Our votes will not only define our future in the next three to six years but, most importantly, will shape the kind of history that we will leave for the posterity to learn.
It’s about time that we take it seriously.
Until then, the joke is on us.
