I have to admit that I started to become jaded in the concept of analyzing and studying the Pinoy blogosphere several months ago. I remember talking to Tiffy about it over cake. My take was pretty basic – that, as a collective voice, the voice of the blogosphere is the voice of the middle class. My main argument is that blogging is a middle class activity. Access to resources such as technology, time, and education is a luxury that only the middle class can afford.
I was close to trashing my plans on doing a thesis on Filipino political blogs but it seems that I have been reinvigorated by this sudden surge of opinionated expression that puts traditional media to shame. The issue is just so full of insight on politics and social media. The blogosphere has been set on fire because of the alleged brawl involving the DAR secretary’s son and bodyguards.
In this issue, no one can deny the power of the blogosphere’s voice as we just witnessed that it can even move traditional media to make this an issue worth reporting. I have been trying to take a critical look at this whole issue, paying attention to what is being said by bloggers. It’d quite interesting to examine the discourse and interpret the forces that influence each statement. Some have elevated the discussion to the levels of civics and law. Still, many have judged the issue based on fundamental sense of right and wrong.
Personally, I judge the issue by the basic sense of morality and empathy. No one deserves what the de la Pazes have gone through. The truth must prevail and justice must be served. We must all damn this feudal hegemony that still plagues our democracy.
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NOTE: Some ideas in this part might be inappropriate given the freshness of the situation and might piss off some people. I’m just placing it here for recording purposes. Take with a grain of salt.
The devil’s advocate in me asks why have we raised this issue to such proportion. Could it be possible that the sudden weight of this issue particularly across the blogosphere is due to personal networks? That we care because this case makes the injustice of society more apparent and real because it happened to one of us (the middle class/the blogosphere)?
Dissecting the issue, it can be said that class has barely got to do with the core issue. What the Pangandamans did was morally wrong, if not, criminal. Still, zooming out and looking at the whole discourse spawned by the incident, it is hard to dissociate the possible influence of social class to the blogosphere’s outrage.
Maybe this comment is quite tasteless and inappropriate given the circumstances (especially since the comment was made within a forum involving people who empathize) but it can make one think whether BrianB’s reaction is no different from people’s general Oh-that’s-life-in-the-Philippines-shit happens-deal-with-it reactions after reading news about some poor nameless bloke from the slums getting killed on some esquinita or some politico pocketing millions.
Many have not agreed to (perhaps offended by) my argument that there exists a blogging principalia in Filipino blogging community. Now, it seems that I can resurrect that argument. Doesn’t this latest issue show us that we still live in a (semi-)feudal society and that even the issue that the blogging principalia deems important suddenly becomes as such?
This case, I think, will prove to be the test for the integrity of the blogosphere’s collective voice. Will we be able to follow-through on this? If class is not the issue, will we then start taking a critical eye to every issue regardless of who is involved?
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good post.
not semi-feudal. but a feudal one.
really.
Arbet wrote in jest/sarcasm in his post “For an Absolute, Hereditary Monarchy but I’ve always been of the opinion that our society is already an elected monarchy now.
I think this incident will be under such watchful eye that it will go to court. without the blogs that spark such outrage, this incident would have fallen in the cracks. but lets not kid ourselves it is a huge change. It gives the family a slim but fighting chance to get justice that they deserve.
i am of the opinion that bloggers do take a critical eye on issues they’re passionate about.
May I suggest reading this to see genuine “blogging class” heartbreak for those not like us? http://jaefever.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/power/
Why not argue that the viral nature of the news was brought about not because it a middle class issue but because of the stickiness of the incident itself? Bullying and arrogance are universal hates in whatever incarnation, especially if its from the politicos. Also, it maybe because of how the story was told, the details of which and the emotions underlying all this really hits home. Put that in any medium and we can bet on any person’s reaction. At least that was what I was thinking when I passed it on.
This case, I think, will prove to be the test for the integrity of the blogosphere’s collective voice. Will we be able to follow-through on this? If class is not the issue, will we then start taking a critical eye to every issue regardless of who is involved?
If the Cris Mendez is the template, you’ll know how this will end. The blogosphere had its chance before, and it remains to be seen if the bloggers have learned anything at all from that issue.
in that case, arbet, clearly not much.
Dudes now I understand the hate directed towards me. I just assumed it was because of my little clash with ade (the whistleblower in this case) and his friends. No, when I wrote, Welcome to the Philippines, I didn’t mean fuhgettabouddit. I meant, welcome to the everyday struggle most Filipinos endure. God, some people don’t read the entire comment no matter how short and most of my comments are short.
And my comment isn’t tasteless. You just see it like they do, compartmentalizing their own lifestyles out and away and well-insulated from the rest of this nation. Besides, what is being tasteless or rude compared to being hypocrites.
I’d say semi-feudal. The middle-class dominated blogosphere is a clear sign of it.
The principalia cannot solely dictate which issues to play up or which to ignore. The so-called elite is only elite to the other bloggers – they are just as nameless and faceless to the ordinary internet user.
^^I think that’s a very good observation.