Tsismis: Nagmamadyong Daw Ang Mga Madre

I was watching Christian Esquerra Facts First podcast: Nagmahjong Daw ang mga madre? Mali! and he was discussing this in relation to "MIM In Malacanang" a pro- Marcos movie about the family's last 72 hours in Malacanang.

Christian Esguerra - a no-nonsense talk show host was in his best element and I was educated more on topics that seemed alien to me but are actually happening right now in our midst. One of the terms was not highlighted in this podcast but it is worth mentioning. Here are a few terms that I learned:

1. Passionate ignorance - Christian said each one of us has opinions about something. And there are Filipinos who have different opinions that are contrasting and contradicting what you have.  If your opinion in your estimate is the most legit &  most accurate, the other side is also as passionate as you are about their beliefs. 

"Ang tanong, Christian asked "ang pinaniwalaaan ba nila ay tama o hindi ...... or produkto lang ito ng kasinungalingan?"

Just like MIM and the Martial Law atrocities, after BBM won, the country was polarized and divided into two warring and vocal factions.

"This is the reason why I coined the term passionate ignorance, kasi nga nakapassionate mo sa isang bagay, tinitindigan mo base as isang prinsipyo, pero ang prinsipyo mo naman baluktot." Hindi ka umaatras. Patay kung patay. Kung minsan nagkamali na sa punto ... pero nakuha pa ring lumosot sa palusot.

2. Passion for ignorance. - Simply put - DENIAL. This was not discussed by Christian per se, but it is part and parcel of the whole enchilada. Though complicated, the social and psychological motivations for denying its existence, and people saying tahimik ang buhay namin noong Marital Law, in that the individuals are dealing with a "traumatic knowledge"  and by remaining ignorant, unattached, and denying its existence is an attractive alternative ... or the safest?  In times like this, ignorance or not knowing anything becomes a better option as it contributes well to the person's well-being... even his survival.

At a time when fake news, propaganda, political rhetoric, and dueling experts dominate the media, one expert that I talked with will not be surprised if a lot of people will consciously  “embrace ignorance and denial to make this insane world a saner place to live in.

3. Smart shaming- This is very true on youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. It is the act of mocking someone who is smarter than us. You try to state a dissent to those who abuse his freedom in socmed, whether simple or complicated, is sometimes met with ill-placed jeers. Giving a strong opinion about MIM and Martial Law atrocities gets you dagger looks from across the room. Correcting the director of MIM that including a snippet of Cory Aquino playing mahjong with the nuns was an offshoot of poor research and that they didn't understand what the American reporter was writing. and worst you get called one of the worst labels in human history. And passing any bar or board out there—law, medicine, engineering—is enough ammo for people to attack you with.

Christian E. reported one smart shamer when he made this reply:  " So dapat kayo ang masusunod ... wala ng karapatan angiba... mag-presidente na lang kayo. OR ... "ayan nagbabalik ka na naman na sobrang self-rigteous ... ang gagaling nyo naman.

Ako ay may tanong. For some godforsaken reason, why do I have this sick feeling that our society makes it seem like being smart is an embarrassing thing? Like we need to hide our intelligence and keep our mouths shut in order to fit in and save ourselves from an onslaught of mockery.

4. False Balance - aka called “false equivalency. It refers disparagingly to the practice of journalists who, in their zeal to be fair, present each side of a debate as equally credible, even when the factual evidence is stacked heavily on one side. So when Ella Cruz said: History is like tsismis ... equal time was given to Ella to defend her claims, but journalists also made interviews with historians like Ambeth Ocampo who have been hammered hard by MIM hardliners.

In Christian E. discussion about MIM, trolls have been harping one-liners like: Give the Marcoses their side of the story.  Then another commenter will pick it up and will say: |There is always two sides to the coin. Narinig na namin ang sa inyo ... it is time to give them the spotlight.  The comment looked new but it was just a recycled refrain to give it a fresh look.  This is when they try to invoke fairness to journalists: " You tried to show their side ... now its time to hear the Marcos version." That is kung patas ka.

But Christian E challenge that with this question: " Kung ang pinipilian ba natin ay young nagsasabi ng totoo or yong nagkakalat ng kasinungalingan dapat ba bigyan natin sila ng equal importance? Sabay natin silang kausapin sa isang interview like this? Sa isang article dapat ba similar length of paragraphs and sentences devoted to each one of them?

Indeed Impartiality and balanced journalism - are such two lonely words in our society nowadays.  The allocation of equal space to opposing views and the objectivity by which journalists are making an effort to exclude subjective judgment of their subjects are gargantuan tasks, and after a day of hard work, all we received was getting bashed and ridiculed.

I hoped I will not be bashed for this. I know how protective and clannish the factions are and they don't waste any ammunition to hit you in the head when emotions get in the way of their intelligence,  I saw the video and I happen to agree with Christian in some ways and I learned and understood some words that were quite vague to me before. That's why I share it with you.

Totoo ba na ang mga madre ay nagmamadyong sa history? Hindi ... kaya nga sinabi ni Ella na history is like  ... Tsismis?

Here's the link to Christian Esguerra's Facts First:  Magmamadyong daw Yong Mga Madre MALI!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DriV3AUNlL0