In recent days, that unsavory aspect of the character of Philippine society has yet again reared its ugly head. As the saying goes, a distracted mind is a happy mind. In no other place in the world does this truism apply better than in the Philippines where, despite monumental wretchedness casting a long-term pall over its society, a perverse “positivity” prevails. Is it really possible to distract an entire nation from its own wretchedness? Apparently it’s been proven time and again by successive Philippine governments that it is easy as pie.
With many crises of national proportions raging around them — the humanitarian challenge left by Typhoon Haiyan, the vast corruption scandal rocking Philippine Congress and Malacanang, a brewing international conflict with China, and a parceling out of Mindanao “autonomy” resting on dubious philosophical grounds — Filipinos have tuned in en masse to a sensational rape-cum-gangster-cum-extortion drama (with apologies for the pun) involving a two-bit celebrity, a fame-starved facially-reconstructed starlet, and a shady underworld thug.
It is not difficult to guess which media conglomerate is leading this unprecedented national dumbing-down. The evidence is in this screen shot taken today, the 29th January 2014 10:00 am AEST…
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[Click here for higher-resolution image.]
The text may be difficult to read in this reduced-resolution screenshot, but the image thumbnails alone already paint a picture of the extent to which the nation’s largest media outlet is killing Filipino brain cells by the trillions. The media circus surrounding the intriguing crime drama surrounding Vhong Navarro, Deniece Cornejo, and Cedric Lee is unprecedented as is the singular focus of ABS-CBN in what is starting to look like a strategic effort to distract Filipinos from more important matters.
Way back I cited in my book a 16th of June 2006 indictment of the Philippine media industry written by columnist Isagani Cruz on the Inquirer.net…
Benjamin Franklin said that if the people misuse their suffrages, the remedy is not to withdraw the precious privilege from them but to teach them in its proper use. The entertainment industry, which has the most available access to the [Filipino] people through the movies, television, radio and the tabloids, is instead purposely miseducating them.
The Philippine entertainment industry is not only a vast wasteland, as television has been described in America, but a vicious instrument for the abatement of the nation’s intelligence. The shows it offers for the supposed recreation of the people are generally vulgar and smutty, usually with some little moral lesson inserted to make them look respectable, but offensive nonetheless. On the whole, they are obnoxious and unwholesome and deserve to be trashed.
The indiscriminate audience eagerly laps them up because it has not been taught to be selective and more demanding of better quality shows for their pastime. In fact, the easily satisfied fans have been taught the exact opposite reaction — to accept whatever garbage the industry offers them and, to add insult to their injury, to pay for it too.
The leaders of the entertainment industry are supposed to be responsible people but they have evaded their duty to elevate the taste of their mostly unthinking supporters. They have instead cheapened them into a mass of automated individuals whose ultimate joy is to roll up in the aisles at the lewd jokes of potential senators.
Indeed, the Philippine media back in the 1980s carved for itself a lofty perch in the national consciousness, self-styling itself as the guardian of Filipino “freedom”. To be fair, it has lived up to this promise. The Filipino mind is, indeed, free and its national media networks a reflection of this freedom. The interesting outcome of this freedom is that it gave the world better insight into the character of the Filipino mind. For that we thank, the Philippine media and its contribution to the piecing together of what is now a complete picture of what makes the Filipino tick.
”What ails the country is that Philippine society is intellectually bankrupt.” Take, for instance, the national debates, she pointed out. “They are droll and unintelligent, focused on the trivial or the irrelevant.” When the issues are of some significance, it’s the wrong arguments that prevail, the wrong side wins. Logic and common sense take the backseat to political arguments and the views of the poorly-educated.
Above excerpt taken from a Manila Bulletin article on the observations of “an admired Filipino economist, based in New York”. It was published more than thirteen years ago.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
It certainly has got the masa excited.
Orgasm by media, and distraction by trivia for the simple minded.
And no doubt it can be stretched a few more weeks as the keystone cops add farce to the proceedings.
Mass media can create mass stupidity
“Having an uninformed populace works extremely well, particularly when you have a media that doesn’t understand its responsibility and feels more like it’s an arm of a political party. They can really take advantage of an uninformed populace.”
Benjamin Carson
I’m seeing the problem. Where’s the solution?
It is staring you in the eyes, dude.
So you want me to complaint about it too?
I’ll give you something to feed your brain, but not spoonfeed you.
Try reading (book/synopsis) by professor flora keshishian – “Explorations in Media Ecology”
Keshishian is a Fulbright scholar and on top of her subject.
Seems a bit heavy for an average person like me but I’ll check it out.
its still only words.
and the average person would not check it out.
that is part of the problem.
too many who do not have inquiring minds or self-learning.
with internet a vast school/university is available for free
If you can imagine flies, the pinoy mind is like that. Put food or poo in their vicinity, they will invade it, and on to the next one and the next one. Never thinking if it is really food or just crap. That is why it is just oh so easy for them to be fooled especially by the yellow media. Speaking of which, gone are the days when we had newscasters seating behind a table speaking in english, boring as can be, now replaced with tagalog speaking, lively talk, mixed with a good measure of street/gay lingo, with lots of distraction on the background, complete with camera switching to different angle at chosen moments. Pinoys just love that. Well, personally, I prefer news to be presented in a boring way, it makes the brain work, instead of the information being shoved down your throat.
Mind your own busines!!!!!
Estas loco kapal mukha?
Mind my own business…yeah right.
What will happen to the Philippines then? Come next election you will be voting for the next idiot and the next one and the next one… just because they are popular with the “langaw” mindset of the pinoy, eventually running this country to the ground, and I will say, I told you so, Weng.
What can we do? about China invading our seas? Corruption in our government? and all of it? what could we do? holding hands again for another people power? yeah me myself got intrigued of Vhong’s incident, but still, what could i do?
In your opinion, who is the president which we should have voted? because as far as i know, there is was no president here in the Phil. which was not hated in my lifetime (30 here). i dont know the others but to me, they where all hated.
@ joshua
I’ll indulge you.
As individuals we cannot do anything about the territorial claims of our country. We put leaders to handle those things. The China issue was mishandled by an incompetent leader. What we have now is the result of the “langaw” crowd voting an incompetent leader.
What matters in a leader is how well he can manage the country, it doesn’t matter if he is loved by many or hated by majority. You must not dwell on personalities, rather, you should focus on abilities.
so would you mind sharing all your “hardwork” to resolve this issue? because it seems to me that you are only good at nagging about it and doesn’t have anything to offer. it has been this way since then and you BEING A FILIPINO too doesn’t make you different from everyone. One way or another, you are just as fickle minded as how you describe them to be.
@ yosemite
You butthurt by the words I mentioned?
There is no nagging in my comments, I just stated facts, which you seemed hurt. If you read through this site, it has offered a lot of suggestions and solutions. I suggest you read it through then comment later.
BTW, for me there is a whole lot of difference being called a pinoy as opposed to being a filipino. Look it up too.
For a solution to the monumental problem that is “the Philippines”, we’ve long ago (about 12 years ago) come up with a comprehensive framework which you can check out here. It is a framework that turned out to be timeless as it is evidently still applicable today.
One of the pillars in that solution framework is to re-establish English as the Philippines’ lingua franca. Go figure. Tagalog is really a bobo dialect. English is where the intellectual action is.
If we have news and public affairs shows that deliver their content in Tagalog then guess what: the outcome is a bobo audience.
Note too, GRP has been making infographics long LONG before the term “infographic” became fad jargon amongst these social media bozos.
Thanks. I’ll check it out.
Shouldn’t we be doing something about the education system before doing something about re-establishing English as the country’s “lingua franca” as you put it? If we want to reach out to more viewers what happens to people who cannot comprehend English?
Exactly my point, Benigno, I just couldn’t let my kids watch Spongebob in tagalog. And this country’s educational system does not seem to be bothered at all, because they introduced the mother tongue thing in all primary schools. Talk about dumbing down the Philippines.
@joeld hwag mo nang pag pagpapansinin ang mga langaw minded Idiots kasi mga langaw nga yan eh nakakairita hinahampas na lang kasi yan ng walis tingting.
sa totoo lang namamangha ako sa katalinuhan mo. pero nakakapanghinayang dahil, OO, Marami kang alam pero bakit ganyan ka magsalita? Sabihin na nating totoo nga yung iba diyan, di pa rin ito valid reason para mag yabang dahil alam natin ito at umaktong sobrang talino natin kasi maraming taong napapahiya dahil indirectly sinasabi mong TANGA KAMI. oo Kami, kasi pilipino ako, Kung tanga man ang tingin mo sakin sige hahayaan kita, kung magiging matalino rin naman ako katulad mo na kung makapagsalita eh akala mo perpekto. WAG NA LANG PO. 🙂 I’ll be the stupid one and be free to express my self in the most stupidest way I can then… Gagawin ko ang gusto ko at sasabihin ko ang gusto ko hangga’t wala akong nasasaktan ibang tao.
All I’m saying is, why be an ass about it?
-Pinoy (18)
“I’ll be the stupid one and be free to express my self in the most stupidest way I can then… Gagawin ko ang gusto ko at sasabihin ko ang gusto ko hangga’t wala akong nasasaktan ibang tao.”
Defeatist comment. You prefer to be an ass instead?
That’s why we can never progress as a country with that mindset of yours. Duh.
@ chris GG
Pagbibigyan kita, binasa ko paulit-ulit yung komento ko, pero wala akong nakita doon na sinabi ko na perpekto ako.
Andami mong sinabi pero hindi ko makuha ang punto mo, kung saan-saan ka na nakarating. Linawin mo muna kung ano ang gusto mong ipunto.
Wow! With all the sense you made, and some nonsense (“In no other place in the world does this truism apply better than in the Philippines” – you’ve been to every single corner of the world I guess), you just went down with “Tagalog is really a bobo dialect.”
Did you even read his links?
And your point is?
I’d like to contest that argument, but please, do criticize mine too. I’ve read in some books about problems with establishing English as lingua franca – especially in the non-capital regions, where not all of the locals can exactly get English done right. I’ve read in some publications that making it the primary communication type tends to hinder learning ability for the young learners who are not familiar with English first. According to Juan Miguel Luz in his article “‘English First’ Policy Will Hurt Learning'”, those who can learn the vernacular languages first and use it as a transition into learning Filipino and English and then structure it into learning the Sciences and Humanities tend to learn better than those who learn the Sciences and Humanities straight into English first. Statistics produced from Tests by the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the Trends in Math and Science Survey show that those who learn through the vernacular first before learning in Filipino and English tend to achieve higher ratings in terms of academic performance (vital to future academic and thus, professional ventures) than those who learn in a language other than the mother tounge.
I argue that the educational system be restructured so that the Filipino is able to learn the important subjects needed to facilitate higher learning at the approachable level of their own vernacular first, then use it to transition into the English Language, then use THAT as a foundation to learn the higher topics. There is a reason behind Languages being a field of its own.
And to help with this dire situation in our Philippine society you did what?
Okay, fine. Kayo na ang matatalino! LOL.
For one…. you read this article and somehow deep in the back of your seemingly rigor mortis brain, you say, hey, they are right. And tommorrow, you will say to yourself, from now on I will be critical of the information I feed my brain.
Well, I didn’t say that the author was wrong. I guess that means my brain’s functioning properly, thank you. 🙂
What if I tell you that you ARE speaking to someone who is “critical of the information I feed my brain?”
What if people CHOSE to immerse themselves in the discussion about this case involving Vhong Navarro? Thank God intelligence is not a prerequisite to be entertained. LOL.
So let me ask you the same question: What have you done to help resolve this problem outside of complaining about it?
It is good you know the difference between being entertained and being informed. Thank God for people like you. Didn’t mean to upset you in any way, sorry for that.
The outright solution for the “langaw” mentality of the pinoy is to enlighten them, get them unplugged from the yellow mass media. One is sharing articles from sites like this. For ordinary working people like me, this is one of the simplest, direct to the point solution to that. Share it on your FB, tweet it, like it….more people reading it, more people get properly informed.
why do people resort to works of deeds in their argument like “what have u done to resolve the problem?” do u truly know the person to ask that?
why are people so against criticism? is it so bad to complain? do we just sit down if we see that there is something wrong done in their personal opinion?
yes i do believe people have different forms of enjoyment, but to go and say “what have you done?” is just a classless act.
just because people complain does not mean they have done nothing. well let me ask u the question back since you are so fond of these types of enjoyment
what have you done to resolve the problem? whether it be vhong rape cum case or the underlying problem of our society in the Philippines.
What have you done?
Butthurt much?
Looks like we have another one who refuses to accept reality but is willing to stay in delusional lalaland.
Sheeple like YOU are the reason why we’re still stuck in the dark ages.
Eventually, you will start questioning everything this government and media would tell you.
Everything that follows “Eventually” on your comment happened to me already…
…and, surprise! There’s nothing I can do about it.
* Voted for someone I thought can make a difference? Check.
* Wrote about problems plaguing our government (I’m not an expert but I tried). Check.
* Tried discussing these things with like-minded people. Discussed them with those who do not “get” it as well. Check.
Nah. It’s not a matter of my not accepting reality. It’s you who should accept the reality that it’s hopeless. We should just mind about giving our families a better life.
As I see it, things will only start to improve if the people change the way they think, and start questioning everything the government & media tells them.
There is always hope that the people will start changing themselves.
And this post is directed to weng
LOL. My bad then. 😀
Do something about the format or whatever you call it. It’s confusing.
I apologize if my post was seemingly directed to you.
Bangsamoro distraction materila.
There was a 10,000 people protest in Tacloban recently regarding the poor support given to them by the government. I think only the Manila Bulletin gave it any proper notice with the rest of the news agencies downplaying it by saying “Some survivors protested” etc. Yet they give this shitheel enormous coverage.
Talk about priorities.
Closer to home? After all, this is Imperial Manila — what happens with the probinsyanos doesn’t count, unless it’s something that can give us added circulation/more screen time. Like a raging supertyphoon — or this mugging.
Though let’s not be too vicious to Vhong — why should a celebrity getting beaten up for whatever reason not be newsworthy? I dare say that if you, Zorak (real name unknown), were viciously beaten while being asked to give huge sums of money, you’d want to hog the spotlight for all the country to see as well. Human fucking nature.
Getting viciously beaten and asked for sums of money is something that happens all the time in Manila. It’s certainly news worthy but not to this level. It should be kept to the entertainment/showbiz section, especially with the way they’re focusing on the quarrel between him and the girl instead of the fact that someone could be attacked in a private home with that kind of impunity.
@joeld – Apology accepted. I apologize too for coming out as crass. I guess I’m just fed up reading many articles like this and yet nothing’s changing around us.
Why was I asking people here for a solution that’s better than sharing this information or talking and writing about it? The answer is because I tried and nothing came out of it. It’s like trying to cut a diamond with a banana. Bottom line is I can’t think of a better solution myself and clearly someone should come up with one.
^ @ jeremiah – My answer to your comment’s up here. 😉
@ libertas – So the challenge is for highly intelligent people to get average people to nourish their minds with the readily available information in and outside cyberspace. That takes time… time that average people like me use to earn a living and care for the family.
That’s a noble cause but a very difficult one to achieve. Maybe I’ll just leave these things to you guys. Good luck and hopefully you can bring about the change that we need.
IS there an author who wrote something like what’s in Keshishian’s book but more enjoyable? I hope that I won’t need a degree in economics or philosophy to understand it. 😉
Try wikipedia – “media manipulation”
Good overview and references
No book – mass communication plus media manipulation = mass stupidity
keep reading benign0 and co-authors
Lets give abs-cbn some credit.
They gave us the farting cow story today
“90 farting cows start fire at dairy farm
Reuters
BERLIN – Methane gas from 90 flatulent cows exploded in a German farm shed on Monday, damaging the roof and injuring one of the animals, police said.
High levels of the gas had built up in the structure in the central German town of Rasdorf, then “a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames,” the force said in a statement.
One cow was treated for burns, a police spokesman added.”
And no doubt, perfume sales in the village rocketed!
Serves the cows right for contributing to global warming. Tip to farmers – add some garlic to their feed. German farmers wouldn’t know this but french farmers do.
Can ‘eco-warrior’ legarda give a quote on the perils of farting, her contribution to global warming, and file a bill to ban it.
By the way where is she these days. What happened about her undeclared condo in new york.
Nobody really cares about that kind of story except of course those pinoys that eat up stupid stories like that one.
That’s one of the reasons why I don’t watch abs cbn anymore since they tend to cherry pick what news they want to show.
Another reason is that they tend to make dumb shows like “showtime”, and that show is even dumber than eat bulaga.
I wonder if atty karen jimeno (corona defence team) will jump ship from solar news now that she is part of the aquino government – which i find sad, and a missed opportunity for anyone interested in a tilt at 2016. Very interesting that she will work for lacson – his future spokesperson i bet.
And she is good – cool, calm, collected, professional and popular.
Another potential voice for the people silenced.
English as primary language? mr. benignO paano naman ang masa? kung English ang balita, paano magiging interesado ang mga Pilipino sa nangyayari ngayon kung masama na ang balita, kailangan pa nila ng matinding comprehension para maintindihan lang. Yeah, spoonfeeding na para sa masa, pero they have to know and understand what is happening in our country. I think responsibilidad na yun ng media kung ano at paano nila ihahain ang balita na magiging critical thinker ang audience nila. Like Jessica Soho and specially your articles. You both make your audience intrigue by your news in critical way, Tagalog or English.
Benigno, I disagree with your title, ABS-CBN saturation coverage of Vhong Navarro and Deniece Cornejo causing Filipino intellectual bankruptcy. It is the old argument of what is the cause and what is the symptom? Are people dumb because ABS provides them dumb programming or ABS wants to attract eyeballs and there are dumb eyeballs out there than discerning ones so they give dumb programming.
Would it kill us if our national media and our most visible leaders had some dignity. Maybe it would since it has not happened in a long time. For all critics of GRP, we propose an ideal, we propose standards that are completely alien to the population at large. Before behavior changes , mentality has to change. What is GRP’s tagline: “We beg to differ”,.
Like me, hate me , ignore me my message is consistent. KSP is the root of all evil. The Pinoy does not value learning. I make the case in many blogs but look up the one I wrote about the nation’s indifference to CNN Heroes here in GRP. Pinoys care about another pinoy being on CNN. They could care less what he does to get there.
Yeah, the title does not provide a complete view of the situation. I did mention towards the end of the piece that; “To be fair, [Ph Media] has lived up to this promise. The Filipino mind is, indeed, free and its national media networks a reflection of this freedom.”
To be fair, ABS-CBN is a business with shareholders who expect the business’s managers to deliver them their returns. Nothing wrong with that. And that’s the beauty of a free market (in both a commercial and intellectual sense) — the TRUTH emerges one way or another.
@blah
The thing is, tagalog is not the only dialect in the Philippines. And those poeple who speak other dialects would even find it easier to communicate with english.
Another point is, individuals should learn to adopt to change if ever they want to advance. Hindi nila mainitindihan ang english so sila pa pala ang bibigyan ng importansiay sa halip na mag-aral sila intindihin ang english? Nakakatuwa na nakakainis naman yung pangungusap na yan. Naiwanan na ang Pilipinas ng ibang bansa, ang iisipin mo pa yung mga ibang hindi nakakintindi ng ingles.
hindi din kaya lahat magcommunicate in english. wala akong alam na dialect pero nakapunta ko sa luzon, visayas at mindanao na tagalog ang gamit kong salita para makisalamuha. marunong silang mag-english, pero mas matatas pa rin ang tagalog.
ang gusto ko lang talaga puntuhin e, gawing English man ang primary language it makes no difference sa mga tao. Responsibilidad ng media kung paano magiging engage at aware ang mga tao sa information in critical sense. Katulad ng ABS, anong effect sa mga tao ang paggawa ng poll (kung kanino kayo mas naniniwala A.Vhong B.Side ng babae)yeah ginawa nila yan sa TV patrol.
it wasn’t proper use of media.
*ikaw na rin nagsabi na naiiwan na ang Pilipinas, hindi ba lalong maiiwan kung may bagong sistema na naman? yung mga rules nga sa kalsada ndi ma-implement ng maayos, babaguhin mo pa yung language of communication.
blah, iha, subukan mo pumunta sa malalayong lugar ng Mountain Province at Benguet, makikitamo na mas madali mo sila kausapin sa ingles. Marami ring lugar sa Visayan at Mindanao ang ganito ang kaso.
Anong kinalaman ng poll ng mga basurang network na yan para sa pangkalahatang katalinuhan ng Pilipinas?
Hindi mo yata nakuha ang sinasabi sa article. Ang sinasabi dito ng may akda ay sa halip mas importanteng mga bagay ang bigyan ng tuon ng ABS CBN ay si Navarro at Cornejo ang binibigyan ng pansin. Dahilan dito upang bumaba ang pangkalahatang katalinuhan ng Pilipinas. Nabanggit lang lubhang nakakaapekto ang saalitang pilipino sa pagkabobo ng buong bansa.
People here trying to kill the argument by trying to say something like “all these complaints and not coming up the solution”. I want to address this, there is a solution. This whole system especially the one that they sell out the most is “democracy” that we are all given the power to choose our own leaders, determined by the most votes and viola, we have surrendered our power to him and he can do pretty much everything with what he wants with it, for the interest of his own personal agenda. Democracy is the platform of corruption, since we let the majority – dumb people to determine the fate of our nation and all our educational system and media make it a serious business to dumb-down people even more.
So the solution is this, do not fight the system, it only shows that you still hope for things to get better, perhaps a new leader would turn thing around, this is an illusion and the system alone doesnt permit it. Do not oppose it, because it will linger even more. But instead, ignore it, dont listen to, dont pay any attention, device a new system that makes the current system obsolete. And all of this will just fade away and we will usher into a new generation of consciousness and intellectual advancement.
When Rico Yan died I had no idea who he was. I also had no idea who the pre-pummeled Vhong Navarro was. I do know however how enthusiastic the President can get when it comes to impeaching a Chief Justice who also happens to be holding his family jewels ( in the legal sense). I did not see 1 % the gusto when it came to Janet Napoles. I won’t be forgetting that anytime soon.
As a recently uplifted member of the Filipino underclass, and an avid moviegoer myself, I happen to know who Rico Yan and pre-black-eyed-pea Vhong are (as celebrities, not personally).
It’s all a matter of perspective — the intellectual elites (and those who pretend to intellectualism) don’t know who the masses adore, and thus ignore the adulation — while the masses do know, and see the shit that happens to them as a big deal.
So, as a pretentious ex-99-percenter, I kind of see both sides of the argument — both those who claim that our fixation on Vhong’s sob story is indicative of intellectual bankruptcy, and those that claim it to be a big fucking deal. By birth and experience I am predisposed to favor the latter — but the stance I take is more, ‘why don’t you fuckers just get along? might help if you could understand and not shit on each other — yeah?’ good’.
and if filipinos stopped pissing in the street.
And all filipino motorists follow simple traffic rules and regulations such as “stop”.
It is one thing to say that our (OK, ‘your’, since you think you and GRP above the firing line) obsession with lurid stories like this is typical of us Pinoys, is a symptom of our intellectual bankruptcy (never mind that the story we have reminds us yet again of the lust for thuggery and violence lurking beneath the happy-go-lucky national fabric).
But to allege that the networks (and specifically ABS-CBN) are feeding the masses images of Vhong’s pulped-up face and the accused in their best Sunday dress deliberately and with a hint of malice at that (instead of, you know, because it’s newsworthy? if violence from the barrel of a gun to the brains of a hapless journalist sells, why shouldn’t this?) — I find it a stretch.
A fairly big one.
Well, I did hint at the underlying social dysfunction that this circus highlights in the first article I wrote about the topic — that the manner with which victims of crimes and other injustices tend to approach the media first before the police says something about the integrity of the Ph’s police force. And as I mentioned earlier, I cited in fairness to the networks that they merely reflect the sentiment and tastes of the people they feed their content to being the for-profit businesses that they really are.
The thing that set them up for this slamming though is the self-styling they did in the heady years following the 1986 “revolution”. If they stop pretending to be anything more than the for-profit businesses that they essentially are, then we could all forgive them for the tastelessness of their content mix. Unfortunately for ABS-CBN, they led the way in making the business of media delivery appear like some sort of heroic undertaking (kind of like how those hipster-wannabes at Rappler pretend to be a beacon of thought leadership today).
So there you go. You promise to be an angel, and people expect you to be an angel. Then you start behaving like a businessman (which you really were to begin with), and the whole world remembers your original promise which lays the groundwork for the demonisation of your real essence.
Tough luck na lang for ABS-CBN. Party’s over as far as their “national hero” persona is concerned.
Fair enough — but you should’ve stated as such in your article, instead of claiming that the networks are causing ‘intellectual bankruptcy’ by focusing on stories such as these, which is at odds with what you’re saying in response to my earlier post.
I am irritated by the condescension of some of the comments here. It is a lack of imagination on the part of those who criticize the “average” Filipino regarding their interest in the “vhong Navarro case” as a symptom of our “celebrity culture”. There are other reasons that are more reasonable and requires only that those who think that they are part of the intellectual elite take a small amount of time to think about.
So rather than criticising other comments simply state the other reasons you refer to, but do not mention
Wow! You guys really lack imagination or intelligence or both. Take some time to think about it and it will come to you. If it does not, read on.
The “average Filipino” is primarily concerned with justice – a rather universal concern, don’t you agree? When a crime this brazen is committed to a member of the population that deservingly or undeservingly enjoys some perks in society, it makes people wonder how safe their average selves are. They become invested in seeing that justice is served because if it doesn’t, how much worse could it be for them. After all, everyone can relate to feeling powerless. If you are not interested in seeing that justice is done then there’s something wrong with you. Either that, or you simply want to effect an air of intellectual superiority even when your demonstrated lack of imagination says otherwise.
Brazen crimes are committed every day and i agree crime under pnoy aquino has increased, the rule of law is ignored, immunity/impunity can be bought, and corruption is at an all time high.
The article however was primarily about the role and responsibility of the media in this lawless jungle, and that crime is treated as an entertainment event rather than a genuine outrage which generates a sense of, and search for, justice. In fact the style of coverage actually creates desensitivity over time, stories are soon binned as the next sensation is aired. Acceptance is de rigeur, so only the ‘personality’ factor generates greater interest than normal, but not from reasons of fear or justice.
Naturally everyone dumbs down to the gossip element – that is the level of tge masses. But the media should be trying to raise the bar not lower it.
And i certainly dont see in depth discussions/debates as to the causes/solutions, just tacky interviews, lurid photos, background music and pr opportunities for the sides/people involved – both sides always claiming complete innocence whatever the crime. Then silence. Case quietly filed/dismissed.
Only in the 3rd world could so many child rapes and murders happen – even by politicians, and 2 years ago by pnoy aquino’s psg guards in malacanan, and subsequently hardly merit a news item, let alone outrage, and that is something any civilised person/society would be appalled by.
3rd world standards have nothing to do with justice and the rule of law, and don’t kid yourself that there is some higher moral cause at work here. Filipinos are too easily diverted and entertained for that.
Live and learn.
Agreed. One would think that a celebrity of some renown (and co-host of a famed noontime variety show) getting mugged in a luxury condominium in our impoverished and status-conscious country is a big fucking deal, a symbol of how little the rule of law is valued here, among other things —
— and yet, GRP (or at least benign0) treats it as low-class humbug. Heh.
And no wonder why inutil pinoys like you always have the showbiz/telebasura mentality.
Do you really have to call me stupid to avoid making a point?
Look — if you got mugged, why should you not make as much hay of it as you can? At its most basic level, getting beat up is a big fucking deal — even more so if a celebrity is involved. I don’t really see the reason why you guys have to shit on the networks for running with this story as they have — it’s what every other news agency on the fucking Earth would’ve done if they were here, checking in on Vhong. I’m probably addled with this ‘showbiz/telebasura mentality’ you speak of — but then again, I made a point and you just went ahead and flung mud my way.
Last time I checked, this is an open forum. Nobody is stopping you from posting what’s on you mind.
That’s not his point — he’s not stopping you from posting whatever’s on your mind — but do make sure that you think it through.
You can take a news story and play it any which way you want.
Abs-cbn/anc invariably takes the mass entertainment approach – usually complete with background music as though it is a b-movie with bad scriptwriters. Professionalism and ethics were lost a long time ago to keeping the advertisers, and the government, happy. Conflicts of interest abound, quality of personnel abyssmal ( maybe excluding karen davila), and no attempt to serve the community unless it is self-promoting. It does not foster new talent, new thinking, community tv, education services. It is an old boys, and womans club – literally – which acts as a closed shop.
Boy abunda – who desperately wants a government job and is manager of kris aquino – interviewing the president. Is that a joke. Well in the 1st world it would be.
And as for lynda jumilla – political ‘whatever’ – she acts more like a gossip columnist who seems afraid to ask a question unless it is about the family, love life etc, and never follows up – as david frost said ” the first question is not important, you get a stock/pr response, it is the follow up which is the key to interviewing”
Kudos to sir Joeld…i’d rather watch cnnn, got sick watching this actors/actresses got f**ked up. We already have a lot of problems, dadagdagan pa nila..we are not mindfully investing but infesting it with media s*it..
As we always say Guilty until Proven Innocent. And For Whatever It is …. usually mind your own business and stick with the facts and not self opinions. When you dictate, make sure you have something backing up your story before assuming. the Political ” Whatever ” Gossip is based on what you hear and see … Basically Bogus !
Vern Encisco –This is not true on Daang matuwid
U are guilty based on what media dictated. Constitution no longer exsisted when Pnoy take over the country.
Some people make sense. Some people just cant accept the fact that they are wrong. “Bleeped up brain” . Kahit ano pa sabihin ng iba kahit anong klaseng katotohanan yan kung di mo kaya tangapin sa sarili mo wala talaga mangayayri. May mga tao na mamimili lang ng sasabihin nila from the whole opinion then dun iikot ung reasoning nila. Lets accept it. Karamihan satin hindi nag iisp. Papaniwalaan na lang kung ano ung naririnig nila. Nakakatawa how people will react sa ibang opinion ng iba. Huling huli mo kung anong klaseng pananaw meron sila. Tanong? Binabasa ba natin ang opinion ng iba para matuto,or binabasa natin para ipamukha sa iba na mas okay ang opinion ng pang sarili? Aminin na natin mas marami tayong issue na dapat pag isipan and resolbahin ,nag sisimula yan sa bahay.. Pero mas pinipili parin natin unahin ung nasa TV kasi un Ng uso and ayaw natin mahuli sa usapN ngiba.. Yun lang
I agree that the media corrupts the public mind, but it is not just in the Philippines, it happens here in the States as well. The biggest reason is the internet. While the internet has its good uses by making many things readily available to the public, it has become the norm. People want things NOW, which the internet provides. As such, the news has become 24 hours, instead of a certain time slot during the day. Due to this, the news media has to fill those hours with something, most often with news that can get people to view their site, so the important and relevant news gets pushed aside. It really sad, but that is how society has evolved.
Julie–Yah i noticed that while watching ABS CBN news..They don’t mention anything against Pnoy kapalpakan,except sometimes Noli de castro give’s brief little indication of Abnoy kaputahan.ABS CBN quietness during masasapano probe.
it’s not an aspect of philippine society.. it’s present in most modern society.. i mean just look at the us.. the coverage for justin beaver’s arrest.. don’t act like this is a philippine only phenomenon..or that it is worse here than anywhere else.. minsan kasi dinadaan sa magagarang pananalita pero halata naman ang punto eh.. sinasabi mo na masyado mababa magisip ang mga pinoy.. kaya eto ang kinokober ng media.. well it is happening everywhere.. sensational cases will get more coverage.. lalo na kapag ganito na kilala yung taong involved.. grabe ito ahh parang sinabi mo na napakabobo ng mga pinoy kasi dito nag focus. i watch the news.. yes im concerned with the tacloban recovery efforts, yes im worried about the biff faction oppose to the peace talks and how it could be another milf in the making.. yes im concern with our territorial row with china.. and yes we are concerned about the pdaf and dap scandal.. hays.. just because we are also interested in this denise-bong case doesn’t mean we are ignoring the other issues.. does that make us pinoys intellectually bankrupt?? how dare you sir..
Did the article refer to you ONLY? at galit na galit ka. Tagalugin ko ha, “pangkabauuang pagkabobo ng Pilipinas”.
Well and good, if you are one of the few who can filter the information, but then you are not speaking for all the pinoys.
And also, it is not okay that you say “it’s present in most modern society.. i mean just look at the US”. That is one failed reasoning, the reason, why the Philippnes is till in this shit, saying “ok lang yan, sa ibang bansa ganayn din e”.
Sometimes, mas ok nga gnto nlng nsa news. Nkkasawa n puro krimen nlng nsa balita. Tska can u blame the media? Eto ung patok n patok sa masa. Ang pilipinas p nman mhilig sa mga ganitong issue/chismis lalo n sa showbiz.
On the other hand, i fully agree with what you wrote. Pero what can we do, ung mga importanteng bagay nde interesting para sa masa.
Ang galing ng utak mo patok sa masa! hahaha
Justin –News blackout pag kapalpakan ni Pnoy ang topic..pag kalaban sa politikaay full blast sila..Di ba halata ang BIAS..Kase pag nag iba sila ng tono ay baka ipadala ni Pnoy si Henarez at imbestigahan ang libro nila sa TAX..
Tigilan nyo nga yang mga pa-intellectual chorva nyo. Paki nyo kung interesado kami sa Vhong issue? Pabugbog ko kaya kayo kay Cedric? LOL
Paki ko? Kasi kayo ang bumubuo sa karamihan. Tapos pagdating ng susunod na eleksiyon, iboboto niyo nanaman yung popular sa inyo at wala nanaman tayong aasahan na maaayos na trabaho galing sa mga opisyales na ipinanalo niyo, dahil ginawang popular na basurang netowrk niyo. Dahil sa kapalpakan ng mga ibinoto niyong uulaga-ulaga, naghihirap lalo ang bansa, dumadami ang walang trabaho, dadami ang hindi makapag-aral at dadami ang mang-mang.
Tanungin mo ulit kung ano ang paki ko!
Tatakbo po ba kayo? 😛
Ayna met! Tabbed!
Translation: ikaw na lang kaya maging presidente. Inutil excuse is inutil.
Tama…. Pabugbog din kayo o parape para mapag usapan din kayo! Ahahahah
Obvious utak squatter is indeed obvious. Sayang naman ng pinag-aralan mo inutil.
I got 9 words for you indiot: Tanginamo Andaming Nagugutom Sa Mundo Fashionista Ka Pa Rin. Patunay na ang mga bobong pinoy na katulad mo ay utak showbiz/telebasura. Bawas-bawasan mo kasi ang panonood ng mga basurang iyan at nagmumukha kang drama queen. This country’s real issues like the dysfunctional flips like you are far more important to be talked about than this Vhong Navarro brouhaha.
Yung mga taong nag aaksaya ng oras sa balitang to yun yung mga mababa ang IQ. Pano ko nasabi? Ganito.
Vhong and Denice issue – Simple ang plot. May malibog nag punta sa condo ng babaeng maganda na frame up daw binugbog dinala sa pulis presto tapos na. Madali intindihin ang plot simple lang di mo kailangan mag isip.
Yung mga totoong issue like China, Rice Smuggling, Bangsamoro etc etc masyado kasi komplikado ang plot nyan. Hindi kayang arukin ng mga BOBO kaya dun nalang sila mag bababad sa simple at walang kwentang issue ni Vhong Navarro.
Excuse me po! Eh bakit nga ba nandito ka? Tanong lang naman… 😛
Oh no indiot. What are YOU doing here? You jelly that you troll here with your squatter whinefest?
hahaha what an exquisite comment. Like a sir : )
Yung mga taong nag aaksaya ng oras sa balitang to yun yung mga mababa ang IQ. Pano ko nasabi? Ganito.
Vhong and Denice issue – Simple ang plot. May malibog nag punta sa condo ng babaeng maganda na frame up daw binugbog dinala sa pulis presto tapos na. Madali intindihin ang plot simple lang di mo kailangan mag isip.
Yung mga totoong issue like China, Rice Smuggling, Bangsamoro etc etc masyado kasi komplikado ang plot nyan. Hindi kayang arukin ng mga BOBO kaya dun nalang sila mag bababad sa simple at walang kwentang issue ni Vhong Navarro. Problema lang kasi talaga napakarami talgang TANGA AT MGA FANTARDS DITO SA PILIPINAS
asdf say Ang masama ay naki alam pa si De5 at gamit pa ang NBI sa local crime ni Vhong navarro.
ibig sabihin ay walang trabaho si De5 at maraming oras para sa petty crime at yung China sea issue ay not a big deal sa palacio
Sinasadya ng media yan. Nag kakalat talaga sila ng kabobohan dahil ang mga bobo, inutil at mang-mang ang nagbibigay ng success sa kanila. Kawawa naman yung mga taong ‘may isip’. Nahihila sila pababa. 🙁
YES, the media has deliberately dumbed down the entire nation and the nation has only itself to blame and will not ever do so….
to make matters worse the whole thing looks scripted and the video I saw of the alleged ‘beating’ of Navarro showed not a single blow to the guys body. Instead it seems he was sitting on the ground throughout the entire video looking scared and though none of the attackers faces are seen, somehow they are all now known…whatta bunch of garbage…
The Fail-ppines deserves its Kleptocracy and poverty, for they go hand in hand. The rich habitually steal everything the massa will not endevour to protect and the middle-class, which would be the impoverished in any 1st world country, suck it up and go to church and pray on Sunday.in a word PATHETIC!
This sort of thing happens everywhere and it’s tragic.
Exhibit A:
You are all the same. Lol…
Indeed.
well kaya nga merong tinatawag na the great divide between sa mga nag hihirap at yumayaman… dahil ang mga yumayamaan alam ang pinagkaiba ng importante sa entertainment… ang mga nag hihirap ang entertainment ang importante at ang importanteng issues(knowledge) ay just for entertainment (past time) tapus in the end pag nag hihirap na sila ng sobra, magagalit sila sa mga taong marunong umintindi ng tama kasi naiinggit sila dahil sila hindi nila kayang disiplinahin ang sarili nila na pakinggan, pag-aralan at intindihin ang mga bagay na tunay na merong importansya…
sarap magdala nang baril, pagbabarilin lahat ang mga nasa senado, mga artistang walang kwenta at lahat nang mga baduy at mabababaw kung mga kababayan, isang bansang nagpipilig maki-uso eh puno naman sa problema at gulo, natabunan na ang isyu nang pagnanakaw at kahirapan dahil sa mga bobo kong mga kababayan nga interesado pa sa isang actor na matapos mag pa BJ ay binugbug nang mga gangster, God Bless Philippines, Diyos ko ikaw na po ang bahala sa bansang ito..
The Philippine Media is mostly owned by Oligarchs like the Lopezes. They attach themselves to politicians like Aquino. Then, are willing to be used, to promote the politician’s political agendas. The means to an end.
What they are doing now is a : Diversionary Tactic. To divert the attention of people from the Aquino’s bribery and corruption…
Hyden Toro says:
January 30, 2014 at 4:12 am
The Philippine Media is mostly owned by Oligarchs like the Lopezes. They attach themselves to politicians like Aquino. Then, are willing to be used, to promote the politician’s political agendas. The means to an end.
What they are doing now is a : Diversionary Tactic. To divert the attention of people from the Aquino’s bribery and corruption…
I am second the motion
OMG! Some people here don’t get the point. What the writer is telling us is that we are too involved in showbiz entertainment. LAHAT ng ISSUE shinowshobiz! For example, pati lovelife ng Presidente pinapakialaman, at tingnan niyo nagkaroon tayo ng presidenteng artistang hindi man lang nakapagtapos ng pag-aaral ( this is not to degrade people who didnt finish school, this is just to justify that you need great, vast knowledge to lead a freaking nation!)…. moving on, there is no barrier in politics and showbiz. The media here in the Philippines is mediocre, which means, hindi siya credible for a fact that Filipino media is not good in filtering real news from just a shallow story. (or maybe they do but they just want to tell it so because it what makes people tune in and make the broadcasting channels more money)… Okay lang to think of the lovelife of a senator or president, pero jusko naman, huwag niyo tong gawin priorities.. Iprioritize niyo naman yong alamin ang Political System ng bansa, Laws, Rules, Bills and Processes para huwag tayong gawing bobo ng mga Pulitiko dito. Yun ung point!
@citizen who cares:
You are another Yellow Tard Wolf in Sheep clothing…you are howling instead of bleeting….how stupid these people are…
Once again, another yellowtard idiot made us prove about his stupidity. You care? Care on what exactly?
@citizen who cares
Well, that’s just one side of it. You still got a point though.
@Hyden Toro and domo
What’s with you guys? The comment was actually good. We don’t wanna lose any supporters here (this site’s got enough haters already).
That’s why i dont watch local channels. All they have is crap. Entertainment shows that makes the stupid even dumber and biased news that shows the same personalities that will soon run for office. The “masa” crowd likes this kind of sh*tty news because every single damn day of their lives they watch these kind of garbage.
Trueno says:
January 30, 2014 at 1:57 pm
That’s why i dont watch local channels. All they have is crap. Entertainment shows that makes the stupid even dumber and biased news that shows the same personalities that will soon run for office. The “masa” crowd likes this kind of sh*tty news because every single damn day of their lives they watch these kind of garbage.
The secret society already developed what they called a hypnotized audio signal that inserted while watching a TV news. They hypnotized the listener to their desired interest.Now better turn off the audio and just read their lips or turn on the TV caption so not to become a victim
Glad I stopped watching local media years ago. If ABS-CBN still churns up with these kinds of garbage, then I can see why I have no reason to trust that network with its biased news.
wala silang pakialam sau kung ayaw mo manood di wag di ka naman pinilit na manood ka o ng news nila basta sigurado ang kanilang trabaho na magbigay ng balita kung ano kalagayan ng tao at magpasaya ng tao napakaanti social mo naman may kaibigan ka ba baka kasing ugali mo yung cedric lee at denice cornejo.
Butthurt masyado ang isang tao dito…
Nasaktan ka naman kasi totoo na biased ang ibinabalita ng ABS-CBN sa inyo?
Hindi ko makuha bakit sinasabi mong “anti-social” ako. Seriously.
Let me guess, you’re one of those idiots who would believe anything from ABS-CBN, don’t you?
*Ian, the brown juan* says:
January 30, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Butthurt masyado ang isang tao dito…
Nasaktan ka naman kasi totoo na biased ang ibinabalita ng ABS-CBN sa inyo?
Hindi ko makuha bakit sinasabi mong “anti-social” ako. Seriously.
Let me guess, you’re one of those idiots who would believe anything from ABS-CBN, don’t you?
Sagot dito…………..
Baligtarin mo kung ano ang news ng ABS CBN ,yun ang katotohanan.
On the contrary, walang manloloko if walang magpapaloko. We cannot deny that it is happening in the whole world media is so powerful that it can control an individual. I do believe maraming naiimpluwensiyahan nito but i still do believe madami rin naman ginagamit ang isip. Nasa tao lang yon kung papaapekto ka? Anong ginagawa ng free will kung di man lang iro ginagamit at kung meron mang di gumagamit pasalamat nalang tayo at may mga tao pang ginagamit ang free will sa kabutihan, right?
sir, things that happened in the past, is already part of the past. left, done, forgotten. this is what’s in, vhong’s issue. and you are, one of those people who can’t move on of the past intrigues, simply saying you’re one of the kill joy dudes.. be happy and enjoy life.
Ahhh…A Filipino mantra that actually prevents the majority of Filipinos from achieving sustainable happiness and having a quality life. 😉
You must be fun at parties.
Well, as a matter of fact, I am. Please note that I don’t really attend lame parties in the first place and I don’t rely on other people to have “fun”. 😉
A lot of serious people I know have the driest and funniest sense of humour.
The title itself jumps to a conclusion that is somewhat supported by a body that is all opinion–no facts, no statistics, no surveys whatsoever. Is it the celebrity news that leads to intellectual bankruptcy? Or is it the existing intellectual bankruptcy that prompts huge networks to pump celebrity news into their broadcast and online media? Either scenario, whether true or not, undermines the average pinoy psyche. The author alluded to that though. The gist, after all, was that huge tv networks and the entertainment industry capitalize on what he perceives to be the shallow-mindedness of the mob. Citing intellectual bankruptcy is a huge assertion that requires enough evidence and not mere subjective take on and hyper-generalization about the collective psychology of the masses. A stronger case for intellectual bankruptcy that isn’t based on popular opinion–of the condescending intellectual elites or quasi-intellectual elites–and appeal to authority (or false authority) should be made. Then again, I can rest assured that all this outrage from the noisy, nosy mob and their irritated critics is destined to be lost in the clutter of this digital age.
ur just like them benigno ‘ill-bankcrupt’
There is no way that this case will end up good, it will be like a Hell/injustice case as always, why, bec. This group of men of cedric is connected to some of our corrupt administration authorities who stolen billions of money to Phil gov’t …These men admitted that they almost killed Vhong but, are the arrested? “NO” sorry if you are poor and have no corrupt connection to this country your case is always denied. Do like to become rich….. Connect this Abnoy Administration.
There is no way that this case will end up good, it will be like a Hell/injustice case as always, why, bec. This group of men of cedric is connected to some of our corrupt administration authorities who stolen billions of money to Phil gov’t …These men admitted that they almost killed Vhong but, are they arrested? “NO” sorry if you are poor and have no corrupt connection to this country your case is always denied. Do like to become rich….. Connect this Abnoy Administration
who do you believe the 1 min rape for easily money for 2 million pesos or the brutally hurt victim…
be careful for the condo invitation you might charge 3 million pesos for 1 sec rape,,,,easy money….