During one martial law anniversary, columnist Raul Pangalanan wrote about how ideologies led to what happened during the martial law era. These include the First quarter storm riots, the formation and actions of the New People’s Army, and nearly anything anti-Marcos. He said, all of these happened because people clung to ideologies more people today do. There’s a lot of debate on whether ideologies are good or bad, but I’ll make an argument on it’s being bad.
Oh, the irony… lol
In the early days of the modern era, when people started to again have a scientific perspective on things (following brief spots in history where new ideas came out, which includes Socrates and Aristotle, and Confucianism and Taoism in China), many started to come up with philosophies and explanations of their own. All of them tried to look for answers to life. Why we suffer, what’s the way to solve it, what’s the best way to live, etc. When empiricism came in, these ideologies sometimes came in the form of “theories.” Nowadays, we have all these theories and realize that they are merely perspectives. They all fall short of having all the answers, and even distracted people from finding them.
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It occurs to me that many ideologies we study today were founded in a time where human and individual rights were unknown. It was a very different environment before World War 2. It was normal in society that you can’t do with your life as you please, but you should be told what to do. For example, do you remember old people in your family who insist that you do exactly what they want you to do, or else your life will be ruined? That they want to dictate how you dress, what you eat, what job you should be in, what you believe and even your likes and dislikes? That was how it was. This was the environment ideologies such as Marxism was founded in. Perhaps some ideologies were for challenging these cultural tenets. But many of them also carried on that attitude: “if I believe I am right, I must dictate others to follow these.” They actually practice what they profess to be against.
Today, ideologies have lost steam with most people because that old dictatorial attitude they carry opposes today’s understanding of human rights. But in addition, basic human needs are actually more met than before, mainly because of the free market and not ideologies. Most societies nowadays have urban centers with a lot more prosperity. Cellphones are cheap and have reached even poorer societies. I’ll not be surprised if even a bushman has a cellphone or a laptop with some electrical supply in his village. Capitalism won because it followed nature and catered to people’s basic desires. Ideologies didn’t.
Pangalanan in his article asked why there are barely any monuments to leftists, or monuments recognizing people as leftists. And he answered it himself: leftism and communism have proven to be disastrous. The Soviet Union and Cambodia are examples. And communism had violent uprising as part of its “solutions” against capitalism. Pangalanan admitted that the communists were a real threat during that time, and so martial law had a real reason for being declared. The question then would be whether the threat could be dealt with even without martial law, although it is a moot topic.
Of course, poverty and barbarism are still around. But ideologies have not helped solve these problems. Ideologies were likely just thought up as intellectual masturbation. At times, they are also intended to exploit people in another way. For example, communism makes you want to rebel against capitalists, but then you submit to another cadre of abusers, whether it be the politburo or other fancy governing party (and they’re still made up of “elite” or bourgeosie).
Today, society perhaps has probably enough of ideologies. We’ve studied them in school, we’ve seen where and how they’ve hit and missed, and what their impact is today. But when we look at life these days, we measure things based on common sense. Few people go deep about life anymore. You work, you take a partner, raise a family, and there. Some don’t go the family way, but work and find happiness so the same. Ideologies don’t seem to have a place in this more comfortable world, because it seems those ideologies are all about destroying it.
Of course, there is concern about people being dumb. Some would cite videos showing how people don’t know where North Korea is or even what World War 2 is. Others would theorize, “if we bring back being believing in ideologies, this would be solved!” No. I think people got tired of ideologies because they led to wars. Of course, that’s worse. I commented that people would love shopping over history – but indeed shopping is better. The challenge is to let people who go shopping appreciate the history that led to the relatively comfortable lives they enjoy today.
In the end, the one thing everyone wants is a comfortable life. Whatever other thing you can bring up, power, validation, good vibes, etc., it’s all part of attaining a comfortable life. And this concept is what for me has been encapsulated in the word “happiness.” Even ideologies were thought up as means to achieve comfortable lives. But many have been shown to fail. The thing is, ideologies have given us tunnel vision and led us to think one’s ideals can be forced upon the world.
Here’s one thing that might make the commie SJWs feel betrayed. Mario Gia Samonte said many elderly communist founders realized they’re not assured of a pension in their old age.
They learned early on that capitalism, the evil the revolution sought to crush, was after all the current bread of life, no use fighting it. They proceeded to pursue masteral studies in business and economics, and got themselves into successful entrepreneurship in due time.
They realized that their ideologies were not going to work, so they ditched these. They also realized what do we really do in life: work, eat, sleep, reproduce and keep ourselves amused – and die at the end. That’s really the summary of life, and many people want it that way. The ideologies at least tried to solve the problems related to feeding people, I’ll give them that. But they ended up having their heads in the clouds and turned out to be failures in practice, such as when Mao’s policies led to famine in China.
Of course, ditching them doesn’t have to mean completely forgetting them. Ideologies can be discussed and studied, especially on how they gave us an imperfect view of the world, and misled us to do certain things we should not have done. So perhaps they end up as cautionary tales for us.
Ideologies have lost steam in the modern day because people have reconnected to their basic needs, which capitalism better catered to. It could be summed up in this simple retort: “nakakakain mo ba yung ideolohiya mo? (can you eat your ideology?)” People should just stop believing ideologies that want to destroy the market-based structure of society. A free market is a sign of a free society. Of course, I have myself have criticized consumerism in another article. But it is possible to balance being part of this society and having some ideals that keep us from being assholes in life.
There are other ideologies that are dumb, but this one beats them all
So today we have a lot of the “opposition” crying out some ideologies, such as “anyone not on our side is a fascist/dictator” or “give free stuff to the poor or else we’ll make you!” But when you see them off-stage, they go to Starbucks and Burger King. They’d better just be true to themselves and just ditch their ideologies. They should think of better ways to have a good time or satisfy their needs, basic or higher, as ideologies just don’t do those.
As the saying goes: “If you’re not a communist at 19, you have no heart; but if you’re still a communist by 30, you have no brain.”
I believe, as my cohorts here do, that what Filipinos embrace as their culture is what actually pulls the country down. And those who seem to be anti-dictators, who may also believe themselves to be “heroes,” are the real dictators.
Ideologies appeal to the idealistic. And majority of the idealistic are the youth.
Reality has a very funny way of knocking out our idealistic side.
When you play the game called Life, you start out playing by your rules until you face the consequences of doing that. Then you eventually learn to play by the Rules. Then 2 things can happen: you learn how to play to win or just keep playing aimlessly until your life ends.
We all grow up in body and mind. What is true to us in our teens, is not true to us in our 20’s , 30’s or 70’s. We change, as we grow old.
Ideologies are like dress fashions. They become obsolete, as they are tested in times.
To cling to any ideology, in your lifetime is idiocy. All in this Planet Earth changes. We improve or not improve, as we go on thru life. If you are stagnant, it is your fault !
AGREE !!! Like Filipino Constitution … each Filipino President wanted a designer constitution …. and a designer government …. From Manuel Quezon to Duterte … all wanted a designer constitution … designer government ….
I LOVE FILIPINOS …. THEY ARE SO FUN ….. NO WONDER PHILIPPINES IS THE 2ND HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH NEXT TO DISNEYLAND ……
University of the Philippines student protesting and leaning to the left is their rite of passage. They believe it is cool. Scratch every surface in every crook and tranny in the government majority of them are graduates from U.P.
Communists are crooks.
Who defends these crooks in so-called Philippine Court? Who else? Their U.P. classmates. SAD
The people knows. Yet, they do not investigate U.P. why the culture of crookery is rampant among graduates. They wait until they are in the government.
Do Filipinos know U.P. is government funded? They work in the government then steal from the government that funded their education. SICK !
There is an underlying “ideology” (or some other equivalent term) in the kind of society we make, whether we’re aware of it or not. Comfort doesn’t necessarily mean or guarantee freedom.
A culture that is systematically caused to have huge disparities is bound to disintegrate. It is actually how conflicts and wars appear or purported to be justified.
Hopefully this DUTER-TARD worship ideology will also go by way of the dodo bird.
The DUTER-TARD is one who likes to suckle on the tit of this administration thinking they can do no wrong hoping that they rise up as a benevolent dictator to solve all their life’s problems.
Glad to see Yellow-ism die. Hopefully DUTER-TARD-ism doesn’t take 30 years to be killed off. NO TO MARCOS 2.0
Lies. You want Yellow-ism to continue. Which you wanted to get rid off Duterte and replace Leni Robredo.
Your EMO-ness annoys everyone in this site.
FailedFilipinos are copycats. When Bill was impeached, impeachment in the Philippines became in vogue ….
Wait when Donnie is 25th’ed, Robredo will be vice.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT …. I like Philippine politics better than in the U.S. Because Philippine Politics is entertaining. U.S. is soooooo predictable. Because their laws are predictable. In the Philippines their laws is wishy-washy … it depends ….
Your SHEEP brain is dumbing down the discussion of this site. Go to the back little boy.
Just because Duterte wants MARCOS doesn’t mean you get to dispose of a properly elected VP. Why waste the time? Win the elections properly if you want Marcos 2.0
Duterte is trying to break down the rule of law by disposing of a properly elected official. Duterte should finish his term (AND ONLY HIS TERM). So should Leni.
Get your sheep brain working properly
Says the actual sheep who would resort to hurling labels and insults thus you are the one who is dumbing down this discussion. If someone should go to the back it’s you.
It seems you totally forgot that there is still his electoral protest going on. You said that you should win the elections properly, while you’re denying the existence of electoral fraud.
No, it’s not that he tried to break the law. He’s just stating how incompetent Leni Robredo was.
Get YOUR sheep brain work properly, Yellow Sheep.
Calling me a Duterte-tard misses the point, I guess deliberately.
now we know who are the crooks in philippine society. they are the ones revising history and spreading fake news. JPE is right i think. no one was jailed. only arrested and released later on.
Filipinos revised history …. AWESOME ORIGINAL QUOTE … another quote of the century !!!
Yes, Filipinos revise history daily …. They revised history of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo! Gen Emil did not sell Philippines and Filipinos in Pact of Broken Stone …. but used the proceed to buy firearms to re-arm Ku Klux Klan that surrendered their firearms under the term of Pact of Broken Stone …
Why Filipinos revised their history depending on the phase of the moon? So they can feel great … and meaningful to the world that they are not crooks …
It is the Dutertards with their MOCHA UNSON FAKE NEWS (powered by her tits and ass) that are trying to revise history.
Marcos SANK the Philippine in debt and ruined what was once a thriving economy.
You’re stating half-truths based from the Yellow Narrative which lasted for 30 years with your YELLOW MAINSTREAM MEDIA (ABS-CBN, Inquirer, Rappler) and you whine and complain about ‘revising history’ when there is actually none.
And it was Cory and the Yellows who SANK the Philippines in debt even more when she refused to borrow money to give to social services either! Also, the 1987 Constitution ruined the economy even more due to its non-progressive provisions.
You’re grasping on straws, son.
@Quartzer: Little boy, get out of the table. Your non-sense is making my brain hurt.
Cory refusing to borrow money sank the Philippines in debt? Lol learn some finance boy. It’s called SAVING money. Why give money to the lazy takers. Not something you would understand with your dependence on the govertment’s tit.
It’s ok to be skeptical of news….. But youre going FULL RETARD son. At least ABS, GMA, Inquirer and Rappler are ACTUAL multi-million peso corporations. Not some EX-porn star with nice tits who pulls out her facts from her vajayjay. Never go FULL RETARD son.
Again, this proves that you’re triggered.
Yep, you keep on overrating about how Marcos ‘sank’ the Philippines in debt and one of the reasons why she refused to borrow money on not giving to social services is because she hates Marcos so much. You failed to mention that there is such thing as ‘sovereign debt’ and most of the money is used for the lot of infrastructure we used today. Cory built nothing as she spends 1 TRILLION during her 6 years in office. Your point.
Seems you’re proving my point. You just told me that those three media outlets are corporate entities but never questioned their content because money matters to them. And please, just because you’re an entertainer doesn’t mean you’re an ex-porn star or whatever. It reminds me, porn stars only perform on strip clubs and her group back then aren’t even strippers either. Oh yes, you just hate Uson while you find Kris Aquino and her exploits with many men more acceptable. Hypocritical, isn’t it?
Congratulations, son. You just went FULL RETARD with what you wrote.
I never thought Mocha Uson worked for ABS-CBN when they released an article about Nestle leaving the Philippines due to the inflation issue yet took it down hours later when Nestle Philippines released a statement that they are here to stay.
You know what that means? ABS-CBN shrugged it off like it’s nothing when Nestle is one of their advertisers and you complain on Mocha like, even the tiniest of details like the Mayon Volcano mistake, would drive off investors. That’s how Filipinos plagued with shallow thinking.
Just to be frank: you’re sources are more based from Pinoy Ako Blog, and Yellow Media Outlets like ABS-CBN, Rappler and Inquirer that the media is very sensationalized that brought to the point that they are very selective on how they report their news as they only care for own agendas, for their own pockets, for their ratings, for their corporate interests. They have little to zero connection to ordinary people so don’t blame them for latching on bloggers as an alternative way of media.
With everything I’ve said, you’re an avid supporter of fake news published on their websites, newspapers and TV. In case you don’t notice, Filipinos were taught FAKE Philippine history for 30 years.
https://www.getrealphilippines.com/2017/11/mainstream-media-screams-fake-news-because-it-remains-unprepared-to-compete-on-the-internet/
Or maybe because nowadays anyone with a sheep brain like @Quartzer can make a FB page, pull facts out of his ASS and call it a day. How do you hold bipedal sheep like @Quartzer accountable? He has no shareholders, no nothing. @Quartzer is just some random fat, pimply-faced loser still living with mommy , sucking on the govt tit. Yet he can publish any news he wants.
I’m not even yellow. Criticizing duterte doesnt automatically mean your yellow. Pnoy is not president anymore. Duterte is doing the EXACT same thing as Pnoy. Except now blaming the yellows while Pnoy blamed GMA
Maybe if folks like @Quartzer could stop going FULL RETARD. There could be more constructive criticism.
@Darth Mortis:
Ehem, you literally destroyed yourself with this one. It’s really sad that you’re more of an actual sheep brain than the people you’re talking against for your over-reliance on mainstream media and not using reality-check and critical thinking.
Nope, you already are Yellowtard. You just love to criticize Duterte that it can give it an advantage to the Yellows. You’re just gaining attention to them. I say this because they’re the noisiest of the bunch.
TBH, you’re not even capable of constructive criticism that you always resort to hurling labels and insults, just like every lefty SJW shill that you want to shut them down or even silence them. If that is not hypocrisy on your part, then what is?
Oh! maybe JPE just want to tell the pilipinos who those arrested by the marcos martial law to lighten up the minds who they are?
If you find yourself complaining a lot then you are problem-oriented. Focus on what you can do not on what you can’t to become solution-oriented.
Ideology is an intellectual fashion it may become outdated but there will always be some who will come up and introduce a new one, perhaps a more practical and convincing one, an idea that can be easily grasp by the ordinary people.
Some time ago I read an old article by benign0 on the subject of Ideology. It was, to my recollection, entitled “Filipino Ideology: Do we have one?” or something like that. I can’t seem to locate it now.
Anyway the above discussion on ideology centered mostly on communism which is something foreign which naturally is bound to fail as it does not reflect our experiences and aspirations as a people.
It’s on the old site. We had a migration, so the old site got hidden. So far we can only look on the Wayback Machine, but we’ll figure out how to bring it back.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100323022040/http://getrealphilippines.com:80/legacy/agr-disagr/16-1-ideo.html
Here are some articles worth considering, at least IF we are to do things differently…
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/08/why-economists-need-to-expand-their-knowledge-to-include-the-humanities
https://blog.oup.com/2018/05/marketcraft-government-market-regulation/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=oupacademic&utm_campaign=oupblog