To be fair, religion has long been an effective way politicians reach the masses. Indeed, even the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) are not above using “pastoral letters” as a means to deliver political messages to their flock who loyeally tune-in dressed in their Sunday best. Thus, one cannot really judge politicians who epal (grandstand) their way into religious rituals like this Nazareno feast.
The current Black Nazarene procession is no exception as it is an event packed with Filipinos conditioned to believe. That folks who flock to religious events are more likely to be wide open to tricks of persuasion is a sound hypothesis to test. Devotees of rituals like these make up a sample that represents a subset of the Filipino public who are likely to be significantly predisposed to messaging that is highly-emotional.
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In that regard, think then to the many initiatives that had been kicked off to uplift the quality of the Filipino Vote. That most election campaigns are literally songs-and-dances where candidates are wont to display their dancing and singing prowess over and above any semblance of a strategic vision, legislative agenda, or intelligent governance platform is a testament to the emotional nature of the decisions that go into choosing a candidate. Why waste time thinking when you are better off virtue signalling, right?
Stepping back further, what election candidates choose to focus their resources on is, at the end of the day, a business decision. In short, whatever works is what gets the funds. The mathematics are quite straightforward. A large majority of Filipinos are religious, they are highly-emotional, they like watching their politicians sing and dance, and most get “nosebleeds” when complex and imporant concepts are being explained to them. Statistics will also show that Eat Bulaga pulls in the ratings and “AlDub” hashtags consistently trend on Twitter. And, in this instance, the Nazareno feast literally pulls in the crowds in much the same way fans fatally stampeded their way into an episode of the now-defunct Wowowee TV show.
Democracy, after all, is a popularity contest. The smartest politicians don’t necessarily win and the most valid issues and topics don’t necessarily get the air time. Big Corporate Media cannot be counted on to be the Intelligence Police. They will follow the stampede with their cameras even if this stampede goes off a cliff. The Roman Catholic Church itself is like a media organisation as it effectively wields a signal channel through which it pumps its superstitious and politically-laden drivel.
Still, an effort applied to being a better voter and a more responsible participant in the Philippines’ fledgling democracy can best begin at the individual level. We can start by being a bit more critical about what politicians do on the outside and develop a more acute ability to judge how authentic they are. Do they practice what they preach? Is what they are saying today consistent with what they said the other day? We all have it in us to be wiser voters. It begins by seeing past the song-and-dance and all the phoney piety they exhibit when in front of the cameras.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
it should be ‘BEWARE of politicians using the Black Nazarene Feast to create stampede.
Noli De C comes to mind.
Man, i do hope the next procession would look like a rappler rally.
re·li·gion
/rəˈlijən/
noun
the belief in and worship of controlling political power, especially a personal President.
“ideas about the relationship of political science”
synonyms: faith, belief, divinity, worship, creed, teaching, doctrine, theology; More
a particular system of faith and worship.
plural noun: religions
“the world’s great religions”
a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.
“consumerism is the new religion”
POLITICS IS RELIGION TO FILIPINOS … RELIGION IS POLITICS TO FILIPINOS …
Without Politics Filipinos seize to exist … Filipinos exist so they can play politics …
Politics is a part Show Biz and part religious superstition. We have even elected an actor as President, who did not finish any degree in college. There were uneducated actors who were elected as Senators. Some were elected in higher offices in the government, inspite of their incompetence.
We have the “idiotic fantasy” that these , “screen heroes” and show biz talents have the ability to solve our problems, and we could live happily ever after…
Religion will always be used in politics. Look at the block voting of the Iglesia Ni Kristo members. If you don’t vote the chosen candidate; you are , “tiwalag” (thrown out of the INC.). And you will burn in hell forever.
In the Roman Catholic religion, we have theBlack Nazarene festivities. To use any religious festivities, for any political purposes, corrupt the religion, itself.
It is like when Cory Aquino, was kneeling infront of the church altar, with photographers in tow, for photo opportunities. The Roman Catholic Church , priests, bishops, nuns, etc… are then hailing, that we have a “holy woman”, as our President. On the other hand, Cory Aquino was exploiting her Hacienda Luisita tenants/slaves, and her family and minions were emptying the national treasury.
In the old days, Shamans, were chosen as rulers or “God Kings”. Shamans were supposed to have communications with the Gods, or they were “living Gods”, themselves…Japan’s Emperor Hirohito was believed by the Japanese people, as a “living God “, during World War II… We have not removed this ancient “shamanism” mindset; inspite of our being in the Information Technology age.
Who will be the next Shaman/President of the Philippines ?
POLITICS IS ENTERTAINMENT FOR OLD MEN.
SHOWBIZ is entertainment for old women.
If anybody cares to look back the history of religion it all began as politics.
Even electors of Vatican’s Pope has its conservative and liberals. Extremist and orthodoxy.
What do millennials watch? I have 42-inch flat screen narrow bezel wi-fi enabled television. I do not watch NetFlix, Amazon or Red Box. I PLAY DoTa !!! Yes, millennials play video games.
What we are eagerly waiting is multi-player on-line battle: POLITICAL BATTLE !!! The sequel to Defence of the Ancients.
Why I prefer the Battle of Politics? Instead of playing politics in real life we prefer they play politics in online video games.
LEAVE POLITICS TO OLD MEN.
HYDEN IS AN ATHEIST?
Remember Hyden, In religion there are super-heroes, too !!!
Filipinos love super-heroes. I know plenty of them. Can you?
@Oration Imperata:
I am not an Atheist. I believe in God. I am a Christian. I was born as a Christian, baptized as a Christian, and is living as a practicing Christian.
I respect all kinds of religion. What I do not like is , when religion is used for political purposes, or as a way to promote political and personal agendas. Or religion is used to decieve people.
Let us leave religion alone, as religion. I bet God is not interested in our politics !
LET US LEAVE RELIGION ALONE !!! – Hayden
I agree !!! I do not argue about religion. Everytime I argue about religion something terrible happens. ONE, my extremist Pinay GF doesn’t want to talk to me; TWO, she gave me one last chance.
ALL THE TIME SHE WINS !!! I cannot give up a brown Pinay with looks and body of Mocha and Sasot despite she has the mouth of Mocha not necessarily the brains of Sasot.
Do not blame the elected office personnel who form part of the fabric of Philippine politics. Instead, BLAME the voters who do not use their brains, however small they are (monkey brains) in choosing people who run the nation and their lives. It’s like blaming a rose for having thorns because you hurt yourself with its thorns.
The problem of the 98% of Philippine people (Pinoys/Pinays, Tisoys & Tisays) voting for their leaders is that they are being influnced by these people who are either actors/actresses, singers, boxers, and the rest of them, such as ceelebrities in all fields of professional practices. Philippines was, is and WILL always be as it is now UNLESS their mindset is changed and completely be transformed.
cardinal tagle’s homily during the eve of translacion was exactly the same what Constantine said to the followers of jesus and the roman catholic church was born.
CEBU MISS SINULOG CONTESTANTS ARE NEW ZEALANDERS !!!
Do you know contestants for Miss Cebu/Miss Sinulog usually have European last names? This time there are two contestants fed, raised and educated in New Zealand. The last Miss International was from New Zealand who was stripped of her place.
I feel for you Filipinos. If you are not from another country you will likely marry a poor brown Filipino from the Philippines.
What do the nazarene and michael jordan have in common?
…
They are both black and worshipped by a lot of filipinos!
(sorry couldnt resist)
FILIPINOS ARE BLACK TO THE CORE THOUGH PINOYS DID NOT WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH BLACKNESS …
Filipinos are American Blacks, American Blacks are not Filipinos here are whys:
1. Filipinos like American Blacks are religious people …
2. Filipinos like American blacks are violent …
3. Filipinos like American blacks define “who is right” by brute and mass. Filipinos always say, according to my Pinay GF, “nalakehan ang sa katawan bobogbogin keta”
4. Filipinos like American Blacks’ bathroom is like a chemistry lab plenty of whitening solutions to whiten their skins
5. Filipinos like American Blacks have huge tummies
6. Filipinos like American Blacks start their conversation with “potang ena” while Blacks with “F***no” and end it with *Sh*t*
7. Filipinos like Black Americans never graduated college or high school
8. Filipinos like Black Americans are defined by their accent
9. Filipinos like to talk Black American language for Filipinos it is cool
10. Filipinos like Black American eat … eat a lot …
You do not have to feel sorry for this. Voice whatever is in you mind to avoid implosion. Spit it out so you won’t end up exploding inside (IMplosion) for your sake. This is what volcanoes do. They need to spit out their lava to protect themselves from IMplosion, even if this means damnifying humans.
poor Flips,
their heathen RomanCatholicChurch paving for them the superhighway to hell
with these idolatrous traditions handed down by “foreign devil” Spaniard friars
read the Scriptures on how God is provoked to wrath when one worships idols of stone, clay and metal:
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
EXODUS 20:3-5 KJV
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
MATTHEW 7:21-23 KJV
Who cares about the Translacion & the Filipino people believing that the Black Nazarene would bring miracles to themselves when they didn’t know how to use discipline. In other words, its #TRASHlacion!!!
https://twitter.com/iam_jniest/status/1082919052429877251
The political merchandisers appeal only to the weaknesses of voters, never to their potential strength. They make no attempt to educate the masses into becoming fit for self-government; they are content merely to manipulate and exploit them. For this purpose all the resources of psychology and the social sciences are mobilized and set to work. Carefully selected samples of the electorate are given “interviews in depth.” These interviews in depth reveal the unconscious fears and wishes most prevalent in a given society at the time of an election. Phrases and images aimed at allaying or, if necessary, enhancing these fears, at satisfying these wishes, at least symbolically, are then chosen by the experts, tried out on readers and audiences, changed or improved in the light of the information thus obtained. After which the political campaign is ready for the mass communicators. All that is now needed is money and a candidate who can be coached to look “sincere.” Under the new dispensation, political principles and plans for specific action have come to lose most of their importance. The personality of the candidate and the way he is projected by the advertising experts are the things that really matter.
In one way or another, as vigorous he-man or kindly father, the candidate must be glamorous. He must also be an entertainer who never bores his audience. Inured to television and radio, that audience is accustomed to being distracted and does not like to be asked to concentrate or make a prolonged intellectual effort. All speeches by the entertainer-candidate must therefore be short and snappy. The great issues of the day must be dealt with in five minutes at the most — and preferably (since the audience will be eager to pass on to something a little livelier than inflation) in sixty seconds flat. The nature of oratory is such that there has always been a tendency among politicians and clergymen to over-simplify complex issues. From a pulpit or a platform even the most conscientious of speakers finds it very difficult to tell the whole truth. The methods now being used to merchandise the political candidate as though he were a deodorant positively guarantee the electorate against ever hearing the truth about anything.
FILIPINOS CANNOT EVEN RUN A SARI-SARI VARIETY STORE HOW MUCH MORE RUNNING A GOVERNMENT.
Filipinos cannot govern themselves. That is a fact. PROOFS:
1. Filipinos highest attainable career outside of the Philippines is a NURSE !!! Filipino doctors even downgrade to become a Nurse to make them employable and sustainable.
2. The highest attainable entrepreneurial spirit of Filipinos is Sari-Sari Variety Store. Higher than that makes it to the news because it falls within Man Bite Dog principle of news reporting
3. There never were successful presidents in the Philippine history of self-governance
4. The Philippine Military Academy graduates has to carpet-bomb and obliterate City of Marawi to flush out 30 rag-tag Muslim insurgents. They call it a success (Marawi is no more. It will become a soundstage for Mel Gibson’s Apocalypse movie)
5. To take down one disgruntled military officer they have to kill all hostaged Chinese passengers and they call it a success
6. 43 … listen to this … ta … da … ELITE COMMANDOS killed in Mamasapano while their re-inforcements were smoking, drinking and having a good time a kilometer away.
7. Hostaged general in Zamboanga was rescued dead not by ELITE COMMANDOS but elite military using howitzers … everyone dead … and the hostage taker never to be found … and was able to kill another day (I WATCHED ROBIN PADILLA’s MOVIE ABOUT THIS)
8. Thousands of Filipinos died in their march to Bataan under the watch of Japanese and they are called heroes.
9. (There are many more that makes Philippines fun)
CAN THE FILIPINOS WREST CONTROL AWAY FROM THEIR CURSE?
Because God is invisible it’s kind of hard to determine if you are near to Him or not, but creating images out of solid materials kind of take out the guess work.
Laws meant to ensure order are pretty much useless when votes don’t have equal value in reality.
We are diverse in many ways, but the universal quality that binds us should be above our differences.
Not only DO politicians use “the Black Nazarene feast and other religious rituals as campaign platforms” but also the very same Philippine Catholic Church leaders who claim to be an example and are supposed to be an example of what they are preaching in their pulpits, use the same platform and many more ones to take advantage of the frail and unstable emotional states of their followers. Jesus did NOT use any gimmick to allure his followers, or did he?