Wednesday 29 May 2013

In the past 2 years Vice Ganda has gained enormous following,  he is known for his witty jokes and classy outfits.

A lot of Filipinos took an instant liking to him, because he is confident and able to say his mind, but most of all many considered him as an image of authority.



 The story of Vice Ganda is about instant stardom.


The kind of fame that was achieved immediately, but could easily be taken away by just several comments he has made on his show.

But really...as the issue unfolds, are we really any better for the way we comment about Vice Ganda? 

Are the Filipino people really doing their country a favor by putting too much energy on this issue?



 What are the implications of this issue and what should the Filipinos learn from it?

I cannot help but think that Vice Ganda is a symbol for what is happening in the country today, a product of a long standing idea that TV channels project.

TV channel programs in the Philippines have long accepted the idea that darker people should be ridiculed, we have seen that in the way Nancy Binay was treated this elections. 



Every day we are bombarded with advertisements telling us that fat people are ugly...Every day we see news articles of celebrities exclaiming that they lost weight..

So why are we surprised?  If one person like VIce Ganda voiced out a judgment that almost everyone in this country is doing to their own neighbor?



Vice Ganda I believe has been creating so many racist jokes on the show, he has been allowed by the Filipino people to ridicule their own color and way of life....must they hate him now when they themselves allowed him to get famous...by accepting the insulting jokes he creates every day of the week?

Some are too quick to judge, but  can you not recall a friend? a parent? a sibling? a co-worker who called someone fat? 


Don't you recall close friends who wanted to look whiter and have fairer skin? Is Vice Ganda not merely a product of what Filipinos are really accustomed from day to day?


How many of us laughed at the jokes about negra? Even I myself posted some Nancy Binay racist jokes...
so why are we so tough on someone who just exposed who we are?



Can't we put back the question to ABS-CBN and GMA for putting out lousy shows, degrading script lines and low form of entertainment for causing this kind of issue? 


Can't we not in any way tell this television networks to write us a good script? to present us with good shows? are we not bombarded with trash shows every day?

We are set on putting blame on somebody, for a sin and certain idea that are already pervasive in the country long before.

Have we forgotten the way Tito Vic and Joey  and what they did to Pepsi Paloma? Is this not a trend with Filipino entertainment? Despite the rape case filed by Pepsi Paloma  we are still watching the likes of Tito Vic and Joey on TV and even glorify them.
Today we even consider TIto Vic as someone to be relied on, someone that can endorse products on TV and if he ran for Senate right now...I bet he would win.

In 1982, Joey de Leon along with Vic Sotto and Richie D'Horsie made headlines when underaged actress Pepsi Paloma accused the trio of gang raping her. The case was settled out of court and the trio made a public apology to Paloma. Paloma committed suicide by hanging herself in 1985.


This kind of fact...is simply forgotten in this country.

Why should the issue between Vice Ganda and Jessica Soho Stop?

1. The issue is getting out of hand, instead of focusing on the issue, thousands of Filipinos especially on social networking sites are blaming all homosexuals for an act that was done by just one person.

The efforts of homosexuals all around the country to claim their rights would be seriously affected,  a lot of LGBT groups are trying all that they can to have a voice even in Government as proof of the existence of the Ladlad Community.





I am afraid that one single person can ruin the image of the LGBT community, when we condemn the issue can we condemn the person only and not the sexual orientation that he has.

Despite the fact that Vice Ganda is not the spokesperson of the LGBT community, he has to learn from this experience.

One mistake can cost serious damage for other homosexuals and transgenders who are trying so hard to get out of the ridicule that they are experiencing.

TV networks will insist on making this issue bigger, for TV ratings and for higher pay...at the expense of all the people involved in the story and more.


This issue is not in any way defending what Vice Ganda has done, the joke was tasteless and it was right that Vice Ganda takes the blame and learns from it.


 I would immensely hate it when some gay person out there would be harmed by some guy who thinks they have high morals.

Some people are that dumb, they think that the mistake of Vice Ganda  should be given to other homosexuals as well. 


To Vice Ganda:

Fame can be destroyed in just a few seconds, it can destroy years of work.

 Actors and actresses as well as politicians and public figures have to learn from this simple but costly mistake.

But Filipinos have to learn where to draw the line... because in the end it is useless, if the monster that they are trying to combat is able to turn them into monsters as well.

Vice Ganda you have a chance here...a real big chance to do well and to project something great. Can't you not use this influence in producing something awesome and worthy for this country.

So many people Social networking sites are bent on criticizing gays for the mistake that one Vice Ganda made, the issue is getting out of hand.

After Vice Ganda has apologized to Jessica Soho, the best thing to do is to accept the apology. For Vice Ganda to never do it again and to learn much needed humility on his side.


2. The sin of Vice Ganda against Jessica Soho...is a sin he committed on his own and should not be in any way a reason for Filipinos to bully gay men in the country.

I have been reading a lot of posts from people who are already taking the joke, ridiculing gays for simply being gays just because of the mistake that one gay guy made.


People who comment...should learn to see the difference. You don't correct a mistake by creating another mistake.



 The LGBT community is striving hard to reach equality, even churches like the MCC Metropolitan Community Church are doing the best that they can in order to make Filipinos understand that the LGBT community has a right to get married and to have the same rights just like we do.



However, due to the fact that ABS-CBN and GMA has decided to turn this issue into a network war, the issue is getting bigger and bigger but the message is getting lost.

A lot of people are condemning him now, but why did they not condemn the fact that they allowed him to catapult into fame despite earning his money by ridiculing people?

 He is known for creating jokes about people who have ugly faces, who are way too fat, he is known for degrading people on front of TV and people applauded, people loved him and even watched his concerts.

 In fact he has been doing the bullying for so long, the people who are watching him have supported him all along and the TV networks even want this kinds of story lines to exist on TV.

Come to think of it, one media personality asked that he provides apology, after the  Arnold Clavio stated his mind this instantly resulted to thousands of Filipinos clamoring for Vice Ganda to explain.

But are the Filipino viewers and TV networks not in any way to blame? Must the blame be given all to Vice Ganda? and is he our real enemy here???





Vice Ganda is simply earning millions of money here in this country, because we have for so long accepted that we should ridicule fat people, that we should reject people who don't have perfect body types, that we can let a crime go just as long as it has been done  by a famous person.

If you are asking for Vice Ganda to apologize...then go out there as well and apologize to every person you might have called ugly or fat.

 Go out there and express how sorry you are for being inconsiderate, for men out there go and say sorry for women that you treated like trash.
For Filipino men out there say sorry for beating your wives, say sorry for breaking the heart of too many women just to maintain a macho image.

Are we not in any way responsible for this issue..

I just can't help but think that the Philippines was able to face its own monster during this controversy.
This issue might only be used for TV ratings just like in any issue in this country.

The  Philippine mainstream media has controlled us so much...and entertainment people like Vice Ganda and Jessica Soho are just pawns.

We are not targeting the real culprits in society here... we are just looking at the clues...come to think of that...

Who is controlling the Philippine entertainment...and why have we allowed the like of Willie Revillame, Vice Ganda as well as Tito Vic and Joey to tell us how to judge people and how to go about with our lives?







4 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. While I agree with you that the issue is getting out of hand, we agree on completely different grounds. Let's get the facts straight:

    Vice Ganda, in his concert last May 17, used Jessica Soho as the center of several punch lines. He repeatedly "joked" about her weight and of her being raped.

    "Ang hirap nga lang kung si Jessica Soho magbo-bold. Kailangan gang rape lagi. Sasabihin ng rapist, 'Ipasa ang lechon.' Sasabihin naman ni Jessica, 'Eh nasaan yung apple?'" (1)

    There are several issues I would like to address:

    1. You said, and I quote, that "we are bombarded with advertisements telling us that fat people are ugly…So why are we surprised? If one person like Vice Ganda voiced a judgement that almost everyone in this country is doing to their own neighbor?" You, Sir/Madam, just answered your own question. The problem with the Filipino people is that our tendency to judge other people based on their appearance has been normalized. Unfortunately, social media, being one of the leading proponents of normalizing this behavior, has not taken active steps to address this situation. Vice Ganda is a big part of the entertainment industry and is seen as "an image of authority". That being said, numerous people look up to him. For him to utter those lines would make it appear to his multitude of followers that joking about such things are okay. (It is not.) Instead of combating the negative behavior of Filipinos, Vice Ganda just reinforces it. You yourself asked "can't you not use this influence in producing something awesome and worthy for this country"? I agree. Instead of ridiculing people, why doesn't Vice Ganda do something with his influence to instigate positive change?

    2. "How many of us laughed at the jokes about negra? Even I myself posted some Nancy Binay racist jokes…" A lot of Filipinos, including you and me, toss judgements left and right. Just because a lot of people are doing this does not make it right. In what world do you live in when you claim that "we have for so long accepted that we should ridicule fat people, that we should reject people who don't have perfect body types, that we can let a crime go just as long as it has been done  by a famous person"? Are you telling me that we should not apologize for this behavior of ours because other people, heck even celebrities, do it anyway? You said that, and I completely agree, "You don't correct a mistake by creating another mistake."

    ReplyDelete
  4. 3. "I am afraid that one single person can ruin the image of the LGBT community, when we condemn the issue can we condemn the person only and not the sexual orientation that he has." How daft do you think the Filipino people are? We are fighting for our rights (yes, that includes the LGBT community's rights as well just so you know) so that must mean that we are taking a step in the right direction. Why would we hastily generalize and blame everything on the entire community? Although there are some people who act this way and pin the blame on the whole community, there are other people whose minds are open and believe that Vice Ganda brought this upon himself. He repeatedly "joked" about her weight and of her being raped in front of approximately one thousand (1000) people. Some people, as evidenced by the barrage of tweets and comments in popular social networking sites, were offended. It is, therefore, solely Vice Ganda's fault. I acknowledge that the Philippines is a largely traditional, Catholic country that has a hard time accepting change be it in the form of gender relations among others but please, have some faith in the people. Not everybody thinks this way.

    3. Surely, Vice Ganda did not shoot up to stardom because of his insulting jokes alone. There are some comedians, like Dolphy and ate Gay, who are famous because of their witty lines and natural sense of humor. They are popular without insulting other people. Why can't Vice do the same thing? By insulting other people, isn't he contributing to the so called "trash shows" everyday?

    4. "If you are asking for Vice Ganda to apologize...then go out there as well and apologize to every person you might have called ugly or fat." Are you telling me that Vice Ganda shouldn't have apologized? I want Vice Ganda to apologize because what he did and said was wrong. It was wrong when he called her fat. It was wrong when he "joked" about her getting raped. I agree that Arnold Clavio attacked Vice Ganda on a slightly different, although still valid, point. He made it seem like the joke would have been okay had Vice used someone from ABS-CBN as the subject of his joke. This is obviously not the case. Don't get me wrong, though. I would be just as mad if it were any other person he made fun of. Jessica Soho or not, Vice Ganda or not, that's beside the point.

    In conclusion, you have raised a few valid points but you completely missed the point. It's not about the rivalry between GMA and ABS-CBN. It's not about the LGBT community. It is about how rape is not, and never will be, a joke. I don't know about you but the way I see it, Vice Ganda wronged not just Jessica Soho but the entire human race for that matter. In what context is it right to joke about rape? Thick or thin, light or heavy, black or white, male or female, rape is rape. Jessica herself said that the issue is not about her. It is "about the issue of rape not being an appropriate subject matter for comedy. Rape transcends age, economic class, gender—and even one’s weight."(2)


    Sources:

    (1) http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/30116-vice-ganda-jessica-soho-rape-joke

    (2) http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/30202-jessica-soho-statement-vice-ganda?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rappler+(Rappler)

    ReplyDelete