Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX

This post was drafted a month ago, and although the material is a bit old, I think it still is relevant to our the predicament we as a nation find ourselves in today.

Bonn Juego, in a blog entry a few weeks back, talks about his Conversation With A Fellow EDSA II Activist, where he acknowledges my previous post and promises to respond to the points I’ve raised. I’m looking forward to that, and I encourage you to visit his blog A Good Game for more exhaustive discourses regarding the issues confronted by our country, as executed by a bonafide political science grad taking up his Masters (as opposed to my “armchair” political analyses of the situation). Reading his reply to my comment in his In Solidarity post made me reflect if I’m indeed reactionary to the matters at hand.

Upon further reflection I contemplated upon a question Bonn raised in the “Conversation:

why, despite its internal crises and contradictions, elitism thrives and survives in our society?

We have at hand (albeit bleak) the opportunity to change our country, to improve our system, and to encourage the removal of the feudalistic politics and oligarchial rule that plague our country. Unfortunately, only few choose to push for action, and the masa allows itself to be used by both the administration and opposition political machineries. It is compounded by a cynical middle-class that is apparently disillusioned with the idea of joining protests and mass actions.

So why don’t they want to bring the elite down?

Looking back to my previous post, I stated that the definition of “elite” is related to the disproportionate power of a small group of people to make decisions. That group of people — the government as we know it — is made up mostly of the upper class. Most of them are members of the old rich; members of rich families that have established political dynasties over their respective territories. Recently, they’ve been joined by a new kind of elite; the men and women of mass media. Actors, actresses, singers and newscasters now pepper various local government posts and both legislative houses.

Looking further back, there was a line that I wrote in my post Of Call Center Agents, Nurses and Beggars. In there, I stated that:

come to think of it, we lost our choice simply because we see ourself as beggars

Maybe that’s the real problem; we’re addicted to being able to see ourselves as beggars. And having an elite in place to blame for all our troubles is pretty convenient.

As beggars we can ask for anything we want on account of poverty and helplessness. Being able to see ourselves as beggars allows us to complain all we want and blame them elite for the misery. Being able to see ourselves as beggars allows us to be sloth and wallow in inaction on account of “not having the opportunity” to do anything about everything. Being able to see ourselves as beggars allows us to exempt ourselves from paying taxes, justify piracy and petty theft, and excuse us from following laws on account of “kawawa naman ako… kaya okay lang kung lalabag ako ng batas, patatawarin naman ako ng Diyos.”

Being able to see ourselves as beggars allows us to simply extend our open palms instead of having to use our brains to find out ways to make ourselves better.

So, do you see yourself as a beggar?