For the most part, the trouble I see with the whole Mideo Cruz controversy is that people fail to make the distinction between artistic & religious bias.

When the issue first started, it was simple enough; people were up in arms because Cruz’s work was blasphemous, and therefore “offended” their religious sensibilities. It got much more complicated because any person who actually uses their brain would know that while having those sentiments is understandable, it’s simply not enough to overthrow one’s constitutional right to express them self.

So what did those “offended” people do to “re-legitimize” their concern? They tried arguing “objectively” (for lack of a better term) – specifically attacking the “quality” of the art. Their point was now basically this: the art was not art at all, or mediocre art at best; thus had no place in the CCP. As one comment would eloquently put it:

The CCP is the art gallery par excellence of this nation, and so we have come to expect that only established artists; those who have built their reputations over decades of public acclaim and acceptance by their fellow artists; deserve to be exhibited there.

And that is a perfectly reasonable claim to make. I agree with it 100%

But what people don’t see is that we’ve already been misdirected from the real issue. Read More

I should’ve posted this when everything was at its peak – to avoid looking like I was trying to “rekindle” an issue everyone had supposedly “moved on” from. But then, I remembered that I never claimed the moral high-ground when it came to Lao’s recent media exposure – so suck it! 😉

But, truth be told, this post isn’t really about slamming Mr. Lao and what he did. ¹ We’ve all had our fair share of that in Facebook Instead, what I’m posting now are the salient points of a conversation I had with Cris about it; the real world implications this event had made painfully obvious. “Truths” people would have to accept so they don’t end up getting so bent out of shape when things like this happen.

That, and because I haven’t posted shit in such a goddamned long time that my blog’s beginning to rot. So let me brush aside the virtual cobwebs and try getting back into discussing stuff. Read More

As much as I get easily put off by the naive arguments of those who are against the RH bill, I have to admit that there are a few here and there who do bring up valid points. People like this guy over here

However, one thing I couldn’t get over was how he used the idiom “call a spade a spade.” I couldn’t help but want to say the same for our side. And for days, I tried to come up with a post articulating the frustration(s) I’m feeling – with no luck.

Then, I joined in on this other RH debate in Facebook, and was surprised to have posted a fairly concise thesis that summarized everything I wanted to say in a single [long] comment. And so I’m sharing that comment (edited and expanded for more cohesion) with you all.

This is reason why I’m for the RH bill. And this why I have such a short fuse when it comes to anti RH people’s arguments.

The gist is simple: the way anti-RH argue their points, it’s as if they’re ignorant to how serious poverty can be. They seem to treat it as a statistic to be studied, or used as ammo for a debate – and forget that there are actual LIVES at stake.

I’ll explain to you why I feel that way, and how disconcerting it feels. And if there are anti-RH people reading this, then by all means, I hope to hear you say things that would put my mind at ease – because your stance bothers me – as I’m sure ours bothers you. But I’m bothered not because I think you mean ill, but because I don’t think you realize the gravity of the issue. I’m bothered by the fact that I’m one of the most selfish guys you can meet, and yet even I can see how much good this bill can bring into their lives, and you are against it simply because it doesn’t resonate with your “values.” Read More