9.27.2006

Scrambled Eggs

Just when you thought the Philippines couldn't sink any lower...think again.

AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. never knew what hit him, literally, when he was pelted with mud and eggs by 10 tudent activists after attending a forum in the University of the Philippines-Diliman last September 22. Esperon was apparently dubbed by the students as a "fascist," pertaining to the military's crackdown on leftist-activists and the increase of political killings by the military. The egging was the latest in a string of protests against the military. Of course, as head of the Armed Forces, General Esperon received the full blow for his department's incompetence.

Then again, what the hell were these students thinking, resorting to something so childish as egg-throwing and mudslinging. For students proclaim themselves the best among the best -- mga scholar ng bayan -- they sure are dumb and inconsiderate. (No offense to those from UP who never really took part in that shocking display of childishness.)

I have nothing against activism, as I am an activist myself, albeit a more subdued and respectful one. However, it is this blind activism that tears the very fabric of the democracy we...or they...claim to uphold. Philippine society is growing more and more anarchistic, starting with the younger generation. UP, primarily an institution -- THE institution -- to educate future leaders, movers and shakers of the nation, has become a hotbed of political protests and a breeding ground for blind activists fueled not by ideals, but by discontent in a system they, instead of proactively changing, reactively lambaste.

Now, you probably might wanna lash out at me (especially those from good ol' Peyups) for making these sweeping generalizations about their campus, their ideals and their freedom. So, forgive me if you feel offended. I am not pertaining to activists as a whole, but only activists who are driven by blind idealism...those who have no prospect of changing a nation and whose only agenda is to protest. Gen. Esperon puts it nicely, "Maybe they were just the bad eggs," pertaining to those who flung the poultry byproducts.

But sadly, there are more and more "bad eggs" being laid about. There are those who, like the 10 egg-slingers, choose to exercise their freedom to an extreme extent. There are those who do nothing but complain and do nothing. There are those who take to the streets in protest, unknowledgeable...or rather, uncaring of the social implications their incessant protests would result in. And there are those who do not concern themselves with anything...the exact opposite of blind idealism: apathy.

These are the things plaguing our generation. We are turning into this society of extremes: the blind idealist and the apathetic, because we always to neglect the real problem: ourselves. We bounce it back to the government, because they've already screwed things up for us.

The example of the 10 egg-slingers shows that this generation has slowly started to deteriorate. It has lost sight of what needs to change and has instead resorted to crude and uncaring ways to deflect their shortcomings. Now, could Gen. Esperon be faultless in this? Definitely not. As a leader of a unit that has foregone its primary duty of protecting and safeguarding the people and their rights, he must take the blame. But to be pelted by eggs and mud? That's going too far.

Why must we stoop down to his level?