This is my commentary about Prof. Danny Arao’s blog post: Huwag Kang Magblog Kung…

Prof. Danny Arao’s blogpost about bloggers who become “sell outs” in the blogosphere is indeed thought provoking. I have been blogging for a long time but it was only until now that I get to meet some other bloggers in “real life” through the the different blogger or media events organized by different marketing or pr agencies. It’s only now I realize that there are some perks by becoming a blogger. I must admit it was fun since I get to experience things I have not done before ( especially the food that I have not tasted before). In exchange of letting me experience those perks of course I should return the favor by writing about their product or event etc. That’s ’social exchange theory’ in real life, but it’s not being forced. Even though they feed me with all the food they want, nothing can control me on what I will say. I will still write a bad review if I didn’t like the taste of the food or if the service is bad. I make sure that it’s being done constructively and not because I am being too personal about it. Read the rest of this entry »

Raymund Marasigan just emailed the Cambio Mailing List this message:

dear wizards and witches

there is some disturbing news at the ministry of magic. the dementors
are doing everything they can to stop the show.

be safe

aldus dumbledore

Dare not to stop the show. It’s the law that has a flaw, Phillip Morris was able to seep into the loophole.

Now the question would be: Would you say that the fans who want this show to push through are “unintelligent” just because they don’t f*cking care whoever sponsors or ‘organizes’ the show?

I remember when I was in college, my thesis was about fandom. I wanted to do a different kind of study and portray fans as ‘intelligent’ beings in this world as opposed to the common notion of fans being the “commoners”, ” unproductive” ( meaning all they do is stalk with their idols) and justify that their idols actions are always correct.

The Frankfurt School theorists ( rooted from the believers of Karl Marx’s theories) would insist that fans are products of mass culture. As for them, mass culture is bad, monstrous and only makes people fantasize about the impossible and ‘alienates’ people from the reality of life. Mass Culture as for them operates with different apparatuses that would control the recipients of mass culture ( i.e. the fans). In this sense, we are led to have the common notion of the fan to be just mere passive audiences. If you will try to analyze it, it is somewhat a one-way relationship when fans just get pleasure from their idols and nothing can be no intellectual or cultural production can be produced from their idols. ( Try thinking about your biology in high school, it’s a symbiotic relationship called commensalism wherein only one benefits while the other doesn’t benefit at all). This kind of notion is pathological since they are the kinds of fans that media shows us.

I beg to disagree that I am like that. I am not that kind of fan. I want the show to happen.

Fans have the power to resist within their domain. Whoever the sponsor of the event is, fans will still support the show. Fans have the capability to resist whatever the motive of the sponsor is. If Phillip Morris is indeed the real sponsor ( which was by the way already confirmed), fans can still attend the event and not accept whatever Phillip Morris advocates. It’s just simple logic, it’s non-sequitur! It does not follow that if a person attends this event then people will advocate smoking. Wow, isn’t that illogical?! By the way, people have individual brains and can decide for themselves. The problem is, we are always concerned about the structural and always neglect agency ( or the individual). People are focused only on the economic structure being the big bad wolf when in fact there are other structures where we can work on. Focus on the ‘is’, capitalism or consumerism IS already here ever since and what we can do right now is to work WITHIN capitalism. Now, don’t mistake me as an elitist, I am just being pragmatic.

I understand other people’s orientation that personal is political. I accept that. But that is not always the case.

I am a fan, a logical fan.

As I was reading my inbox in Multiply, my friend Mica posted this article in her Multiply blog. You may read the article here.

I must agree with Mica, that it is very disappointing to know that due to the tuition increase and also the new STFAP ( Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance program) the brightest of the brightest students from other regions of the Philippines could not maximize their potentials. When I was still at the University more than 2 years ago, I was able to hear from Prof. Solita Monsod the rationale as to why UP needs to increase its tuition fees. According to her, the tuition fee at that time Php 300.00 per unit has never been changed eversince. Now based on the socio-economic conditions at the time that Php 300.00 per unit has started and until last year, there has been a great change in the societal conditions. So, according to her it is the right time to increase the fees. Well, she’s coming from the economic perspective. Also, teachers need to be compensated so as to prevent being ‘pirated’ by other “more” expensive schools. She has an argument, however thinking about the current condition of UP, it is very much concentrated on avoiding “brain drain” and thus leaving the students behind because they need to pay higher tuition.

I thought that the tuition hike is effective for all levels ( meaning Master’s and Doctorate degrees), instead it’s just for bachelor’s degrees which is quite ironic because usually those taking their MA and PhDs are also working at the same time. I have a high school batchmate who is currently taking her MA in Sociology in UPD and she said that her tution is Php 500.00 per unit ( the same as the previous years). According to her, it’s just the undergraduate students who will pay the 300% increase in tuition.

UP is now the official national university as mandated by law. What’s the sense in calling it such when you do not give opportunities for unfortunate adolescents? Think about it UP officials, you spent a lot for the UP centennial activities. Where should the funds go? To the fireworks, parades, parties or should you allocate it for the poor bright students who aspire to study in UP?

Iskolar ng Bayan, paano na nga ba?

In the lay person’s perspective the movie’s theme is light, it’s just a story of a bee who wants to be indifferent from his own kind. Looking at it in a sociological perspective there are lots of concepts or perspectives that could be applied to this one. Read the rest of this entry »

COMMENTARY
Transsexual women (11/01/2007)

HONOLULU — This is not an easy piece to write. It’s probably the most unusual and unprecedented case the Philippine Supreme Court has had to deal with in its history. It will be many, many years before the high court can have some kind of “transgender law” to guide its future deliberations on transgender cases.

Read the rest of this entry »