Just like the rest of the world, this country is full of critics. There are two kinds of critics. With established institutions, whether government or corporate hierarchy, there are conscientious people who sincerely give suggestions to help the organization grow and improve. These are well-meaning people who do it out of love of country or the company.
Unfortunately, there are those who only criticize others for no reason except because they want to or in order to get attention for themselves. These people, more often than not, resort to hurtful or gutter language to deliberately offend instead of build. Now more than ever, their rude and disgusting messages seem to proliferate and dominate the airwaves. These “critics” are not capable of intelligent discourse, and will not even listen to differing opinion. Bashing has been the norm in recent years, but what is surprising is that bashers do not exclusively come from the troll community. There are some highly educated people who have joined the bashing trend, which appears to be the in-thing in this generation of creative memes and innovative messages.
In Proverbs 15:1-2, the Bible tells us, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.” When Vice President Leni Robredo delivered a short, insightful, direct to the point speech that openly criticized the current administration, but at the same time suggested specific plans and activities to the government in its fight against the coronavirus, many citizens took notice and praised her for this class act. I am one of those. It was highly evident that what VP Leni said and how she said it, came from a heart that just wants to help. She used respectful language; no profanity. Sadly, the bashers completely ignored her message and resorted to hate language, criticizing her wardrobe, the delivery and timing of her speech, and just about every petty thing in order to distract from the important and substantial contents of her speech.
In contrast to the soft manner of VP Leni is that of Senator Leila de lima, a firebrand of a public servant. Senator de lima has never relented in speaking her mind as regards the government campaign against drugs. Even at the cost of her continued detention, she has not tempered her acerbic comments on what she perceived as lapses in the government’s actions. These past days, however, owing to the trend of bashing and vulgar language, she has seemingly joined the gutter language fray if only to get her message across to those who prefer or understand only this kind of communication. Senator Antonio Trillanes III, Senator Panfilo Lacson, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., and Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, generally known for their respectful statements, have on some occasions resorted to gutter language as well, totally opposed to their previous conduct in public.
I think the way most people communicate these days can be traced to President Duterte himself. He has been talking the way he does for quite some time already. He has endeared himself to his constituents in Davao with his street-like style of doing things. His supporters are enamored with his candid, unfiltered, and uncensored way of communicating. He can be obscene, as he even raised his middle finger in a nationally televised speech, but I suppose it comes from his emotions, hurt by his own set of critics.
President Duterte has a natural foul mouth and uses gestures and terms that most Filipinos can relate to. Yes, I was one of those who once admired how he expressed himself then—authentic and unadulterated. I still would want to see the President I voted for in 2016 finish his term despite his failure to properly address the pandemic crisis, among others. Unlike his bashers who want his health to deteriorate, I wish him well as his heart still wants to serve this country to the best of his abilities. Duterte’s critics should not resort to his gangster style of communication just because he does so.
As it has been said, when your opponents go low, go high! Take the high road and use respectful language when your critics bash you. Refuse to engage the rabid fanatics in endless, pointless, and ruthless debate. Engage the reasonable ones in a healthy discussion.
For those supporters and critics in any organization, exert earnest efforts to agree to disagree by the use of polite language. Remember, a gentle answer deflects anger. Never use gutter language unless that is where you want your level of discussions to be. Remember, the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.
A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.