Yo, hello, whatâs good? Oh, you've reached my blog, welcome!Â
About the blog:
A Gray Area is a blog about anything that I want to talk about. You will mostly find: posts relating to my perspective of Filipino and/or American culture, film/show discussions (yes, even anime), me sharing personal stuff, what I have been learning, workout stuff, and probably a lot more if you tune in.
I try to keep an open-mind and allow discussions for everyone. If youâre Filipino-American, perfect! If youâre just wanting to read, also perfect! You also get to disagree with what I think about, cool right? If you have any questions, just ask me and I will try to respond when I can.
I will keep this index page updated with a featured area and collections of related posts. If you are on a PC, I HIGHLY recommend going on to the actual site rather than on Tumblrâs end; so you can search posts (and the custom site looks so much better). Also if you enjoy my stuff, please give me a follow! Or if you just like a post, give it a heart! Iâd really appreciate it.
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âThence we came forth, to see again the starsâ -Dante Alighieri
âThe hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutralityâ -Dante Alighieri
Ah yes, Dante, the great Italian poet. Such a wonderful quote! A powerful statement about neutrality and a strong condemnation to those who are neutral in moral crises! I truly believe about what he said, it is a philosophy that I can get behind.
Wait, what? Dante didnât even say that? John F. Kennedy did? Wait, JFK was quoting Dante? No, wait, misquoting Dante?
Misinformation; anyone can be deceived. It is common to see facts and statements made without any credible sources as long as the false information is presented to âlook factualâ and the presenter is direct. Maybe they have the gift of gab, maybe the receiver of information does not care enough to fact check, or maybe, no one has any reason to doubt at all.
These are one of the many problems of Philippine political issues that exist today. Our political climate has grown to be irritative, distasteful, and unfriendly in our public, or even personal, campaigns towards election. After so many years of Filipinos fighting together against colonizers, we started to fight ourselves instead.
Right off the bat, I want to get this straight, I am a supporter for Leni Robredo, a Filipino presidential candidate. My whole family is, my community, close friends, people I know, we all share a common purpose and that is supporting Leni. I want to point out that I am using this information as background for who I am, and what I do.
I recently joined a small youth organization in my local community that supported Leni. My cousin got me to join in, even if I was hesitant to go for, but participated anyways.
It was a Saturday, these are usually the days the organization conducts a house-to-house campaign where they visit a Barangay (a local subdivision) and go from one house to another in hopes of convincing them to vote for Leni. A common theme when visiting each house is that most of the time they're undecided on who to vote. Which is fine, as this is where the job of a campaigner comes in. Most sorts of people range from: fiesta preparers, active parents, elderly, small families, and just kids. The youths are determined, ready, energetic, and excited to meet new people. The extroverts excel at this, their mind to their mouths, and making conversations are their best tools. Mind you, it was hot and super humid, so seeing them work really puts the 'Filipinos are hard workers' vibe. The sun never really got clouded, as it was apparent from the nasty sunburns I got behind my neck, and heat really took a toll on our appetite.Â
The great thing about Filipino culture is that food is abundant, you get to visit birthdays or fiestas (which probably happens everyday), as long as someone knows someone. The people are really hospitable that you get to eat at their place, and they will WANT you to eat there. That is Filipino custom for you. Visiting each house constantly reminds you of the abundance of culture that surrounds the Filipino nature. Hard work, discipline, hospitability, romance, and importantly, faith in religion.
We visited one house and their household aligned with Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), which is an independent Christian religion mostly originating in the Philippines. INC has not declared whether they are endorsing any political candidate in particular, but a certain TikTok video has spread across the internet saying that INC is supporting Ferdinand âBongBongâ Marcos. But articles, such as the one from Rappler, claim misinformation. But, a household says otherwise.
âWe cannot support other candidates, because Marcos holds INC.â A generalized statement held by the household members.
Yes, there has been family ties between Marcos-INC but there has been no definitive proof of their support this 2022 election. Which is fascinating, yet in many ways oppressive, that we still have religion and state that are intertwined when it comes to the electoral process. I am not sure whether it is the fear that came with the Marcos regime, the closed-mindedness in some conservative beliefs, or blind faith from the association of religion, but it works apparently as religion holds a strong authority over our culture. Going back from religion, we have to take the true consideration of misinformation as well, as it was the main culprit into how it deceives Filipino media. âThou shalt have no other Gods before meâ but we treat the information we receive from the media as if it was divine appointment.
âShading the circle is the easy part.â A Filipino elder told us when we visited her household.
Voting is easy. The reasoning behind it is not. We all have deep respect for our country, what it fought for, how it still stands after years and years of fighting. Why do we vote? For a mom, it is probably for her kidâs future. For a soldier, most likely so they would never have to fight anymore. For a student, to find incentives in their studies and with that, to find a prosperous career. Deep down, it is all about the human condition, for everyone that lives in a country is someone who wants to live happily.
I think the best part about campaigning is looking into other peoplesâ lives, no matter who they vote for, they look so happy to have company. It is common to see happiness with every Filipino family, they love to make jokes, create friendships, and share a smile with a person they do not know.
âCome back here again, weâre going to have a fiesta soon!â As they announced before we left.
The sun was ready to tuck itself under its sheets. We were going to visit the last house before we went home, but before we went home, something happened, and this was the most memorable part of the day.
âI want to see you all sing, do some karaoke!â Another elder called out.
Karaoke is what I believe, to be the pinnacle of Filipino art. Not everyone has good voices (do not bash me on this), but everyone is an amazing singer. Singing is about human emotion, thoughts, expressions, actions, and love. It does not matter about how good your voice is, rather, the singing itself. Most of the youth played âolderâ Filipino songs I subtly remember. But, man, was it fun hearing them sing. The best part is, if we hit a score of 95 and above, we might convince them to vote.
We have to remember, it is not bad to vote, nor convince others to vote. But, it is bad to attack and misinform another human being who has emotions and thoughts, just like us. And do you know what? It is also bad to do nothing right in the middle of our âmoral crisisâ as Dante famously said. See a friend attack someone else? Resolve it. See misinformation being spread online? Report it. See someone who is feeling down? Make them happy. We all deserve to be a good person in our lives, we should be able to practice it too. After everything that happens, I think the best thing we can do is go to a karaoke booth with some friends and sing away. I mean, for Godâs sake, it is the love for our country!
