The original article (in
italics and highlighted) will be heavily copy-and-pasted quoted along with my
comments and reactions.
Ladies and gents, “conservative ako” (“I’m a
conservative”) isn’t a self-compliment. Au contraire, branding yourself a
“conservative” is an insult to self. Let me tell you why.
What is conservatism?
Conservatism isn’t about the amount of
fabric that we wear (or don’t wear) to cover ourselves nor is merely the other
end of the continuum that gauges our attitudes toward sex and sexuality.
Huh? Okay then. Clarifying
that the conservatism he will discuss will not revolve solely on sex. Carry on.
In its broadest sense, conservatism—whether
social, political or economic—is an ideology that promotes the preservation of
traditional values, which signifies a resistance to change. Conservatism is the
“maintenance of status quo” and refusal to accept change. Refusing change
conveys, in most cases, the rejection of progressive science and education, and
focusing on and succumbing to, in the context of Philippine history and
tradition, the interpretation of the Christian Bible and our caciquist culture
(which is practically the essence of our infamous patronage politics) rather
than accepting modern discoveries that may gainsay traditional beliefs.
It is quite surprising he looped
everything wrong about Philippine society as something conservatives want to
maintain. It is quite appalling that the author would loop and interlock all
these problems as if they were a singular phenomenon. Philippine societal
problems are commonly rooted in lack of unity – the kaniya-kaniya attitude, not on conservatism. It can be agreed upon
that conservatism does cause some of the problems, but it is not because we’re
really conservative, but because many Filipinos are not intellectualists and
even smart-shamers. (In fact, we are the most Westernized nation in Southeast
Asian, something I am both angry and happy for. Where’s the “resistance and
preservation of traditional values”?)
Conservatism is the refusal to grow up and
deal with the world in informed terms.
Many pro-refugee American
Liberals are also accused of being too idealistic, as they tend to gloss over
the possibility of terrorists sneaking with legitimate economic migrants
(refugees).
Conservatism is giving in to the reign of
social stratification and inequality. If you’re female and you see yourself as
a conservative, then you’re anti-female because traditional Christian values
are anti-female.
One thing I agree with
progressives (that’s why I’m left-leaning when it comes to economics) is that
conservatives do want to maintain gross inequality, something that should be changed
in the Filipino setting. As yes, surely Biblical principles are indeed
anti-female and pro-abuse (sarcastic sentence), as exemplified in these examples:
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7 [NIV])
There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28 [MKJV], emphasis mine)
Look how sexist and demeaning
of women this Bible verse is (sarcasm):
A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth. (Proverbs 11:16 [NIV])
And of course, even the Roman
Catholic Church theoretically aims to protect the dignity of women:
Also noteworthy is a new understanding of the dignity of woman and her place in society, of the value of conjugal love in marriage and the relationship of conjugal acts to this love. (Humanae Vitae, Chapter 2 [1968])
The entirety of the Mulieris Dignitatem
apostolic letter covers topics on protecting the dignity of women.
His original text, again,
blames conservatism in general as the
root cause of HIV prevalence:
Conservatism is why the Philippines is among
the only nine countries in the world with increasing number of HIV cases and
why women from all over the country die every day due to complications ofillegal abortion.
Hypocritical conservative
policies not rooted in actual reality is the cause, not conservatism per se.
Because if we were truly conservative, then why would pre-marital sex rates
surge up? Liberated millennials polluted influenced by western liberal ideals cannot be considered
conservative. (Duh.) Putting aside semantics, I will disclose that I am a
staunch supporter of the Reproductive Health Law (R.A. 10354). I am, however,
against the “over-sexualization” of mainstream media and internet, which sometimes
treats women as mere tools of masculine pleasure.
Conservatism is why you spend a significant amount
of your valuable time wedged in EDSA every day due to heavy traffic or why
riding the MRT during rush hour is practically a suicidal act.
Wait, what? I get what he was
fighting for progressive ideals especially with regards to social inequality and
gender inequality but how is this connected? Corruption fueled by Filipino
mediocrity and complacency caused the transportation woes, not our
pseudo-conservative stances.
Conservatism is why despite our huge
reservoir of talent and ingenuity, our arts and culture continue to wither and
our genius artists are either starving or have perished in obscurity.
Filipinos are not really
culture-centric, hence our zoning priorities for cultural centers are mostly
overshadowed by malls and commercial centers.
Conservatism is why your Internet connection
won’t let you respond to your crush’s Twitter DMs because it moves at a glacial
pace or why our service providers have accomplished nothing but serve us shitty
yet expensive products and services.
Possibly true. Conservatism is
broad. The real reason why our duopoly in telecommunications is due to constitutional
economic protectionism which in turn fuels the oligarchy running our cacique
democracy. I will cite this 2013 article from Priscilla Tacujan, Ph.D. of the
Philippine Star:
Despite the improvement in the Philippine
investment climate, the Philippine Constitution (1987) still has an antiquated
article that supports laws restricting foreign ownership of property to 40
percent (Article XII), with minor adjustments and deviations by subsequent
legislation. Removing the clause, and improving access and protections of
foreign-owned business, would lead to a quantum leap in FDI and Philippine
economic growth. Small changes to legislation are not enough. The Constitution
needs to be changed in order to fully welcome foreign investors to the
Philippines.
Article Source: Protectionist clauses in the Philippine Constitution restrict the flow of foreign directinvestment
My last response will be with
regards to this paragraph he placed in his conclusion:
Conservatism breeds intolerance.
Conservatism is mental slavery. Conservatism isn’t just the refusal of
progress. It’s the refusal to use your brain.
Don’t get me started how
intolerant liberals can be too. Since Filipino society rarely touches on
left-vs-right, conservative-vs-liberal topics, I cannot gauge whether or not conservatives
(in the Philippines, of course) are the most intolerant bunch. In the United
States, however, there are numerous articles and testimonials portraying the
intolerance of liberals – ironically the champions of equal rights.
Conclusion
Although the article raises
valid points regarding conservative impediments to “progress” (a relative phenomenon),
the article assumes too much and/or overgeneralizes at the same time.
Conservatism is a broad spectrum of beliefs and no two conservatives may share
the same opinions on all societal issues. To blame conservatism as the cause of
such issues like the MRT/Traffic problems and internet speeds seem incongruous
to what most right-wing conservatives fight for. Like, connecting such issues
as passing the buck on conservatism is a bit off. Maybe the author may be
referring to complacency and mediocrity, not conservatism. Nonetheless, condescendingly
and haughtily portraying conservatives as regressive folks who impede progress
will not diminish their influence, but will only strengthen and attract more of
their kind. Kindy why Trump won, eh?
