All-Out War (Blog war, that is)

Im just curious.

Why do certain "student alliances" in Diliman wonder why they lose big-time in elections?

Do they honestly think most students are so blind and do not ask questions like:

What is their stand on Tuition Fee Increases?

Does their silence mean they support it?

What is their stand on Gloria Arroyo?

Does their lack of pronouncements mean they support her?

Why do most of their members say they support her if their alliance says they are against her?

Would that account for the fact that they are unable to mobilize the students?

Because they themselves cant get their act together?

Why do certain students from certain colleges protest the stereotype imposed on them?

When their collegemates say that we shouldnt care about abducted UP students just because they are not enrolled?

Is that an implicit approval of their abduction?

Doesnt that mean they really approve of the all-out war and the repression of human rights?

Would they feel the same if their parents were the ones who were abducted?

Why do they expect their right to speech to be respected by people who knew someone whose rights were violated, considering how shamelessly selfish they are?

Why are certain "projects" concerned with free housing even wondering why they arent solving poverty?

Shouldnt you solve poverty at the root?

Do they band-aid wounds caused by diseases instead of curing the disease itself?

Why are certain groups and individuals who proclaim themselves to be religious silent in the face of worsening human rights violations?

Why are they so angry at abortions and euthanasia when they let the murder of unarmed activists pass?

Isn’t the destiny that they use to justify the murder of activists applicable in the case of fetuses and old people?

Why are they even wondering that the ranks of the Faithful are decreasing every year?

Shouldnt they blame themselves for the people’s disillusionment about religion?

Shouldnt the parties I mentioned a while ago blame themselves for losing in elections?

And shouldnt the elitist students blame themselves for the chaos our country is thrown in when the masses decide to take things in their own hands?

Will you join the SONA?

Don’t you think you should?

It is not enough to set tasks; we must also solve the problem of the methods for carrying them out. If our task is to cross a river, we cannot cross it without a bridge or a boat. Unless the bridge or boat problem is solved, it is idle to speak of crossing the river. Unless the problem of method is solved, talk about the task is useless.

"Be Concerned with the Well-Being of the Masses, Pay Attention to Methods of Work" (January 27, 1934), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 150.

Reading is learning, but applying is also learning and the more important kind of learning at that. it is often not a matter of first learning and then doing, but of doing and then learning, for doing is itself learning.

"Problems of Strategy in China’s Revolutionary War" (December 1936), Selected Works, Vol. I, pp. 189-90.

As far as our own desire is concerned, we do not want to fight even for a single day. However, if circumstances force us to fight, we can fight to the finish.

"Talk with the American Correspondent Anna Louise Strong" (August 1946), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 97.

In class society, everyone lives as a member of a particular class, and every kind of thinking, without exception, is stamped with the brand of a class.

"On Practice" (July 1937), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 296

Everything reactionary is the same; if you do not hit it, it will not fall. This is also like sweeping the floor; as a rule, where the broom does not reach, the dust will not vanish of itself.

"The Situation and Our Policy After the Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan" (August 13, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 19.

Apart from their other characteristics, the outstanding thing about China’s 600 million people is that they are "poor and blank". This may seem a bad thing, but in reality it is a good thing. Poverty gives rise to the desire for changes the desire for action and the desire for revolution. On a blank sheet of paper free from any mark, the freshest and most beautiful characters can be written; the freshest and most beautiful pictures can be painted
"Introducing a Co-operative" (April 15, 1958).

Whoever wants to know a thing has no way of doing so except by coming into contact with it, that is, by living (practicing) in its environment. … If you want knowledge, you must take part in the practice of changing reality. If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself…. If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.

"On Practice" (July 1937), Selected Works, Vol. I, pp. 299-300

It is well known that when you do anything, unless you understand its actual circumstances, its nature and its relations to other things, you will not know the laws governing it, or know how to do it, or be able to do it well.

"Problems of Strategy in China’s Revolutionary War" (December 1936), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 179.

We can learn what we did not know. We are not only good at destroying the Old World, we are also good at building the new.

"Report to the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China" (March 5, 1949), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 374.

(Anton’s Note: To protect the privacy of this misguided UPD Freshie from QueSci [and herself from a lynch mob], I have decided not to mention her name which begins with the initials E.N. To protect her further, I have decided to omit any trace of her course which is in the College of Arts and Letters. Finally, my response is the block of text in italics at the bottom)

Ganun ba yun?? Ang batayan ng galing ng naproduce na estudyante ng isang eskwelahan ay ang dami ng numero ng estudyanteng naging aktibista??

I think not.

I, for one, am not interested in being one of those protest-joining people we call ‘activists‘. Honestly, because of the activists I’ve met, I’m not impressed with what they do.

Forcing people who clearly do not want any part of their activities is one thing that turns me off, precisely because I’m the kind of person who doesn’t think I can change anything by joining the protests held by the students and afterwards proclaiming myself as one of the few who "stands up and does, at the very least, something for the people".

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I think the activists’ attempts are entirely futile, but it’s just that I’m just not the type of person who can help with such things. I would just be a burden.

I do want to do something for my society, but not now. I don’t feel as if my time has come to act yet, but I know that someday, I will. I’m not apathetic to my country, I care very much. It’s just that I really don’t think I’m of much use. Besides, I’m not willing to scream my voice hoarse just for something that I feel unnecessary to do anyway.

—

"Smart people speak out only when they have something to say. Fools speak out when they want to say something."

"Fools only care to show how smart they are."

So how do you suggest we change society for the better? By following your example and watching the developments from the sidelines?

First of all, how did you learn to ride a bike? or swim? or tie your shoelaces? Did you learn by reading some guide book until one day, voila! You could do it perfectly? No, its the basic scientific method. In fact, its basic common sense. You experiment on what is the best solution to society’s problems. Even if you don’t figure out which is it on your first try, you always come out of the experience with more knowledge. Non-participation in society is analogous to figuring out if the hypothesis is correct without conducting an experiment. Good luck nalang dun.

Its incredible how some can claim that they are not apathetic yet when they are offered an avenue to figure out which way to go, they slink from that offer. Like I said above, if ever activism is NOT the way to go, you would have at least learned something else. And if you really cared, you would have recognized the urgency to do something: at the minimum, eliminate one path because you found out it was wrong. at the maximum, found out the path to go.

To dismiss something as unnecessary without actual knowledge of that object is like saying what a dish tastes like without even consuming it. And sitting by idly while your people goes to the dogs is like a scene from Spiderman-2: Peter Parker watches and does nothing while two men beat up another person.

And finally, to say that activists are merely people who want to be in the spotlight is a piece of stupidity that even people from DLSU won’t even say. I’m sure if you ACTUALLY spoke to one of them, you’d understand what I mean.

When you said I THINK NOT, this is what I have to say in reply: maybe you should really start doing some thinking for a change.

P.S Incidentally, ask the Araling Panlipunan faculty what they think is the basis for determining the quality of the students a school produces =)

martha: i mean with me being cold.
john: oh i dont mind you being cold towards me either.
martha: no…
martha: what i meant was..i am cold sa activism
martha: ayun
john: oh well, its always almost impossible to educate the insulated
martha: so i’m uneducated just because i’m "insulated"?
john: im just hoping that what some say "universal morality" would start to kick in, in ur arguments
martha: universal morality?
martha: so you mean me and my kind doesn’t have it?
john: oh im not saying u dont have it, im just saying you might have forgotten that its in ur pocket all along
martha: i’m really sorry kuya if you feel that way.
john: no, im the one sorry for the people for having their future condemned this way. by people who are simply too intellectually arrogant to even lift a finger.
john: but at least ur case is excusable, ur from admu. no one’s expecting an edgar jopson or eman lacaba.
john: dont be sorry for me
john: lol
martha: i could do something, kuya.
john: some people deserve sympathy more than me
john: but unfortunately, they seem to be in everyone’s sympathy backburner
martha: hindi nga lang in the form of going to mendiola.
john: oh yes, i forgot, we can pray
martha: are you being sarcastic?
john: with God all things are possible, unfortunately, this has been misinterpreted to mean that we could just sit here and wait for God to lift the storm signal. unfortunately, He can only empower our every right move. no empowerment can come from just sitting around
martha: like i said, care for what’s happening in the society isn’t synonymous to activism.
john: so what do you intend to do with that care for urs that doesnt lead to activism?
john: while you’re trying to figure that out, we’ll be here trying to salvage the place from going to the dogs because not everyone is pitching a hand.
martha: what has activism done for us?
martha: has it fed the poor you are fighting for?
john: short term? it has created strikes and picket lines that gave those who were willing to risk things their much-denied rights. it hasnt fed all the poor, because not all the poor has been rallied around it.
martha: long term. for this country, all that counts are long term effects.
john: not unlike those oh-so-benevolent housebuilders who build houses, because you may give them a house, but the social conditions are still pushing people towards poverty
john: long term? activism is the only thing that has rallied the people to move and raised their consciousness. was it chit-chatting people who made things ripe for an uprising before edsa 1 and 2 and provided the fuel that the second envelope and the ninoy assassination ignited?
john: reform or revolution are always the two choices. activism has raised consciousness towards the latter, and has always tried to sharpen the former
john: does anyone of the goody-two-shoes armchair activist/internet propagandist ever done that? no. they are bickering ants, unwilling to unite with other ants
john: you want long term? only activists have provided an alternative that isnt based on change of presidents, but change of policies
john: but of course, its obscured by the fact that people find change so time-consuming. and of course, people cant be disturbed from their ant-like, robot-like lives
martha: i might be someone you call na puro salita lang…
martha: pero the truth is i know i can do something.
martha: something…pero hindi talaga activism.
martha: i can’t explain myself effectively now..nor counter your oh so good arguments now.
martha: pero i will someday.
john: sige, id LOOOVE to see that change
martha: i can forgive your sarcasm now.
john: as if it mattered
john: lets be scientific, whats the basis for any method’s efficiency?
martha: it does. especially when you judge people for what they think.
john: its how effective it is. judge it by the results. im sure there are plenty of people with the same mindset as you, and id LOOOVE to see any positive effects today
martha: if rallying for the opening of the second envelope has the positive effect you’re proud of…then where is it now? it lead to more problems..like having gloria there in malacañang for example
martha: which in turn led you to bring down what your movement brought up there
john: hmmm…
john: ur putting words in my mouth already
martha: i asked you about what activism’s effects were. and you said something about activism being the key to the opening of the second envelope, right? so its a corollary that one of the movement’s effects was the opening of the second envelope
john: papatulan ko: activism did not bring forth the opening of that damned envelope. it was never opened. what it did do was make the people ready for the eventuality that it would never be opened. you should read de quiros more, he expressed it perfectly: GMA was not the choice of the anti-Erap forces. She was merely a matter of circumstance. She merely came in because most peoples’ consciousness werent to the level of the system requires change, most still had the illusion that its only a matter of changing leaders. and if your looking and analysing at society in the long-term, the setback of EDSA 2 isnt really a setback. F. Sionil Jose said no rebellion is a failure, it is always a step forwards toward revolution. And look, from bearing the illusion that its a matter of leaders (EDSA 1 and 2) its now a question of the system
john: activism brought short-term effects to alleviate poverty by a little.
john: but it also raised the consciousness of the people that the only solution is a long-term solution.
martha: de quiros? inquirer. he never gives solutions to problems he tackle in his column. it’s just eloquent bitching, if i may put it that way.
martha: pero that’s beside the point, sorry.
martha: it did raise the people’s consiousness to a level. but seeing how the government treats you guys discourages them from moving with you.
martha: so it’s not entirely us being apathetic.
john: id accept that from some people, the factor of fear. but im sure it doesnt apply to you. in fact, its a step forward because it merely exposes what we have been saying all along: the State will resort to anything to remain in power and that its democratic nature is an illusion. but to come back to the main point, i doubt that fear is in operation here. look at your batchmates, its really apathy. fear would prevent action, but wouldnt prevent inquiry
martha: true. i agree with the last thing you said.
martha: pero i’m in no position to judge my batchmates whether they feel fear or apathy.
martha: and so are you.
john: (censored name of 06 na tibak) feels fear, im sure, because she took part already. how can the rest feel fear when their expressions become blank and bored whenever we hold discussions with them
martha: (censored name ng 06 na tibak)                                          

john: yeah
martha: she took part? really?
john: as mapangahas as i did during my frosh year
martha: how? she joined a rally with you guys?
john: no, she joined the organization itself
martha: i see
martha: did anybody else join?
john: i do not know. and i frankly, i wouldnt be surprised if no one else did. talking to some of your batchmates is like plumbing the depths of human nature: im exploring the abyss of human inability to sympathize
martha: i see. honestly…i do agree with you on the fact that my batchmates are apathetic.
martha: but it gets worse with the younger batches
martha: 07..
martha: maybe it’s because they see that the movements are pointless..and it doesn’t do anything.
martha: in their opinion ah.
john: maybe, or maybe its what engels called false consciouness
martha: false consiousness? maybe that’s what i have.
john: what is false consciousness?
john: wait
martha: k
john: the dominant ideas of a culture (education, arts, ideas etc.) are the ideas of the ruling classes. given such, it is unsurprising that many people would interpret society in a way that is favorable to the ruling classes. hence, false consciousness. just because marx analysed that liberation would come if the oppressed overthrew the oppressor (im not just talking about individuals here, im talking about entire social classes) didnt automatically mean that all the poor and middle class would see the need to overthrow the oppressors. this is science, this is physics in society. we need to apply force to create motion. hence, activism.
martha: could it be that activism is also a form of false consciousness?
john: it could, if Cuba wasnt existing as an example of the possibility of the removal of the economic exploiters from power. or the early (note, only the early) years of the USSR and Maoist China
john: we’re starting to wade in deeper waters, pero rejection of US-imposed economic policies and genuine economic growth through land reform and national industralization has many examples
john: and not just socialist countries
john: most developed countries today took that same route. preventing outright pakikialam of the U.S while making their economy self-reliant. one of the goals of any real change IS THAT SIMPLE. it only becomes difficult because the road to achieve it is full of bumps thanks to a State that clings to power
john: false consciousness? not when it has many successful examples
martha: i see
martha: kuya "john"..i’d love to stay and chat
martha: pero my mom’s running all screamo on me
john: ok
john: im saving this conv and posting it on my blog. this will be continued
martha: your blog?
martha: wait are you putting my name there?
martha: nakakahiya naman
john: no, im putting pseudonyms
martha: thanks.
martha: no insulting pseudonyms please
martha: ehehe
martha: sige gtg
martha: babay
john: bye