Anticipointment: Anticipation + disappointment. A gut wrenching emotion after extreme disappointment replaces anticipated happiness. – Urban Dictionary
All feels will run aground on Monday, election day in the Philippines. This year’s campaign has been particularly intense, buoyed by the special art of social media ranting in one-liners and cheeky memes. The fanfare and fanaticism will peak next week, and then, as always taper off.
We the electorate have been passionate with our ringside roles – booing, bashing, blaming everybody not on our ticket. But post-elections, there’s nothing really for the ordinary us except for the few good bets we’ve sunk our money on.
Come Tuesday we’ll be back on the roads dealing with the horrendous traffic, cars and people altogether. The young ones will be on facebook and twitter, trying to outhip and outcool the others. We’ll all be pawing our pockets to pay for all the aircon and ice cream in this very hot summer. In short, we’ll still have all this mess in our lives, literally and figuratively.
None of the candidates can promise change as quickly at the drop of a ballot. But apparently, because Daang Matuwid is just repulsive we’re eager to embrace whoever pledges to turn another way.
A week ago, a bunch of us from all sorts of background had a discussion about what millennials thought about the elections. Most said they wanted to see change in some areas, but were generally satisfied with what has happened in others. But will the elections really shake things up?
My older, jaded self is resigned. Nothing much will change with the people, not unless the policies change. Look at how little difference there is between the human rights record of this and the previous administration. Even with corruption, Aquino’s triumphal issue, the yellows failed. Perceptions might have improved even in truth not – but isn’t that the best kind of farce.
Recognizing that there are institutional problems, I cannot say that this kind of elections are a solution to anything major. So long as politicians see government as business, a family trade, or a game of thrones, we’re staying exactly what we were years ago. So long as the people aren’t invested in policies, we’ll have the same old oligarchs and elite deciding for the majority. Bureacrat-capitalism is a wheel that goes round and round. That is why I agree, the elections is a poor substitute for democracy.
What are the youth to do? We can’t just lay around for our turn at leadership, too engrossed in Rizal’s axiom “kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”. We can do something, be the solution now.
My own shot at this has been years in the making, starting from my education as a young activist. Anakbayan’s (my primary organization) analysis of the problems is disquieting at first, and very radical. But later on as I struggled through the ebb and flow of middle class life, I realized how scientific it has approached the bigger picture, and how the small points fall into place.
Right now Anakbayan through Kabataan partylist participates in the mainstream. But as before, it never puts all its eggs into this basket – the circus that is Congress – and engages in all forms of action. It is cautious with, even distrustful of, the politics of those in power. Because you know, however well-intentioned you may be, the kind of politics today can eat you alive.
Politics is something hard to avoid with my job as a human rights defender, obviously. But having found a cause and a group, I am grounded by common plans, common resolution, all for the common good. And for that, I feel lucky to participate in politics not fueled by personal ambition.
This “politics of change” and wary-slash-optimistic attitude I see more tangible with how Neri Colmenares, a human rights lawyer running as Senator, deals with his bid. He has pushed on despite lack of money, massive machinery, and the G’s (guns, goons or gold) or P’s (pera, pangalan, partido). With all good humor he says he’s gwapo and has a platform. (And his platform is gold! It would be fantastic if he wins!)
We have no illusions about May 9, or the days that come after it. Whether we have the people we want in power, its how the politics and, certainly, how the system changes. For the record, I am eager to know how the vote turns out, and especially how fraud will affect the results. But I am steadying my emotions for the time that good sense and reason are most needed. The British put it best: Keep calm, and carry on.
Watch ABS-CBN's Kwentuhang Millennial here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvyVeYVlpMs
Krissy Conti is a people’s lawyer, and an associate at the Public Interest Law Center (PILC). She supports and campaigns Neri Colmenares #11 for senator, Kabataan #55 for party-list and will vote for Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero.
All feels will run aground on Monday, election day in the Philippines. This year’s campaign has been particularly intense, buoyed by the special art of social media ranting in one-liners and cheeky memes. The fanfare and fanaticism will peak next week, and then, as always taper off.
We the electorate have been passionate with our ringside roles – booing, bashing, blaming everybody not on our ticket. But post-elections, there’s nothing really for the ordinary us except for the few good bets we’ve sunk our money on.
Come Tuesday we’ll be back on the roads dealing with the horrendous traffic, cars and people altogether. The young ones will be on facebook and twitter, trying to outhip and outcool the others. We’ll all be pawing our pockets to pay for all the aircon and ice cream in this very hot summer. In short, we’ll still have all this mess in our lives, literally and figuratively.
None of the candidates can promise change as quickly at the drop of a ballot. But apparently, because Daang Matuwid is just repulsive we’re eager to embrace whoever pledges to turn another way.
A week ago, a bunch of us from all sorts of background had a discussion about what millennials thought about the elections. Most said they wanted to see change in some areas, but were generally satisfied with what has happened in others. But will the elections really shake things up?
My older, jaded self is resigned. Nothing much will change with the people, not unless the policies change. Look at how little difference there is between the human rights record of this and the previous administration. Even with corruption, Aquino’s triumphal issue, the yellows failed. Perceptions might have improved even in truth not – but isn’t that the best kind of farce.
Recognizing that there are institutional problems, I cannot say that this kind of elections are a solution to anything major. So long as politicians see government as business, a family trade, or a game of thrones, we’re staying exactly what we were years ago. So long as the people aren’t invested in policies, we’ll have the same old oligarchs and elite deciding for the majority. Bureacrat-capitalism is a wheel that goes round and round. That is why I agree, the elections is a poor substitute for democracy.
What are the youth to do? We can’t just lay around for our turn at leadership, too engrossed in Rizal’s axiom “kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”. We can do something, be the solution now.
My own shot at this has been years in the making, starting from my education as a young activist. Anakbayan’s (my primary organization) analysis of the problems is disquieting at first, and very radical. But later on as I struggled through the ebb and flow of middle class life, I realized how scientific it has approached the bigger picture, and how the small points fall into place.
Right now Anakbayan through Kabataan partylist participates in the mainstream. But as before, it never puts all its eggs into this basket – the circus that is Congress – and engages in all forms of action. It is cautious with, even distrustful of, the politics of those in power. Because you know, however well-intentioned you may be, the kind of politics today can eat you alive.
Politics is something hard to avoid with my job as a human rights defender, obviously. But having found a cause and a group, I am grounded by common plans, common resolution, all for the common good. And for that, I feel lucky to participate in politics not fueled by personal ambition.
This “politics of change” and wary-slash-optimistic attitude I see more tangible with how Neri Colmenares, a human rights lawyer running as Senator, deals with his bid. He has pushed on despite lack of money, massive machinery, and the G’s (guns, goons or gold) or P’s (pera, pangalan, partido). With all good humor he says he’s gwapo and has a platform. (And his platform is gold! It would be fantastic if he wins!)
We have no illusions about May 9, or the days that come after it. Whether we have the people we want in power, its how the politics and, certainly, how the system changes. For the record, I am eager to know how the vote turns out, and especially how fraud will affect the results. But I am steadying my emotions for the time that good sense and reason are most needed. The British put it best: Keep calm, and carry on.
Watch ABS-CBN's Kwentuhang Millennial here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvyVeYVlpMs
Krissy Conti is a people’s lawyer, and an associate at the Public Interest Law Center (PILC). She supports and campaigns Neri Colmenares #11 for senator, Kabataan #55 for party-list and will vote for Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero.