The Filipino blogosphere’s insipid aristocracy
We would like to share BK Crew member Tonyo Cruz‘ response to certain reactions to our efforts in welcoming Jun Lozada and Among Ed Panlilio to the blogsphere:
At the moment, I won’t link to these bloggers and their posts (because I’m sure you know them and they know themselves). What is important for me is to say that the Pinoy blogosphere aristocracy are just behaving as expected: aristocratic and elitist. Some would cry “repression!” only when its their own voices that are being muffled or muzzled. Some would gladly lay down a virtual red carpet for their own online writing projects on Philippine issues, but would demean the efforts of others. At other times, these clowns cry for “democracy” when all they really want to say is “listen to me only” or “listen to me first”. Some are fans of a near-total absence of online accountability. As to the threat of repression, the question of the need to fight repression is set aside by insinuations that the new ones may be inviting harm all by themselves (ain’t that the same “blame the victim” outlook which they also detest in posts elsewhere).
The entire post is at TonyoCruz.com.
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One Response to “The Filipino blogosphere’s insipid aristocracy”
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Hello BK Crew.
If anything, I’d like to be the first to offer my humblest apologies for whatever ill will you may have against me on whatever I had to say about Jun Lozada’s blog launch at Filipino Voices. I think it would be out-of-taste for me to write a response to Tonyo on my own blog, so I’d rather do it here as a comment. If you will…
Don’t get me wrong: I welcome Mr. Lozada’s presence in the blogosphere. I don’t give it as much enthusiasm as you guys do, and I hope that doesn’t offend anybody. It’s just that I don’t see why his blog launch should be treated with as much fanfare and publicity. I don’t really know, although I would really like to know, why. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just that blogging didn’t use to be this way.
I hope I didn’t make such a big mistake in contributing to what Tonyo calls an “insipid aristocracy,” though I don’t really know if that exists. In all honesty, I’m not. I’m just a kid trying to make a difference; it may be a different opinion, but so be it. People will disagree with what I have to write about, and that’s part of the game. That’s what freedom of speech is. Not only the freedom to speak, but also to engage in dialogue. That you’ll just have to talk to somebody with a completely different stand, a completely different opinion, and you’ll have to stand for that, and at the same time stand for your own opinions as well.
All of a sudden - and PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong because I’m hoping I’m not right - the Philippine blogosphere has turned into an exclusivist enclave of glorified social networks, with gatherings, kaffeeklatsches, and income generation thrown in. I hope I am wrong.
Whatever happened to the little blog that roared? Whatever happened to The Blogger? Whatever happened to opinions and thoughts - not personalities - that shake the very foundations of what we always perceived to be “fundamental” and “unassailable?” Whatever happened to the blogger who would be willing to sacrifice Technorati hits and Entrecard points for the sake of having that one idea that will change everything?
My only hope is that I get to meet at least one blogger in the Philippines who’ll do that.
Thank you, and I hope to meet you guys one of these days.
HTC,
Marocharim