What Eminem Should Learn From Bob Marley

– written on November 22, 2014

Iggy Azalea had recently called the attention of Eminem on Twitter after the rapper mentioned her in his song “Vegas”.

"Put that s**t away Iggy/ You don't wanna blow that rape whistle on me/ Scream!/ I love it/ 'Fore I get lost with the getting off."

Just last week, he freestyled about punching Lana del Rey in a viral video uploaded on YouTube.

“But I may fight for gay rights, especially if they dyke is more of a knockout than Janay Rice/ Play nice? Bitch I’ll punch Lana Del Rey right in the face twice, like Ray Rice in broad daylight in the plain sight of the elevator surveillance/ ’Til her head is banging on the railing, then celebrate with the Ravens.”

For a guy with such a sweet name, Eminem ain't no sweet guy and we all know it. Eminem had built his empire by his use of misogynistic and often violent language. Iggy Azalea and Lana del Rey aren't the first women he had slammed. The long list includes Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, and Kim Kardashian.

He wasn't personally targeting Lana del Rey. It just so happened that her last name molded nice with the rest of the lyrics. Sorry, Lana.

Eminem's songs target our obsession with pop culture and as an audience, we love and share his outrage, phony or not. He parodied Kim K, Jessica Simpson, Spears, and Amy Winehouse with his hit “I Made You” in 2009. The fact that majority of his targets are women is disturbing.

We don't expect artists to confine and censor themselves but art is art is art until it isn't art anymore. While rap music promoting rape and violence against women was deemed acceptable before (editor’s note: or at least nobody reacted then), people today are not so tolerable. The climate now is more sensitive. We are against all the bullying.

As a communicator with a big audience, artists like Eminem should choose their words wisely. Boys and young men look up to Eminem and he should use his genius to preach love and peace, like Bob Marley. No woman, no cry. Well, we wouldn't be crying if Eminem would stop talking about beating the crap out of us. He should at least apologize.

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Anne-laswa at Anne-insensitibo ng Remate

            Kamakailan lamang ay nabulabog ang tanyag na networking site na Twitter, lalo na ang mga 6.8 na milyon na followers ni Anne Curtis, sa isang tweet umano ng artista. Laman ng tweet niya ang “Ngayon ko lang na-realize sobrang gwapo ni (Luis) Manzano! he is sooooooo hot.”

            Sa huli ay binawi din ito ng artista at sinabi na na-hack daw ang kanyang Twitter account.

        Kung sa totoo lang, hindi naman ito isang malaki bagay, ngunit dahil sa paraan ng pagbabalita ng Remate, isang tanyag na tabloid sa bansa, ay hindi maiiwasang bigyan ito ng pansin. Sa ulat ng Remate sa kanilang website noong ika-5 ng Disyembre, nakasulat ang headline na “Anne Curtis may pagnanasa kay Luis Manzano.” Kilala umano ang mga tabloid sa mga hindi kanais-nais na paglalahad ng balita, ngunit ang partikular na ulat na ito ay nasa ibang lebel na ng kalaswaan.

         Maaari nating sabihin na nagawa ito ng Remate upang makatawag pansin ng kanilang mga mambabasa. Kung ito man ang kanilang pakay, matagumpay nga sapagkat nakakatawag nga ng pansin ito sa kung sino mang mata’y naibaling sa headline na ito. Ngunit, napakamali nitong ginawa ng Remate sa napakaraming paraan.

         Unang-una, napaka-insensitibo ang kanilang paraan upang maipalam sa publiko ang nasabing insidente. Nakasalalay rito hindi lang isa, kundi dalawang tanyag na aktor, lalo na si Anne Curtis. Sa kanyang twitter account pa lang ay nakapagtala na siya ng 6.8M na followers. Hindi pa nabibilang diyan ang kanyang mga taga-hanga na walang account sa nasabing networking site. Kung nabasa man ito ng kanyang mga taga-hanga ay posibleng bumaba ang tingin nila sa nasabing aktres. Hindi lang kanyang mga taga-hanga ang mandidiri, kung hindi sa kung sino man siguro ang makabasa rito. Sa tingin ko, hindi umano isinaalang-alang ng Remate ang kapakanan at dignidad ni Anne sa ginawa nitong balita.

         Pangalawa, hindi lang ito insensitibo sa panig ni Anne, kundi pati sa mga mambabasa ng naturang balita. Ating tatandaan na ang report na ito nakahayag sa Internet na kung saan ay maraming tao, lalung-lalo na ang mga kabataan. Posibleng mabasa ng mga ito ang sensitibong pahayag ng Remate ukol sa artista. Ating tandaan na ang mga kabataan umano ay natututo sa mga bagay bagay na kanilang nakikita, at kung mabasa man nila ito, ay maaaring makaapekto ito sa kanila sa isang negatibong paraan.

         Pangatlo, hindi lang ito nakakaepkto kay Anne, kundi pati sa kaniyang pamilya at ang kanyang istasyon, ABS-CBN. Hindi malabong mainis o sumama ang loob ng kaniyang pamilya sa tabloid dahil sa hindi kanais-nais na pagpapahayag nito ng balita. Maaari ding makaapekto ito sa hanapbuhay ni Anne bilang artista. Puwedeng bumaba ang mga ratings ng kaniyang mga show o mawalan ito ng gig.

            Hindi kapani-paniwala na hinayaan ng editor ng Remate na mai-publish ito sa kanilang website o dyaryo. Napakamali at napakalayo ng mensahe ng headline mula sa balita. Taliwas ito sa saysay ng buong istorya.

           Hindi dapat hinahayaang mangyari ang ganitong mga bagay. Dapat inihayag ng Remate ang katotohanan at hindi kalokohan. Mas mabuti na idiretso nila ang mga mambabasa sa balita at hindi pa nila ito lituhin. Huwag dapat nilang balewalain ang mga inilathalang code of ethics bilang mga journalist o mamamahayag.

             Hindi ko masasabing taga-hanga ako ni Anne Curtis, pero bilang isang tao, alam ko kung ano ang kanyang mararamdaman. Kung minsan ay mas inuuna pa ng mga ng ilan ang kagustuhan nilang kumita kaysa sa kapakanan ng iba. Bilang isang journalist, trabaho nating ipahayag ang katotohanan sa mamamayan at hindi sila linlangin sa isang bagay na wala namang katotohanan.

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Sensitivity, is it a thing of the past?

            From November 25, to 30, reports about a school teacher sexually abusing his student started filling up the internet through multiple news websites such as wnd.com, truthrevolt.org,  lifenews.com, and even big news network companies such as lasvegas.cbslocal.com. Well, these sites are not famous locally, but eventually, it made its way through social networking sites which we, Filipinos are addicted to.

            What made me write this article is because of the unethical treatment of these multiple sites on the infamous case. They elaborately explained to the readers how the teacher constantly sexually abused his 15 year-old student, adding that his colleagues repeatedly saw both the 29 –year-old teacher and his student spend time with each other even after class hours.

            All of these sites even published the names of the abusive teacher, his minor student, and the school they are in.

            What made this case even more gruesome is when the teacher found out that the student was pregnant; he began an act of abortion in a way that you could never imagine. Surprisingly, the news websites described the incident in full detail.

            Is sensitivity and censorship not a factor in determining whether an article is worth being published? Is ethics a thing of the past?

            My exact point is that sensitivity and censorship to the readers is now rarely seen today and may be considered as an extinct norm. Why? Because websites such as those stated earlier prove it. We may be forgetting the fact that the internet is so open to everyone that no matter what age you are, as long as you know how to access a device connected to it, you’d see the dirty world the internet provides.

            To further elaborate my point, a perfect example is the fact that when the news broke out because one of the school’s officials released a statement about this, the victim began to be the butt of jokes by her classmates around the school. What’s worse is that she again became a victim of sexual harassment. Her classmates even call her a “slut” and “whore.” As a result, the student became emotionally distressed, and even thought of taking her own life.

            Considering that anyone can read such articles or reports, this may trigger things in a way that it can give the reader a feeling of lack of safety or mistrust to people around him or her. The perpetrator in the case was a teacher, someone who young students or people look up to, but again, this teacher is a not that kind of person. Readers, especially the young ones may develop a “mean world” syndrome where they incur lack of trust against people who surround them.

            Lack of censorship, even self-censorship, among articles may really lead to bad results. It can cause humiliation, or trauma to the victim’s families, or threat against the perpetrators.

            So to answer my question, is sensitivity and censorship not a factor in determining whether an article is worth being published? Is ethics a thing of the past?

            Seemingly, yes.

            The media today is overrun my unethical practitioners who seems to be careless and insensitive. I’m not saying that articles like this should not be published; I’m just saying that a little censorship and sensitivity should be applied because not all of us have the same way of thinking. We may consider these as acceptable, or also unacceptable, what matters most is that we deliver the news properly, without anyone being stepped on.

           

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(Editor's note: As much as we can, we do not support censorship of news items. However, the editor believes that the blogger refers to self-regulation or self-censorship with respect to sensitivity in the publication of details, and not government censorship.) 

Coffee-mate, better than your mate?

            Nowadays, many commercials focus on the sexual aspect of women when presenting their products, suggesting that their product will bring consumers the sexual desire that is being presented. This form of presentation is very devaluating to women as it objectifies them as a sexual object.

              In a certain Nestle Coffee-mate Commercial, a man is shown to enjoy his coffee more while ignoring his partner who was trying very hard to “please” him. This commercial subtly suggests that the coffee produced by the using Coffee-mate will be even better than a woman, or in this case a “sexual object.

              Using the Potter Box Model, the definition formed by the producers is that the situation requires them to sell a product to the viewers. The values used by the producers are that of a professional values that focuses on maximizing their profit. The culture of the media today, in my opinion, already sees the sexual appeal of a woman to be a very effective approach in selling any product. Following this idea, the producers may have decided to use sexual appeal, but it still lacks for them since sexual appeal is already a common approach. In the end, the producers decided to present their product to be better than this “sexual appeal”. The principles that they followed is that of a utilitarian, focusing on the greatest happiness that will be brought to their company or client. In the end, their loyalty remained to their firm and decided to bring that kind of commercial, regardless of its subtle message.

              In my opinion, this commercial may be different to those which objectify women, but it is different in a worse way since it devaluates women even further. The usual concept shows that women are objects that are able to give pleasure. But the commercial worsens this concept by adding the message that women are now even disposable and can be easily replaced by other objects, in this case, the coffee and its creamer. Commercials nowadays are in a dire need to change in order to prevent the objectification of women but this commercial does the exact opposite. This brings into mind a big question. In the future, will the marginalization and objectification of women be demolished, or will media help in worsening the situation?

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Darkness Looms in Abra: A Sensationalized Headline

       While scanning newspapers for my OJT in OPA, I picked up a Sun Star Baguio Print, and I immediately noticed the title “Darkness Looms in Abra” in big, bold letters sprawled across the front page. The way the title was presented quickly took a grip to my story writer self and I read the article, wondering what such an interesting title would say only to be disappointed with an article about Abra possibly having its power supply terminated.

            Following the Potter Box Model, I assume that the headline writer defined the situation as a news item that has a potential publicity, considering that it is regarding a power supply of a whole province. The values that he may have followed is that of professional values, aiming to maximize profit and that of aesthetic values, deciding to title the article creatively since a news item of a power supply termination may not be enough to pull readers as a headline. The principles used by the author might be that of a utilitarian, maximizing the happiness for his company. In the end, the author chose his loyalty towards his firm.

            For me, even if the sensationalism was only applied to the title, this action may still have negative effects. The most important factor was that the title was a headline in the front page, and it is very prominent and clear. Newspapers are usually distributed through shops, displaying its front page. This sensationalized headline may mislead passers-by and this misleading information may spread through verbal means and may start a rumor that there is something huge happening in Abra that “Darkness Looms” over it. Of course this is only one of the worst case scenarios. A more subtle harm that this sensationalism may bring is just the simple fact that it still suggests a misleading concept to those that only read the prominent title.

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WOW Mali: Maling-maling holdapan

            Kilala na ng halos lahat sa atin ang programa ni Joey De Leon sa TV5 na Wow Mali. At alam din natin na layunin ng programang ito ang magpatawa. Ngunit paano kung hindi na pala nakakatawa ang mga ginagawa nila at lampas na ito sa linya ng ‘comedy’.

            Sa isang ‘prank’ na ginawa ng Wow Mali na pinamagatang ‘Magalang na Holdaper’ at muling na-publish sa Youtube noong July 12, 2014, pinapakita ang isang holdaper na magalang raw.

            Ang ‘nakawan’ ay naganap sa loob ng isang pampasaherong jeep at bago ito magsimula ay may isang reporter na parang nagbreaking news sa kalsada dahil nga raw sa napapabalitang may ‘magalang na holdaper’ sa loob ng isang jeep.

            Nang magsimula na ang ‘pagnanakaw’ ni kuyang ‘holdaper,’ nagpakilala muna siya nang magalang at sinabing siya ay isang ‘masamang tao’ na ang layunin ay pagnakawan ang mga pasahero. Saka niya hinigi ang mga cellphone at wallet ng mga ito sa ‘magalang’ na paraan. Bakas sa mukha ng mga pasahero ang pagkagulat. Ngunit nang sinabi pa ni kuya na kung ayaw naman nilang ibigay ang mga pag-aari nila ay pwede rin naman, naguluhan ang mga pasahero at tila naiirita na sa kinikilos at mga pinagsasabi ni kuyang holdaper.

            Bago ibigay ng lahat ng pasahero ang mga gamit nila, nagpakilala naman ang isang pasahero bilang isang ‘alagad ng batas’ (na mahahalata ng mga manunuod na kasabwat din) at sumuko naman nang maayos si kuyang ‘magalang na holdaper’ saka sila sabay na bumaba ng jeep.

            Dumating ulit si ateng ‘reporter’ at pumwesto sa likuran ng jeep na nakahinto na at nagsimula muling magbalita. Nagtanong siya sa mga pasahero kung sino ang pwedeng ma-interview. At tinanong kung kamusta naman ang mga nangyari. Sagot naman ng mga na-interview, mabuti raw ang holdapan na naganap bilang naging ‘magalang’ naman ang holdaper, hindi gumamit ng dahas at walang armas. Sa pagkakataong ito, hinayaan niya na purihin ng mga pasahero ang gawain ng holdaper.

            Nang makapanayam din ni ateng reporter ang isang lolang pasahero, tinanong nito kung mas gugustuhin ni lola ang holdaper na magalang sumagot naman ito ng ‘oo’ at saka nanawagan si lola sa mga holdaper na sana raw maging magalang at mahinahon kapag nang-hoholdap.

            Ang video na ito ng Wow Mali ay mistulang promotion ng pagnanakaw. Pinarating nila sa mga tao na okay lang magnakaw basta hindi ka mananakit ng iba at maging magalang. Ako, sa totoo lang, ay hindi natawa. Nairita ako sa mga pangyayari kasi sino ba naman ang magbibiro gamit ang holdapan. Paano na lamang kung may pasaherong may sakit pala sa puso at inatake? At ang paggamit  nila ng isang reporter-kuno sa simula at huling bahagi ng ‘prank’ ay hindi tama, dahil ako mismo nung una ko itong makita akala ko ay may breaking news talaga. Bukod doon, maling mali talaga ang pagpupuring ginawa nila sa isang holdaper. 

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Argumentum ad hominem?

T3 Reload June 30, 2014 Episode

       Maaaring may magandang intensyon nga si Raffy Tulfo, ang tumulong sa mga mamamayang inaapi't tinatapakan ng mga nakatataas. Subalit hindi yata tama ang pamamaraan niya sa pagtulong at pagtatama ng mga pagkakamali ng mga inirereklamo. Sabihin na nating may pagkakamali ang isang SPO3, pero kailangan bang hiyain ang isang tao sa telebisyon? Kailangan bang tawagin siyang "buwaya," "unggoy," "tanga," at "pinakawalang hiyang pulis?" Kailangan bang pagtawanan siya sa harap ng maraming tao?

       Kitang-kita kung paano nilabag ni Tulfo ang Article IV, Section 1 and 2 ng KBP Broadcast Code: "Personal attacks, that is, attacks on the honesty, integrity, or personal qualities of an identified person, institution or group, on matters that have no bearing on the public interest are prohibited. Programs intended to malign, unfairly criticize or attack a person, natural or juridical, are prohibited."

       Higit pa riyan, si Tulfo ay isang reporter; hindi niya dapat inilalagay sa mga kamay niya ang batas. Sino ba siya para makialam pa sa ganoong klaseng sigalot na namamagitan sa isang amo't trabahador gayong napag-usapan na pala ito sa barangay? Sino ba siya para lantarang ipamukha sa amo ang mga pagkakamali niya? Sino ba siya para gumamit ng kapangyarihan bilang isang "media personnel" sa maling pamamaraan?

       Bilang "public figure," hindi ba dapat siya ang nagsisilbing modelo ng tamang pakikipag-usap sa mga manonood? Pero bakit siya pa ang nangunguna sa pagtataas ng boses at paninigaw sa kausap nang dahil lang hindi niya narinig ang gusto niyang marinig na sagot? Bakit parang hinahayaan lang niya 'yong "complainant" na sabihan ng kung anu-anong mga salitang nakakabastos sa pagkatao nung inirereklamo? Bakit niya pa tinatawanan samantalang alam naman niyang maling i-tolerate ang pagkakamali ng ibang tao? Bakit siya pa mismo ang bumabastos sa taong pumayag na makausap siya?

       Hindi man lang ba niya naisip na maaaring mapanood ito ng karamihan, lalo na ng mga kabataan, at baka isipin nilang ayos lang na gawin ito sa iba... ayos lang sigawan ang mga taong nagkamali... ayos lang hindi patapusing magsalita ang ibang tao dahil mali lang din naman 'yong mga sinasabi nila... at ayos lang tawagin ng kung anu-ano ang ibang tao dahil sila naman ang nagkamali.

       Maaaring nagkamali nga 'yong tao, pero sana naman irespeto pa rin sila kahit bilang tao man lang. Karapatan din naman nilang ipahayag 'yong mga opinyon at saloobin nila para maayos nilang ma-explain 'yong side nila. Karapatan din nilang mapakinggan ng may kasamang respeto at pag-intindi. Kaya dapat kahit nagkamali sila, huwag pa rin silang basta-bastang hinuhusgahan.

       Hindi dahil  mukhang aping-api 'yong "complainant," siya na agad ang tama at dapat panigan. Dapat maging patas si Tulfo, hindi 'yong parang sinusuportahan pa niya 'yong "complainant" kahit nakakabastos na 'yong sinasabi.

       Paano kung wala naman pala talagang kasalanan 'yong pulis, ano pang mukha ang ihaharap niya sa publiko gayong sirang-sira na ang pangalan niya. Sana isipin din ng sinumang mamamahayag na may pangalan ding pinangangalagaan 'yong pulis at anumang akusasyong ibato sa kanya ay maaaring makaapekto sa kanya at maging sa pamilya niya.

       Kung ako si Tulfo, kakausapin ko na lang sila nang maayos at masinsinan nang hindi na kinakailangan pang ipalabas sa telebisyon. Dahil kung tutuusin, hindi naman ganoon kalaki 'yong problema... pero nang dahil sa panunulsol niya, parang mas lumaki 'yong isyu.

       Ang mga bagay na ganoon, hindi naman na dapat pinakikialamanan pa ng "media." Sa halip na makisawsaw sa mga ganoong klaseng isyu, bakit hindi na lang sila maghanap ng ibang balita, mas "newsworthy" at mas kailangang malaman ng mga tao.

       Sapagkat, ang isang pagkakamali ay hindi naman kayang itama ng isa pang pagkakamali. Sa halip na maayos ang problema, mas lumala pa.

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