Replies to Responses

Recently browsing the comment thread in Mr. Quezon's blog, I came across someone who was hoping for an embargo by foreign powers in response to "gluemac’s undemocratic ways". Now something like that happening is, as we know, highly unlikely, but what got my goat was his attitude (I'll assume the poster was male) that anything was acceptable, just so Midgie is kicked out of Malacanang. What the hell, it's my pocketbook, not to mention the pocketbooks of millions of other citizens, he's talking about when he daydreams of embargoes. Though it's a policy of mine to comment in other blogs as little as possible (not because I can't stand the arguments, but because I'm too lazy to write replies to any responses, and I don't want my silence misconstrued as assent or surrender), I felt I had to put pen-to-paper / fingers-to-keyboard on this one, for the sole fact that it was really quite upsetting. Against my better judgment, I clicked 'Submit' and sent my comment.

a de brux was quick to the defense, and the original commenter, in a pig's eye, clarified his position. My replies:

adb,

i’m afraid the irony in your reply is lost on me. it’s not really very funny when one’s prospects is bound inextricably to the local economy, and held hostage by scorched-earth politics. though to some extent i am insulated (as i believe you are, too), not everyone is so fortunate. without even taking into account the opportunity costs, the real economic costs alone of almost one year of continuous political war is already too much to bear. as it is now, it’s almost like mutually assured destruction, with the caveat that one can no longer count on the other side being rational, and thus have to assume they will indeed push the red button. that the economy had performed as well as it had was the surprising thing. imagine the growth we’d have had if the political climate had remained fairly stable.

in any case, such an embargo could never happen. my main objection is the attitude that anything’s acceptable, even if it adversely affects the national economy ON WHICH MOST OF OUR CITIZENS STILL DEPEND, just as long as the midget’s booted out. an attitude that cavalierly disregards other citizens’ economic well-being, property, and even lives for this particular crusade.

opposition need not be destructive. witness the Black and White Movement, which goes out of its way not to inconvenience fellow citizens or negatively affect the business climate. i’m sure a lot of people like me who are otherwise opposed to their views still appreciate their consideration (even if i can’t resist making fun of them at times).

we’re already in a hole. let’s not dig ourselves in any deeper.

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in a pig’s eye,

“the desire to see the least of our brethren well schooled, clothed, housed, respected and able to stand first among equals amongst people of other nations” is probably shared by 99.99% of our countrymen. we differ in the ways that we think best in achieving it. i merely believe an embargo, or anything to damage the economy for that matter, is not the best way to go about it.

Yes, I am such a linkwhore indeed. My apologies to MLQ3.