Let me react to Michael Tan’s column “Pinoy generations” (Opinion, Inquirer, 6/28/13).
I have never devoted much thought to labels given to generations in the study of human development because I see cultural evolution as mere logical steps in enhancing the human survival kit. Thus, the industrial revolution logically accelerated production from the agricultural age, though it inadvertently fitted an assembly line into life itself, which sparked the continuing struggle between the rich and the poor.
Reading Tan’s column, I wondered what the kids are up to in the assembly line world?
They now call our times the information age filled with newfangled communication technology. I see the workforce move out of production and into call centers or what they call business process outsourcing. The workers remain faceless and exploited. It is still the same setup, the same assembly line, the same struggle between rich against the poor, the same mere
“value-added” exploitation scheme except, they’re now eternally jacked into computers, crowding 7-Elevens in the early hours of dawn for beers. It’s the “same old, same old,” even the same poison of their elders.
Meantime the young are also jacked into the different social media applications even before they can spell “social,” which is why most grow up not knowing how to spell. The upside is they are showing a lot of individualism although unknowingly exposing themselves to risk.
Still, YouTube has displayed a lot of talents that might have gone unnoticed. It’s a road show without the road, and I’m glad for it. Individualism may be the answer to the age-old assembly line struggle, who knows?
While young Filipinos post their individualism online, politicians also jack themselves to Wikipedia for some plagiarism. The biggest component of the assembly line is bad politics, to which we are exposed endlessly.
Anarchy is a political idea with an Aristotelian pedigree made sour with our vision of some suicide terrorist. It’s a valid concept of less organization and more individualism.
So if we extend the trend, it might be individualism ruling conduct and pushing respect and equality.
I hope our young are going to be alright.
—BONG CALANTUAN,
btcalan2an@yahoo.com