We are a nation of observers

“Lahat tayo’y saksi sa kayraming krimen. Tayo ang biktima, tayo ang salarin (We are all witness to the many crimes. We are the victims, [and] we are to blame).”—Jess Santiago

WHAT ARE we today? We are a nation of observers. We notice almost everything—from the slightest nuances to the most obvious. In fact, we’re so good in observing that all we do is watch the others do for us what we cannot do for our country, or for ourselves.

Filipinos have never been more interested in politics and current events since the advent of cyberage. We actively participate in online discussions and share our opinions on various social issues. Although some netizens are hired government trolls whose only intention is to post deliberate provocations online, and other news websites like The Maharlikan are just made to spread fake and misleading news, the internet has nevertheless helped increase our sensitivity to good governance, social justice and gender equality.

But despite the rise of online participation, we find ourselves watching on the sidelines even as some people are risking their lives to build a better world. Indeed, the internet breeds passivity and inertia. Time and again, we speak passionately against corruption via social media though we never have acted against it. We update our Facebook status or tweet about the negligence of the state, yet we refuse to join protest rallies that expose irregularities in the regime. Worse, we criticize the militants for obstructing traffic flow without even trying to understand what it is they are really fighting for. It’s as if we don’t owe our basic democratic rights to activism.

As we always say, change should start from within. And so we use this lame excuse to justify our conformity to the prevailing system. We convince ourselves that the struggle for genuine social change is just an intellectual exercise. We settle ourselves on cyberactivism not because we believe in activism itself, but it’s the most convenient thing to do whenever we feel agitated. Besides, there’s free Wi-Fi almost everywhere.

—DANIEL ALOC, [email protected]