Popcorn

Been seeing the online petition to suspend that “Mocha Uson Blog” too frequently.

I had no idea about Ms. Mocha. Curious about the movement that brings the so-called intelligent and politically knowledgeable people to this undemocratic urge to silence the fair lady, I tried to search her name in the simplest medium possible. I thought: This woman must be “somebody” for these highly regarded people in society to risk their reputation on an implied curtailment of someone’s basic right to free speech and expression.

Those same people protesting against silencing dissent on the premise of “democracy and liberalism” are now doing the exact evil of trying to cultivate singularity of perspective by removing unfavorable opinion, as if only one class has the monopoly of legitimate narratives and reasonable analysis.

In a nutshell, most comments against Ms. Mocha aregrounded on:

Slut-shaming. The irony is, to discredit her opinion by reason of past controversies is an equally demeaning quality against rational discourse; it brings irrelevant waste to the table.

Poorly researched reporting. It is alleged that her hate-inciting and false posts further widen the gap between the pros and the antis. The irony is, the proper way to figure out the truth is public engagement and discourse, definitely not an outright “shut your mouth.” Argue with her, contest her claims, but never in our desperation of not being able to convince the greater public should we just surrender in discourse and resort to silencing.

Intellectual mediocrity. Truth is, I haven’t yet figured out an accurate means to measure intellectual superiority. Perhaps the ability to deliver truth is one; education could be another. But if so, then a “Mocha Uson” who acquired a degree in medical technology from the University of Santo Tomas and made an attempt to study medicine shouldn’t be treated as if she were ignorant or incapable of understanding anything at all.

But to be honest, neither is education a guarantee of wisdom. I just feel like the petition looks a bit “entitled to actually impress upon the public that they have the judgment to declare one page to be a bag of waste and theirs to be the sideof reason.”

A win by default won’t make you a champion.

Let her participate.

Grant Buena Joy C. Mesa, 23, is a student at the University of the East College of Law.