Obscenities in public life

THE WORLD’S population is surely composed of equal numbers of males and females. So one wonders why an enraged man invariably refers to the object of his anger as the “child of a whore.” Why is the mother, who may be innocent, always targeted, and never the father who may be a scoundrel?

The new leader of our country, known for his tough-guy image, liberally uses that prostitute term, like he did during his tirade against journalists in Davao City when he said, “Even if you are a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination if you’re a son of a bitch.” As reported in the Inquirer on June 2, he said that in English. Equally he could have used it in his native Cebuano or even Tagalog.  In any language it’s an outrageous affront to all women.

For someone who was overcome with emotion on hearing of his clinching the presidency, so that he was moved to weep over his mother’s tomb, blubbering, “Ma, tabanga ko!”—in English, “Mother, help me!”—it’s strange that he would implore his mother’s help when his attitude toward those he considers rascals is to malign their mothers. Perhaps his enemies likewise use that epithet toward him?

Obscene language springs from an amalgam of cultural taboos, current events and family life, one that has an intimidating father figure and a dominant mother. So when one doesn’t get one’s way, swearing is the way to let off steam.

Let’s try to fathom why a man makes obscenities a part of his everyday vocabulary. It can mean several things: He heard the words and absorbed them while growing up; he suffered bullying in his youth; he rebelled against parental authority (especially detested his mother); he was nurtured by a family that produced the arrested adolescence among boys; or he needed to boost a flagging ego when out in the real world. To speculate further, such a person masks an inferiority complex if he’s born with a face only a mother can love (as the saying goes), which makes him compensate by outward shows of bravado. And in his adult life, he may assume a swaggering persona on acquiring some power among his peers in his ascent to political life. (Henry Kissinger, a former US secretary of state, famously said that power is an aphrodisiac, which is why Hollywood starlets reportedly found him sexy. Similarly, Filipino women today seem to tolerate their loutish leader’s behavior, dismissing his bantering about rape and his disrespect of female reporters by whistling at them.)

In other countries, insults are conveyed in expressions like “scumbag,” “sleazeball,”  “sh-tface,” or, as once voiced by the feisty Sen. Miriam

Defensor Santiago toward an opponent, “fungus face.” Pinoy cusswords are mostly sexual, somewhat like Western putdowns, like “kiss my a-s” and “f-ck off.” These may be considered colorful, but they can ricochet and hit one back.

Historically, few Filipino politicians have flaunted their coarseness.  Even former president Joseph Estrada, who was known for conducting late-night drunken sessions with officials and friends, seemed to have some discretion—though that may have been the result of protection by his cronies who didn’t want his image further tarnished. Many politicians may be vulgar privately among close aides, but never in public. But now, with today’s all-seeing media, the public isn’t spared from seeing and hearing a president-elect using crude infantile language which meanders and leaves folks guessing. Alternatively, one could josh about serious matters so as not to have to face the unpleasant things in life. How public policy will be made in such circumstances makes one wonder how a country can progress and be respected internationally.

Filipinos have by and large been fatalistic about the poverty that has long gripped the country, so finding someone who shakes up the elite establishment can be a diverting spectacle. Putting one’s trust in a man who promises to bring about change on short order is very tempting for all those tired of the few who’ve been lording it over them.

The excuses now trotted out by those who pander to the nation’s new leader vary from “He likes to joke” to “He has his own way of thinking.”  To pacify those offended by his offensive language, his advisers have apparently fed him a big word to use—“metamorphosis,” in which he promises to “blossom into a butterfly.” But the business of running a country needs serious thought, so if the people in his inner circle work at loggerheads because they can’t decipher the boss’ orders, turmoil and disorder can ensue, leaving the nation’s wheels spinning in the mire.

Isabel T. Escoda, a longtime Hong Kong-based writer, now lives in Cebu.