Contentious debates continue

THANKS to our readers for being open to the occasionally controversial, contrary and even ornery views we express in our articles. Expectedly, the most diverse and pungent reactions have been elicited by our pieces on our “retroactive” colonial mentality and its attendant onslaughts on our national fabric and psyche.

Some readers don’t see any problem at all, believing that we’re merely enjoying the best of all worlds. They refuse to see that the money that goes to “Broadway” and other imported shows is income taken away from our homegrown scriptwriters, composers, lyricists and producers. How can they be expected to develop local musicals and plays to a significant extent if they get only 10 centavos of our entertainment peso?

Most contentious of all was our plea some months ago for enlightened Filipinos to expunge from their vocabulary the “colonially loaded” words, “Broadway,” “world-class” and “Hollywood.” —What a “ridiculous” request, some people scoffed, so “out of touch” with the trendy times, the “height” of pop-cultural isolationist “nationalism” and jingoism!

In wanting to “write our own stories and sing our own songs,” in order to come into our own as a truly liberated people, must we unselectively throw the baby out with the bath water? —Now, where did that come from?!

Preference

We understand that the debate over our “deathless” colonial mentality can get to be acrimonious and even vituperative, because our colonial mind set and preference have been ingrained in us through many decades, and even centuries.

So, the rehabilitation or “detoxification” will similarly take a long time, and some of the “patients” may have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to the “rehab” clinic! But, the process has to be initiated now, or else the country’s arts and creative industries will continue to lamely hop, skip and jump on one foot for more years to come.

Other recent articles that ticked off some readers were our pieces on the exceedingly contentious National Artist issue, which has remained combustible because the Supreme Court has been taking its sweet time resolving the all-important question of “presidential” additions and subtractions.

We hope and pray that the court’s new Chief Justice loves the arts and appreciates their importance and relevance to our national life, and will finally fast-track the resolution of the case.

Other issues: Fans of Charice, Sarah Geronimo, Sharon Cuneta and other stars we’ve “tickled” and ticked off with our less-than-adulatory notes accuse us of all sorts of personal and subjective motives. But, we would like to point out that we criticize stars’ performances, never their personal lives.

Charice’s fans may also forget that, way back when, we opined that she should have won the kiddie singing search she competed in, before Oprah and the rest of the world “discovered” her. What spottily selective memories some people have.

—Oh, well, we’re in this not to win a popularity poll, but to open hearts and minds—so, the debates continue!