Well, Nasty is alive and well (last time he wrote, he was in LA but a little lark told me he is now in the Midwest), and (are you sitting down?) has turned into some kind of pop poet. He e-mailed a rap song (or whatever you may call it) that he wants me to share with you. He strongly recommends that you read his poem to a rap beat a la Eminem. Think dum-dum-dum-pah, pa-pa-dum-dum-dum-dum-pah. Here goes:
By Nasty (but look who’s nastier!) |
Yo! Wake up Pinoy!
What are you doing?
Do you know where you going?
You complain and complain, and bicker no end.
Yet do nothing to mend or amend.
Start thinking right, get your processes tight.
It’s a long journey through your night.
Learn to move and act, not just cackle and bark.
Learn to manage your country right.
You’re a nation of meddlers, a nation of critics.
Magagaling lahat kayo.
Yet look at your shanties,
look at your beggars,
And your starving children, too.
Heed your economy, the escalating poverty.
Plan what you need to do.
Time is a-ticking; time you’re a-wasting.
The future depends on you.
Everybody is a critic;
everybody makes pintas.
To you I have to say:
Unless you’ve made a movie, don’t be a movie critic.
Kneel and for better movies pray.
Don’t you critique books till you’ve
published a book,
You just won’t know what it takes
Unless you lead a saint’s exemplary life,
Shut up about other lives.
You wonder why first daughters end up
In scandalous entanglements,
Believe you me, it happens to the best
And the rest of families.
But it ain’t no fun gossiping about
Someone who is unknown.
So it’s no surprise when celebrities get
Their little mistakes full-blown.
You may stumble and fart but not get written about
Cause you ain’t famous enough, y’know.
No one cares about your freakin’ little life
So get a bigger life and grow.
Before you look at others, look in the mirror
Check out the dirt in your eye.
Be sure that you are virtuous and truly clean
Before you make somebody cry.
There are those whose only claim to fame
Is exposing people’s dirty laundry.
Like vampires they suck other people dry
And also make a lot of money.
Before criticizing somebody else
Put yourself in that person’s shoes.
Won’t it sting, won’t it hurt
If the toes stepped on are yours?
Yo! Wake up, Pinoy, look around you
Make gainful use of time.
I’m sure you know, there are better things to do
Than to castigate Kris Aquino.
But you may quack quack till your lungs fall out,
I give the floor to you.
You may curse and shout, and scream about
Only if you’re Alma Moreno!
It’s Already A Culture Thing |
About this gossip and dirty laundry stuff, it has become a culture thing. Those innocent Inday Badiday days and intriguing Giovanni Calvo writing forays (remember his Mama Monchang and Ay, naku, ’day! articles?) have made a permanent mark on the impressionable Filipino psyche. The same formula continues to calcify the minds of people as perpetuated by newer names in today’s tabloids and ludicrous TV gossip shows. And the publishers and TV networks encourage it. Or should I say, capitalize on it!
Print, radio and TV use sensationalism to gain readership and audiences. Controversial headlines sell. But surely there are days when there is nothing newsworthy. What will they air on the 6 p.m. news? Poor little segment producer has to come up with something or the sponsors will withdraw.
This tabloid mentality feeds off the frailty of people, celebrities most especially. Nasty is right, that these sensationalized things happen to the best of us but don’t get written about simply because they "ain’t famous enough." Surely Nasty is aware that hyperbole news and paparazzi press are a global thing. Europe gobbles up Hola! and the US patronizes The National Enquirer, etc. It must not only be a culture thing – it looks like a human nature thing.
We are like a huge fat lady who wants to be slim with a big sinful cake at her nose. It’s a hard decision to make but we must decide. If we don’t check this rumor journalism, it will become a bigger monster.
It is really the people’s choice, aided by the guidance of our political and moral leaders. There has to be a concerted effort to raise our people’s consciousness to the fine, the rich and the beautiful. No one will publish tabloids and produce gossip shows if there are no buyers, viewers and sponsors. Whatever the outcome, one thing’s for sure. We don’t want another Princess Diana tragedy.
Rajarishid says, "Look inside you, don’t look out. Or you might miss your life." We must re-learn to live and better our own lives, not meddle in the private concerns of others. Oh, by the way, why don’t we agree to just let Kris Aquino be?
Seminar Update |