Alternative truth is not fake news and it is almost a crime for those who wield the power to shape the minds of those who do not know better to say they are the same, or even similar. Alternative truth is still truth, only that it does not conform to the truth that is held by others. Fake news, on the other hand, is what it is –fake. So, for any person to even mistake one for the other is, to say the least, disappointing.
Let us not go far to cite an example. Let me cite my own. Last Thursday, the nation observed yet another anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. During the observance, all the sad and sorry tales of martial law were given vent by those who suffered in those dark days and lived to tell the tale, and by those who learned of the terrible experience through the narratives of those who experienced them.
I am not going to dispute that because that is the truth. But I have an alternative truth to that. I, personally, did not suffer during martial law. I cannot in conscience beat my breast in anguish just to be counted among those who claim the right to be anguished. I was a young man then, barely out of my teens, who was just beginning to understand the pleasures of being young.
I was apolitical. Perhaps that was the reason I did not pay attention to the politics of my time. Instead I was beginning to truly appreciate the charms of young women my age. And I loved the music of my time, the Sixties sounds that carried over into the Seventies. Most of all, I was safe. The curfew kept bad elements off the streets. And since I kept off the government’s back, the government did not breathe down my neck.
But I have a question. Did the absence of any suffering on my part during martial law, or the fact that, on the contrary, I was having the time of my life during those times make me less of a citizen, or less of a patriot, than those who fought the regime and suffered? I have to ask because there apparently are those who think so. I already wrote previously on this subject and a reader actually wrote to say he used to believe in me but no longer did.
I did not bother to reply to that reader because I found his position preposterous. What was I supposed to do then? Was I supposed to turn myself in to the authorities just so I could suffer? I have always believed that every individual is his own person and that if I chose not to be involved in the politics of those times, my decision should be respected as a matter of personal right. Does that make me less of a person than everybody is?
That I did not suffer during martial law and in fact had a comfortable life at the time is my alternative truth. It is the truth because I experienced it and those who would impose their truths on mine must have a very shaky grip on theirs. The only reason I do not speak often about my alternative truth is because I do not want to offend those who lived through their own truths and had an unpleasant time doing so.
It is out of respect for their suffering that I kept my peace. But since some people who pretend to know more than they really do are beginning to get confused about what is true and what is fake, I felt I need to really contribute my two cents worth into the kitty. Besides, I do not think I am alone. Not all people suffered under martial law. Many minded their own business and were left alone. They are just afraid to speak out now. A noisy minority can sometimes get truly nasty.