I tried my hardest not to blog about this. Because I fear people who know her (and almost every Filipino blogger knows her — goodness!) would get mad at me and soon my blogging career would be over! … Over! So over!
Anyhoo. I was lurking around facebook earlier (because I was fb-deprived the whole week, amf extreme workload!) and then I saw this video by Buddy Gancenia ( I had a chance to work with him on one of Mica’s film projects, Sir Buddy is a nice guy, and his works are good ) about the highlights of the recently concluded Philippine Blog Awards 2009. I wasn’t able to attend the event so I thought I should watch it to catch up with what happened.
And then this statement struck me: “So definitely blogging is no longer an elitist activity.” And what’s more pressing is it came from someone I really admire, someone who has been a constant inspiration to others, someone who’s really prominent in the Filipino blogging community, someone who’s respected by fellow bloggers, someone who has remarkable contributions to the pinoy blogosphere. But in fairness to her, she also said that it’s really a pride that the blogging community in the Philippines has been growing tremendously.
Maybe she just used the wrong words. Maybe she doesn’t mean to say that blogging was for the elitist at first and now it isn’t anymore because it has been growing and it has reached the “masa” like what she said in her ambush interview. Maybe when she said “So definitely blogging is no longer an elitist activity.” she just meant that everyone blogs and everyone can blog. Or maybe she doesn’t mean “So definitely blogging is no longer an [exclusive] elitist activity.”
“So definitely blogging is no longer an elitist activity.”
But it has never been an elitist activity to start with. People have been blogging since blogging existed! [Long rant deleted]
Anyhoo. Let’s empower everyone, every Filipino blogger, and every blogger and blogger-to-be in the world. We are not doing that by having a statement like “So definitely blogging is no longer an elitist activity.” We should not say elitist and “masa”. We don’t divide bloggers just like how the society divides us into social classes. The blogging community is an entirely different world; we don’t elect leaders and dictators and kings — we are our own rulers, we are our own rules, we are our own ethics. I think (and I deeply believe) there should be no elite and “masa” in the blogging. We all have enough of the social division in our society, it would be better not to put those labels to blogging. Because we all know that since the start, blogging is an activity for everyone.
Events like PBA is a very good way to encourage bloggers to pursue their interest and to recognize their efforts to provide/share quality content to the web. It is also a way to invite other people who are yet to explore blogging. PBA makes us proud Filipino bloggers.
The statement could have been “So definitely blogging is not an elitist activity” or just simply “Blogging is for everyone”.
It has been established that blogging gives people the voice, and the empowerment to express themselves. So I am using that opportunity. And if I get persecuted because of what I think was right or wrong by the same people who empower freedom of expression (naks), then it will forfeit that very empowerment. =”>
I am never in the position to judge her. And I’m not judging her, honestly. I am just giving my two cents on her statement. So when they say “Judge the deed, not the person”, I am 100% compliant. ( both hands raised on air )
Note: Before you kill me, this is about the statement, not her. Have I made myself clear? I wish. So please, don’t kill me.
I am with you on this one. We have too much labeling back home..” kanto boys”, “bakal boys”
and etc. and when you are labeled as if you are confined in a box.. blogging for elite? definitely not. But come to think of it. maybe she meant blogging is affordable now because in every corner you can find a computer shop. PC are much affordable now unlike in the old days. Lets face it back then only middle to to upper class can afford a PC much more internet connections.
All comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
i really, really, really like this post, Cai. thanks for sharing this to the blogosphere.
Posted by aajao at November 11, 2009, 3:06 pm