Does Cancel Culture encourage us to do good or bad? :Socio preview.

 

Photo taken from Adobo Magazine

                     

Social media influencers and celebrities, such as Jonalyn Bartolome and DJ Loonyo, are well-known for their respective provocative actions and ideas, which have made them popular among all. However, as a result of their massive activities, which elicited a wide range of reactions from netizens, their image deteriorated, and they faced anger and concern. To distinguish the two personalities, DJ Loonyo became well-known for his reaction to the so-called "iconic MASS TESTING" during the lockdown and the presence of the Corona Virus (COVID-19). He stated that the vaccine could cause problems and be dangerous to everyone. Even after he posted a clarification statement on Facebook, people were still upset, and it took months for the incident to be forgotten, especially since the government mandated that everyone get vaccinated. Some people used it to spread bad news about ayuda, or government aid. DJ Loonyo anticipated some people's online reactions, and he knew it would harm his reputation in the long run. On the other hand, Donnalyn Bartolome's cancellation culture was fascinating. She took a different approach, and worst of all, she was labeled as a "pambansang poon ng mga worker" after expressing her opinion against workers who continue to work even on holidays. Donnalyn's insensitive remarks elicited a barrage of negative responses, though some, particularly her fans, agreed with her. Jonalyn Bartolome's image had a lot of problems, especially with professionals and academe, which made her look bad in their eyes, as they thought she was immoral.

Cancel culture is a problem nowadays, particularly among younger generations. This has increased their engagement, particularly on social media, where many people can easily see information and comment on specific people, such as celebrities, for their bad behavior and activities. According to an Adobe Magazines article dated September 13, 2022, cancel culture refers to boycotting public figures due to inappropriate behavior toward society's set standards and rules. This is also the result that Sociologist Howard Becker attempted to highlight.  The offender was tagged or labeled without his consent or knowledge that he is an offender in the first place. According to his labeling theory, no act of behavior in and of itself is criminal or offender; it is the societal reaction to a behavior and the law that make them criminal or offender. If society condemns the behavior of the person who violates the standards or norms, that person becomes an offender. This is also the culprit of the current cancel culture, which is presented by the powerful entity in society known as "Moral Entrepreneurs." They are the ones who set rules and standards that usually favor them, and that makes other people believe, because they are capable of means of communication and materials to disseminate information, such as social media and massive online followers.

According to recent surveys conducted by Milieu Insight, a Southeast Asian research firm, there are two major stands that have received a lot of flak in the past as a result of this cancel culture: cultural appropriation and political stands. As previously stated, influencer Donnalyn Bartolome intended activities considered part of her stint to garner attention, as she used the concept of cultural appropriation for the sake of her social media content and profit. The recent Presidential election saw a lot of backlash and fights among the supporters and voters of two political parties because of differing positions on some issues, . Others received a lot of positive feedback for being good and suitable for the position, as they used a lot of bloggers and influencers to support the candidacy and campaign, as well as morally destroy the other parties.

The toxicity of cancel culture on social media has resulted in a phenomenon in which it is normal to label a person without a thorough understanding of the issue and with an egocentric attitude toward the positions and views of others. Some people find it difficult to accept the facts, and they engage in misconceptions and misinformation. Breaking changes in some celebrities who beg for forgiveness from the public are visible and easily accepted, possibly due to public pressure or the other way around. Some acts are now being stopped, while others are continuing. Perhaps they don't want to get involved because they don't care.

Reference:

https://www.adobomagazine.com/insight/insight-understanding-cancel-culture-in-the-philippines-the-good-the-bad-and-what-the-numbers-say/

https://criminologyweb.com/labeling-theory-how-labelling-explains-deviance-and-crime-in-criminology-and-sociology/

https://www.mili.eu/sg

My Research Interest; The Lives of Each Every BPO Workers of the Land.

My Interest of my research; The life of Every BPO Workers of the land. 

This is the requirement of my evaluation during the acceptance in PUP Graduate School, Master in Arts in Sociology 

            My study interests are mostly focused on the underprivileged sectors of society such as workers, specifically the lives of all BPO workers and IT support employees who are currently engaged in a new work arrangement today. The pandemic series of lockdowns had resulted in several learnings and major adjustments, not only to the manner of instruction in education, but also to the influence of the gradual shift in the world of work. Since 2020, many enterprises and industries have been moved in the early stages of first community quarantines spearheaded by the government. The conventional manner of working mostly embraces the distance work from home setup and the absence of personal engagement in a typical office kind of work setting. This circumstance raised several issues, particularly about productivity, wages, and tenure at work. The continual restriction of the lockdown system in the country during the Corona virus reduced mobility, particularly during the time when BPO workers needed to be visible in the office. However, as a result of the findings, companies have changed to remote setup and gone through a lot of procedures to finish the so-called work from home arrangement. This issue resulted in a new style of labor in which Filipino workers are not particularly oriented about. Few people are aware of it in comparison to our neighboring countries in South East Asia and the Western part of the world, where working from home is common and accepted. There are several undiscovered difficulties with this setup, such as the productivity of each BPO worker, which must be checked to see if there is a difference in output or if it should remain as it was previously. Much of this situation, BPO workers are now getting used to working from home rather than heading back to the office. It is quite practical for each worker not to utilize that because it is very light from them and reduces the struggle of traveling to corporate premises. One of the main reasons why BPO workers do not want to return to traditional workplace is the current economic condition and poor mass transit, particularly in different areas such as Metro Manila. Despite the government's request that they have it again and the risk of losing the incentive of the many outsource businesses, BPO workers continue to ponder and make a suggestion to the government to have it normal in now normal society. This kind of situation lead me to find the way of what would be the best suggestions for our leadership if this type of work set up is possible. We know that the this may trigger to other social institution like the school and family that would not be easily for them to cope up due of a lot of so call psychological concerns and the prevalent of violence among the workers’ family, given some cases out about the women and the young one as well which hits the statistic previously. But this may be a big help for a continuous understanding and policy development for the land. Additionally, It will give more emphasize the work direction of the Filipino people. 

        In reference to the topic, work from home arrangements may be beneficial to private enterprises as well, as they may reduce operational costs. However, suggesting out and shouldering the needs of other related companies to employees may not always be a smart idea because employees are also attempting to manage everything at home. Previous cases among BPO employees had resulted in an unimproved formulation of responsibilities at home and confined interaction within the premises. This is also a concern of my own: how do firms deal to the condition of every BPO worker that works from home? Do they foster familial relationships and stability? Do they have a program inside their corporate team or department that promotes the wellness of each employee in the same way that other BPO organization do? How is the government regulating the outsourcing company in terms of the setup supplied to its employees? What about the average wage? Do they assess it in the past? If such is the case, why are some BPO workers still suffering as a result of this type of setup? What is the core problem here? These questions remain unanswered, and it will be in my best interests to provide a response. This would provide me with a plan of action for my targeted research for my graduate course at PUP. This institution, I believe, will be an immense asset in learning more about the steps. The framework of each course for the program, from planning to evaluating to implementing specific study outputs, has a significant impact on social transformation.

         I knew it would take time for me to level my results for other published researches in the country, but I was more concerned with the action of doing it. With the assistance of well-talented and experienced people in the graduate school, particularly the Sociology department, I will be able to go through more of this massive research learning outcome and acquire knowledge of it. It is ambiguous for an academic institution that is not well-known for its work, but it may call for ensuring its validity and a strong method for analyzing and attempting unstoppable social change.

The Iconic and Cultural Heritage of Jeepneys

Noong hindi pa nagpapandemic, isa sa mga exercises sa Anthropology classes ko ay ang pasakayin ang mga istudyante ko sa anumang ruta ng jeepney, mag-obserba sa lahat ng kanilang nakikita habang nakasakay, at magsulat ng jeepney ethnography. Bakit pinili ko ang jeepney para makapagsulat sila ng ethnography (deskripsyong pangkultura)?  Dahil naniniwala akong ang jeepney ay microcosm ng Philippine society.  Makikita sa loob ng jeepney ang ibat-ibang asal ng mga Pilipino.  

Larawan mula kay Professor Nestor Castro, Ph.D

Halimbawa, kinakailangang malakas ang pakiramdam ng pasahero habang nakasakay.  Kung may bagong sakay na pasahero, kinakailangang umusog ka para makaupo siya nang maayos.  Kung may nag-aabot ng bayad para sa drayber, kailangang ipasa mo ang bayad hanggang makaabot sa drayber.  Hindi pupuwedeng wala kang paki.  

May mga paggalang din na nararapat sa loob ng jeepney.  Ayaw ng drayber na sumusutsot ka para pumara.  Sabi nga sa karatula, ang pagsutsot ay para lang sa aso.  Mas ginugusto ng drayber na sabihin mo ang "Para" o di kaya'y "Sa tabi lang po."  Kung nasa Kabisayaan ka, "Sa lugar lang."  Syempre mayroon ding "pull string to stop."  

Kailangang alisto ka sa dala-dala mong mga gamit.  Baka may mandurukot na nakasakay din.  Alisto ka rin sa dinadaanan ng biyahe.  Baka lumampas ka na sa iyong bababaan.  Puwede rin namang magtanong, "Manong, dadaan po ba ito sa ____.  Pakibaba na lang ako doon."  

Makikita rin sa loob ng jeepney ang ibat-ibang pattern ng kulturang Pilipino.  Kinakailangang magbayad ng pamasahe ang mga pasahero (compulsory pattern).  Mas ginugusto ng mga pasahero na umupo malapit sa estribo para madali silang bumaba (typical pattern).  Karaniwang nakabukaka ang mga lalaki habang nakaupo (typical pattern).  Puwede kang nakikinig ng sounds,  natutulog, o nakikipagkuwentuhan sa kasama mo habang nakasakay sa jeepney (alternative pattern).  Mga maliliit lang na bata ang kinakandong at hindi pinapagbayad ng pamasahe (restricted pattern).  

Makikita ang pagiging syncretic ng kulturang Pilipino sa mismong harap ng drayber (syncretic - paghahalo ng ibat-ibang kultura).  Mayroong imahen ng Sto. Nino pero meron ding salaming bagua (yung may walong anggulo) para maging ligtas ang biyahe.  Pero meron ding karatulang "God knows Hudas not pay."  

Magkakaibang klase ng tao ang mga pasahero - may bata, may matanda, may istudyante, mayroong empleyado, may babae, may lalaki.  Kadalasang hindi magkakakilala ang mga pasahero pero sama-sama sila sa iisang sasakayan at may iisang patutunguhan - ang direksyon ng jeepney.  Ganyan tayo sa lipunang Pilipino.  Hindi naman tayo magkakakilala pero nasa iisang bansa tayo at sana, may iisang hangarin din.  

May pagkakaiba-iba rin ng kultura ayon sa lugar.  May mga pumipila at nagbabayad bago sumakay.  Mayroong drayber na laging kasama ang misis sa tabi na siyang nangongolekta ng bayad.  May mga jeepney terminal na may mga barker - ang taga-tawag sa pasahero.  Sa ilang prubinsya, may mga jeepney na mayroon ding konduktor.  Bagamat iisang bansa tayo, may kakanyahan pa rin ang ibat ibang rehiyon at grupong etniko sa ating bansa.  Pero lahat pa rin tayo ay mga Pilipino kahit na may pagkakaiba-iba.  

Hindi komportableng sumakay sa jeepney.  Pilit ipinagsisikan ang "siyaman" kahit pampito o pangwalo lamang ang kasya sa upuan sa bawat panig ng jeepney.  Pero tinitiis natin ito.  Ganun din naman ang buhay, puno ng kahirapan at pagtitiis.  Iyong mga nakakaangat lang sa buhay ang hindi nakakaranas ng ganitong mga paghihirap.  

Maraming aral na mapupulot sa pagsakay sa jeepney.  Pati ba naman ang tagapagdala sa mga aral na ito ay aalisin na dahil sa kautusan ng ating gubyerno?  #NoToJeepneyPhaseout

Mula sa Panulat ni Dr. Nestor Castro Ph.D, Propesor ng Antropolohiya sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.

NO TO JEEPNEY PHASE OUT! YES TO REHABILITATION!

 Riding a jeepney has always been one of my most precious memories, but now, it seems like those memories are slowly fading away. The government's decision to phase out the traditional jeepneys and replace them with modern vehicles is a cause for concern not just for drivers, but also for passengers like me. I have witnessed drivers getting pulled over by authorities due to accidents caused by their old and outdated vehicles. While I feel sad for them, I also realize that this makes them more vulnerable to the current situation.

Jeepney drivers are facing a great battle to survive in an already difficult situation. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting everyone's livelihood, the phase-out of jeepneys will only make their situation worse. Many jeepney drivers rely on their vehicles as their only source of income, and with the phase-out, they will be forced to find new means of living. The cost of modernizing the fleet will also be a huge burden for the drivers who are already struggling to make ends meet.

As passengers, we also have a responsibility to support our fellow drivers in their plight. The government should be fully aware of the situation and come up with a solution that will benefit everyone. We should not allow the phase-out of jeepneys to happen without a fight. We should stand with our jeepney drivers and demand that their voices be heard. Let us all say no to jeepney phase-out and work towards a solution that will benefit everyone.

During the Nationwide Transport Strike March 6, 2023, NeuroPetron, Anonas, Project 3, Quezon City.