On the Malu Fernandez Issue

I never read any of her articles, I get bored easily of how a columnist brags about being there and being that, and tasting this and feeling that.

It's a waste of time for me really, and I'd rather read them who are more let us say "Intellectually Stimulating" than what i consider as literary afternoon showbiz talkshow.

But when I came across other bloggers condemning Malu Fernandez's article on filipinos, to quote:

“The duty free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cellphones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.”

“…I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sound of gum chewing and endless yelling of ‘Hoy! Kamusta ka! Domestic helper ka din ba?’ I thought I had died and God sent me to my very own private hell.”

“This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling like AXE and Charlie cologne while my Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.”

For one how many people do you personally know who are like Malu Fernandez Fernandez?

I know a lot and they are them who wouldn't eat on food courts and have never ridden the MRT.

Them who had the capacity to ride a taxi from Ateneo to UP and would never for the life of them ride a jeepney, had a yaya and a manong to cater to their every need.

But do I hate them for it?

A part of me says yes another says no. I can't blame them for having been nurtured that way by their families.

There are others who even laugh at those who can't afford original sneakers and even before havaianas were fashionable most of my classmates in High School would never dare for the life of them wear a sandal to school unless its the infamous birkenstock. The same goes for the taste in music. The Bakya and the more sosyal music.

Each particular classes belong to a certain genre and certainly Malu Fernandez belongs to their sort of genre.

Her only crime was perhaps being who she really is. She looks down on maids and domestic helpers as we do before as we look down on japayukis and entertainers. On the local scenario we look down on maids, and yaya's and boy's and drivers... Just look at how many telenovelas revolve around love stories between the decrepit and the filthy rich?

We honor them domestic helpers by lining up the streets just when one of them is going to be executed for a crime they "allegedly" committed.
Afterwards committing them to obscurity.

Malu Fernandez's crime is insulting the workers as is her nature and her society created her to becoming.

I myself condemn her observations and with all due respect to her definition of humor I find it lacking of taste and of low nature.

But one things for sure I know a lot of Malu Fernandez around here and If theres one thing to blame let us not blame the victim but let us blame a system that tolerates this kind of behavior.

There will forever be poverty and discrimination in this country but it only exists if we PERMIT them.