Vice Ganda's recent sold-out concert at the SMART Araneta Coliseum last May 17 sure did establish this gay comedian as one of the country's top entertainers. But it could very well contribute to his downfall as well, IF AND ONLY IF his fans will suddenly be enlightened of his vicious tongue and scathing humor. While most people I know look forward to his Sunday late night show "Gandang Gabi Vice", I find the show rather repulsive as it becomes an avenue where people are shamed by Vice Ganda's wild jokes. Seeing his tactic to entertain at the expense of his victims, I cannot find it in my heart to patronize his show though I honestly admire him for his quick wit and frank retorts.
But then his jokes have gone too far. Through my Facebook newsfeed, I became aware of his terrible joke about Jessica Soho's weight and that if she becomes a sexy star, there should be a gang rape. This joke attacks the victim as a female and as an obese person, which if we really do think about it, also attacks all females and all fat people. I wonder how people can still laugh at such a joke.
A few days ago, Jessica Soho voiced out her opinion that rape is not a joke. No, she didn't lash out at Vice Ganda, considering her stature in the media industry as a multi-awarded broadcast journalist, as most celebrities are wont to do. Instead, she just reacted against the joke itself, which perhaps made people think about the underlying meanings, thus gaining the support of netizens who promptly made the issue a hot topic in cyberspace. For that, my respect for Jessica Soho has multiplied ten thousandfold. She knows how to wield her influence in a subtle way, rallying the people on to her side to condemn the jokes made, and subsequently, to think twice about patronizing someone as unfeeling and unsympathetic to rape victims and fat people as Vice Ganda.
On second thought, Filipinos are known to be harsh critics of people's physique. In a conversation with an offiicemate, when I remarked at how Filipinos tend to always find something bad to say about another person in terms of physical appearance, she agrees and cites examples. For instance, she says, Filipinos add adjectives after a person's nickname, like X Kalbo, X Nano, X Panot, etc. Do we really need to take these physical characteristics as something to make fun of? Are we that shallow to find pleasure in finding fault in a person? Perhaps yes, because it makes us feel superior to other people. But then, as a predominantly Catholic country, let me remind everyone that nobody's born perfect and before you criticize, take a look at the mirror first.
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:5) (from http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-5.htm)
Methinks Vice Ganda is insecure. Methinks he envies Jessica Soho for her achievements and for being a female, something he is denied to have. And this could have compelled him to do just what he did in the arena where he is king, on that stage in SMART Araneta Coliseum where he stood unopposed that night of May 17.
But then his jokes have gone too far. Through my Facebook newsfeed, I became aware of his terrible joke about Jessica Soho's weight and that if she becomes a sexy star, there should be a gang rape. This joke attacks the victim as a female and as an obese person, which if we really do think about it, also attacks all females and all fat people. I wonder how people can still laugh at such a joke.
A few days ago, Jessica Soho voiced out her opinion that rape is not a joke. No, she didn't lash out at Vice Ganda, considering her stature in the media industry as a multi-awarded broadcast journalist, as most celebrities are wont to do. Instead, she just reacted against the joke itself, which perhaps made people think about the underlying meanings, thus gaining the support of netizens who promptly made the issue a hot topic in cyberspace. For that, my respect for Jessica Soho has multiplied ten thousandfold. She knows how to wield her influence in a subtle way, rallying the people on to her side to condemn the jokes made, and subsequently, to think twice about patronizing someone as unfeeling and unsympathetic to rape victims and fat people as Vice Ganda.
On second thought, Filipinos are known to be harsh critics of people's physique. In a conversation with an offiicemate, when I remarked at how Filipinos tend to always find something bad to say about another person in terms of physical appearance, she agrees and cites examples. For instance, she says, Filipinos add adjectives after a person's nickname, like X Kalbo, X Nano, X Panot, etc. Do we really need to take these physical characteristics as something to make fun of? Are we that shallow to find pleasure in finding fault in a person? Perhaps yes, because it makes us feel superior to other people. But then, as a predominantly Catholic country, let me remind everyone that nobody's born perfect and before you criticize, take a look at the mirror first.
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:5) (from http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-5.htm)
Methinks Vice Ganda is insecure. Methinks he envies Jessica Soho for her achievements and for being a female, something he is denied to have. And this could have compelled him to do just what he did in the arena where he is king, on that stage in SMART Araneta Coliseum where he stood unopposed that night of May 17.
