Country elects a murderous, misogynistic, foul-mouthed boor. Country wonders why they're stuck with a murderous, misogynistic, foul-mouthed boor.
Bisaya
His supporters-- heck even his official spokesperson-- attribute his crass boorishness to his being Bisaya. That's just the way they talk down South, they say. That's how they do banter down South, they say.
Ok, I'm an arrogant, ethnocentric Tagalog who was born and raised in Imperial Manila. So I am not exactly an expert on Bisaya subculture. But I have Bisaya family members, Bisaya friends, and Bisaya colleagues. They're not crass or boorish. They don't pepper conversations with cuss words or make lewd jokes without regard to context. I'd say they are pretty decent and sensitive people, definitely more decent and sensitive than this Tagalog.
You see, his crass boorishness has nothing to do with his being Bisaya. His crass boorishness is just because he is a crass boor. That is all. Nothing to do with being an outsider from the genteel halls of Imperial Manila. Don't insult an entire ethnoliguistic group in trying to defend him. Just accept and admit that he is a crass boor whose mannerisms do not always do justice to his high office. After all, he won't be the first person to hold that office with a penchant for swearing. Although he would be the first one to have no filter.
Terrorism (from here)
The fundamental motivator of terrorism is not religion or ideology or money. It's self-righteousness. The firm belief that you are right and those who disagree with you, necessarily, wrong. Every dictator who ordered a massacre, every bomber who blew up a public space, every zealot who slew a heretic believed it was for the greater good, a righteous cause. Believe in your own righteousness and you can justify any atrocity your heart desires.
Defeating the drug menace is indeed a righteous cause. Up there with saving souls.
