The Naked Truth About "The Naked Truth"

it's been all around the news recently. the bench underwear fashion show has been drawing a lot of publicity; both good and bad.

still, people should just chill and stop overreacting. seriously, they do have the right to express how they feel, but assaulting my newsfeed with everything about it is just not nice.

so, people, just chill. it's a show.

a lot of people may dignify their stand and put themselves on the pedestal (as what is similar to the  phenomenon known as the white knight syndrome) by saying either:

1. i'm too numb - to even care about the plight of women

2. i'm too naive - to see how everything is always "deeper" and it's "repercussions" of "how society really thinks about women" blah blah blah

3. i'm brushing it off - well, i have every right to

like, come on.. can we just chill? it's true that some people may find some aspects of the show objectionable, it's not everything. huwag masyadong OA.

yes, i know. women get raped everyday. and if you didn't notice, guys get raped everyday, too. so it's not mutually exclusive. by any means, rape is never funny and should never be taken lightly. it's just that i think these people are overreacting. wag naman ganun.

it's just a show.

just to emphasize a little of my example of how i perceive their reactions to be, here are a few examples.

why so seeerrryyyyuuuuuusssss???? 

[in best joker voice possible]

normal person: i'm going to enjoy my sashimi tonight.

OA person: that fish may have been alive while it was being sliced! how cruel!

normal person: wow! a dolphin! i've never seen one before! they're so amazing! and they perform tricks, too!

OA person: they shouldn't be in captivity! think of all the hundreds of helpless dolphins mercilessly being slaughtered in scandinavia just for a stupid rite of passage!

normal person: let's get some petrol for the trip.

OA person: let's stop supporting petrol! it's destroying wildlife everywhere! and the oil leaks!

normal person: i think i'll choose starbucks instead of my 3-in-1 coffee today.

OA person: you're so elitist and discriminatory!

normal person: wow! it's very kinky sexy! that's just how a pinoy version of fifty shades of grey would be like!

OA person: that's rape! discrimination! women's rights! objectifying women! blah blah blah

so.. just relax. just saying

Is Social Media the Great Equalizer?

i had an experience a few months ago in dr. jose fabella memorial hospital. a man and his pregnant wife came in the out-patient department very well after the cut-off time. as expected, they were told that it was already closing and they should come in earlier next time. it must also be said that we were still going to see his wife despite that. but...

apparently hurt and unwilling to accept this gentle correction, he did not take it too lightly. instead, he came back maybe an hour later neurotic. he was laughing, sweating and smiling as if he was just the most powerful man in the world. he just had this certain look on his face as if he had all the power and influence to destroy us and said, "ipapa-facebook ko kayo! mga bastos kayo! dahil mahirap lang kami, ginaganito niyo na kami! anong klase kayong doktor!!!"

in short he was threatening to take pictures and videos of us in order to "shame" us on facebook for having a cut-off. this is what makes this wrong. he saw social media as a great equalizer among social classes. without a doubt, he saw himself as inferior to the physicians and midwives. but he, too, expected us somehow to bow down to his every need. that was just crazy.

it's not always absolute

okay, and i am not exaggerating. in the midst of this development, t turns out that he was a cellphone technician and he was just beaming with pride how he had a "tita" who worked in the Department of Health. My goodness. wow.  the arrogance.

i'm not even that interested what kind of job his "tita" does have in the DOH because it doesn't matter. but frankly speaking, even the rank and file still do technically "work" in the DOH, right?

what i realized in this is that, we must not always take things at face value. even when it comes to social media.

ethics dictate that the other side should always be given a chance to explain. but had he gone through with his threat, do you think the general "sharing" public would've given us the time? of course, not. they might be too excited to just share the next would-be viral video of again another victimized  member of the masa.

Developmental Task

it's not rocket science, not even medical science, which is more interesting.

at an early age we were taught to keep quiet during examinations and even after we're done for the sake of those who were still taking the exams.

i may have learned that in my elementary days in ateneo de davao university. (and no, before you react, it's not about the school).

it's currently beyond me how some people think it's okay to just go out and boisterously be loquacious as if nobody else is there. it's not.

it's an act of selfishness and not only a lack of awareness but of concern that other people might actually exist in this world beyond ourselves at that specific point in time.

sometimes it's not that easy as it seems

but i do have a certain explanation for this particular behavior i know i have also been guilty of in the past, especially in high school.

it is not a longshot to assume we all have our fixations developmentally. there's supposed to be a developmental task which escapes me now. it's about how things (and by extension, people) still exist even if we don't see them or are beyond our perception.

i guess that's it.

no, i am not a moral compass of some sort. but i do believe a little consideration wouldn't hurt

Medical School Reveals You

"doctors are assholes." there is simply no sense in sugarcoating what i'd often hear within the hallowed halls of a nurses' stations' corridors.

but, can we really blame them?

it's been more than a year since my last post and now i can finally say that i have successfully penetrated the ranks and files of the MDs themselves. i am now a junior intern. it's not much. but it's also not nothing.

just like any other profession, there are different personalities involved and not one specific personality can ever lay claim to be the stereotype of what a doctor is. still, i would to state a little observation of mine.

ngayon pa lang, lumalabas na ang mga ugali ng mga tao.

you see, i didn't know it then but medical schools doesn't change you. it simply reveals you. people have every right to change which is why i also believe there is some truth about the ability to change into something better or worst. but i also believe that there are certain limits of "change" that our personalities can take. this is why it all just conveniently falls into the whole reveals you thing.

i'd like to recall what happened to me a few months ago as a junior intern rotating in family medicine. we were at the emergency room and attending to the (usually) dozens of medico-legal cases which automatically are surgical cases.

one of the most colorful hospitals i have ever seen.

after the residents had already decked the patient in the surgical service, i did what was supposed to be done and brought some of the patients to the opposite side of the room. that's when the first bout with the personality happened.

one of the staff who was on duty there told me, "ang dami naman niyang binibigay niyo sa amin! surgical ba talaga ang mga yan?!!" this went on probably the whole night.

i don't know about you but i really found it very arrogant for that someone to say that. i mean, why say that? is it even necessary? we only do what we're supposed to do. and frankly, wala sa lugar.

magkakalevel lang naman kami. nanggaganun na?

the easiest thing to say is that probably that person was stressed. but is that an excuse? does that justify the attitude?

i believe it doesn't. we are junior interns. we take the patients as they are. we can't really choose our patients, especially in the emergency department.

as far as the whole personality thing goes, there are again assholes in all professions. it's just that medicine seems to make some of us believe it's more okay for us to be assholes than normal.

no, it isn't.