It must be said now.
Partisans on both sides of the anticipated battle royale in Bacolod City have intellects as towering as an earthworm’s capacity to understand quantum physics.
Or simple math.
Amid calls of their principals or potential mayoral candidates, these partisans (my merciful gesture of euphemistically calling these trolls and dolls, dregs of the online society) are like the purgers in The Forever Purge who would kill for no rhyme or reason, regardless of the season.
Puffed by their newfound acceptance and perceived statures in their thought ghettos or known to them as their Facebook pages, these partisans on both sides acquired instant authority to become experts on governance, fiscalization, and practically every social activity known to man.
Even journalism.
These dregs of Internet society, who I now name as pixel lumpens (lumpen being the term of the Soviets for social scums) are low-level trolls who are so way below the political ladder that an earthquake as low as half an intensity can send them shaking in fear.
What is apparent lately is their temerity to attack even reporters who do legitimate journalistic practice like man on the street interviews or MOTS, one of the information gathering methods used to solicit public opinion.
They lecture reporters even if some of these trolls, reportedly employed and in the payroll of big political groups, have no real jobs except being political puppies or as we call it in Hiligaynon, bata bata or tabid tabid of politicos.
What rock bands might recognize as groupies.
It must be stressed now for these thick-skulled, low-brained creatures that REPORTERS ARE NOT THEIR ENEMIES.
More so, reporters are not at the beck and call of their political patrons who are commanded to present all sides of a story, not only their side.
But why this hate? That is a totally different topic but some venture this is fuelled by the mushrooming of bias media or blocktimers who one-sidedly promote their political masters.
The newfound power of citizens to talk to power and institutions including the Press because of social media is welcome in a democracy.
That power, however, must be coupled with intellectual diligence and civilized discourse.
Otherwise, democracy runs the risk of becoming mob rule and calls for continuity or change would come to naught.
