Selling ‘straight’

Kinutil

The ancient Greek philosophers observed how societies often follow cycles of change and degeneration. Democracy often degenerates into something simply described as the rule of the mob; mob, being synonymous to “people.” Many of the old Greek philosophers suggested that the state is best ruled by philosophers:

Which assertion is immediately suspect as if a soldier declared the state would be best led by a warrior. But whatever the case, one might see that meaningful changes in society follow only after meaningful changes in people’s minds.

And then one might make the valid observation that meaningful change comes less from actions of the state, the pronouncements of philosophers, battles fought by soldiers, as from changes in how people, or if you will, how the mob thinks. And one may argue right against wrong, truth against untruth, till endless time; but in the end, what people believe is really what decides the social outcome.

And so it is, that people who believe in change have to change people’s minds first before meaningful change can come about. Meaningful change therefore comes always slowly and over extended time. One might safely presume that philosophers can argue the future with greater astuteness than the mob. But even so, and in the end: Mob rules!

This was kinutil’s observation from reading reactions in the social networks on the recent controversy that befell boxer Manny Pacquiao over statements he made on the issue of same-sex marriage. The details of this statement are not by themselves important. They are old views. But they do demonstrate how Manny is an exemplar of the mob that the old philosophers spoke of. If same-sex marriage is ever going to be legalized in the  Philippines, it is people like Manny whose minds must change.

That would take a long time. But who knows? Perhaps his mind might have changed already after Nike dropped him as their product endorser. Perhaps our own minds may have been changed as well. We are all, after all, only as much of the mob as poor Manny.

And we might now begin to see how even gender has become a commodity sold through media, the social networks, generally: the marketplace, the old agora, as it once was and may forever be. One might easily see how LGBT sells gender. And then see by comparison how poorly “straight” is being sold, and sold by the most unsuitable people using the worst selling propositions that can be thought off. How many people out there, after all, are straight because the Bible told them so. This is not to discredit scripture. But come on. Really?

Instead of the Scriptures, these thoughts always bring him to the past and how he, in his own peculiar way, became a “man.” In his own little town, gay people were ridiculed and laughed at. His own father made him understand early in life how he would beat him up if ever he became one. And so he declared: “No Fernandez is ever going to be bayot!”

This declaration only made him all the more curious. And even in early school the attitude towards gays was hardly much different: the same threats of being ostracized, threats and actual expressions of overt violence, and oftentimes, the most ridiculous if self-righteous pontifications of alleged truths that obviously cannot find proof in the rational world. All these only made him quite embarrassed, even ashamed, to be straight. Straight was what he eventually became, but perhaps only by accident. It was not certainly out of will.

And could it be true that he merely lacked in his life a man to fall in love with?

Or was it that women found him first. Gender is still a mysterious thing to him. About as mysterious as love, romance and the idea itself of finding pleasure. He still has to plumb the murky depths of all these things even in his old age.

But he did marry a woman. And as this turned out for him, it was neither condemnation nor punishment, thanks in  no small part to the person he married. But what if one night she should declare: “Mund, let me confess. I am a time-traveller from the future where I was a man who went through complete sex-change, womb and all… Do you still love me?”

And then I would have to base my answer on all I have ever read from the Bible, Plato, Aquinas, Vonnegut, Paul Simon, Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Anais Nin, Ginsburg, Kant, Camus, etc. He likes to think his reply would be: “ My love, I married you for who you were, not for what you were. Although I must say, this comes as a bit of a kinky surprise.”