Amazon MP3 Download store!

Amazon has opened a DRM-Free MP3 Song Download store with prices starting at $0.89. I did a test download of a couple of songs and it went well, was able to play in my notebook and sync with my iPhone. For those who have been aching for a DRM-Free store that’ll let them play their purchased music on their personal devices this may be your ticket! I have been buying from iTunes and have always had this lingering thought in my mind about being tied to the Apple Techsphere, although I could burn my songs to CD and rip ‘em back — I’m just too lazy to do it regularly. DRM-Free music for all of us! The revolution has started; let’s stick it to the Man!

How do you measure Good Taste when it comes to opinion?

As I think more about what the controversy regarding Ms Malu Fernandez’s article brought about, the more puzzled I am with the apparent split between some of the professional journalists, and Bloggers. I recommend reading: “Freedom is not a one-way street”, a very interesting take on this matter with several supporting links.

The more it’s hard to accept why the incident with the article written by Ms Fernandez won’t die. As most Pinoy Bloggers notice, there seems to be more and more article popping up claiming that Ms Fernandez is a victim of an unfair reaction to a columnist’s article.

So when do we measure human reaction, and when did it become a norm that professional journalist can be “creative” for their audience and hurl “acerbic wit” into their own fashion for their readers, yet amateurs, non-professionals, or readers with comments can’t enjoy the same latitude? They can hurl insults disguised under freedom of speech, yet be too sensitive to comments and reactions? Do you weigh in the stone you throw out and expect that the stone hurled back at you matches the size and weight?

Let’s all be open minded about this. We can’t measure good taste; we can’t expect someone to throw insults and then be offended if the replies become a little too heated for their “taste”. The same people who supposedly triumph freedom of speech in protecting Ms. Fernandez’s article have the gal to question the reaction of people reading it. It’s pathetic I know – but hey it’s their opinion. Just remember: if you can’t handle the heat, don’t throw yourself into the fire.

I think, to truly put this controversy past us all, we should start with respecting each other’s opinion and reactions – maybe we should try to read and understand them rather than measuring them and completely missing the point. Now, whether this leads to positive action – we can only hope. Time to heal. Mabuhay!

Another Filipino columnist who knows nothing about OFWs?

What’s this? Just when we think we can rest for a bit after the Malu Fernandez controversy and her apology. Out comes a columnist (Mr. Geronimo L. Sy) from The Manila Times with an article trying to put a positive spin on the article Ms. Fernandez wrote. It just sickens me, read the full article:

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/aug/30/yehey/opinion/20070830opi3.html

Now to start, let me quote a piece from the article:

 

“With these lines, Malu offended our sensibilities, went against political correctness and doomed herself to public condemnation.
Our sensibilities say that to travel for leisure is a privilege and a luxury. Millions of our countrymen brave foreign shores in search of the proverbial three meals a day. Hence to vacation in Bora or, rather and, Greece in one break is something we whisper a prayer for and count our blessings. How can Malu be so ungrateful, we ask not out of envy?”

This guy is totally clueless, totally missing the point, it’s as if the offense made was that she traveled for leisure? Who cares if someone travels for leisure? I actually think traveling and seeing places for leisure is not only good for the mind but the soul as well. What Bloggers have pointed out are the condescending comments she made against OFWs. It’s also not about being ungrateful, but being inconsiderate. Here’s more from the article:

 

“She flaunted political correctness when she dared to be true to herself and called OFWs for who they are: A noisy lot intruding into personal space sacred to others in small places like economy seats. At least she is honest with her thoughts. She could have injected the value of empathy understanding that it is beyond the OFWs themselves and largely attributable to socio-economic factors like education and professional attainment. She may perhaps have been trying to be cute about it or simply reflected the elite mentality.”

Let me point out one clear-cut line I find offending: “called OFWs for who they are: A noisy lot intruding into personal space sacred to others in small places like economy seats.” — If both these writers fly more often, they might be surprised to find out that intruding into personal space is not a monopoly of OFWs. Even worst, generalizing that ALL OFWs are people like this seriously puts into question who this author is, and what experience he has with OFWs. The author even ends the article trying to put a positive spin on how he sees things with the line: “Let us hate the ugliness of the OFWs in us, enough to do something about it.” I don’t know what the author is thinking when he used OFWs again here, specially the “ugliness of OFWs in us” part. Does he equate OFWs to things negative? I’m sorry but this is not self-reflection or look ourselves in the mirror kind-of-thing.

My guess is one or both of the following is true about the author:
1. Someone born with a silver spoon, with taste of true economic hardship such a distant fiction.
2. The only “personal” experience/knowledge this fellow has comes from reading articles written by the likes of Ms. Malu Fernandez, OR meeting one truly rotten OFW that he concludes all OFWs are like that (A genius eh?)

Now if the author is trying to do some self-reflection to try and point to us that we just overreact, why pinpoint OFWs in particular? Why not just say “Filipinos’ bad traits” or something to that effect. So maybe we should “hate the ugliness of our own hypocrisy and bad traits..” instead, though I am not really a fan of the word “hate”. I am sure at every economic level there are bad apples — this is not only exclusive to OFWs or the poor. Don’t tell me that all rich or “sosyals” are examples of good manners — if this is how the author sees things I think he should go out and mingle some more. If we use the same yardstick the author used to conclude on OFWs, and make our conclusions that all columnists think like him — I’m sure we’ll ruffle some feathers or maybe worst.

If all we have are journalists such as this who seem to think that good writing is stereotyping OFWs and shaping them into something negative, a malaise to the Filipinos, maybe Bloggers should take the cudgels, or in a lighter note elucidate, and be the ones to call this out as nothing more than bigotry. Mr. Sy, write something better.

Additional blog/info here: http://cmfr-phil.blogspot.com/2007/08/malus-back.html

UPDATE (Sep 4 2007):

Reading the blog entry ““Freedom of Speech” isn’t a one-way street… from Taroogs.WordPress.com, I learned of another article from the Manila Standard written by Mr. Emil Jurado that appears to try and explain the Malu Fernandez controversy as a sad tragedy on the practice of “Freedom of Speech”, especially since what she wrote (as he claimed) is the truth(sic).

Read the article here: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=emilJurado_aug31_2007

A quote from the article:

“I think Malu was simply writing what she thought and sensed. That’s freedom of the press. And what she wrote was just the truth. Everybody knows that.”

I don’t think the truth about OFWs is that they are all a bunch of noisy and manner less people who don’t know how to conduct themselves in public. It’s a pity, I used to find Emil Jurado’s article very interesting and balanced, but it seems his view on this has taken a rather disturbing slant. As I’ve tried to point out, there will always be people with bad manners rich or poor, I have encountered people in flights (Well-dressed and looking real “sosyal”) disregard attendant’s requests and instructions up until they were forced to do so. I do not imply that Mr. Jurado’s personal experience with OFWs is a lie, but rather he can’t conclude that all migrant workers behave that way. Now, if Mr. Jurado’s experience happened to be with someone rich and influential, will he conclude the same way he did? It’s like a bad statistical sampling study; it’s just not fair to say all migrant workers are like that because of perception.

The rules of manners don’t only apply to migrant workers; they apply to everyone, so please let’s not make any distinction when it comes to educating people what’s wrong or right.