(no subject)
Today, the Philippines elects itself a new president.
I love elections. I love the whole spotlight-stealing rough-and-tumble glamour of the three months preceding that look more like a nationwide fiesta than anything else. I love the campaign ads- really, someone ought to compile them, for future reference- and the celebrity endorsers and the candidates going from place to place, distributing wristbands and calendars. I don't know how many calendars I have. I love the way volunteers stick up pictures of the candidates everywhere they're allowed to, and everywhere they aren't, I love that half of these pictures get drawn on, I love the smiles that all look the same. I love the way no one is a loser and everyone is cheated. I love that we celebrate that the number of killings had gone down to only around a hundred.
It's ridiculous. Elections are as fun as they are violent, and they showcase the Philippines at its craziest, with all the passion people put into anything they think will be worth the while. The jingles and the inane accusations* and the political killings are all different facets of the same thing, sort of- when Filipinos want something done, they use any means that doesn't go against their consciences and leave the rules to hang, and what goes against politicians' consciences is a mystery to us all. It's crazy and stupid and utterly ridiculous, and sometimes all you can do is laugh, and sometimes you can vote as well, and hope that the vote actually gets counted, so that it can count for something.
*If anyone's interested: Noynoy Aquino actually did do something in his twelve years in the Congress. He authored the Workers Productivity Incentives Act, the Superior Responsibility Act, and the Government Procurement Reform Act. Look them up. XD
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Formula for not being angry today: hope for the best, and when checking the news ignore all individual opinions. People as a whole are a good idea, but people individually not so much.