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The Net Community: Unleashing the Filipinos Intellectual Potential
The Philippines has no shortage of morons. This is evident in the number people who
defy logic or facts without using any empirical evidence to support their stand. This is
also evident in the number of people who are supposedly free to choose their leader butcontinually choose instead someone based solely on his pedigree. However, if you
believe a claim by a so-called intellectual, there is no shortage of smart Filipinos in our
society either.
Last December 2010, I read a news item that reported that Pisay may surpass schools
abroad in advanced math. Pisay refers to Philippine Science High School (PSHS) and
the article claimed that Students from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) come
at par and may even surpass students from other countries when it comes to
algebra, geometry and calculus.
The article from ABS-CBN News further states the following:This is according to the 2008 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study-
Advanced (TIMSS-Advanced), which revealed that students from PSHS, more popularly
known as Pisay, seem to be able to compete internationally, surpassing students from
some countries.
Dr. Ester Ogena, who wrote a paper on the performance of Philippine science high
schools in the 2008 TIMSS-Advanced, said that overall PSHS students got 47% correct
in the TIMSS-Advanced examination, higher than the international average of 40%.
They got a score of 52% in algebra, 52% in geometry, and 43% in calculus, going beyond the international averages of 42%, 44% and 37%, respectively.
I dont doubt for a moment the result of the study that says Pisay students are good with
their numbers. After all, the result was based on scores that were taken from
examinations. I also dont doubt our abilities in surpassing students from other countries.
Frankly, the above article is hardly news at all if you ask me.
What I would like to know is, since most of the students who graduate from such
prestigious schools such as Pisay obviously use their analytical skills in the fields of
mathematics, why cant they use the same skills in dealing with their day-to-day
activities? I mean, I really dont understand what happens to students who did very wellat school. What happens after graduation? Where have all the smart people gone?
Did all the smart Filipinos join the corporate world and lose themselves in the system? Or
have they all left for abroad where what they have to offer is better appreciated? Or even
worse, are they still here in the country but are just dumbing themselves down just to fit-
in with the rest of the average anti-intellectual Filipinos? I do believe that even though
brain drain is part of the reason behind the reduced number of intellectuals in the
country, there are also many more Filipinos who are still in the country but are just trying
to fit in or trying to stay under the radar just to avoid being ostracized by the moronichorde.
It is not hard to imagine how smart Filipinos can feel alienated in our society. The sheer
number of morons can actually make intellectuals feel bullied into thinking that there is
something wrong with them . Smart people who can potentially solve the problems of our
society tend to shy away from voicing their opinions and simply blend in with the rest.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/12/15/10/pisay-may-surpass-schools-abroad-advanced-mathhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/has-noynoy-aquino-been-bullied-by.htmlhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/has-noynoy-aquino-been-bullied-by.htmlhttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/12/15/10/pisay-may-surpass-schools-abroad-advanced-mathhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/has-noynoy-aquino-been-bullied-by.htmlhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/has-noynoy-aquino-been-bullied-by.html -
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Sadly, they can actually use their training and expertise in dealing with some of the most
important life-changing decisions in their lives and the lives of millions of people if only
regular folks allow them.
The biggest problem with our society is that young people are taught what to think,
but not how to think.From a young age, we are told not to question authority, with an emphasis on giving
deference to our elders. Young kids are to be seen but not heard. This was evident in the
last election when some young adults who did not see the relevance of People Power
anymore were voicing their disgust at how some Filipinos are still beholden to the
Aquino family.
But these young Filipino adults were quickly silenced by threats from the family elders
even short of being banished from the family tree. Scared of being ostracized, young
Filipino adults have no choice but to follow what their elders say, never mind if what theelders say defies what they had learned at school. This is because smart people somehow
know that it is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument. Someone once said
that one moron can ask more questions than ten wise men can answer and that ignorant
people rely on insults instead of facts.
I personally think that young Filipino adults are the key to the Philippines future. Young
adults have fresh ideas and fresh perspectives. Adults should listen to them more often
because they can see what grown ups cannot see because of their relative lack of
prejudices or biases. Fresh out of school, young Filipino adults still know by heart the
theories and skills from their school lessons. Young adults can tell the Emperor that hehas no clothes on .
I also think that the older generations of Filipinos have lost their credibility when it
comes to running the country. They have had their turn and they just used their time to
run the country aground. The older generation of Filipinos who have lost credibility
includes grown up members of our own family who are not open minded (or those who
supported PNoy), old people in the community (who supported PNoy) and most
especially, old people still serving as public servants. If they have been in their posts for
the last 10 years but have not done anything significant, they need to go.As a writer, I have personally experienced being bullied so many times for writing about
the obvious dysfunction of our society. A lot of people mistakenly think that the reason
why I write articles critical of President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) is because I hate him.
Nothing can be further from the truth. I dont want PNoy to fail. I want him to change.
But I doubt very much if PNoy can change because I have been told that even though
beauty fades, dumb is forever.
Once PNoy starts recognizing the areas where he needs to improve, he can deliver on his
promise to uplift the lives of millions of Filipinos who still live in poverty despite his
ascension to power as the non-thief. Unfortunately, Filipinos who are still beholden tothe Aquino legacy are still of the belief that PNoy will eventually deliver on his promise.
PNoy is not even visibly concerned about what is going on in the flooded areas of Sulu
province at the moment. As usual, he is probably wishing the problems would just go
down the drain. One thing that PNoys supporters cant seem to get a grip of is that, faith
is a poor substitute for logic and reason.
http://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/creeping-disaster-in-philippines-not.htmlhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/creeping-disaster-in-philippines-not.htmlhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/creeping-disaster-in-philippines-not.htmlhttp://newssimple.blogspot.com/2011/02/creeping-disaster-in-philippines-not.html -
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During the election campaign, I used to get angry with Filipinos who shamelessly pander
to other peoples weakness; those who created all the magic behind PNoy. These days
Im angrier with the Filipinos who fall for their nonsense.
All the talk about morons lead me to one conclusion. The moronic horde won the election
because of their sheer numbers. It had nothing to do with them being right. All themathematical skills we acquired in school should have taught us that we can defeat
bullies when we increase the tribe of the smart people or the intellectuals. I now realize
that there is strength in numbers.
At the moment, there is something amazing happening in the relatively small community
of Filipinos who meet in cyberspace. These people are currently communicating and
venting their frustration over the Philippine government and the current administration
under PNoy. They band together because they are looking for an alternative answer to the
present system.What is remarkable is that, this small Filipino community on the Net can communicate
effectively using the English language. It doesnt matter if one is from Cebu or one is
from Davao, they can understand each other because they all know how to write English
properly. The most important ingredient for success is being able to communicate
effectively.
Alas, the solution to our countrys dysfunction might just be as simple as having an
effective communication tool. The beauty of communicating via the Net is that people
can be less conscious of the status symbols that can distract people from bringing their
message across when they deal with each other in person. The Net can actually unite uswhen we discard any of the inhibitions that gets in the way of our being one people.
I hope you can join the conversation with this growing community at the AP Crowd and
the GRP Network . Please bear in mind that smart people or intellectuals need to lead the
country. The morons havent got a clue about what they are doing. Smart people or
intellectuals need to take over. Good luck is the result of good planning.
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