"What’s important is that the mouth be connected to the brain, and the brain be in good working order that it chooses words that uplift and inspire, rather than demean and belittle."
"What’s important is that the mouth be connected to the brain, and the brain be in good working order that it chooses words that uplift and inspire, rather than demean and belittle."Having once instructed the military to shoot women rebels in the vagina, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte now tells them this: “Lalaki tayo. Pagkatapos ng operation, kailangan natin ng babae.”
The President said this when he visited soldiers of the 10thInfantry Division at Camp General Manuel T. Yan Sr. in Barangay Tuboran, Mawab, Compostela Valley Province last Dec. 22. Both men and women members of the audience laughed at Duterte’s remark.
In his informal talk, the President discussed military operations against the rebel left, saying that soldiers should not let themselves be captured by the enemy and they should “eat their gun” instead. “Let them realize na di tayo duwag, lalaki tayo,” he said, segueing from there into his remark.
It’s most likely he said this for a laugh, which he did get from the soldiers he addressed. Humor is an effective public speaking device to get the audience’s attention.
But this is not funny. From “kailangan ng babae” we infer that women are to be used after military operations for sexual gratification, as “parausan,” a term that exists in the language precisely because of occurrences in history that necessitated such a word to describe them.
Duterte’s humor is the toilet kind. If what he says offends his audience or the public in general, he or his spokesman passes it off as a joke. But we shouldn’t get used to it, because to do so is to reinforce the systemic misogyny and toxic masculinity in our culture.
Words have power. This belief is held in many cultures, and it is expressed this way by the writer of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” [John 1:1].” Here the ‘Word’ is identified as the same as the Greek ‘Logos’, a philosophical and religious term meaning ‘word, speech, account, reason, discourse’.
In John, the Word has such tremendous power that it is divine, existing from the beginning, resident in God, and physically manifested as Jesus Christ. God spoke the whole of material existence into being when He said, “Let there be light.” Prayers, spells, and invocations harness this creative power of words, trusting they will go, as a Jewish saying goes, “from your mouth to God’s ear.”
So when the president of the country and the commander of the armed forces mocks women’s condition in society by making coarse sexual innuendoes, it is inevitable that there are those who will come to believe, or have their current beliefs strengthened, in the inferiority status of woman in society and of male privilege over women’s bodies.
This is not to say that the wives or girlfriends of soldiers should not offer intimate comfort; it is their choice. The point here is that the President’s words reduced all women in general to objects, to required equipment after a battle—“Kailangan natin ng babae.” It is a statement that reeks of contempt. It could also be misconstrued as a license to rape.
It is also disturbing that Duterte advocates suicide for soldiers caught by the enemy. Falling on your sword is a stupid, outdated, macho concept. Life is precious and the reasons why men fight wars are often petty and meaningless, and to remain alive is no dishonor nor an act of cowardice. Rather, it shows respect for the profession, faith, and country. And a soldier’s family only wants him back home alive under any circumstances. There are no points for being dead.
The President, whether he likes it or not, is a role model and example to young people and those whom he leads. It would lead to less discord and a little more harmony in the country if he would watch his words and weigh them carefully before he speaks. He would have more supporters and less detractors in that regard at least.
I hope the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines understands what’s going on here and ensures that this verbally expressed misogyny and machismo does not reinforce similar attitudes in the military. Instead, they should take this as an example of “what not to do” and enjoin their soldiers to exhibit respect and compassion for everyone.
It is as easy to say positive words as negative words – you just open your mouth and make the sounds come out. What’s important is that the mouth be connected to the brain, and the brain be in good working order that it chooses words that uplift and inspire, rather than demean and belittle.
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Dr. Ortuoste invites you to join her in dismantling the patriarchy, one jerk at a time. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO
