“How dare you?” were the words Scandinavian environmentalist Greta Thurnberg asked before the world leaders when she spoke at the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 21, 2019. It is a famous expression we are fond of saying whenever people we know would give us a remark that will raise eyebrows.
At the start of the ECQ, a “famous influencer” got flak from netizens when she was madly shouting invectives at her 52” television as she saw throngs of people at the checkpoint. As this was the start of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, this privileged influencer didn’t know that these people were out there to make a living, and she made a hasty conclusion that they intentionally disobeyed the directives of the government.
Another “influencer” who is getting famous for the wrong reasons made a nasty remark, this time against tricycle drivers. Having 300K youtube subscribers made this local influencer think he could say whatever he wanted, whatever he could imagine. I guess he would like to “influence” his followers to look lowly on tricycle drivers as he claimed that these people would never attain anything in life because they do not have a college degree.
I guess he failed to do his research as he made a wanton statement against these hardworking frontliners. They are the ones that provide mobility to the common Juan since it took ages for the government to decide whether jeepneys can ply the streets of Metro Manila. I appreciate their presence in this pandemic, giving me quick access to public markets and shops instead of walking for 30 minutes during the ECQ.
The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 23 clearly says:
“1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination has the right to equal pay for equal work.”
There you have it! Crafted and signed by world leaders, and as the name implies, it is the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Anyone has the choice of one’s employment and should be free from discrimination. What part of that article is difficult to understand for Mr. Influencer? It is just sad that as an “influencer” who has the power to communicate ethical values to one’s followers would make sarcastic and discriminatory remarks toward people who are just trying to make a decent living.
The typical tricycle drivers, given months of no operations, are now trying to survive. They even used their dwindling cash to ensure their vehicles are compliant to the DOTr directives. Best, we appreciate them for their efforts to transport the common Juan from point A to B.
There’s another “stuck up, privileged, feeling famous influencer” making horrible remarks to people helping millions of Filipinos to get to their work because, just like these tricycle drivers, these workers need to put food on the table. As this influencer perhaps is not yet old enough to have this burden, I guess it’s high time to check on his values and how this best reflects one’s personality. I wonder how he will end up in the future? I wonder how he would feel if big companies call influencers “fake endorsers” or more prominent name influencers insulted him too? I guess he will just say these words: “How dare you?”
Alvin Neil A. Gutierrez is a DBA candidate at De La Salle University. He earned his Master in Human Resource Management degree as an AUSAID scholar from The University of Sydney Business School. He is also an Assistant Professor of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business, where he teaches Strategic Human Resource Management and Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance.
E-mail: alvin.gutierrez@dlsu.edu.ph
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.