Forget resilience, Pinoys are just dystopian optimists

Global pandemics. Economic crises. World War III. Climate Change. A planet-wide domination by machines. These are popular movie themes which have since come to life. Although, to our horror all are happening at the same time: COVID-19, stag-flation, Putin, China, floods, and -- the cherry on top -- a mis/disinformation scourge. Think The Matrix movie but instead of sentient machines the world got screwed over by smartphones and 'fake news'.

MORDOR: Metro Manila as caught in the lens of netizen LouiedaGoddess Oviedo in 2012. Blanketed by smog and shadowed by rain clouds the warm light from street lamps penetrate through the early evening hours while top-floor penthouses sparsely light up the skyline. The imagery evocates the volcanic plains of Mordor from the novel, The Lord of The Rings.

Set in the Philippines where 79% of Filipinos identify as somewhat poor, a cocktail of apocalypses is not really the most appealing prospect. When top US official Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan over a week ago it exaggerated fears of World War III. A netizen quipped: "Mamaya na yang WWIII hindi pa nga ako nakakapag-bayad sa Meralco!" (World War III ought to happen another time, I haven't paid [my electric bills at] Meralco yet!) For Pinoys, a disconnection notice is way more fearsome than a nuclear strike.

A casual observation shows that we are simply jaded, but not too much to choose resignation. We epitomize this non-epiphany through our modern-day motivational cheer: "Laban lang!" (Just keep fighting!) Not to be misconstrued as a cry for revolution, the word "lang" (just) actually implies the aimlessness of it all. -- hopeful and hopeless at once. After all: "Papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part." (We're still on our way to the exciting part). So, if we're doomed anyway, we might as well enjoy the sights.

Dystopian optimism accounts how thoroughly fucked we are, without discounting actual fucking. It has nothing to do with resilience. That stuff is sold cheap by clout chasers, fake news influencers and Pinoy-baiters. A dystopian optimist simply maintains a sense of presumption of regularity in a precarious time while he/she embraces the imperativeness of truth without prejudice to those who are too hurt to let go of the lie. The goal is not to attain enlightenment or status but a grounded perspective if only to compliment our dystopic condition.

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Posted on Facebook and Reddit, 2022. 

#dystopia #ResiliencePH #dystopianoptimism