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Technology has indeed made the world a lot more smaller and compact.
It is with this shrinking of things that the transfer of information or news is easily accomplished in speeds that can make your grandparents woozy! However, with great innovation comes the need to practice the proper balance of information sharing as well as expressing ones personal opinion. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites that enable individuals or groups to share their personal feelings or comment on others have given rise to a more horrible way of speaking their minds.
A few days ago, we experienced a shocking event that could well be one of the most fierce natural disasters that has befallen our region. People who use social media to spread false news basing it on other unreliable sources should know better what chaos it would result in, from a simple post that a tsunami was imminent to people saying that waters have already reached to most parts of Cebu city cause massive panic and endangered more lives than the actual earthquake and aftermath itself. People from downtown reached as far as Fuente Osmena Circle even to Capitol in record speeds even Nigerian runners could not fathom! It also gave rise to looting, pick pocketing, etc... a good number of people lost their wallets / purses, & celphones.
But what added insult to injury was the complete and utter tasteless comment a few individuals had made to the ordeal the Visayas region endured. Comments that question "why" not every single Cebuano / Bisaya was wiped out by the quake to satisfy a possible mental illness (racist) simply because those individuals considered us (Bisaya) "baduy" or "not in style" / "old fashioned". I know this is a very touchy subject to talk about, I would have to admit I myself went online and made it a personal mission to let this culprit be known to the world. I am no psychology graduate but it does seem that this person exhibits the traits of someone who either was molested, tortured, dropped on the head as a child or shows signs of immense crab like mentality. We (Cebuanos) never took advantage of other people when they were down, we are not a hateful bunch of SOB's but rather we always go out of our way to offer a helping hand to those in need in times of calamities. I don't have to mention the number of times or names of the calamities that ravaged other parts of the country because we do not brag about it, we do something about it!
A persons mind is definitely a mystery, especially a sick-minded one... now the glory hog is basking in the sudden limelight of attention given, we frankly can't just ignored it or let it pass since we cannot let a tactless (inhumane) remark go unpunished. If a lynch mob would be created to hunt that person/s down and burning them at a stake would be allowed then I'd join them! Again, I am not inciting hate but it does help to let it all out instead of keeping it inside to let it all pass. Social media is a double-edged sword that can be used for good and for bad, if ones personal opinion is hurtful rather than being "frank" then it should be kept to oneself. Freedom of speech does not mean one can freely express what they want per say, limits to such freedom should be exercised consciously which is a gauge of ones civility and culture.
As the saying goes, "Do not do unto others, what you don't want others to do unto you".
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