in a world of their own...

It was said that the Roman Emperor Nero played a fiddle as Rome burned to the ground,
totally oblivious to the destruction of the Roman capital.
Today, we seem to be following in his footsteps.
Most Filipinos are apathetic towards issues of national concern.
Most Filipinos would rather sit in front of the television and watch the endless lineup of mindless variety shows and uber-cliched telenovelas, totally immersed in the fantasy world created by the media.
So as the economy weakens,
as the military starts to take over,
as the government sells us out to foreign investors,
as the Philippines starts to lose what remains of its sovereignty,
our countrymen would be staring at their TV sets, watching gays discussing the latest showbiz gossip.

The media can be a very powerful force in our society.
Most of what we know about the world around us comes from the media.
It is a powerful means of socialization, as its influence pervades every nook and cranny of our lives.
Television, radio, movies, etc.; all have a huge influence on how we look at our environment and the people around us.
However, "with great power comes great responsibility".
Is the Philippine media responsible?

The latest sex scandal would take up more airtime than international news.
The noontime variety shows would feature scantily clad women gyrating to music loaded with double-meanings.
The airwaves are flooded with songs rife with idiotic and non-sensical lyrics.
Sensationalism is rampant in local news programs.
Showbiz gossip is passed off as national news.
Need I say more?

Our media cares more about ratings than what they are teaching to our people.
What is sensational is more newsworthy than what is relevant.
Mindless entertainment is more important than education.
Fantasy is more important than reality.
The media would rather romanticize than reveal the entire truth, playing into the hands of a corrupt government.
No wonder that we're the 6th happiest people in the world; we are shielded from the real mess that our country is in.

And so, like Emperor Nero, we just keep on playing our fiddles, drowning out the cries of our fellow countrymen who are burning in the fires of our country's poverty and corruption.
We would be living in a world of our own, cut off from reality, until the fire finally reaches us and burns us out from our dream world.
But by then, it would be too late.

So let us act now!
Wake up from this artificial dream world!
Face reality and do something to change it!