Editorial

The Marcos: An Unexpected Comeback

Since the 2022 elections are coming up, we see that Bongbong or Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is running for presidency, which reminds one of the regime of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, labeled as the Martial Law era. This candidacy causes a division between the people with the revival of an infamous memory. However, was Marcos’ reign truly a period of great suffering as to how history books at school say?

The first years of his reign were prosperous. These years were marked as the country’s Golden Age of the economy by the people who lived through his time. The Philippines was well stable enough to even have the ratio of one peso to one dollar exchange rate, as mentioned by The Quintessence. But with the placement of Martial Law in 1972 due to the increasing civil strife and the threat of a communist takeover, the Philippines was then labeled as the Sick Man of Asia in 1982 with the economy vastly dropping. This arose dissatisfaction with the people, leading to his exile on February 24, 1986. Was this a triumph or a loss? I wonder as the succeeding Philippine governments are a huge disappointment.

A journal by Sicat who researched the economic legacy of Marcos even dubbed the faults to be placed on the post-Marcos transition, who could not seize his economic accomplishments. With their prejudice and denial of Marcos’ achievements, the successor government failed to create the right decisions which led to the current Philippines’ crippling state. Corazon Aquino, the succeeding president, who either lacked experience or understanding, missed turning opportunities into chances. Rather benefitting herself and her cabinet, making them no different than the corrupt Marcos.

Marcos created a country under strict hold, wherein stocks rose but voices were muffled. Akin to a strong-willed father to his daughter, he was exactly that to the Philippines.

Now with the unexpected candidacy of Ferdinand Marcos’ son, which creates conflict among opinions between the citizens. Will he be the same dictator as his father, or will he be a wise man that can bring back Philippines’ former prosperity? Despite having the same surname, they are two different people. The Marcos reign was one cruel road, but it was not as bad as how it was written out. Remember, the winners get to write the story.

Hyper masculinity: The Perfect Man

Women are dispensable. Women are objects. Women are inferior.

These statements are the notion of hyper-masculinity, and a summary of its complex phenomena wherein male individuals are subjected to the guise of superiority.

According to Britannica, hyper-masculinity is a sociological term for the exaggerated characteristics of the male species. Examples of this would be violence as male behavior, including violence towards women and feminine qualities.

In a sociological scope, this is “toxic” for it concerns the wellbeing of the opposite sex and the development of profound men.

The toxicity is well visible in our present society, where 1 in 3 of women around the world has dealt with physical or sexual altercation from a male partner or non-partner. These instances of viciousness leave deep scars in female victims, just like the 77% of sexual assault victims in the Liberia War, where to this day still experiences high statistics in sexual violence towards teenage girls.

Not only is this visible in our communities, but also our education. To cite an example, former Australian student Chanel Contos received numerous responses as she posted an online petition on sexual consent in a Victorian educational setting. Testimonies of unwilling sexual interactions were disclosed and connected to students from male-exclusive campuses. It is important to note that Australia has comparably higher numbers of single-sex schools to the United States or Britain. In these male-dominant spaces, Australian professor Amanda Keddie raises concern on the learning materials for the male students for it tailors to their gender and reinforces their exaggerated characteristics.

Lastly, internalized issues also prevail in the eyes of hyper-masculinity, as men face a trauma from other fellow men. In correlation, American Psychological Association (APA) released a guideline for psychologists consulting male concerns. It was revealed that men induce violence and receive it. This data was connected to their belief in traditional masculinity alongside familial, peer, and media influence.

While this issue is prevalent, it is without a doubt that solutions arose from it. As mentioned earlier, the APA guideline and the petition are just one of the few silver linings attained as male and female lives were endangered.

Through these methods of navigating hyper-masculinity, our job is to sustain and improve opposite-sex relations and men’s relationships with their masculinity.

As we continue to live in this world, we can only hope to live comfortably alongside male individuals and erode the lines of gender altogether. The erased limitation of masculinity can propagate a man who is emotional, logical, and equal to women.