Blinded by Privilege

To the Editor:

Following the guidelines of the Philippine government’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the movement of people was restricted, classes were suspended, and some employees had to work from home. Some people, however, fail to recognize the harsh reality that exists outside their Netflix app.

There are people on the streets who are struggling to keep up during this economic decline. Those who are safe at home don’t have to worry about health care because they have money to fall back on. When users on social media express their irritation towards street vendors who leave their homes, they do not see that these vendors have no choice but to defy the rules of lockdown and sell goods on the streets in order to make ends meet.

There are times that people can be ignorant towards reality because it does not affect them. I implore those who are sitting or lying comfortably in their houses to consider this: having privilege should not be an excuse to ignore the status quo.

Many citizens are fortunate enough to have access to reputable news outlets on the internet, so there is no excuse to be silent during this time.

If ignorance is a misunderstanding of reality, then the best cure for it is to acknowledge what is unfolding right in front of you.