A WHOLE NEW WORLD

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. Gray clouds were enclosing the skies. It wasn’t raining, no. There wasn’t any indication of rain, but it was dark and gloomy outside. The trees were hurling, the leaves were falling. The winds were blowing too fast and too cold. We were already nearing the month of February, the cool season’s almost ending. It was the perfect day to relax, sit back, and just watch Netflix all day. Thus, you jumped over the bed, pulled the covers up to your feet, picked up the remote, switched on the TV and there you entered a whole new world.

You find yourself in the 80s in a new dimension fighting faceless monsters. You became a member of a dysfunctional family that has distinctive powers and has a number for a name. You became a high school detective after a girl lost her twin. You became the Mother of Dragons and called you the Khaleesi. You were unstoppable. You were extraordinary. You were what you ought yourself to be.

But something is wrong. Something is not right, and that something has always kept you from finishing these shows. It was that one question that has always bothered you, always bringing out existential questions.

Who are you amongst all of them?

You’re not fair-skinned. You’re not very optimistic. You have no sense of direction. You are just who you are—bland, average and ordinary. Your sexual orientation even varies from person to person. Therefore, who are you amongst them? How can you start making your mark on this world like these characters did when none of them even represent you? You are caught in a stereotypical universe wherein only those who qualify are accepted. You’re not the actor. You don’t have that hourglass shape and that glossy hair. You’re far from the character. You don’t have the same courage as them. You are just the reader, the audience, and the mere spectator of man’s eccentric imagination.

You have no right to dictate what the author should or should not write. You don’t have the license to tell the director that your culture is being wrongfully displayed. You have no freedom to demand such things because you are just the watcher, right? WRONG!

You are the reason why such masterpieces were created in the first place. So to achieve the artists’ utmost intention, they should relate to you. However, even so, you are also the one who dearth representation. Because unlike what the books, the screens, and the stage teach you—YOU ARE DIFFERENT.

Everyone is different, and you’re already aware of that. There’s no need to shove it in front of your face. What you need is someone who will represent you. Someone who could let a black child dream, a transgender feel loved, and an outcast belonged. But most importantly, the world needs to do something that could stop people from looking for someone who they could look up to on-screen and end up being disappointed. For, that’s the time when everybody is already contented because they know that they’ve already accepted. They no longer have to search, for they can now see it right in front of them.

We are born different, we live differently, and we die differently. Nevertheless, our distinction from one another does not make us any less of a human. Therefore we should start on letting everybody acknowledge this one truth.

So, SPEAK UP!

If you know that an injustice is occurring speak up! If you know that there is an attack addressed to a minority, speak up! It’s already way past time to have courage, but it’s never too late to do so. The clock is still ticking, and each second—each millisecond—counts! As we lie in bed, a child is asking why his skin color lies on the other end of the spectrum, a teenager confused if whether or not he should obey the teachings of his religion while questions about his sexuality arise, and there are also people who are afraid to protest because they are afraid of their opinions being invalidated. They are being deprived of their freedom to liberally express themselves.

So again, speak up, take the lead, and make it your priority!