Manny and ‘the insult’
First, a word. I have a number of gay friends and relatives. They are all good people. But there are gays whom I detest. I do not know them personally, but I know that I can’t stand their presence.
One of them is a TV personality, a no-talent “celebrity.” More on this person later.
Last week, Manny Pacquiao caused a firestorm when he described gays as “masahol pa sa hayop,” or worse than animals. Local and global media picked up his words and blew them out of proportion.
I can only guess what sort of hate messages he has been getting in his email, cellphone and in person.
What few people realize is that Manny Pacquiao was only giving his opinion during an interview. He did not offer his terrible words to the public. He was simply asked a question, which he answered to the best of his ability.
The answer may be politically incorrect, but it was spoken honestly. It is part of his core religious beliefs, and I’m pretty sure a good number of Republicans in the bible belt agree with him. Of course, few would use the same words, which are casually used by Filipinos to describe anyone whom they see as doing something obnoxious.
Does this make Manny Pacquiao homophobic?
Not necessarily. It is no secret that he is far from being brilliant. He probably has an IQ that hovers between normal and below average. That he is a masterful boxer is beyond question. He is, in fact, one of the all-time greats, with a record of eight titles in eight divisions that will never be broken.
People who know him say he is generous to a fault, and his being a Born Again Christian is for real.
But that’s all that he is.
He is a lousy congressman who will be an awful senator when he gets elected in the coming elections. He is also a mediocre basketball player whom I’m fairly sure I could have beaten one-on-one if we were the same age.
Soon after Pacman made the controversial statement, one of my gay friends who is also in media spoke up in his behalf. He said he understood where the boxer was coming from, and could not bring himself to hate the guy who has brought so much pride to the Filipino community.
It was a brave stand to take, and I salute the young man whom I used to work with in this paper.
But a good number of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community disagree with my friend, accusing Pacquiao of a hate crime. They all conveniently ignore that undeniable fact that the boxer was simply giving his personal opinion. What did the LGBT community want, for Pacman to be a hypocrite and reject his religious beliefs in the name of political correctness?
About the worst member of the Philippine LGBT community who has been extremely vocal in lambasting the Filipino sports icon is this ABS-CBN “talent” known as Vice Ganda.
In my book, Vice Ganda is the worst representative of the Filipino gay community and certainly an incompetent spokesperson where LGBT rights are concerned. In fact, this “entertainer” is a master (?) of bad taste.
I am not alone in wondering why the country’s largest broadcast network continues to foist this “comedian” to the public. He belongs more to a country fair or a sleazy comedy bar than in a TV show that can be seen by minors nationwide every day.
Incidentally, I have been to comedy clubs both in the US and in the Philippines. There is a world of difference between the two. The former has clubs for all types of humor, ranging from slapstick to sarcasm to deadpan to highbrow.
Locally, on the other hand, there is only one type. For reasons not clear, the gay community lords it over the handful of comedy clubs, at least in Metro Manila. The brand of humor practiced there is not funny at all. Mostly, the “comedians” on stage like to insult members of the audience. They may also sing and dance while donning outrageous costumes. This is where Vice Ganda and his ilk belong.
Thus far, there has been a lack of intelligent debate on Pacquiao’s “masahol pa sa hayop” comment. What’s clear is that he gave an opinion that some quarters vehemently and rightfully reject.
In my book, he is still a great boxer who has no business running for senator.