It may be a new year, but the Internet is still the same hell-hole it has been since the rise of social media. One can hardly blame netizens (this term needs to die already) because real life is as much, if not worse, a hell-hole compared to the virtual world.
On Sunday, January 3rd, news outlets reported the death of a 23-year old Philippine Airlines flight stewardess named Christine Dacera, who was found unconscious in hotel bathtub in Makati City on New Year’s Day. Dacera was with 11 other people, three of which were friends while the others were friends of those friends.
Initially, the Philippine National Police charged the 11 people who were with Dacera with rape with homicide cases. Only three have surfaced to answer the accusations.
The internet was then set ablaze with anger over this incident. I mean, who wouldn’t? It was another case of a meaningless death of a person who had just started her adult life — a life ended with violence. Cries for justice on social media, particularly Twitter, grew stronger, where many users tweeted and retweeted the names and faces of the 11 individuals who allegedly raped and killed Dacera. I, in a fit of rage, participated in that lynching as well.
Now that I’ve had time to think, I do regret sharing the names and faces of those individuals. I’ve also considered many points regarding the whole issue, and as with everything else, isn’t as simple as it seems once nuance was added into the mix,
Let’s get this out of the way immediately: my biggest concern was how easily Twitter became a mob that crucified the suspects. It is frightening to see how easy it is to turn a crowd against an individual or group based on a single tweet of a well known Twitter personality. I’ve seen this over and over whenever big issues arise — and for most of the time, I’m convinced it is useful in some ways. These individuals have rallied others to call against many obvious injustices done by the powers-that-be, and that is good.
But what of those instances when things aren’t as clear as night and day? These Twitter personalities are only human and could make errors in judgement. An incorrect move could lead to an innocent person getting hanged (metaphorically speaking, I hope) by the followers of these personalities.
I do not and will not dismiss the initial rage felt by people in this case. Christine Dacera’s alleged rape and eventual death, possibly at the hands of those 11 men, could easily trigger traumas in those who have suffered/experienced abuse in the past. The initial reaction of anger is 110% justifiable and in no way should be laughed upon and seen as “overreaction”.
Having said this, it is still essential to remain level-headed and facts-driven at all times. This is especially true for those of use who have the luxury and privilege of not having the burden of trauma wired in us. We love to say actions have consequences, and hoooo boy, presuming somebody’s guilt without thorough inspection is going to have consequences — particularly unpleasant ones to those involved should it be proven that they were innocent.
I regret sharing the names and faces of the suspects on social media all willy nilly. They might have done it, they might have not. We do not know yet. And yet they are already branded as rapists and killers. It is not my business to defend them. If they were truly guilty, then they should be tried and locked up for the rest of their lives. But until anything is proven, they are considered innocent in the eyes of the law.
As a Political Science major, we were taught that in essence, the tyranny of the many a.k.a. mob rule is in no way better than the tyranny of one (in the case of a dictatorship). Twitter has shown just how scary and dangerous a mob rule is because the mob decides its own truth without stopping to consider the facts.
We can’t, as a collective, just go branding people as so and so and then go “Ooops” when it turns out they aren’t what we think they are. Sometimes the aftermath is inconsequential. Sometimes the aftermath is not inconsequential. Remember that Amalayer Girl during the early days of social media?
She gets caught in one (1) viral video berating a train employee (which obviously shouldn’t be tolerated), and then the mob proceeded to call her names, and brand her as an evil person essentially. The viral girl went on to say the incident affected her life, when all the world saw was a short video clip, nothing more. We have no context of her real personality but of course nobody bothers to consider that.
We all want one thing for Christine Dacera, and that is justice. The only way to find justice is by seeking the truth — the factual truth — and not just the truth that we want to hear (and with the kind of justice system this damn country has, it’s not going to be easy but that is a whole different issue to discuss).
We like to give our thoughts and opinions on issues, and that is perfectly fine and in fact should be encouraged. However, we ought to try and ensure that our voice isn’t lost in the echo.
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Another concern I have regarding Christine Dacera’s death is the Filipino people’s penchant for laying the blame on the rape victims instead of, y’know, the actual individual who did the raping. Again, we are not sure if rape indeed happen — we need to wait for confirmation from the coroner’s office after an autopsy is performed.
Regardless, plenty of keyboard warriors have, of course, pointed out that Christine wouldn’t have been allegedly raped if she didn’t go to that party in the first place. No, going to parties don’t get you raped.
I’m so befuddled at why people still have this mindset when time and time again the news reports of rape cases happening in the most wholesome of places, to the most modestly dressed of individuals, at the least horniest of hours. Rape happens because rapists exist and if you still can’t get that wrapped around your head, then I am afraid you have a bad case of stupidity plaguing your body.
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Now, a number of the suspects were gay. Their preference would make it highly improbable to rape a girl. A member of the PNP purportedly said to the media that gay guys suddenly become straight when drunk and are therefore capable of raping a girl.
Two things: that’s not how it works chief, lol. I am 90% sure whoever made that quote has never hung around with gay dudes and this perception that he carries with him likely came from a homophobic relative. It is hilarious and problematic at the same time.
That the PNP could come up with statements like these in their heads and have the balls to say it in the media shows how lacking they are with their detective skills, and how arrogantly high their confidence level is.
If a high ranking member of the police force could come up with the same “conclusions” as the bum who likes to hang by sari-sari stores, why waste four years of your life studying Criminology.
Maybe it’s the cynic in me, but I am not too optimistic with this case. The general incompetence of the police when it comes to forensic work, plus their agenda of flipping narratives to favor the PNP as institution — I don’t think something dubious on their part is out of the question. I feel terrible for the family of Christine Dacera. Hearing her mom trying to coherently speak while crying during an interview is heartbreaking.
I truly hope justice will prevail, and that the truth — the factual truth — will come out. I just won’t hold my breath if I were you.
patrickkennan.com 