I personally think that the news people should have given the matter a more significant tone. It IS significant because the dead guy was an Atenean. He somehow represents us because he belongs to the same institution which molds us right now.
It was said that he was a great student. He's a good person. I think it was not very fair that his memory was treated like some scandal that needs to be covered up so badly. It shows how most (I'm not saying all)journalists today tend to write things that they think are acceptable in the eyes of those in power. It's just like what was taught to us in Fil14. Those who are not in power usually write in favor of those in power because they have an "utang na loob" mentality.
Though it is understandable that those in the administration would want to protect the image and reputation of the institution, the news could have at least given the dead a voice that people would actually pay attention to. The story was much too restrained. Talk about double-dead.
News censorship? LOL. Ateneo admin is really good in making "pa-gwapo" or preserving its good image to the public. But what happens to the opinions of people on this matter? Suppression. Sure, Ateneo should preserve a good image to the public, but by using its ties with giants to suppress this "incident," I personally think it's uh-uh. But then, what happens to the voice of the masses? In the colloquial terminology: Wala lang.
As I said in class, the news article was crappy. The ending was absolutely unsympathetic to the deceased. They make it appear that: He was a Philosophy scholar. He died because he was philosophizing.
I think the suicidal event is not an incident. It is a serious matter that needs to be discussed. See how the Guidon represented the act of suicide - it is simply an incident. Why? I think they used this term just because they wanted to lighten something that is serious. Hello? Suicide is a serious MATTER, not an incident. They make it sound like just an accident.
Hilarious? NOT. Yes they make sense, but in the greater scheme of things what's more important is how they accept reality. There is something wrong! Action needs to be done. Suppression or pagpapagwapo is not the answer to all these.
Give respect to the family? Well. The family would have been given proper respect if the news article was not meddled on by the admin. Where are his friends? What can they say about the deceased? How about his family? What can they say about the deceased? What are their fond memories of him?
(Wow, all the things I wanted to say were already discussed by Chyna and EJ! Hahaha)
Like what they said, I also think that the administration treated this situation badly. It was as if what happened was a scandal that they had to censor it that way. It was a case that needed a more intent discussion. Only the light aspects of the issue such as the when, where, how and what the admin says about it were tackled; and not the why and what the students think about it. Also, the article had an unfeeling tone that it even included unnecessary parts like him being very considerate for not having the intention to burn down the department. The article was probably trying to protect the institution’s good image, but I think what the students (people who have really strong opinions about the issue) think about this should have been published as well.
Last Tuesday, EJ and I noticed that an issue of The Guidon we found (I’m not sure if this is the same issue with Tan’s suicide) featured The Dollhouse appointing a new queen mother. This was located in the front page of the paper, unlike the suicide story which was inside. It also had a picture that was twice the size of Lorenz Tan’s. What does this show about journalism in our school? Isn’t the front page of the newspaper the place where important issues are located? Do they prioritize minor stories as that over serious stories like a student’s suicide?
i agree with sir when he said in class that Mr. Tan here was represented as an "other", like he didnt belong to our community.
for a while his death became the subject of rumors, and the article's purpose(intentional or not) was to stop these rumors. it didnt tackle the more significant dimensions of the story, like the WHY aspect of it.
it was like they released that article because they felt that they had to say something about it. and the reason for this, in my perspective, is to stop the rumors. (cause that's what i felt when i read the article--like i should give respect and stop asking. now.)
he's represented as if his death is something like a nuisance, that we should get over it fast. for all we know, we might be dealing with something other than one person's issue. maybe his issues reflect the community, too.
My opinion is no different from Chyna, Ej, Bea, and Kate’s.
The Admin and his family did not want to make such a big issue out of it, and so, they gave only minimal, shallow details about the issue. They chose not to give out details that are too risky to give out, like why did he do it, as it might affect the reputation of their school and of their own family. They just kept it to themselves.
But why do you think Tan committed suicide? Just because he’s bored? One does not just commit suicide without a grave reason, does it? The fact that he took his own life means that he has something to say. It was such a statement, really! His want to have his message conveyed was even more important for him than his life! And then he’ll just be “silenced” by both his family and the admin?
He must not be suppressed. If the Admin wants to dismiss this issue like it’s something that we shouldn’t worry about, then Tan’s suicide would prove futile. We have to give justice to his death. His voice must be heard.
I'll put my five cents in this post. I may also rely on what was said in the previous posts.
Let's make a dive to the consciousness of Ateneo Philosophy! Yay!
Number 1: Philosophy is the forefront of Ateneo education. And we know that crap. You wouldn't take 12 units of philo as a required subject in other universities. Maybe UST, but certainly Ateneo. Lorenz Tan was an ME major so to speak. And it wasn't clear why Lorenz got into the PhiloDept. But enough of that. I know one probable theory for the seeming cover-up of this big, big issue.
We have an admin that cares so much about image and projection that at certain times they forget what is truly pressing and totally necessary.
When I say that philosophy is the forefront of Ateneo education, it is the one true thing that is supposed to make you truly Atenean. Yeah, some philo is good. But it nips at my consciousness at how the Dept defended itself by making Lorenz look like the hero of philosophy (like dying for the sake of the faith). I can't stomach the fact that they had the nerve to say "Masaya siyang namimilosopiya" when he is allegedly suffering from clinical depression. How could they MA and PhD Philosophy graduates say that philosophy and the self are different things? Whatever happened to thinking about the Other?
I thought that philo is supposed to be an Other-centered thinking. Then why didn't they relate to Lorenz's suffering if it was that bad. Sure, Lorenz could have been hiding it for so long; but at least they could have done something to help. I'm not blaming them for the incident; it's just that being at the middle of it all, you should be first to nurture that loving environment so that no one will snap eventually.
So we've gotta love that PhiloDept because it will quickly cover up things in times of great need. Yahoo.
Number 2: It's Just about Image Enough said. Dr. Cuyegkeng has laid the final blow. But didn't you know that Sasha (the writer) and the News Ed were worried on how to report this? They recognize how difficult this case is since they are confounded by the ADAA and VPLS' 'friendly advice' not to make it a spectacle. Sure, we can follow what they say; but when needs really speak otherwise, it has to be done. Responsible journalism is about speaking the facts straight as it happens, hot off the newswire, and not as someone likes it. I can't stress it any further that the best way we could have given tribute to Lorenz is to share his story and report it the way the hands of time tells it to happen. What they need is a phenomenology of truth that we may learn from what Lorenz felt at that time. That, I think, is the greatest respect we could have given him and not like treating his death as "Oh no, engine trouble! Eject, eject, eject!" or more like a cover-up incident.
But this is just my take. I know that many things can still be generated from within. Basta for now, the concept of the Other just go more maligned - an irony for a department that teaches how to mind for the Other.
7 comments:
I personally think that the news people should have given the matter a more significant tone. It IS significant because the dead guy was an Atenean. He somehow represents us because he belongs to the same institution which molds us right now.
It was said that he was a great student. He's a good person. I think it was not very fair that his memory was treated like some scandal that needs to be covered up so badly. It shows how most (I'm not saying all)journalists today tend to write things that they think are acceptable in the eyes of those in power. It's just like what was taught to us in Fil14. Those who are not in power usually write in favor of those in power because they have an "utang na loob" mentality.
Though it is understandable that those in the administration would want to protect the image and reputation of the institution, the news could have at least given the dead a voice that people would actually pay attention to. The story was much too restrained. Talk about double-dead.
News censorship? LOL. Ateneo admin is really good in making "pa-gwapo" or preserving its good image to the public. But what happens to the opinions of people on this matter? Suppression. Sure, Ateneo should preserve a good image to the public, but by using its ties with giants to suppress this "incident," I personally think it's uh-uh. But then, what happens to the voice of the masses? In the colloquial terminology: Wala lang.
As I said in class, the news article was crappy. The ending was absolutely unsympathetic to the deceased. They make it appear that: He was a Philosophy scholar. He died because he was philosophizing.
I think the suicidal event is not an incident. It is a serious matter that needs to be discussed. See how the Guidon represented the act of suicide - it is simply an incident. Why? I think they used this term just because they wanted to lighten something that is serious. Hello? Suicide is a serious MATTER, not an incident. They make it sound like just an accident.
Hilarious? NOT. Yes they make sense, but in the greater scheme of things what's more important is how they accept reality. There is something wrong! Action needs to be done. Suppression or pagpapagwapo is not the answer to all these.
Give respect to the family? Well. The family would have been given proper respect if the news article was not meddled on by the admin. Where are his friends? What can they say about the deceased? How about his family? What can they say about the deceased? What are their fond memories of him?
Sorry. It's the admin who represents this catastrophic event an incident; not the newspaper. The admin just held the publication's neck, maybe.
See how they represent the other!
(Wow, all the things I wanted to say were already discussed by Chyna and EJ! Hahaha)
Like what they said, I also think that the administration treated this situation badly. It was as if what happened was a scandal that they had to censor it that way. It was a case that needed a more intent discussion. Only the light aspects of the issue such as the when, where, how and what the admin says about it were tackled; and not the why and what the students think about it. Also, the article had an unfeeling tone that it even included unnecessary parts like him being very considerate for not having the intention to burn down the department. The article was probably trying to protect the institution’s good image, but I think what the students (people who have really strong opinions about the issue) think about this should have been published as well.
Last Tuesday, EJ and I noticed that an issue of The Guidon we found (I’m not sure if this is the same issue with Tan’s suicide) featured The Dollhouse appointing a new queen mother. This was located in the front page of the paper, unlike the suicide story which was inside. It also had a picture that was twice the size of Lorenz Tan’s. What does this show about journalism in our school? Isn’t the front page of the newspaper the place where important issues are located? Do they prioritize minor stories as that over serious stories like a student’s suicide?
i agree with sir when he said in class that Mr. Tan here was represented as an "other", like he didnt belong to our community.
for a while his death became the subject of rumors, and the article's purpose(intentional or not) was to stop these rumors. it didnt tackle the more significant dimensions of the story, like the WHY aspect of it.
it was like they released that article because they felt that they had to say something about it. and the reason for this, in my perspective, is to stop the rumors. (cause that's what i felt when i read the article--like i should give respect and stop asking. now.)
he's represented as if his death is something like a nuisance, that we should get over it fast. for all we know, we might be dealing with something other than one person's issue. maybe his issues reflect the community, too.
My opinion is no different from Chyna, Ej, Bea, and Kate’s.
The Admin and his family did not want to make such a big issue out of it, and so, they gave only minimal, shallow details about the issue. They chose not to give out details that are too risky to give out, like why did he do it, as it might affect the reputation of their school and of their own family. They just kept it to themselves.
But why do you think Tan committed suicide? Just because he’s bored? One does not just commit suicide without a grave reason, does it? The fact that he took his own life means that he has something to say. It was such a statement, really! His want to have his message conveyed was even more important for him than his life! And then he’ll just be “silenced” by both his family and the admin?
He must not be suppressed. If the Admin wants to dismiss this issue like it’s something that we shouldn’t worry about, then Tan’s suicide would prove futile. We have to give justice to his death. His voice must be heard.
I'll put my five cents in this post. I may also rely on what was said in the previous posts.
Let's make a dive to the consciousness of Ateneo Philosophy! Yay!
Number 1: Philosophy is the forefront of Ateneo education. And we know that crap. You wouldn't take 12 units of philo as a required subject in other universities. Maybe UST, but certainly Ateneo. Lorenz Tan was an ME major so to speak. And it wasn't clear why Lorenz got into the PhiloDept. But enough of that. I know one probable theory for the seeming cover-up of this big, big issue.
We have an admin that cares so much about image and projection that at certain times they forget what is truly pressing and totally necessary.
When I say that philosophy is the forefront of Ateneo education, it is the one true thing that is supposed to make you truly Atenean. Yeah, some philo is good. But it nips at my consciousness at how the Dept defended itself by making Lorenz look like the hero of philosophy (like dying for the sake of the faith). I can't stomach the fact that they had the nerve to say "Masaya siyang namimilosopiya" when he is allegedly suffering from clinical depression. How could they MA and PhD Philosophy graduates say that philosophy and the self are different things? Whatever happened to thinking about the Other?
I thought that philo is supposed to be an Other-centered thinking. Then why didn't they relate to Lorenz's suffering if it was that bad. Sure, Lorenz could have been hiding it for so long; but at least they could have done something to help. I'm not blaming them for the incident; it's just that being at the middle of it all, you should be first to nurture that loving environment so that no one will snap eventually.
So we've gotta love that PhiloDept because it will quickly cover up things in times of great need. Yahoo.
Number 2: It's Just about Image Enough said. Dr. Cuyegkeng has laid the final blow. But didn't you know that Sasha (the writer) and the News Ed were worried on how to report this? They recognize how difficult this case is since they are confounded by the ADAA and VPLS' 'friendly advice' not to make it a spectacle. Sure, we can follow what they say; but when needs really speak otherwise, it has to be done. Responsible journalism is about speaking the facts straight as it happens, hot off the newswire, and not as someone likes it. I can't stress it any further that the best way we could have given tribute to Lorenz is to share his story and report it the way the hands of time tells it to happen. What they need is a phenomenology of truth that we may learn from what Lorenz felt at that time. That, I think, is the greatest respect we could have given him and not like treating his death as "Oh no, engine trouble! Eject, eject, eject!" or more like a cover-up incident.
But this is just my take. I know that many things can still be generated from within. Basta for now, the concept of the Other just go more maligned - an irony for a department that teaches how to mind for the Other.
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