How does one define a trapo? Perhaps a better approach to define a trapo is by comparing a politician from a statesman. According American theologian and author James Clarke Freeman, “A politician thinks of the next elections, a statesman thinks of the next generation”. A trapo talks while a statesman walks it. A trapo is disposed to think about himself while a statesman is disposed to think of others. A trapo is an ideologue while a statesman is open-minded (Sanchez, 2009). A trapo is drunk with power while a statesman is sober from reality. Undeniably, trapos are a stigma for politicians and aspiring candidates, a threat to the liberty of the Filipino people and an epitome of incompetence of leaders in our society. 

“Trapo” is a fusion of the first syllables of words “traditional” and “politician”. In our language, trapo is known to be a synonym for “basahan”, a used cloth to wipe away dirt and dust, which is quite an appropriate analogy to politicians with evil motives and overused dirty tactics. Several claims and arguments on whoever and when this word was used have arisen as it has been used by many Filipinos in the present. There were claims that “trapo” was first coined by Antony Abaya in 1989 (Sanchez, 2009) in one of his columns for The Standard Today, defining what a traditional politician was. But a counterclaim debunked Abaya’s ownership on the word, arguing that Sorsoganons actually invented the word “trapo” (Reyes, 2009). Unfortunately, there are no concrete evidences to support these claims. But how can we distinguish traditional politicians from genuine politicians? Filipinos have come up with a certain criteria which they can distinguish a trapo from a good politician. If a candidate characterizes one or more of these criteria, then he or she is already to be considered as a traditional politician. 

 In the present time, Filipinos use the word trapo as a cry of lament on such politicians. The proliferation in the usage of this word among Filipinos is notable on social media platforms, most especially in news threads of the upcoming 2016 national elections. A politician or even an aspiring candidate is to be considered as trapo if he or she has records of corruption in the tenure of his or her political career, a part of a political dynasty, overspends during the campaign period and does not have any solid political ideology. Netizens vehemently criticize politicians who embody the characteristics of a traditional politician, even urging other Filipino voters not to include the names of these candidates in their ballots. They see them as “trapos” since they do not represent any characteristics of an ideal leader, a stigma of politicians and aspiring candidates. They are dog-tired of getting through the same problem in every administration, which has been reprising over the past few years. 

Undoubtedly, the presence of these trapos in the government is a threat to the liberty of the Filipino people for these politicians compromise the avenue towards progress and prosperity of the nation. Voters tend to make risky decisions in choosing who will lead the country, especially in the case where they can’t see anyone who has the capability to be the predecessor of the current administration. Some voters even jump in the bandwagon initiated by poll surveys since they are still undecided on who to choose (Osorio, 2015). Such decisions may compromise the future of the Filipino people for a trapo only has his self-serving interests on priority rather than the people’s interests. Instead of being able to see the future of the nation, their minds and hearts are clouded with their egoistic motives, an evidence of their ill-natured incompetence and self-centeredness. 

These politicians do not only compromise the future of the nation but also epitomize the incompetency of leaders in our society. They are incompetent in such a way that their actions are a dichotomy to what they stand for. Per se, he is that politician whose party’s dogma is to protect women and children but brings scantily clad women to perform in his birthday bash (Philstar, 2015). He is that politician who advocates to dismantle political dynasties in the country but his clan owns the most seats in the government. Indeed, their actions contradict to what their platforms are. 

Whatever happened to the word which was derived from an intricate root word, tradition, is saddening. Tradition is usually something good that is handed down from our precursors to offspring and this often becomes an integral part of our nation. Today we see this word with a negative meaning, referring to politicians who represent the stigma in our government. It became a title of derogation for the unwanted, hated and much-talked about the people of our society who engage in dirty politics.

Traditional politicians are indeed a stigma for aspiring candidates and a threat to the Filipino people’s liberty since they embody the negative aspect of Philippine politics. Unfortunately, these politicians still rule the country. Despite this, Filipinos are becoming more politically aware as they acknowledge the presence of these kinds of politicians in the government. If interest and getting involved in political issues and taking a personal stand is an implication of political maturity, then the Filipinos are in the process of political maturity. They are maturing in such a way that they now have higher sets of standards to evaluate whether an aspiring candidate deserves the people’s votes. We can say that “trapo” is the word of the year for it depicts the real status quo of Philippine politics. It captures the awakening of the Filipinos and their desire to topple down the crook-or-hook kind of governance in the Philippines. Unfortunately, this word also reflects the sad reality that our “system” and choices for leaders have not changed. This word emphasizes the people’s call for change, which could only be achieved by choosing the right person to lead the country.

References

Guillermo, A. (1997). Historical dictionary of the Philippines (Third Edition ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Osorio, B. (2015, August 10). Knowing the Filipino voters. 

Quimpo, N. (2007).Trapo parties and corruption. Retrieved October 13, 2015,   from http://cpcabrisbane.org/Kasama/2007/V21n1/TrapoPartiesAndCorruption.htm 

Reyes, B. (2011, June 27). Sorsoganons (not Tony Abaya) actually invented     the word "Trapo" to mean "traditional politicians”. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.mabuhayradio.com/history/sorsoganons-not-tony-abaya-actually-invented-the-word-trapo-to-mean-traditional-politicians 

Romero, A. (2015, October 3). LP to probe 'sexy dancers' incident in Laguna event. Retrieved November 1, 2015, from http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/10/03/1506547/lp-probe-sexy-dancers-incident-laguna-event

           As humans, it is inevitable to dig into our memories and drown in the nostalgia that they bring, especially with triggers that lurk around us every day. Living in the modern-day world makes it easier for us to drown in that nostalgia, as the modernization of technology brings the modernization of human thought.  It is likely whoever said that what is in the past remains in the past most likely did not count the existence of memories and its ability to cross the mind every second. With that, this generation has coined the word “throwback” to be the word that refers to bringing the past into the now.

           A throwback could be defined with its two combined words “throw” and “back”, as throwbacks mean throwing the present back into the past to see what has happened in an earlier time. Similarly, the dictionary defines it as a recurrence: activities, outlooks, or manners reversing—somehow like a comeback. Urban Dictionary, a website that provides crowdsourced definitions of words and phrases considered “urban” or slang, was the first to define the word for this era, noting that a ‘throwback’ is a sudden reminder of the past due to a trigger. With this, blogger Saxton Moore used the word on one of his text posts to refer to his old photo of Super Chicken, and from then on, this tech-savvy generation rode on the trend by using the word when a memory passes by their heads, as it is again, unstoppable.  Memories are formed when the brain sends the sensations felt to the hippocampus, which generates the brain to organize its brain cells into groups that processes the information taken in uniquely, changing the brain’s physical structure. From there, the perceived information will be filtered into long-term and short-term memory. Recalling memories, then, is called ‘throwback’ for its modern meaning in communicating their thoughts that look back on past events. You would consistently see texts, photos, or videos posted all around, captioned as “Throwback!”, seeing as they are from five or maybe even twenty years ago.

           How people use words today is widely different from ten years ago or so, especially with the evolving norm and trends that occur every day. A concrete example is how ‘throwback’ is this generation’s new ‘remembered’, ‘reminisced’, or ‘recalled’. Before, people would converse with people saying things like “I remember last year’s cheerleading competition, it was wilder than all the others!” but now, a typical statement would go like, “Throwback to last year’s cheerleading competition!”, and everyone would clearly understand what the speaker meant. Both sentences meant the same thing, saying that they thought of last year’s cheerleading competition, but both are different in the sense that “remember” sounds more formal in this time than “throwback”, since ‘throwback’ has a modern and unwritten meaning. It is then difficult for later generations to keep up with fresh slang and comprehend what they mean, leaving a generation gap between the old and the new. In comparison to today’s people, they can easily understand each other’s jargon easier than typical dictionary words. But then, it also gives a negative impact to the youth in terms of communicating formally or academically for they are not used to utilizing words that were not built by their societal groups. “Throwback” also created a lot of big social impacts in this generation, like how every Thursday of the week, people are enlivened to post their throwback memories around social media and commemorating them due to the trend of “Throwback Thursdays”. Scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, would feel like being hit by a blast from the past for it is filled with pensive memories like baby photos, activities played from ages ago, trends, or words, hashtagged with #ThrowbackThursday or #TBT. A set of unspoken rules have been set for posting media on Throwback Thursday, which includes posting only items from years ago and not months or days, and posting only commemorative throwbacks than senseless ones that nobody can relate to. Throwback Thursday is a big hit for the social media generation, for it ties the participants together with one goal which is to reminisce significant past events on a single day. Likewise, the effect of throwback for people now is that they get more interested in digging up their memories and sharing it to other people, rather than simply remembering thoughts and leaving it to themselves.

           Memories are a big part of the building blocks that makes humans who they are—it gives them a sense of self, and a good knowledge on knowing what their lives are all about. Throwbacks are important, for they help people strengthen their hold for memories. They would look back on the events that would make them grow as better people, giving them wistful feelings, or leaving them lessons to grow into better people. The throwback is a special way of doing the latter, and it gives this era a significance in a way that it is one that gives importance to the past—which is how it is supposed to be.

   References

ecstancy, a. (2005, December 18). Throwback.  Retrieved from Urban Dictionary:  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=throwback

Miller, G. (2010, May). How Our Brains Make Memories.  Retrieved from Smithsonian:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-our-brains-make-memories-14466850/?all&no-ist

Mohs, R. (n.d.). How Human Memory Works. Retrieved  from How Stuff Works Science: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory.htm

Moore, S. (2011, March 30). Throwback Thursdays 4-11.  Retrieved from Throwback Thursdays, Blogspot:  http://sacks10.blogspot.com/2011/03/throwback-thursdays-4-11.html

myreinder. (2012, January 26). Throwback Thursday.  Retrieved from Urban Dictionary:  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Throwback+Thursday

Love is not a word I view the true meaning of lightly. I might say “I love you” to my friends, but it’s different than how I view the meaning of the word. Yes, I love my friends. But, what is love? There’s so many aspects and kinds of it that it feels impossible to define. (more…)

Trust, it’s a small word with a big concept behind it. Over 50 years, 96 definitions of trust have been found. But, what is trust? The dictionary itself has 24 definitions for it that are used in contemporary times. The most common ones, seem to be these: (v): to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually followed by in or to). (n): reliance on the integrity, strength,…

Contrary to popular belief, Anime is none of the following: (1) it is not cartoon; (2) it is not only for children; and (3) it is not a genre. Most people would think that anime is either one of these three, but in reality neither of them are true.

Cartoons and Anime are two different matters. Cartoons pertain to animated shows that depict a simpler style and targeted at a younger audience. Anime on the other hand depicts a distinct style of drawing, storylines that based from on novels and games that and is directed at a mature audience; and showcase explicit content. Cartoons display comical short stories that are child friendly.

Several series’ that were released the past years show mature graphics, storylines as well as bloodshed. Series’ like Elfen Lied tells the story of a female alien in the form of a human being that was  being experimented and eventually escaped to live a normal life as a human. The story might seem innocent enough, but the first episode would really shock the viewer (assuming he or she is new to anime) as the alien is seen escaping the laboratory completely nude, bathed in a liquid substance that appeared to look like blood. Another example would be Shingeki no Kyojin, literally translated to Attack on Titan,  whose main storyline is slaughtering 100 meter naked humanoid with giant blades that slit through their necks which leads to blood splattering (up to the characters face). Others like Dokuro-chan, Kill La Kill, Strike the Blood, Code Geass, and others all depict similar concepts, violence and nudity. Adults would not want their children to watch such programs as they are too brutal to handle.

Contrary to what other say, anime is not a genre. The term Anime is short for animation. The term itself contains genres. The word anime’s literal translation in Japanese would be animeshon, it is written in katakana which is the alphabet system used in Japan used for borrowed English words. Genres pertain to gore, sci-fi, romance, tragedy, angst, etc. While anime pertains to the style of animation used that is characterized by outrageously eyes, un-proportional bodies and thin lips.

Anime is not a genre, it’s a style, a phenomenon which is spread out throughout the world, not only in Asia. It is full of misconceptions, the three points previously mentioned shows exactly what anime is not, it may be weird, but one would not appreciate  the true meaning until he or she sees the truth.

Term:  Anime

Contrary to popular belief, Anime is none of the following: (1) it is not cartoon; (2) it is not only for children; and (3) it is not a genre for TV shows.

Point #1/ Example #1:

Cartoons and Anime are two different matters. Cartoons pertain to animated shows that depict a simpler style and directed at a more younger audience. Anime on the other hand depicts complex styles and plot lines based from games or novels that are directed at a teenage audience and therefore showcase more mature content rather than cartoons that are for younger ones.

Point #2/ Example #2:

Several series released the past years depict very mature graphics as well as bloodshed. Series’ like Elfen Lied which tells the story of an alien in the form of a human being experimented and eventually escape to live a normal life. The plot may seem innocent, but the first episode would really surprise the viewer as the alien is shown to escaping the laboratory naked. Another series would be Shingeki no Kyojin, literally translated to Attack on Titan, whose storyline is killing 100 meter giants with blades that slice through their necks.

Point #3/ Example #3:

Anime is not a genre, contrary to what everybody says. Anime is short  for animation, anime itself contains genres. The literal translation would be animeshon, as it is written in katakana which is the alphabet system used in Japan for borrowed English words.

Conclusion:

Anime is a style, a phenomenon which is spread throughout the world. It is full of misconceptions, the three points/examples that were provided shows exactly what anime is not.

OUTLINE:

Topic: Tiger Parenting

Title: Unleashing the Potential

Introduction: There have been many controversies surrounding the issue of tiger parenting because if it’s strict, disciplinary ways. But in truth, tiger parenting, if put in its proper perspective, isn’t just about punishment for simply failing to meet expectations. Its goal, as an effective style of parenting is to inspire discipline, responsibility and can help the child overcome difficulties in life.

Topic sentence 1: Discipline is a much needed trait, especially with the erratic behaviour of our youth today.

Topic sentence 2: Through disciplinary action, responsibility for actions taken by the child can be inculcated.

Topic sentence 3: Since the child is pushed to a certain limit, it entails sacrifices to be made that makes these children overcome difficulties and achieve their goals.

Conclusion: Overall, tiger parenting is most effective in raising a child because it equips them with discipline and responsibility while also teaching them to overcome adversity to achieve their goals in life.

     FINAL DRAFT

  Tiger Parenting: Unleashing the Potential

     There have been many controversies surrounding the issue of tiger parenting because of its strict, disciplinary ways and restrictive nature. But in truth, tiger parenting, if out in its proper perspective, isn’t just about punishment for simply failing to meet expectations. Its goal, as an effective style of parenting, is to produce children who know the importance of discipline, responsibility and also equips the child with the ability to overcome difficulties in life. And so far, tiger parenting has produced children who succeeded in their life endeavours.

       First of all, discipline is a much-needed trait, especially with the erratic behaviour of our youth today and the constant abuse of freedom (we) they are privileged to have. If discipline is instilled in our youth, then they would learn to separate right from wrong. And through the power of this knowledge, these children would then be able to learn how to control themselves and display proper behaviour. Then, they have a better chance of succeeding in their chosen goals.

       Second, through disciplinary action, the child would learn to take responsibility for his or her actions. Learning to be responsible is an important trait to have and tiger parents know its significance. With goals set to be accomplished, these children would learn to prioritize their endeavours – therefore learning to appreciate the seriousness of being entrusted to fulfil something and to be accountable for your success or failure.

       Finally, with discipline and a sense of responsibility in stride, these children would have a better chance of overcoming adversity and certain difficulties. They are “pushed to the limit”, children of tiger parents can use this actualization to encourage their child to be a better learner of their chosen interests. These kids know what it’s like not to always have their way in a decision, so they understand what it’s like to do something they dislike and improve on it. Life is full of challenges to overcome. Hard work and sacrifices need to be made in order to get by – in order to survive. Tiger parents know the potentials of their children. In the end, these children are better suited to survive the trials and tribulations of life.

Have you ever created an illustration of your most favourite cartoon character when you were a child? How about keeping a diary as you grow older into your teenage years? Did you perhaps sing and dance along to your most beloved songs? Believe it or not, these aforementioned examples are more than just your average past time activities. These are the things that we refer to as art.

Art, as defined in the Merriam – Webster dictionary, is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination in the production of aesthetic objects. To quote a Japanese cartoon character Deidara from the ongoing series Naruto, “Art is an explosion”. It can also be a decorative element in a printed manner. A concept like such is complex, and therefore yields several interpretations. It may be perceived as a representation of beauty, an egress of emotions, and perhaps an expression of one’s individuality.

Art represents beauty. Through art, humans are able to give their varying renditions to the aforementioned idea. According to Herbert Read (n.d.) “All artists have this same intention, the desire to please; and art is most simply and most usually defined as an attempt to create pleasing forms” (pp. 17-48). We are able to utilize our respective imaginations to project something that would satiate our eyes’ hunger for picturesque images, thus creating masterpieces which reflect the already written concepts and definitions of what beauty looks like. An example of which is the best known painting called the “Mona Lisa” by the acclaimed Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It was believed to have been painted to portray the image of a woman Lisa Gherardini, an acquaintance of Leonardo.

Aside from illustrating exquisiteness, art can also be an egress of emotions. Philosophers Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood once advanced the idea that art expresses emotions, thus fundamentally existing in its creator’s mind (Wollheim, 1980, pp. 36-43). Art gives in products based on what an artist experiences. It creates a connection in a way that it enables people to communicate through a single masterpiece – with the artist crafting his innermost sentiment and the audience depicting the message behind the work. A good example for this case is “Irises” by the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. He called the artwork as “the lightning conductor for his illness” believing that painting will keep him from losing his sanity, thus hinting a little anxiety on his part.

Lastly, art is the expression of individuality – the reflection of oneself. Basically, an artist would never create something if he did not take interest in it in the first place. Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher, keyed in that art is the means for a community to develop its way of self-expression (Perennial, 2001). Art reveals a person’s identity in a way that it lets anyone do whatever they please to passionately given the freedom granted to them. The infamous “The Scream” by Norwegian impressionist painter Edvard Munch is a great incarnation of expressiveness in art. From his diary, Munch described where his inspiration came from:

One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream. (“Quick Facts: Munch’s The Scream,” 2012)

Technically, art can be often evident on our everyday lives as long as we remain true to ourselves. Whether it is participating in your favourite sport, eating a delicious brand of ice cream, or simply walking from a single point to another, it could turn into an expressive art provided that we include both our hearts and souls into it

Again, art exists in different perspectives. It can be a representation of beauty, an egress of emotion, or even an expression of one’s individuality. But, regardless of which is the most accurate between the three, arts will forever remain covered in inscrutability without a precise definition. There is a saying which states that “A picture paints a thousand words.” Be that as it may, but these thousand words could never be spoken if there would be no beholder who would converse. What we can only be sure of for now is for as long as a person makes his imagination work, art will never cease to exist. 

____________________________________________________

References:

Heidegger, M. (1971). Poetry, language, thought (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

Read, H. (1951) The meaning of art (3d ed.). London: Faber & Faber.