Living in the Shadows of Our Past [GROUP 6] by JIANNA CAPILLO https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd The poem “Things We Carry on the Sea” by Wang Ping encapsulates the adverse effects of social issues from the past that we still experience until this day. Because of this, people have been further divided─ from contexts like race and gender to social classes and the like, as if we do not belong in the same world. Ironically, no matter how divided we may seem, we still have the chance to reunite through different social movements, such as when the oppressed fight for equality in all aspects. This is evident in the line that struck us the most: “we are orphans of the wars forced upon us” (13). The said line suggests how the people affected by social issues are forced to fight these wars, even though it was not their choice in the first place. However, since the war has already started, it has left them with no other choice but to fight for what they believe in. These social issues were started by the people before our time. Nowadays, it seems like we are orphans of the wars brought by the prior generations - where the people oppressed by these social issues are putting their families, loved ones, and even their lives at stake to fight for the equality they deserve. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We modern-day people, despite being in a more liberated society, still live in landscapes filled with the past wars' lingering repercussions. The scenes we pass through each day are inhabited by the “wars” we no longer explicitly see but somehow still experience. Although it is apparent that we have made significant progress on overcoming these consequences, we still have a long way to go. At some point in our lives, we find ourselves talking about wanting to change the world. Altruism is part of human nature, making it a norm for people to help others. This is what drives individuals to dedicate their lives to something greater than themselves. But meaningful change isn’t always instant nor is it always extensive. Real change can take years, and making the world a better place often means bettering it for a few people at a time. One way this can be done is by advocating for social justice. If you are unsure of what you can do to help others, you can always make it a habit to help in small, meaningful ways like treating people the way you want to be treated. Because every time someone makes a small impact on a person's life, it creates a butterfly effect which cascades to a multitude of people. Carrying out small changes may seem pointless compared to the "big" ones, but they matter and often end up making the biggest differences. Most especially, when advocating for change, one must remember that passiveness or staying “neutral” is NOT any less prejudicial to oppression. Claiming that you “don’t want to take part in a movement” implies that you are well aware of the injustice happening around you and that you are actively choosing to not participate in the correction of that injustice. In short, inaction IS an action. This begs the question, does neutrality mean you are siding with the oppressors? The answer is yes. There is no “sideline” or grey space, there has never been one. We all either stand together to fight for our rights or we fail. It is time we choose the former. en-us 2021-05-09 05:37:02 UTC 2025-12-17 19:43:14 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/23ee.png 📍 Malacañang Palace jiannacapillo https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1509457636 This article shows President Duterte’s sexist remarks and behavior. He has also mentioned how women should not run the country which suggests that he does not think women are capable of presidency (power). In addition, the Malacañang even tried to downplay the President’s words by saying they were attempts at humor. 
 
 The word “war” in line 13 of the poem symbolizes different social issues such as gender inequality. Moreover, the word “we” symbolizes the oppressed, which in this case are women. On the other hand, the word “orphans” is not interpreted as a noun but rather a state-of-being in the sense that women did not choose to be part of this “war”, they were only forced into it.

Sadly, the war for gender equality is only one of the many things women are fighting for, especially in the Philippines. In fact, public sexist comments, especially those coming from the President, could set back many of the reforms done for women empowerment. We have achieved much in history on the path to stop gender inequality such as the legalization of women’s suffrage in 1937 and passing of the Magna Carta law in 2009, but despite these meaningful progresses, important gender gaps still remain. 

Furthermore, the COVID-19 crisis has put unprecedented pressure on development organizations, communities, and especially on the government. While they strive to urgently respond, they should not lose sight of the goal to achieve gender equality. Instead, they should make it part of their overall effort to tackle these striking challenges to come out stronger afterward.

]]> 2021-05-10 14:50:25 UTC https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1509457636 Catholic Church and Christian Church johnlajarca https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1512282727 The reinforcement of heterosexual gender norms is one of the social issues of the past and continues to prevail in current times. The Philippines, despite being a liberal country, seems to discriminate homosexuals through religious views--especially Christian views. Homosexuals are often forced to undergo gender conversion therapy through group therapies and Bible study sessions. Some of these views say that "homosexuality is a sin" while others do not. But even though others do not perceive homosexuality as a sin, nonetheless, they still discriminate and force homosexuals to follow heterosexual norms. Even though the World Health Organization no longer classifies transgender people to be mentally ill, there are still cases of homosexuals being discriminated of being sinful and unholy. The phrase "praying the gay away" holds a very strong opposition against them. 

Noting that President Duterte self-proclaimed to be previously a homosexual and got cured, it implies that many, not only the President, seem to view homosexuality as some kind of disorder and mental illness which could be cured through various therapies. This view, is what made some to be "orphans of the war" and these wars regarding gender are forced upon them. One of these wars is the war of having the proper identity and behavior. Homosexuals may feel guilt and shame of having homosexual desires which they fight against. The other war is the war to both give a better conception of homosexuals and to transform the heteronormative society into a more open one. 

These wars that homosexual people face just continue without significant change. They are orphans of the war regarding gender identity and gender norms; and thus, are forced to fight for their right of identity and to have the same privileges as of heterosexuals.]]> 2021-05-11 06:32:23 UTC https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1512282727 Washington, USA denzelcarlos https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1512356063 More prevalent last year, hate crimes towards Asian Americans continue to persist even in the midst of legislative actions of the government in addressing these hate crimes. Various incidents and worst of all, deaths, were cited in the article above. This meant a gravity in the uprising of the anti-Asian racism in the US. This is a "war" that many anti-Asian racism advocacy groups are fighting against. It may not seem significant previously in the past but now that it has been recently alarming, it only confirms that this war against racism is still ongoing and there is no significant improvement yet to be seen.

The "orphans of this war" are our Asian brothers overseas, and they suffer all kinds of discrimination from their own countrymen. This is a war where they are indeed helpless and abandoned. Many of them feel unsafe and now live in fear of violence outside their homes. They are at war, fighting for their lives, their shelter seems to be weak at the moment, and this was forced upon them. ]]> 2021-05-11 07:06:03 UTC https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1512356063 New York, NY, USA denzelcarlos https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1512359902 The deadly pandemic that has affected our society, is in reality just like a war that was forced upon us. It has really brought the world to another form of “law of the jungle”, where the strong survives while the weak can only wait to be preyed upon. In this case, the weak are the poor who can barely make their ends meet,  and at the end of the day can only rely on others for survival, while the strong are those with strong financial capabilities to afford the equipment to keep them safe, and have more than enough money to continue their daily lives. A person’s ability to spend is the greatest insurance one can have during this time which makes this pandemic show us how money is evidently the most essential factor in our society, since everything has a price to pay, and if you want to survive you have to be prepared to spend. Not just that, it has also shown us the reality of “ the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”,  millions of people are currently unemployed and more are losing their job yet at the same time those who gain from this are the rich who build up their wealth through this pandemic.]]> 2021-05-11 07:07:51 UTC https://padlet.com/jiannacapillo/3ap2ktpks22iu2bd/wish/1512359902