Excising a royal pain in the neck

Every weekday morning I listen to the radio while going through my daily ablutions, partly to help clear the haze of sleep covering my brain, and partly to keep updated with the latest in the music world. My station of choice is 103.5 MAX FM (formerly KLITE), and their early morning program used to be hosted by my favorite DJ, Vito Lazatin. He was smart, funny, and wasn't abrasive or controversial like the generation of so-called "shock jocks" who has been taking over the airwaves in recent years. Unfortunately, last month, MAX FM revamped its programming, and for some reason incomprehensible to me, replaced Vito with the notorious King DJ Logan, one of the rudest, crassest, most offensive DJs working in radio today. For the past few weeks, I decided to stick it out with 103.5 even if they got rid of Vito, and though not a day went by that Logan didn't make me bristle, admittedly, there were times when he made me laugh, on rare occasions when he was being plain humorous and not obnoxious. However, this morning, he went and used up the last inch of my rope.

As part of a traffic advisory, Logan's sidekick Tetta News (whom I've always found mildly annoying even when she was still paired with Vito) was announcing the closure of certain streets in Makati due to the anti-Arroyo rally taking place this afternoon. This prompted Logan to put in his "two cents' worth", posing a "hypothetical question" to his listeners: assuming we do manage to oust Arroyo, who are we going to get to replace her? He then proceeded to run through a list of candidates that included Noli De Castro, JDV, Mar Roxas, Chiz Escudero, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Ping Lacson, Bayani Fernando, and even Susan Roces and Korina Sanchez (?!?), and after each name, he'd say something sarcastic or flippant to dismiss that person. He then ended with the sweeping conclusion that since there is no decent replacement for GMA, we should think twice before trying to unseat her.

Right then and there I resolved never to listen to 103.5's morning program again.

I cannot respect anyone who stands by the argument that since there's no perceived better alternative, the status quo-- no matter how bad it is-- should be preserved. It's precisely that sort of indulgent, complacent, apathetic attitude that keeps our country stuck in the rut it's in. We will put up with the bastards robbing our nation blind, because we're afraid the alternative COULD be worse. We will tolerate graft and corruption as long as it doesn't get any worse. We will turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, because it's better to pardon the incumbent government's sins than take a risk with a new government's potential for worse wrongdoing. Is it any great surprise then why we remain a people who never strive for better, when we're always content with "not worse"? How does a country progress by constantly settling for the lesser evil, without recognizing that evil is still evil, regardless of its degree?

I was at EDSA Dos, and to this day I am proud that I stood with the thousands who cried out for Estrada's ouster. Even then I was very much aware of the possibility that we could be just replacing a crook with another crook (and we did). But that was beside the point. Those at EDSA Dos weren't out to reward GMA, we were there to punish Erap. The midget was mere collateral damage; she was at the right place at the right time, benefiting from our concerted efforts to set things right, and all we got in return was her own brand of treacherous administration. Now that things are all f*cked up, it's easy to look back with the wisdom of hindsight and say that EDSA Dos was a mistake. But how is doing the right thing ever a mistake? The people are not to blame for installing GMA. GMA is to blame for betraying the people who gave her a chance to be better than Erap. It is not our fault she failed us, and we will not be at fault if we replace her with someone who MIGHT turn out to be more unscrupulous than her.

I actually believe Noli could be worse than GMA, and the idea of 2 years under President Kabayan is the stuff of nightmares. But I refuse to let my fear of what could be worse stop me from believing in what is right, and believing in a change for the better. Unlike King DJ Logan who would rather let sleeping dogs lie, even if those dogs are obviously rabid and could be the death of us all.