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joyousreads132 's review for:
How to Stand Up to a Dictator
by Maria Ressa
The 2016 US Election is and always will be a sliver buried under my skin that throbs once in a while. I could never forget how devastated I was watching it all go down. I would imagine that there are a lot of Filipinos as well who felt the same way about Robredo in their most recent presidential elections. Because I have seen the excitement online in the sea of pink shirts and banners. But like me, they probably didn't imagine the nightmare scenario that played out on election night.
How could we forget the lawlessness of what happened during the Marcos regime? How could we bastardize history in a blink of an eye? Well, much like what happened in the US elections, the troll farm of Facebook and other social media made it happened. It was easy enough when you have a country who ranks second in Facebook consumption. Manipulate the data, the news, and use the flawed algorithm, and voila! The Marcos name smelled like roses again. As if the stolen wealth wasn't stolen or the lives of political rivals weren't lost during the years of the regime.
Maria Ressa is a decorated journalist. A Filipino-American who made her name as a CNN correspondent. When Duterte was elected on a promise to rid of the country of government corruption and drugs, Ressa stood back and watch it all play out. She even nabbed a sit-down interview with him. But when her independent news site started digging into the human rights violations his administration was committing, she made an enemy of the autocrat wannabe. Duterte was a powerful official. He was not afraid to speak his mind and have admitted to murdering drug addicts and pushers. What he does to political opponents is a different matter altogether. First, he tarnished their reputation using his social media army. Then, he used the courts and officials to produce made up accusations of wrong doings.
Unfortunately for Maria and Rappler, they were the enemy.
What I don't understand is why after all the court battles and not-so-subtle overuse of power by the Duterte government do his sympathizers still consider Maria Ressa as public enemy number 1? The courts charged Rappler with a number of ridiculous allegations including tax evasions and cyber libel. If found guilty, Maria Ressa could be facing decades of imprisonment. Up to this day, travelling outside the country requires Ressa to jump through hoops.
This book made me angry, helpless and powerless. But it also inspire me. Because if a 5'2" woman can keep fighting even if some days, she might feel like harnessing the waves in the ocean, why can't I? She simply will not accept the things that she can't change, because for her, as long as she's breathing, she will keep fighting.
How could we forget the lawlessness of what happened during the Marcos regime? How could we bastardize history in a blink of an eye? Well, much like what happened in the US elections, the troll farm of Facebook and other social media made it happened. It was easy enough when you have a country who ranks second in Facebook consumption. Manipulate the data, the news, and use the flawed algorithm, and voila! The Marcos name smelled like roses again. As if the stolen wealth wasn't stolen or the lives of political rivals weren't lost during the years of the regime.
Maria Ressa is a decorated journalist. A Filipino-American who made her name as a CNN correspondent. When Duterte was elected on a promise to rid of the country of government corruption and drugs, Ressa stood back and watch it all play out. She even nabbed a sit-down interview with him. But when her independent news site started digging into the human rights violations his administration was committing, she made an enemy of the autocrat wannabe. Duterte was a powerful official. He was not afraid to speak his mind and have admitted to murdering drug addicts and pushers. What he does to political opponents is a different matter altogether. First, he tarnished their reputation using his social media army. Then, he used the courts and officials to produce made up accusations of wrong doings.
Unfortunately for Maria and Rappler, they were the enemy.
What I don't understand is why after all the court battles and not-so-subtle overuse of power by the Duterte government do his sympathizers still consider Maria Ressa as public enemy number 1? The courts charged Rappler with a number of ridiculous allegations including tax evasions and cyber libel. If found guilty, Maria Ressa could be facing decades of imprisonment. Up to this day, travelling outside the country requires Ressa to jump through hoops.
This book made me angry, helpless and powerless. But it also inspire me. Because if a 5'2" woman can keep fighting even if some days, she might feel like harnessing the waves in the ocean, why can't I? She simply will not accept the things that she can't change, because for her, as long as she's breathing, she will keep fighting.