Loose Change by Ben Kritz JUDGING from the volume of angry traffic on social media, the news topic of the week was obviously President Ro...
Loose Change
by Ben Kritz
JUDGING from the volume of angry traffic on social media, the news topic of the week was obviously President Rodrigo Duterte’s “kissing scandal” in South Korea. At an event for overseas workers during his state visit to that country, Duterte called an attractive, married OFW on stage, and asked her in a bantering yet insistent way if he could kiss her on the lips, which he then did, in front of her husband, the assembled crowd, and anyone on the planet with access to YouTube.
The number of people outraged by Duterte’s behavior – my own opinion is that people should be– seems to be about equal to the number of people anxious to defend him, as his Palace spokesman did, explaining away the controversy as “a playful act accepted in Filipino culture.”
I have been here for 14 years, and have spent time in most parts of the country, and this is the first time I have observed or heard that kissing someone on the mouth, other than a spouse, partner, or family member, is considered “playful” and “accepted.” Some of the president’s supporters have pointed out that in other cultures, kissing is considered a normal form of greetingin some circumstances, and that is true; in fact, it can be a little disconcerting to people from cultures where it is not (like mine), unless we’ve been forewarned. But in no culture is it considered acceptable to kiss another man’s wife, and among some cultures, a violent reaction tosomeone who does so is not only justified, but in some cases considered an obligation.
It is the perceptions of others that matters in this instance, rather than whether or not Filipinos find it tolerable or that the victim said that she considered it harmless and was not offended. It is not simply enough to write off the number of commentaries from foreign journalists as “none of their business,” because it is, for reasons that President Duterte obviously didn’t consider, and neither has anyone else.
First of all, the incident happened at a time of growing global awareness about rampant misogyny and sexual misbehavior; a large number of high-profile public figures have been brought to ruin by the exposure of actions that range from merely inappropriate to criminally abusive. Duterte has cultivated an image as one who scoffs at convention, but this is one subject where his rebellious nature will damage his image a great deal, and along with it, the image of the entire country.
The unseemly incident took place during a state visit, and you can be sure that it was noted by every government with a presence in South Korea, because that’s one of the routine jobs of diplomats and embassies. Even if nothing particularly newsworthy for the public happens when aleader of a different country visits, what happens during a state visit is closely watched and analyzed, so that when the time comes, other governments will have some idea of how to deal with the leaders involved.
The message Duterte sent to the rest of the world is, at best, that he and by extension the Philippines, cannot be counted on to respect convention or even norms of acceptable behavior, and acts erratically. That is a very poor basis on which to try to build relationships with other countries and raise the profile of the Philippines. For all those who think it was “just a kiss,” or “all in good fun,” or “just his charming regular-guy way,” think again. Being a president means acting like one.
JUDGING from the volume of angry traffic on social media, the news topic of the week was obviously President Rodrigo Duterte’s “kissing scandal” in South Korea. At an event for overseas workers during his state visit to that country, Duterte called an attractive, married OFW on stage, and asked her in a bantering yet insistent way if he could kiss her on the lips, which he then did, in front of her husband, the assembled crowd, and anyone on the planet with access to YouTube.
The number of people outraged by Duterte’s behavior – my own opinion is that people should be– seems to be about equal to the number of people anxious to defend him, as his Palace spokesman did, explaining away the controversy as “a playful act accepted in Filipino culture.”
I have been here for 14 years, and have spent time in most parts of the country, and this is the first time I have observed or heard that kissing someone on the mouth, other than a spouse, partner, or family member, is considered “playful” and “accepted.” Some of the president’s supporters have pointed out that in other cultures, kissing is considered a normal form of greetingin some circumstances, and that is true; in fact, it can be a little disconcerting to people from cultures where it is not (like mine), unless we’ve been forewarned. But in no culture is it considered acceptable to kiss another man’s wife, and among some cultures, a violent reaction tosomeone who does so is not only justified, but in some cases considered an obligation.
It is the perceptions of others that matters in this instance, rather than whether or not Filipinos find it tolerable or that the victim said that she considered it harmless and was not offended. It is not simply enough to write off the number of commentaries from foreign journalists as “none of their business,” because it is, for reasons that President Duterte obviously didn’t consider, and neither has anyone else.
First of all, the incident happened at a time of growing global awareness about rampant misogyny and sexual misbehavior; a large number of high-profile public figures have been brought to ruin by the exposure of actions that range from merely inappropriate to criminally abusive. Duterte has cultivated an image as one who scoffs at convention, but this is one subject where his rebellious nature will damage his image a great deal, and along with it, the image of the entire country.
The unseemly incident took place during a state visit, and you can be sure that it was noted by every government with a presence in South Korea, because that’s one of the routine jobs of diplomats and embassies. Even if nothing particularly newsworthy for the public happens when aleader of a different country visits, what happens during a state visit is closely watched and analyzed, so that when the time comes, other governments will have some idea of how to deal with the leaders involved.
The message Duterte sent to the rest of the world is, at best, that he and by extension the Philippines, cannot be counted on to respect convention or even norms of acceptable behavior, and acts erratically. That is a very poor basis on which to try to build relationships with other countries and raise the profile of the Philippines. For all those who think it was “just a kiss,” or “all in good fun,” or “just his charming regular-guy way,” think again. Being a president means acting like one.
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