[Ramblings] No more bad guy roles, please?

I thought I heard it wrong at first but I didn’t. Last night in the news a solon filed a House Resolution against typecasting congressmen as villains or crooks in movies and on TV. It’s an appeal to the local entertainment industry for such portrayals to be minimized, prevented, or stopped altogether so as not to create stereotypes or negative public perception against members of the House of Representatives.

Seriously?

The congressman argues that such negative typecasting influences public perception of them, that got me thinking. Does this mean that the general impression we have of say, policemen or the military, are influenced by movies and television? Wow! Who would have thought?


Former Congressman Romeo Jalosjos, convicted of child rape in 1997. Amazingly, he won two reelection bids in 1998 and 2001 while behind bars. Life imitating art or art imitating life?

Following this line of thinking, should we now expect the Senate, the governors and the mayors, the police and the armed forces, and just about every other branch of government to file similar resolutions soon? I cannot imagine how drab storylines would be, if ever. People would no longer watch movies and telenovelas, effectively spelling the local entertainment industry’s demise; and that’s just sad.


Each individual is greatly responsible for shaping someone else’s perception about him. He may not be totally responsible for it but he still plays a major role.

Say for instance, you think you’re approachable yet you wonder why on the contrary, people find you intimidating. If you do believe you’re the former, think about how you come off to people and then do something about it to change that impression.

On the other hand, plain and simple, you might be intimidating after all. Similarly, no amount of billboards or other self-promotion tactics can sway negative public perception, especially if such perception is not without basis. Why not follow “the straight path,” as the President so frequently cries? That should get your image somewhere.

Thankfully this congressman can only file a resolution and not a bill that can be enacted into law because of the freedom of speech and of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Even then, the move was just downright pathetic, laughable even.

My perception notwithstanding, I do hope the lower house has much better things to do than this and impeaching public officials the President doesn’t fancy. I hope they just focus on their mandate and get back to rational and worthwhile legislation. Will you, congressmen?

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