Is Your Favorite Source of Information "Trust Me Bro"?

It's something to think about Facebook comments section, right? I can't decide if I should allow unmoderated comments. The world of comments can be so annoying these days. It's one thing if one comments for constructive criticism. However, one could really think about how many comments (even under Anonymous or troll accounts) are just there to derail. News about the Philippines' getting newer reforms such as more foreign direct investments (FDIs) have a lot of stupid comments too. I'm not surprised with comments such as, "It's Duterte's gift to China!" or "Allowing foreign telecommunication companies will risk our security!" When I ask for the sources on Facebook, I tend to get the argument that's as foolish as, "Trust me bro!" A lack of intelligence is one thing. It's another thing to ignore common sense.

This meme makes me laugh at the pyramid of learning. Okay, I have a high school diploma during K+10. I soon had an associate degree in computer science but failed to be accepted in BS Information Technology. Soon, I had a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in business administration. Sadly, it doesn't matter how many degrees people have if their favorite source can be summed up as, "Trust me bro!" That really dismisses almost everything learned from the high school diploma to master's degree. That's why it's easy to say you can have all the doctorates you want and still be a fool. Sometimes, a stupid person might be wise enough to say, "Where's your source? I can't trust your source if it's just saying trust me bro." However, we've got some highly educated people who give their best source as, "Trust me bro!"

It might sound funny but much disinformation can be caused by three words, "Trust me bro." or "Trust me sis." if it's a woman. Regardless, I've read some comments on Youtube (hence why some Youtube videos no longer allow comments). Some comments can go like somebody died from the COVID-19 vaccine and the person was healthy. You might say, "Where's the source?" Then the person says, "Trust me bro! It did happen! You'll never get the facts from anyone but me!"

In research, Trust Me Bro makes a poor source. Any good researcher will get details and not just Trust Me Bro. I've done my thesis and I was required to get good sources. During my MBA days, one of our teachers said that Wikipedia is a spurious source. Anybody can edit Wikipedia! Why would we want a source where it's just Trust Me Bro? Good research requires empirical data. Yet, some people would rather believe in Trust Me Bro because it's easier to do so than to search the data for yourself, right?

That's why it's easy to say "I'm sure of it!" and "Studies show..." when you're wrong. Studies show? Where are the studies? Please point them out! It's very easy to be, "I'm sure that your book was written by an idiot!" in an act of Ad Homiem. When asked, "Where's your evidence? Did you read it?" Then the answer is, "No need to read it. Just trust me bro." If all the studies and evidences are based on Trust Me Bro" then it's nothing but idiocy.

The 1986 Snap Elections Would Also Disprove the Myth of the "Marcos Parliament"

Anti-charter change proponents love to use Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. among their reasons, to defend their stand. The argument is that "charter change must be evil" because Marcos used it--a fallacy of Guilt by Association . Please, even Atty. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo's supporter Andrew James Masigan supports charter change! Now, we must look at Marcos and remember another significant event. It's the 1986 snap elections and why it's also proof that we never had a parliamentary form of government. February 7, 1986, was when Marcos declared snap elections. Two years before the snap election, Marcos even declared that the Philippines was never a parliamentary government under him : The adoption of certain aspects of a parliamentary system in the amended Constitution does not alter its essentially presidential character . Article VII on the Presidency starts with this provision: ‘the President shall be the Head of State and Chief Executive of the Republic of the Ph...

Facts vs. Gossip: The "Chona Mae" Incident is Proof You NEED to Verify What You Hear

It was in 2012 when the Chona Mae incident happened. I remember the panic when people were running the opposite direction while I was working at Downtown, Cebu. The traffic was bad. People were panikcing. But the real twist? It was actually a father looking for his daughter, whose identity we may never know. The Cebu Daily News said this last 2022, which was before entering the post-COVID world: CEBU CITY, Philippines — It has been a decade since the famous “Chona Mae” line was uttered by a father looking for her daughter after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Cebu, February 6, 2012 . From what was a simple call of a father to his daughter turned out to be the biggest tsunami scare in Cebu City. “Ang tubig naa na sa Colon!” ("The Water is already in Colon!") was the line that has gotten everyone running on the street of Cebu looking for shelters up in the mountain parts of Cebu. Today, we remember that frightful yet somehow funny day that w...

Learning About Chinese Dialects

As I look back on my college days, I recall learning more about Chinese history in a Chinese Language Class elective. Yes, it was going back to Grade 1 Chinese, but doing Grade 1 Chinese right. I looked at this video and thought of China's many dialects. A dialect is defined by the Oxford dictionary as, "a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group." The subject was taught in English, not requiring students to learn Hokkien first, and it was how the Chinese school system should've been. Most Chinese Filipinos (like myself) are Hokkien speakers. Amoy is known as Xiamen today, a coastal city of the Fujian Province. I was shocked to learn there are many different types of Chinese, such as Cantonese (used in Hong Kong), and I wasn't shocked to learn that Hainan and Hakka are other dialects in China. Similar to Filipino, China has several languages too! In the Philippines, we have Tagalog, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Waray, and Hilig...

Why I Believe So Many Filipinos (Especially Boomers) Misunderstand (and Blindly Oppose) Charter Change

Okay, I'm no political analyst or historian. That doesn't mean I should just shut up and not share my opinion. I felt like I needed to publish this piece. This is where I want to examine another issue. I've noticed some people on Facebook are sharing the quotes of Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. Some would try to do Ad Hominem attacks on me because I'm no constitutionalist (which I admit that I'm not). Just because I'm not a constitutionalist, doesn't mean, that I can't quote from the experts . Do I really need a degree in law at one of those prestigious universities in the Philippines? Sadly, some people are supposedly smarter than me but are the ones spreading nonsense. Understanding charter change We need to see the definition first to understand why so many Filipinos, especially boomers , are so against it. The Philippine Star gives this definition of charter change: Charter change, simply, is the process of introducing amendments or revisions to the ...

Scarier Than Any Horror Movie: Two Trials of the 20th Century in the Philippines, Still Case Unsolved

iStock Happy Halloween, right? I would like to write something scary. I've written some blog entries under the label "crime". My two favorite topics are the Vizconde Massacre Case, which was followed by the Chiong Sisters Case. It's amazing that one of the siblings of Marijoy Jimenea Chiong and Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong, was actually my schoolmate at the University of San Carlos. Some people knew this Chiong sibling as Debbie Jane Chiong-Sia, who by the way, isn't Jacqueline . Jacqueline would be in her 50s would she have lived. I didn't care anymore about the case until someone told me, "Do you remember Paco Larrañaga? He was innocent!" It scared me straight. The question was given to me after someone also mentioned Hubert Jeffry P. Webb as innocent regarding the Vizconde Massacre case. I believed that both Paco and Jeffry were guilty. The scary truth was that they were innocent of the crimes. I got interested in digging into the crimes. Back in t...

A Business Graduate's Reviewing History Blog

Search This Blog