Unlike the online mob, I’m not angry at the boxer Manny Pacquiao for expressing anti-gay sentiments. That is his opinion; and no matter how invalid and perhaps uneducated, he has the right to have and say it.
In the words of the great Evelyn Beatrice Hall, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
I may not be willing to die for Mr. Pacquiao, but I recognize that in a democratic country such as the Philippines, he – like the rest of us – has the freedom to flaunt his ridiculousness.
Mr. Pacquiao is a celebrity, an idealized image of a man put on a pedestal by the people who idolize him. He has an enormous stage, being known worldwide as one of the best boxers of this generation. He is an athlete, a very rich one, at that. And all his fame and money have gotten him to where he is – on the brink of being a senator of the republic whose words resonate, reverberate and echo until four news cycles later.
Now, people of the Philippines, he is your creation. He was able to say what he said because you – we – gave him the opportunity to do so. No one will care about the bigoted thoughts of an unknown. We care because it’s this one person who many of us think so highly of. Some even refer to him as a national hero.
How can he say such despicable things, then? Why does he stand for something so hateful? How can he possibly have such a rudimentary and flawed understanding of biology? Of human sexuality? Of animal sex? Sorry to break it to you, but Mr. Pacquiao is not a scientist. He does not know that homosexual behavior has been observed in apes, fruit flies, sheep, penguins, mallard ducks, elephants, frogs and many, many other animals.
It’s not his fault that he does not know that. He’s a boxer. I’m not saying that boxers are unlearned. What I’m saying is that as a boxer who has had such an impressive career, I’m certain Mr. Pacquiao has no time to read about the sex lives of animals. During his tenure as congressman, he has the worst attendance record. He doesn’t even have time to go to Congress to attend to his duty of lawmaking.
Instead of being angry, we should just try to understand Mr. Pacquiao. His thoughts are not original. Plenty of people think like him. Maybe right now, he’s being celebrated in those circles. Some label his statements as “gay slur.” Global athletic wear brand Nike, which immediately terminated the boxer’s endorsement contract following his “abhorrent” comments, believes it’s “discrimination.” I think it’s ignorance. Like most bigoted people, Mr. Pacquiao might just be coming from a place of ignorance.
But as ignorant as he is, he is in a position of power. Because we put him there. It is our adoration as fans that has allowed him to display and amplify his homophobia. If he is able to hurt us, it’s because we let him. If he is able to offend us, it’s because we gave him the privilege to do so. His effect on us – how we think, how we feel – is proportional to our perception of him.
Which is why I’m not affected. I don’t care. Because I don’t care about him and anything that comes out of his mouth. Mr. Pacquiao’s views are irrelevant to me. And if you feel any negativity toward him and what he said, then you should stop caring about him, too. Don’t think about him. Don’t acknowledge that he matters. And for the love of all things fair and just, don’t elect him as senator.
I’m @EdBiado on Twitter and Instagram