Monday, July 9, 2012

Satisfaction . . . thanks . . .


Yesterday, I was reading the comments to the recent article: The "Bring 'em Back Act". They were somehow very satisfying. Mature perspectives. Intelligent observations. People bringing new information to the table to supplement the original article. "Great!" I thought.  And as I was basking in the satisfaction, jim-e-cricket popped in with this remark:

  • Best discussion ever, thanks...hope we can keep up the quality and some of these comments plant a few good seeds on good soil (before it is too late)!

Yes, that's it exactly.

The Society of Honor does not aspire to be a chat room for social amusement, or a place where people show off by putting others down with immature insult or smart-assed one-upmanship.  What is the point of that, if we seek to display a healthy regard for ourselves and others? The blog does not promote an agenda, other than to think, often playing off of cultural differences, east versus west.

Joe Am's articles are designed to be mildly provocative, and sometimes more than mildly. The aim is to whip up the reader's cranial electrons with a stirring stick, from headline to closing line. The goal is not to pronounce truths, but to suggest them, or draw a few deductions, or even put 2 plus 2 together in a way that we get 7. The idea is that READERS will bring to the table a lot more experience, information and perspective than Joe Am could ever hope to accumulate. And the aim is to do the stirring up of ideas in a way that is . . . well . . . just a little dramatic, a little irreverent, a little literate. So that readers WANT to see what is cooking today at The Society of Honor.

Then we are operating, not as Joe Am the pseudo-oracle, but as a society of intelligent people interested in the well being of the Philippines.

Like the concept that Dr. de Dios expressed in the "Bring 'em Back Act" thread regarding tertiary schools: the best case is quality over quantity. Let other blogs shoot for popular readership and the titillation of insult, we will shoot for intelligence, insight and information and, hopefully, in the way we influence others . . . action.

Interestingly enough, readership is up. And it appears, from recent comments, to be quality readership.

I hope so. The blog needs a certain critical mass to have greater influence on opinion makers.

That's when we jointly are doing the best work we can for the Philippines.

Thank you to all who follow the blog, and especially to those who help build it by contributing their observations, information and opinions.

Read on, write on.

7 comments:

  1. Joe,

    Besides my morning brewed barako coffee; what you have written here is the sum total why I get up in the morning to see, savor and experience what's cooking in the Society of Honor.

    These people you have here are nothing but a bunch of good thinking Filipino people. I like to be around you guys.

    Well done, Joe.

    Its Jack

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. It's good to have you as a member of our Society, where the initiation rites consist of . . um . . drinking coffee and beer . . . ha

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    2. Joe,

      Truly, I am honored and I shall drink to that.

      Its Jack

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  2. Well, I like that you have no desires to be popular, or insulting towards others, for example. No delusions of greatness. Stick to your guns JoeAm, they've served you well. When you're content, you don't need to be popular.

    Andy

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    Replies
    1. Yes, popularity would make me, an introvert of the nth dimension, nervous. However, I would like to be influential, as man's reach should exceed the grasp of his San Mig, or what's a heaven for? That could happen with just one person reading the right message from me or a contributor, and making a positive change in the Philippines.

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  3. Well, thank you for doing what you do, Joe.

    I like that you're suggesting concrete actions and/or alternative approaches to problems or issues that you see instead of just whining and whinging all the time like some other know-it-alls I've come across in cyberspace. So, there.

    On another note, I also subscribe to the concept of quality over quantity in tertiary education put forward by Dr. de Dios. Apart from the structural and systemic elements of the educational system in the Philippines that need to be addressed for this to materialize, there's also much effort needed to change the people's attitudes towards vocational/ technical training vs tertiary education.

    Most Filipinos still believe that the only way to get ahead in life is through a college education. So we keep producing this infinite amount of college graduates with nowhere to go and end up in jobs like those ubiquitous call centers where oftentimes it's more your ability to speak good english that really matters and not whatever it is you learned through 4 years of college education.

    Here in Australia, the new rich are those who practice a trade, like plumbers, builders, and the like because of the construction boom in the early 2000s. My daughter's friend's dad is a plumber; they live in a million dollar house with a swimming pool on acreage, own two boats and the wife drives a BMW 4WD. Boy, did I so marry into the wrong profession! :))

    Anyway, maybe you can write a bit more about this and your other readers may have some more ideas, even stories that may inspire some young person out there to decide on a different track in life instead of where everyone else wants to go at the moment.

    A pleasant day to you, Mr. Joe!

    Cha

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    Replies
    1. Oh, no! Don't tell me you married one of those educated doctors or lawyers! Woe! And thanks for the blog idea. I'll write about vocational education when I'm done writing about insurrection. Too much is happening. I can't keep up. (I will write about it; it is a good topic.)

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