Old Article
This is a piece I wrote for a teen magazine almost two years back that never saw the light of day. Still, I think it is better shared than left to waste away in my hard drive. So if you’re up for a preachy read, here’s an article that was borne way before the spread of Angelica Panganiban’s controversial pre-Photoshop pictures.
________________________________________________________
Scandals, anyone?
By Cheryl B. Ingles
It is a given that people, save perhaps those with a very, very weird fetish, would not want videos of themselves to be sent to countless strangers as a “Watch this!” email or a porn link, right? With perhaps all the scandals imaginable that have been passed around countless times, one is led to wonder why not much information has been disseminated about possible recourses for a person who unknowingly becomes a victim of such humiliation.
If this horrible reality figures in your life, would you know what to do?
Scandals for sale
I was scouring for good buys at Greenhills the other day when a man sitting on the steps called out, “DVD! VCD!” He approached and flashed a disc cover before me.
As he handed it to me, the peddler boasted, “150 na lang ‘yan, Ma’am. Mas mahal kasi pag ganyang scandal. Sa iba nga, 200 pa eh!”
Splashed all over the front cover was a picture of a young woman, stark naked. Surrounding it were screenshots of the girl and her partner “in action.” Under these pictures was the title, “La Salle Scandal.” Oh yes, not only clothes, appliances, perfumes, and accessories are being sold cheaply in the busy tiangge–scandals are, too.
You must have seen or heard about the scandal allegedly involving students from one of the country’s premier universities. Even before VCD copies caught the interest of optical disc pirates, the video was already being widely circulated over the Internet and was the topic of too many a discussion in campuses and workplaces. This was followed by several others, such as the Ateneo Scandal, Dumaguete Scandal and the Quezon City Scandal.
It is quite difficult to know the real score on how sex videos being attributed to supposedly innocent places and institutions like campuses proliferate. Take the La Salle Scandal video, for example. Some say it was a result of a relationship that turned sour, a blackmail attempt by someone the couple in the video trusted, or a case of the video simply ending up in the wrong hands. Still, the question that rings the loudest is: How did it happen? How did these footage, so obviously not meant for the public’s eyes, suddenly end up in people’s email inboxes and porn collections?
We interviewed several students from different colleges to find out their opinions on why this video caught the attention of so many people and how it spread like wildfire.
“Chismis yun eh,” one of the student respondents said. “Porn-wise, the La Salle Scandal video, or other campus-related sex videos for that matter, could even be considered of poor quality. It’s the fact na nagta-Tagalog yung mga napapanood mo sa video that makes it interesting.” another interviewee added.
When asked if the couples in the videos were to blame for the humiliation that the spread of the video might have cause them, a student replied, “Kasalanan nila yun. What they did was insane!”
“They deserve it!” was the general sentiment of the students interviewed before finally dismissing the campus sex video scandals as old issues and are no longer very interesting topics of discussion for them.
More than a pornography issue
Nonetheless, even though the popularity (or infamy, depending on how one sees it) of these scandals reached its peak more than a few months back, it should still be cause for concern. Its implications go much further than morality issues that rule against pornographic materials. The real threat here is on an individual’s privacy.
Advances in technology, especially in the means of communication, have made it a whole lot easier to violate this right. Hidden cameras, camera phones, the Internet, MMS, optical disc copies that could be reproduced countless times over for minimal cost …a few mouse clicks or keypad presses could mess up someone’s name for life. So much tools that, when used wrongly, could spell the ruin of an unwitting person’s reputation. Do you still recall the story of a lady who went on an out-of-town vacation with a bunch of college guys who took pictures of her, wasted and naked, using a camera phone then uploaded them on the Internet for the whole world to see?
When so basic a civil right is being encroached upon by seemingly innocent means, then we must be alarmed.
Who’s watching you?
Lessons could be learned from the experiences of the people involved in the scandals. Chief of these is that a scandal is a reality that spares no one: it can victimize you too.
These stories warn about the possible dangers of hooking up with strangers, which could result in unpleasant things you wouldn’t even want to think about.
They likewise encourage people, especially young men and women like you, to always be on the alert–even when you think you are safe in a private area and out of others’ sight. Keep in mind that the use of hidden cameras and other surveillance equipment in establishments is perfectly legal and is allowed in the name of security. And it is noteworthy, however, that these legal provisions neither protect against nor provide sanctions for abuses of this technology.
How many horror stories have we heard about the presence of hidden/surveillance cameras, two-way mirrors, and tapped phone lines in supposed private spaces? In fact, I have received via email videos of women being treated in spas or changing clothes in a washroom, and couples having sex in motels…these people were being filmed without their knowledge! To make matters worse, some abusive and irresponsible camera operators of these establishments even go as far as creating copies of the videos then distributing them for anyone’s consumption.
And Elvis sings, “Don’t be cruel…”
The trend of reality TV shows is on the rise, perhaps due to the fact that a certain thrill really does come with being able to peak at people in their most unguarded moments. Add some sleazy, naughty content to that same formula and what do you get? The proliferation of sex scandals that could star anyone from the person you sit beside with in Math class, your best friend, your sibling, or you.
While you have not been a victim of this problem, one action you could take to protect yourself from it is to not take part in the spread of such cruelty. Remember that things and issues that don’t sell grow old and die. If another scandal breaks again, perhaps you should think twice (or more!) before sending it to everyone in your Friends’ list.
Consideration of other people’s reputation, self-esteem and future ought to have more weight than having something to gawk at or gain momentary sexual thrill from.
