A dark era in Filipino history comes to light in a social experiment.
The Philippine elections opened up a Pandora’s box of controversy.
The Philippine elections is just about wrapped up. And it was some kind of circus.
From corrupt candidates to one scandal after another to a potty-mouthed incoming president, it was only a matter of time before the world caught on to what was happening in the Philippines. Even comedian John Oliver decided to give his two cents on the situation.
Let's just say John did his "thang." Image from "Last Week Tonight"/YouTube.
However, one of the most powerful messages to come out of the elections came from a social experiment that cut to the core of many Filipinos.
It's a video made by the group Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA for short). Basically, a guy named Bong Bong Marcos is very close to becoming vice president. If elected, he’d be one step away from Malacañang, the White House of the Philippines.
Seems about right. Image from CARMMA/Facebook, used with permission.
You see, Bong Bong is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, a former president and dictator famous for implementing martial law from 1972 to 1981. Essentially, martial law is when the military is given complete control of the government, rendering the executive, legislative, and judicial branches powerless. It’s usually imposed temporarily in times of calamity, but this man led the charge for nine whole years.
And while some may say it brought its fair share of good to the country, a group of millennials are about to learn the terrible price others had to pay.
The social experiment begins with an interviewer asking young voters about what happened during martial law.
That’s when the young voters start to rationalize its implementation in various ways, remembering all the lessons they learned in school growing up.
They talked about there being order...
All GIFs via CARMMA/Facebook.
...and how Marcos was really more like a loving parent.
They gushed at the glory of yesteryears.
Finally, the interviewer asked, "Are you in favor of martial law?"
That's when the tables were turned and the interviewers reveal who they really are — actual martial law victims.
Surprise.
After revealing themselves, the victims shared their stories of survival. And oh, are they powerful.
(Trigger warning: Proceed with caution. Their stories are very graphic in nature.)
This man talked about a soldier that was literally drunk with power.
This woman shared what they did to her brother-in-law for three days.
This man reflected on how he was almost tortured to death by electrocution.
Others were violated in ways we wouldn’t even wish on our own worst enemy.
Needless to say, everyone was shocked. But a troubling truth was revealed.
These young people simply did not know all of this had happened.
And that’s only because they were never taught the truth.
Mind you, these are college students. Yet here they are, hearing the true history of their country for the very first time.
This may feel familiar to those of us who have learned aspects of our own nation's troubled history — a history much more complex than the "cowboys and Indians" narrative of our schoolyards. But learning the reality of our past can help us build a better future.
It is unacceptable for schools to only teach a version of the truth.
It’s like the saying goes, "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." And while these circumstances are very extreme, we can not be afraid to trust our youth with the most powerful weapon of all — knowledge.
If you think the Filipino education system should tell students the whole martial law story, you can sign this Change.org petition to help our friends in the Philippines. It’ll only take a minute, but it has the potential to correctly rewrite a country’s history and improve how they shape young minds forever.
Watch the full video below:
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."