Feeling genius

By Alex P. Vidal

“Nobody really knows what they’re doing. Some are just better at pretending like they do.”—Kumail Nanjiani

THE easiest way for the candidates in the May 9, 2022 Philippine election to attract the voters’ attention during the campaign period is to act naturally and refrain from borrowing the identities of others.

There’s no substitute for being original and natural.

Frankness and being down to earth will certainly give the candidates enormous latitude to gather random admirers and a substantial number of votes.

We must not underestimate the voters’ intelligence and capacity to discern in this TikTok generation.

The dizzying technology plus the advent of social media has enabled some voters to familiarize some candidates and scrutinize their characteristics even before they could shake their hands.

Not all voters are ignorants or idiots who can be swayed for a piece of P500 or P1,000 bill.

Not all voters can be mesmerized into believing overnight that the candidates possess the I.Q. of Einstein or JFK.

We say act and express naturally and not to impress vigorously because so many candidates at this stage of the election season are already falling into this trap: they wanted to appear like geniuses when they speak even if not necessary.

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We noticed at least two candidates in the presidential race who appeared to have been bitten by the “feeling genius” bug.

They may not have realized it, but the theatrical performances of Isko Moreno of the Aksyon Demokratiko and Manny Pacquiao of the PDP-Laban in their recent interviews were unimpressive if not a downright disaster.

In their recent separate video or TV appearances, both presidential aspirants displayed strange mannerisms and bizarre body and facial languages not shown in their past media interviews while driving a point.

They also talked a lot more than necessary; they elucidated too much on the topic about the economy even without being pressed by the interviewers.

When they couldn’t organize their words, they explained in staccato and their eyes betrayed the agonizing thoughts trying to piece together missing sentences.

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The voters, or the audience, not used to knowing Moreno’s and Pacquiao’s “expertise” on the subject matter, could easily spot the chaff from the grain, or which is the puwit ng baso and the genuine diamond.

In other words, it’s scripted—or they (hardly) memorized what he had to say in the interviews.

And they will have to grapple with more interviews, debates, on the spot Q and A matches as the campaign period progresses.

They probably wanted to impress the televiewers that they have cosmic or boundless knowledge about tax reforms and the thorny economic issues nationally and globally, which actually wasn’t necessary if they intended only to be remembered by the voters seven months from now.

The voters are no longer passive and apathetic on this main deformity possessed by many candidates.

No one would instantly believe they have suddenly become authoritative and scholarly on the issues they laboriously tackled.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo—Ed)