Uncle Red scandal

By Noel Galon de Leon

Why do Filipinos find amusement in the humiliation of others? In today’s world, where almost anything can be turned into a joke, a meme, or viral content, a painful and unpleasant truth emerges about us Filipinos: we often turn the shame, suffering, and misfortune of others into a source of entertainment. Especially if it involves foreigners, especially if it strikes us as “weird” or “funny,” and even more so if it gives us a momentary escape from our own daily struggles.

One of the most recent examples is the Uncle Red scandal in China. For those who may not know, this is the case involving a man who pretended to be a woman online to deceive, seduce, and secretly record over 1,000 men. This is not a simple case of fraud. It was a systematic act of manipulation that resulted in the circulation of more than 1,600 non-consensual sex videos on the internet. This is a clear violation of human rights, dignity, and the law.

Instead of taking this issue seriously, reflecting on its causes, and recognizing how it reveals deeper societal problems, many Filipinos chose to reduce it to a meme. Victims were mocked, the plight of these men was turned into a punchline, and the content was widely shared on social media, complete with mocking captions and jokes spread through TikTok, Facebook Reels, and other platforms.

Why is this so? What within our cultural behavior as Filipinos drives us to treat the humiliation of others as a form of entertainment?

The roots of this behavior run deep. If we examine it closely, it stems partly from our colonial history, where shame and mockery became tools for the powerless to resist authority. We learned to laugh at the misfortune of others because, for many, it became a way to cope with their own sense of failure in life. In a country plagued by poverty and injustice, it is often easier to laugh than to reflect.

But the context today is different. This is no longer simple gossip in street corners. This is not a harmless joke among friends. The people we ridicule are real individuals whose lives have been destroyed, who have suffered deeply, and who may carry lifelong trauma.

It is undeniable that Filipinos are among the most active, meme-centric, and sensationalist consumers of social media in the world. In our obsession with what is “viral,” we have lost the ability to ask a fundamental question: Is anyone being harmed by this? The reason for this is escapism. We are all tired, stressed, and burdened with our own struggles. But because of this, we have developed a dangerous habit of laughing at others as a form of entertainment. The toxic refrain “Don’t take it seriously, it’s just funny!” reflects how shallow our sense of conscience has become in the online world.

Returning to the case in China, it is clear this is not merely the story of a pervert or a scammer. This scandal arose from a deeper crisis: the emotional and sexual disconnection experienced by millions of men in China. This crisis stems from demographic imbalances, the One-Child Policy, cultural expectations on gender roles, and the pressure on men to marry despite having little opportunity to do so.

The absence of affection and connection remains unaddressed in a modern society where wealth, appearance, and status dictate a person’s value. It is within this vacuum that many of the victims fell prey to deception. They were not foolish or lecherous; they were yearning for connection, love, and attention. They too are victims. Yet in our eyes, they have been reduced to mere comedic content.

We must understand that the dissemination of non-consensual sex videos is no joke. It is a violation of human rights. This is not simply a mistake; it is a destruction of human dignity, a trampling of one’s personhood, and a harm that extends beyond the present into the future.

If we Filipinos continue to share, spread, and laugh at such content, we become complicit in the crime. We reinforce a culture of using others’ suffering as a source of amusement.

This will not end if we normalize it. We must change our perspective. We must recognize that there is content that should not be shared, should not be mocked, and should not be promoted. Even a simple act of sharing carries weight. It is not innocent.

Education is necessary. We must teach and remind ourselves, in schools, in media, in families, that human dignity is not a toy. Not everything that is funny is worthy of laughter. We must recognize the rights of others. If we want our own rights respected, we must learn to respect the rights of others, even if they are foreigners. We must deepen our sense of conscience. We must ask ourselves with every piece of content we encounter: If this were me, or someone I love, would I want this to be ridiculed? If not, then we should refrain from spreading it.

Not everything that is trending deserves attention. Not everything that is viral is worth engaging with. Above all, not all shame is fit to be entertainment.