Dangerous ideas

Herbie Gomez

AS I write this, Malacañang’s communications group and social media operators are most likely brainstorming, in search of a way to cushion the impact of the public relations nightmare President Duterte’s Hitler remarks brought upon himself, the Palace, and the entire nation for that matter.

This is what the President said: “There are three million drug addicts (in the country). I’d be happy to slaughter them… If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have… (pointing to himself).”

At first, he seemed to have resented being compared by some of his critics to Adolf Hitler. If that was the case, then there was a failure in getting his message across. But instead, he equated himself to Der Führer. His message, loud and clear, was: “Hitler massacred three million Jews… there’s (sic) three million drug addicts. There are. I’d be happy to slaughter them.”

He was also quoted as saying, “At least, if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have… You know my victims, I would like to be, all criminals, to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.”

Never mind his historical inaccuracy–the Nazis, Hitler’s Death Squad, took the lives of over six million Jews, and not three million.

Germany quickly reacted, and summoned our ambassador there to explain what it called as “unacceptable” remarks by our country’s President.

The World Jewish Congress also found his pronouncements “revolting” even as it demanded an apology and retraction. Its president, Ronald Lauder, had this to say: “Drug abuse is a serious issue. But what President Duterte said is not only profoundly inhumane, but it demonstrates an appalling disrespect for human life that is truly heartbreaking for the democratically elected leader of a great country.”

Were Germany’s and the World Jewish Congress’s responses misplaced? Not at all. Our man touched a nerve in his very own country and overseas, and there is no way such remarks, hyperbole or not, could be viewed as sensitive. That he implied that Hitler was some kind of a model for him and that he was willing to go to extreme lengths in his so-called war on illegal drugs is indeed very, very disturbing. He is the only human being that I know who proudly likens himself to Adolf Hitler.

His rhetoric makes me wonder whether or not what he has in mind is a no-nonsense campaign–legal and using the full force of the law–to rid this country of its decades long problem on illegal drugs or a plan to commit genocide. If the former is what he has in mind, it should be supported. But if what he has in mind is the systematic killing of people or mass murder on mere suspicion that they are drug addicts which appears to be the case now, count me and many Filipinos out.

Is this government truly at war against the drug lords, traffickers and peddlers or just the “three million” drug addicts and users? I say the government should go after the sources and use the full force of the law on them. Instead of genocide, fix the criminal justice system so that those behind the drug trade would start rotting in jail. No decent and law-abiding citizen will object to that.

I hope the President realizes that the country and the world are having problems with his hyperboles in that his audiences are having difficulties telling which are hyperbolic and which are not. Simply put, some of his pronouncements have proven to be breeding grounds for dangerous ideas.

Here’s a case in point. Imagine my shock when a college acquaintance stated: “Shabu’s damage to the brain is so long term… generations after generations of Filipinos will suffer if this menace will not be eradicated swiftly… People who sell it are the ultimate human rights violators. They destroy not only lives today… they destroy even the lives of the unborn… if killing these pushers, their families, protectors and sympathizers is the best way to stop the menace, so be it.”

Their families? Why would anyone want to eradicate entire families?

Taking a cue from the President’s rhetoric, my acquaintance started peddling the very dangerous idea that all drug addicts in this country–all “three million” of them–are “dead already” or “living dead” or “zombies” who have no chance of recovery. He also stated that there is “evil lurking inside these addicts (waiting to be) unleashed” any time. He says the three million citizens pose threats to his and his family’s safety, and so, they “better they die first.” Yes, including their families!

In other words, he wants “three million” Filipinos killed, including their families, because of their potentials to commit violent crimes–for crimes he thinks the “three million” Filipinos have yet to commit. Yes, for crimes he just imagines the three million Filipinos are about to commit!

Some logic there.

I highly recommended that he watch or review the movie “Minority Report” that stars Tom Cruise where they arrest and kill people even before crimes are committed.

The thing is, based on what he stated, the real threat to the lives of millions of Filipinos comes from his dangerous mind. The “three million” Filipinos do not know him or his family at all. Yet he wants all of them killed for something they have not even thought about him or his family. In this case, the clear threat comes from him.

And so I dared him to state this: “I (state your name) believe with all of my heart, mind and soul that three million Filipinos deserve to die and should be killed.” The funny thing is, he almost did. Pastilan.