F**k you, EU – The president (many) Filipinos are proud of
In a new escalation of words and as another sign of a severe lack of diplomatic skills, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said “Fuck you” to the European Union.
The latter’s parliament, representing a population of some 754 million people, asked the Philippine government to put an end to extrajudicial killings of drug suspects and to investigate alleged abuses “in full compliance with national and international obligations and respect for human rights” – to which the Philippines is obliged as a member of the United Nations.
“I read the condemnation of the European Union against me. I said them fuck you. You’re doing it in atonement for your sins,” Duterte said in a speech before local government officials in Davao City on September 21.
He argued that the EU should be quiet given the record of some of its member countries of human right violations in their colonies in the past and their “feelings of guilt” about it, for example their “killing of Arabs,” whereby it was not clear to which era of European history he was referring.
While there is certainly room for discussion about what colonial-era ancestors of Europeans did wrong several hundred years ago, it seems a bit of a childish tit-for-tat response to vindicate long-bygone and reappraised evil deeds with other evil deeds that are committed today, more so as huge societal and legal developments on a global scale were made since then, new international treaties on mutual respect and human rights were signed and humanity seemed to be a few steps further of what was the intellectual justification for the Crusades at that time (or whatever Duterte meant.)
While the sheer profanity of his comments somehow no longer comes as a surprise, it seems that many Filipinos remain proud of his style and the attention he gets – which is an alarming sign for a nation obviously losing its self-respect and being in danger to give way for nativist, anti-intellectual and right-wing conservative tendencies – which, as history shows and Duterte should possibly study – has NEVER EVER brought anything good to any society throughout history.
The continued profanities by Duterte are further fueling well-reported assumptions that he is suffering from a borderline personality disorder, in other words: He makes the impression of being a highly impulsive individual who has difficulty to reflect on the consequences of his actions, paired with narcissistic tendencies and the habit to insult and disparage others, and all this in a very vulgar manner.
It seems to be the cause for his gross indifference, insensitivity, self-centeredness and his unapologetic behaviour characterised by his flip-flopping apologies when using the phrase “son of a whore” in the same sentence with the names of US President Barack Obama or Pope Francis – even if the phrase in Tagalog is not directly addressing a subject and rather a filler word. But naturally, no president should speak that way.
It really isn’t hard to grasp what damage could be done to the Philippines, economically and with regards to foreign relations, if such a political style on the international stage continues.
In a new escalation of words and as another sign of a severe lack of diplomatic skills, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said "Fuck you" to the European Union. The latter's parliament, representing a population of some 754 million people, asked the Philippine government to put an end to extrajudicial killings of drug suspects and to investigate alleged abuses "in full compliance with national and international obligations and respect for human rights" - to which the Philippines is obliged as a member of the United Nations. “I read the condemnation of the European Union against me. I said them fuck you....
In a new escalation of words and as another sign of a severe lack of diplomatic skills, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said “Fuck you” to the European Union.
The latter’s parliament, representing a population of some 754 million people, asked the Philippine government to put an end to extrajudicial killings of drug suspects and to investigate alleged abuses “in full compliance with national and international obligations and respect for human rights” – to which the Philippines is obliged as a member of the United Nations.
“I read the condemnation of the European Union against me. I said them fuck you. You’re doing it in atonement for your sins,” Duterte said in a speech before local government officials in Davao City on September 21.
He argued that the EU should be quiet given the record of some of its member countries of human right violations in their colonies in the past and their “feelings of guilt” about it, for example their “killing of Arabs,” whereby it was not clear to which era of European history he was referring.
While there is certainly room for discussion about what colonial-era ancestors of Europeans did wrong several hundred years ago, it seems a bit of a childish tit-for-tat response to vindicate long-bygone and reappraised evil deeds with other evil deeds that are committed today, more so as huge societal and legal developments on a global scale were made since then, new international treaties on mutual respect and human rights were signed and humanity seemed to be a few steps further of what was the intellectual justification for the Crusades at that time (or whatever Duterte meant.)
While the sheer profanity of his comments somehow no longer comes as a surprise, it seems that many Filipinos remain proud of his style and the attention he gets – which is an alarming sign for a nation obviously losing its self-respect and being in danger to give way for nativist, anti-intellectual and right-wing conservative tendencies – which, as history shows and Duterte should possibly study – has NEVER EVER brought anything good to any society throughout history.
The continued profanities by Duterte are further fueling well-reported assumptions that he is suffering from a borderline personality disorder, in other words: He makes the impression of being a highly impulsive individual who has difficulty to reflect on the consequences of his actions, paired with narcissistic tendencies and the habit to insult and disparage others, and all this in a very vulgar manner.
It seems to be the cause for his gross indifference, insensitivity, self-centeredness and his unapologetic behaviour characterised by his flip-flopping apologies when using the phrase “son of a whore” in the same sentence with the names of US President Barack Obama or Pope Francis – even if the phrase in Tagalog is not directly addressing a subject and rather a filler word. But naturally, no president should speak that way.
It really isn’t hard to grasp what damage could be done to the Philippines, economically and with regards to foreign relations, if such a political style on the international stage continues.
