Cong Corrales THE problem with patronage politics (read: trapo) is that it is quite literally a feudal politics, ergo, medieval. For the longest time, our country has been practicing a “personality centered” politics. We see this with politicians’ infrastructure projects in cities and in rural villages--with the “sponsoring” politicos’ smiling faces plastered across the project information billboards. The problem with this is that it makes the gullible and stupid people feel indebted to politicians for something they actually paid for. Constituents begin to act like the politico himself spaded the cement into a bridge project. A case in point is a post of a Kuya Erwin Tol (@balitatol) on Facebook on May 15, 2015. This account sports a profile photo of the TV5 news presenter but edited so he’s wearing shades, handle-bar moustache, and sucking on a tobacco pipe. This particular post, “Kuya Erwin tol” sarcastically admonishes people against a hero’s burial for thieving Dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos by saying “kung galit kayo (kay Marcos) panindigan nyo galit nyo. Iboycot nyo mga pagawa ni Marcos.” It goes on by saying those against a hero’s burial for Marcos not to use the San Juanico Bridge, Edsa, Naia, NLEX, and SLEX; to get out of Regions 1 to 12 (including the National Capital Region); refrain from riding LRT, MRT, and PNR; not to get power from Meralco and water from MWSS; and should refuse to receive their 13th month pays. This post, at prestime, has since been shared 69,600 times and has garnered some 13,700 comments. It has also garnered some 145,000 emoji comments with the breakdown as follows: 135,000 likes, 5,900 laughs, 3,200 loves, 318 wows, and 155 angry and left 31 sad. Suffice it to say, all those you liked Kuya Erwin’s post have been unfollowed, unfriended, and blocked, for good measure. I stated the post’s demographics of its reach and number of active engagement in social media to show you how many gullible there are in this supposedly high-tech information age. The post and its comments and active engagements make you wonder if these people even know how taxation works in a republic. You paid for all of those enumerated by Kuya Erwin, asshats, with your taxes. However, I believe in the freedom of expression, and that Kuya Erwin is just expressing his opinion. But respecting and appreciating opinion don’t necessarily come with that freedom. I’m well within my right to express to tell you that your opinion is stupid, and your opinion shows the whole social media universe your gullibility and ignorance.