Doing a World of PINK

Online trolls have been the bane of my involvement as a PINK volunteer in the political campaign that will end on May 9, election day. As a blogger on grace, I decided early on that I would comment only on positive messages with heart emojis, congratulatory lines, rah-rah phrases, and encouraging news. 

But what do I get in return? 

Curses, disrespect, insults, fallacious reasoning, smut, unreasonable hate speech, and fake information. One was a grave threat laced with expletives: “#$^% you! Go back to China where . . .” All unprintable, sewer language. I reported it to FB, but the message I got back was, “It does not violate our community standards.” 

How do I stay sane? Since it is impossible to raise the conversations to decent discourse, I do two things: 

One, block the trolls (over 3,000 now and still counting; and two, enjoy the posts of over 500 new kakampinks (kindred spirits in my quest for good and honest governance). These are images and words of wisdom, facts-laden analyses of what is and what will be. 

On the opposite side of wicked trolls are people who have elevated the PINK campaign into a crusade and are doing a world of PINK, activities that give hope to a country suffering from moral and economic collapse.  

One kakampink wrote, “Never before in the history of Philippine elections have actors, both film and theater, other artists such as musicians, dancers,skaters, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, songwriters, composers; authors, writers, game developers, educators, indigenous people (e.g. aetas,) farmers, fishermen, doctors, lawyers, dentists, student leaders and students, the LGBTQ community, youth groups, laities, sports groups, etc. etc. (i.e. PINK volunteers in general) gone this far to passionately impart their burning desire for the betterment of the Philippines and the Filipino people, especially the poor and marginalized, the children, from now through the generations to come!”  

Trolls notwithstanding, I continue to work hand-in-hand with these volunteers, because giving of ouselves for our country is doing us a world of good, too:

To my e-friends who are unfamiliar with the Philippine political scene, this is the PINK team for whom I will cast my vote, and whose tagline resonates with me: “Under a good and honest government, life will be better for everyone.” 

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9 NIV