The President and personality cult

Title

Language

English

Source

Panorama Volume XIV (No.9) September 1962

Year

1962

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

VOL. XIV THE PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE OF GOOD READING MANILA, PHILIPPINES NO. 9 THE PRESIDENT AND PERSONALITY CULT The President of the Phil ippines as the first citizen of the Republic, is the central figure in our national life. It is not only in politics that he occupies the topmost po sition. In the social sphere, he is a sort of reigning mo narch. Business chambers, chambers of industries, busi nessmen’s clubs vie with one another to have him in their big affairs. Whatever the President does is carefully reported in the newspapers. He may be talking about economics, reli gion, or education; he may discuss marriage, business, athletics, food, clothing, or morality. In all these fields his comments and his op inions, regardless of his knowledge of the subject matter, are always published and quoted with a great deal of interest. His pictures are given prominence in news papers a^d magazines. He is the favorite speaker in any celebration. He is m^de the recipient of academic awards. His clothes are closely imi tated; they set the fashion for the nation. This image of the Filipino^ executive is not unique. We1 see it in a much larger scale in the President of the United States. He' stands as an object of the cult of per sonality. This is a phenome non which observers have lately been analyzing. It does not seem natural im a demo cracy; but it is intentionally and actively promoted in it. For in protecting the dignity of the office, it is deemed es sential to adopt spmething similar to a royal fult. But should it be so? Is this right? Must the President be paint ed and shown as a superman to give him the dignity and the majesty of his high of fice? How has this exaltation come about? A very interesting study of the subject was made by SisSeptember 1962 1 ter Mary Paul Paye, a 32-year old member of the Sisters of Marcy. In the Nation maga zine, Sister Mary wrote: "The American public is exposed to a dangerous phe nomenon: the personality cult of the President. I pro test — vehemently, vigorously, apolitically and almost alone. The suppression or the obs curing of significant news; the amassing by the Presid ent of personal power; and — most insidious of all —the ir rational worldwide identifica tion of him with the country as a whole . . . Mr. Kennedy has become synonymous with the U.S.; his victories are American victories; his health, American health; his smile, his family, his hobbies, his likes and dislikes, be come symbolic of the coun try.” Sister Mary holds the press largely responsible for this extreme adulation of a poli tical figure, this identifica tion of the President with the character, the condition, the virtues, and the glories of the nation. She continues: "The President and his fami ly are naturals for publicity, and journalists have not been slow to exploit the co lor, the drama, the human, appeal that emanate from the White House. Galleys of type and yards of picture spreads about the birthdays of the children, the social af fairs of the First Lady, the horsemanship of the sister, the recreational habits of the Attorney General’s family,' feed the public’s desire to know all about the White House inhabitants. Every thing goes to deepen the cult, "That the mass media should so exploit the Presid ent and his family for circu lation purposes is serious enough. But even more dan gerous implications arise: the danger of the imbalance of the news. Every inclusion means a corresponding exclu sion. And, even when signifi cant news is reported, as pri soners of the cult we may be tempted to overlook it. Readers often prefer to be amused rather than informed. Who doesn’t gravitate toward the human-interest story, per haps to the neglect of the duller but more significant news? . . . The effect is the displacement, or downgrad ing, of significant events.” This state of things is not right. For this problem, 2 Panorama which is indeed a problem, Sister Mary Paul presented this solution: "Awareness, by the President, the public, the press. The White House — elections or no elections — should guard itself more stringently against frivolous reporting. Editors and (ra dio and TV) program direc tors should weigh news and features for inherent values. And the American people should be aware that we are beginning to respond to the Chief, of State as we have responded to movie stars." In plain language, what the good Sister suggested is for the press and the public to develop and use a sense of proportion and to improve our^ sense of values. THE LOYAL FRIEND We all need the good word and advice of a loyal friend to inspire and encourage us to do the things we are not quite sure we are capable of doing. Very few people have the courage to set out by themselves alone. A good push and you either sink or swim — that’s life all around. "Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are,’’ is not a mere proverb. People judge you by your friends. Just because people are shabby-looking or poverty-stricken does not mean that they would not make wonderful friends. They may possess the wisdorp of Confucious or Socrates. The good rule is to associate with the kind and the wise, and kindness and wisdom will be the reward — to do foi&them what they do for you, to go fifty-fifty in life. Never make friends for what they have to offer you and never keep friends whose only interest in you is what you have to offer them. If you associate with the ignorant, be sure you do not willfully expose their ignorance. If you associate with the intelligent, don’t try to outsmart them. Friends remain friends only when all parties concerned are themselves. No one can hide his emotional or intellectual standards for long; sooner or later tbe true colors will appear. September 1962 3

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