There are times we are confronted by a situation which evokes very strong emotions—grief, jubilation, horror, awe—that we become at a loss for words. And so we use the words of those who are probably wiser and definitely more eloquent, to describe our feelings.
It was George Bernard Shaw who first said “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others see things that never were and ask why not?” But most people attribute the quote to Bobby F. Kennedy in his eulogy for his brother John F Kennedy. Okay, Bobby Kennedy changed the second sentence to “I see things that never were….” and did not attribute the quote to its proper author. In this instance, it is not important whether the words were Bobby Kennedy’s or not because it captured the pathos of the moment in a way that other words could not.
Those were the good old days when people read books and actively sought knowledge. These days, we are more interested in drama, however artificial. And we have also become lazy. We just latch on to the catchy phrases, mostly from movies, to capture the moment in words. Even “the moment” could be any moment not necessarily dramatic. The catch phrase is probably supposed to provide the drama.
Consider the situation in the Supreme Court inquiry into the alleged bribery in the Court of Appeals. CA Justice Roxas quoted the Penguin, a character in a Batman movie, to explain why he shredded documents and brought them home for burning. What was it about that that Justice Roxas himself, a judge in the second highest court in the land, could not explain in his own words? And what was it about the Penguin that made him such an authority in the destruction of governments?
Of course, the SC inquiry is just the latest misuse and abuse of quotations. There was Rep. Edmund Reyes, emulating Achilles in the movie “Troy,” shouting “Is there no one else?” in trying to get more signatures for the impeachment petition. Apparently, as in the movie, there was no one else.
Also, in the chambers of the House of Representatives, the late Rep. Wahab Akbar in a privileged speech claimed that “I am Basilan.” This seemed reminiscent of a scene in the movie “Kingdom of Heaven” where King Baldwin IV said “I am…Jerusalem.” Wahab Akbar is also dead. He died from that bomb blast in front of the Batasan Hall lobby last year. One would hope that his last thoughts were enlightened and eloquent at the moment of his death as I would like mine to be. But fate being what it is, my last words would probably be “Doh!”, a Homer Simpson favorite.
There is however, one movie quote I wouldn’t mind hearing and it is from the movie “Jerry Maguire.” In the event that Gloria Arroyo is somehow ousted from the presidency, I wouldn’t mind at all if she says, “You had me at ‘Hello’…Garci.”
It was George Bernard Shaw who first said “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others see things that never were and ask why not?” But most people attribute the quote to Bobby F. Kennedy in his eulogy for his brother John F Kennedy. Okay, Bobby Kennedy changed the second sentence to “I see things that never were….” and did not attribute the quote to its proper author. In this instance, it is not important whether the words were Bobby Kennedy’s or not because it captured the pathos of the moment in a way that other words could not.
Those were the good old days when people read books and actively sought knowledge. These days, we are more interested in drama, however artificial. And we have also become lazy. We just latch on to the catchy phrases, mostly from movies, to capture the moment in words. Even “the moment” could be any moment not necessarily dramatic. The catch phrase is probably supposed to provide the drama.
Consider the situation in the Supreme Court inquiry into the alleged bribery in the Court of Appeals. CA Justice Roxas quoted the Penguin, a character in a Batman movie, to explain why he shredded documents and brought them home for burning. What was it about that that Justice Roxas himself, a judge in the second highest court in the land, could not explain in his own words? And what was it about the Penguin that made him such an authority in the destruction of governments?
Of course, the SC inquiry is just the latest misuse and abuse of quotations. There was Rep. Edmund Reyes, emulating Achilles in the movie “Troy,” shouting “Is there no one else?” in trying to get more signatures for the impeachment petition. Apparently, as in the movie, there was no one else.
Also, in the chambers of the House of Representatives, the late Rep. Wahab Akbar in a privileged speech claimed that “I am Basilan.” This seemed reminiscent of a scene in the movie “Kingdom of Heaven” where King Baldwin IV said “I am…Jerusalem.” Wahab Akbar is also dead. He died from that bomb blast in front of the Batasan Hall lobby last year. One would hope that his last thoughts were enlightened and eloquent at the moment of his death as I would like mine to be. But fate being what it is, my last words would probably be “Doh!”, a Homer Simpson favorite.
There is however, one movie quote I wouldn’t mind hearing and it is from the movie “Jerry Maguire.” In the event that Gloria Arroyo is somehow ousted from the presidency, I wouldn’t mind at all if she says, “You had me at ‘Hello’…Garci.”
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