Have you ever said something that made sense in your head but came out of your mouth in a hastily constructed argument that made you look really stupid?
Yes, we’ve all been there. Sometimes it’s with family and friends, in which case we try to laugh it off and move on. In other cases, it’s in public such as in an office meeting or on stage when invited (more like forced) to give an impromptu speech.
It happened recently with famous Philippine-based actress, singer and TV host Kim Chiu in the very public quick-to-go-viral platform of Facebook Live. Here's part of her off-the-cuff, in-the-heat-of-the-moment remark about the sudden closure of the TV network ABS-CBN:
"Sa classroom may batas, bawal lumabas, oh bawal lumabas. Pero ‘pag sinabi, ‘pag nag-comply ka na bawal na lumabas pero may ginawa ka sa pinagbabawal nila, inayos mo ‘yong law ng classroom niyo at sinubmit mo ulit ay pwede na pala ikaw lumabas.”
[Translation: Inside the classroom, there’s a law. Leaving the classroom is prohibited. But if you comply with the law that leaving the classroom is prohibited but you did something that is prohibited but you fixed that law of the classroom and you re-submitted [it] then you are no longer prohibited to leave the classroom.]
In any other country, the viewers of this Facebook Live event would have snickered, maybe laughed a little bit or had to pause at the incomprehensible statement but – BUT – they would have moved on and gave Kim some leeway. After all, we’ve all been there, right?
But not in the Philippines, a nation of alaskadors. It’s fair to say that Filipinos - at their worst - can be very unforgiving. We adore our perfect and well-poised beauty queens but God forbid they trip over their high heels. That’s their entire career down the drain. Poor Kim didn’t hear the end of it. The video segment quickly went viral and she was inundated with online trolls putting her down.
To put in context, this is the same celebrity who became famous in 2006 as a reality TV star on Pinoy Big Brother, clinching majority of the votes. Over the next 14 years, she rose to the top and became the lead in hit TV shows and movies. She then became a philanthropist, supporting charities for street kids and typhoon victims.
Remember this is the same actress who almost died two months ago because of a random shooting incident.
And yet – despite all that – the ‘world’ (online bashers and trolls) was quick to criticise and bullied her on social media.
A normal human being would have crawled under a rock and quit showbiz.
But not Kim. In a clap back that puts her on the same stratosphere as internet clap back queens Rihanna and Chrissy Teigen, the Chinita Princess turned the offending quote into a hit song called Bawal Lumabas (The Classroom Song), which drew 10 million views on YouTube and Facebook in one day. Take that, haters! Who’s laughing all the way to the bank now?
On behalf of The Australian Filipina team, we salute you, Kim. Keep doing you. You’re an inspiration to us all.