Good or bad
October 16, 2006 | 12:00am
One time I watched a movie in which a bunch of black guys invited some white guys out for an evening of fun and revelry. While the party was going on, a couple of black guys and one of their white friends went out for some fresh air. They started talking about some of their friends who were still inside partying. One of the black guys made a comment about how one of their friends was dancing really well with one of the cute girls and that he was "really, really baaad." The other black guy replied, "Yeah, he’s really baaaaad, huh?" The camera then focused on the white guy’s face. He was perplexed. He said, "Hey, wait a minute, I thought he was dancing pretty good. The girl was really impressed." The black guys looked at each other and then burst out laughing. One of them said, "You white guys don’t get it, huh? When we say, someone is ‘bad,’ what we’re really saying is that he’s really, really good!" The white guy’s face became even more confused. He said, "So bad means good? So what if he was bad? Do you say that he’s good?" The black guys just laughed.
Personally, I can relate to the white dude. I don’t know how the word "bad" somehow managed to evolve into a new synonym for the word "good." I used to think it was an antonym. Not anymore. I think the word "bad" has had good PR representation over the past 20 years. When Michael Jackson released his song and album entitled "Bad" in the ’90s, he wasn’t declaring to the world that he was horrible or evil. He was telling the world that he was "pretty darn good." Of course, with all the child molestation charges, there’s a cloud of doubt now as to whether he’s really "bad." Or should I say "good"?
Why am I harping on this? Because it’s important, that’s why. When I was a kid, the concept of good and bad was pretty clear: lying is bad, honesty is good. Staying up late is bad, sleeping early is good. Killing is bad. Saving a life is good. Stealing is bad, sharing is good. I remember thinking back then, "Hmm, life is really simple. Just do what’s good, and avoid doing bad. That’s it."
But as I got older, some of these concepts got a little more complicated. It wasn’t as simple as choosing between black and white anymore. For instance, take the whole concept of lying and telling the truth. When I was a practicing lawyer, the truth didn’t really matter. All that mattered were the facts that were positive for my client’s case. If a certain fact was not going to be positive, that fact was not to be revealed at all costs. As my bosses would say, "Let the opposing client bring it up! He should be the one to raise it, not us!" Of course, lawyers will always justify this by telling me, "Well, Rod, that’s how the system is. You have to work with the system. And under the system, you have to defend your client the best way possible. And the best way possible is not to reveal any fact that will be detrimental to your client’s case." And that’s my whole point, really. Under the system, it doesn’t matter anymore who’s bad and who’s good. What matters is what you can prove, and what you hope the opposing client will not be able to prove. I’m not saying the system is wrong. I’m just saying that under the system, it’s not clear anymore what’s good and what’s bad.
Let’s take bribery as another example. When I was a kid, there was no doubt in my mind that bribery was a bad thing. One time, I was told by my boss to call up a client. He told me to ask the client for another P100,000 because the judge was asking for a higher fee. I stared at my boss for a few seconds, totally stunned. And then I gathered enough courage and innocently asked, "Uh, forgive me for asking, boss. Are we, uh, er, bribing the judge?" My boss then just smiled and told me, "Well, it’s the lesser of two evils. If we don’t give in to this judge, he might issue a TRO against our client, and if our client is prevented from operating, many people will be out of work." I just stood there, and stared at my boss. I just shook my head in total disbelief. I always thought bribery was bad. But at that moment, I got confused. At that particular moment, bribery seemed to be the good thing to do. My boss eventually asked another associate to call the client. I was too numb to even dial the phone.
How about modesty? When I was a kid, modesty was undoubtedly a good thing. I remember I used to watch all those old Elvis Presley movies on TV.
When the kissing scene came, my dad would casually walk to the TV (no remote then), and switch to freakin’ Student Canteen. I’d howl in protest, "Hey!!! Pa, that was the good part!" But my dad would just casually walk back to his seat – and we’d be stuck with Student Canteen. It was his subtle way of saying, "Sorry, kid, kissing scenes are not good for you." Of course, I didn’t appreciate it then. But now that I’m all grown up, I can see why he did that. I now realize that modesty is a virtue. But nowadays, it’s hard to tell. If you watch TV or you observe girls walking by in the mall, it would seem that immodesty is the good thing, and being all wrapped up is bad. In fact, when girls are too wrapped up, they’re called "goody two shoes," which is a negative thing. A girl who is immodestly dressed is now called "sexy" or "sultry." A girl who is dressed properly is called a "prude" and "too conservative" – and in a demeaning way.
Then there’s stealing. Sometimes, we often think that stealing is when you take away the property of someone by either forcibly grabbing it from him or taking it from him when he’s not looking. When I was a kid, the rule was pretty clear. Stealing is bad. But let’s say you’re working for a company, and your job is to make sure that the company gets the best deal possible in purchasing supplies. Let’s say you have a requirement – for example, your company needs office chairs. You have three bidders. All of a sudden, one of the bidders says, "Hey, I’ll match the lowest bidder. Just choose me, and I’ll give you a 5-percent bonus out of the purchase price." Let’s say you agree to do it. Now, here’s the question: Did you steal? Insofar as the company is concerned, you did your job – you got the supplier with the lowest price. But then again, you chose that particular supplier because he was willing to give you a "bonus." Hmm, all of a sudden, it’s not so clear, right? Did you steal? Frankly, I’m not sure. But I’ve had some friends tell me that they did it – and it kind of bothered them. I guess that’s a good barometer. That old voice that whispers in your ear.
Are you confused? Hey, don’t worry, I’m just as confused as you are. For example, murder, to most of us, is totally bad. A lot of us might even say that there’s no debate on that. Killing is definitely a no-no. Yet there are some people out there who believe in their hearts that hijacking a plane, crashing it into a building, and killing thousands of people will bring them straight to heaven. And some who truly believe that by invading a country and killing thousands of people, they are doing good and preventing terrorism from growing.
If you’re hoping to get some answers from this piece, I’m sorry, guys, but I don’t have the answers. All I’m doing is stating a fact: We no longer have a clear concept of good and bad. And it wasn’t started by Michael Jackson, either. It’s a process that began a long time ago.
Thanks for your letters! You may e-mail me at rodhnepo@yahoo.com.
Personally, I can relate to the white dude. I don’t know how the word "bad" somehow managed to evolve into a new synonym for the word "good." I used to think it was an antonym. Not anymore. I think the word "bad" has had good PR representation over the past 20 years. When Michael Jackson released his song and album entitled "Bad" in the ’90s, he wasn’t declaring to the world that he was horrible or evil. He was telling the world that he was "pretty darn good." Of course, with all the child molestation charges, there’s a cloud of doubt now as to whether he’s really "bad." Or should I say "good"?
Why am I harping on this? Because it’s important, that’s why. When I was a kid, the concept of good and bad was pretty clear: lying is bad, honesty is good. Staying up late is bad, sleeping early is good. Killing is bad. Saving a life is good. Stealing is bad, sharing is good. I remember thinking back then, "Hmm, life is really simple. Just do what’s good, and avoid doing bad. That’s it."
But as I got older, some of these concepts got a little more complicated. It wasn’t as simple as choosing between black and white anymore. For instance, take the whole concept of lying and telling the truth. When I was a practicing lawyer, the truth didn’t really matter. All that mattered were the facts that were positive for my client’s case. If a certain fact was not going to be positive, that fact was not to be revealed at all costs. As my bosses would say, "Let the opposing client bring it up! He should be the one to raise it, not us!" Of course, lawyers will always justify this by telling me, "Well, Rod, that’s how the system is. You have to work with the system. And under the system, you have to defend your client the best way possible. And the best way possible is not to reveal any fact that will be detrimental to your client’s case." And that’s my whole point, really. Under the system, it doesn’t matter anymore who’s bad and who’s good. What matters is what you can prove, and what you hope the opposing client will not be able to prove. I’m not saying the system is wrong. I’m just saying that under the system, it’s not clear anymore what’s good and what’s bad.
Let’s take bribery as another example. When I was a kid, there was no doubt in my mind that bribery was a bad thing. One time, I was told by my boss to call up a client. He told me to ask the client for another P100,000 because the judge was asking for a higher fee. I stared at my boss for a few seconds, totally stunned. And then I gathered enough courage and innocently asked, "Uh, forgive me for asking, boss. Are we, uh, er, bribing the judge?" My boss then just smiled and told me, "Well, it’s the lesser of two evils. If we don’t give in to this judge, he might issue a TRO against our client, and if our client is prevented from operating, many people will be out of work." I just stood there, and stared at my boss. I just shook my head in total disbelief. I always thought bribery was bad. But at that moment, I got confused. At that particular moment, bribery seemed to be the good thing to do. My boss eventually asked another associate to call the client. I was too numb to even dial the phone.
How about modesty? When I was a kid, modesty was undoubtedly a good thing. I remember I used to watch all those old Elvis Presley movies on TV.
When the kissing scene came, my dad would casually walk to the TV (no remote then), and switch to freakin’ Student Canteen. I’d howl in protest, "Hey!!! Pa, that was the good part!" But my dad would just casually walk back to his seat – and we’d be stuck with Student Canteen. It was his subtle way of saying, "Sorry, kid, kissing scenes are not good for you." Of course, I didn’t appreciate it then. But now that I’m all grown up, I can see why he did that. I now realize that modesty is a virtue. But nowadays, it’s hard to tell. If you watch TV or you observe girls walking by in the mall, it would seem that immodesty is the good thing, and being all wrapped up is bad. In fact, when girls are too wrapped up, they’re called "goody two shoes," which is a negative thing. A girl who is immodestly dressed is now called "sexy" or "sultry." A girl who is dressed properly is called a "prude" and "too conservative" – and in a demeaning way.
Then there’s stealing. Sometimes, we often think that stealing is when you take away the property of someone by either forcibly grabbing it from him or taking it from him when he’s not looking. When I was a kid, the rule was pretty clear. Stealing is bad. But let’s say you’re working for a company, and your job is to make sure that the company gets the best deal possible in purchasing supplies. Let’s say you have a requirement – for example, your company needs office chairs. You have three bidders. All of a sudden, one of the bidders says, "Hey, I’ll match the lowest bidder. Just choose me, and I’ll give you a 5-percent bonus out of the purchase price." Let’s say you agree to do it. Now, here’s the question: Did you steal? Insofar as the company is concerned, you did your job – you got the supplier with the lowest price. But then again, you chose that particular supplier because he was willing to give you a "bonus." Hmm, all of a sudden, it’s not so clear, right? Did you steal? Frankly, I’m not sure. But I’ve had some friends tell me that they did it – and it kind of bothered them. I guess that’s a good barometer. That old voice that whispers in your ear.
Are you confused? Hey, don’t worry, I’m just as confused as you are. For example, murder, to most of us, is totally bad. A lot of us might even say that there’s no debate on that. Killing is definitely a no-no. Yet there are some people out there who believe in their hearts that hijacking a plane, crashing it into a building, and killing thousands of people will bring them straight to heaven. And some who truly believe that by invading a country and killing thousands of people, they are doing good and preventing terrorism from growing.
If you’re hoping to get some answers from this piece, I’m sorry, guys, but I don’t have the answers. All I’m doing is stating a fact: We no longer have a clear concept of good and bad. And it wasn’t started by Michael Jackson, either. It’s a process that began a long time ago.
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