By Jethro Bryan Andrada
If you were a college student when COVID-19 came, you’d probably agree it felt like a jump from cloud nine straight to rock bottom. One moment we were all partying, having late night dinners, and ranting about how hard our finals were; and the next, we were back at home, wondering how a one-week suspension had suddenly turned into a stay-at-home school year.
There are currently no signs that this will change either, what with the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) Prospero De Vera saying that “flexible learning will be the norm,” and that “there's no going back to the traditional full-packed face-to-face classrooms.”
It’s not just the good times that are gone, though. Before college, I’m sure a lot of us did not think very much about activism, ideology, and progressiveness. That has changed for many students, which makes coming home to a conservative household something of a complication.
Sentiments like these have found a home on social media, with kids complaining about how uncomfortable it is to hear their parents express views that are opposite theirs.
No wonder #LigtasNaBalikEskwela has gained so much traction. Apart from the obvious lack of resources like gadgets and internet connection, nobody wants to study in an environment where you can’t fully express yourself and your beliefs.
Things are especially hard for students who come from universities where student movements are the norm, like the University of the Philippines (UP). The national university has a reputation for being home to activists and progressives. In fact, student activism is part of ‘Tatak UP’ in UP Diliman’s website. Parents, fully aware of this, usually warn their UPian kids not to become activists.
More often than not, however, college culture prevails; and this makes for some awkward—sometimes infuriating—encounters with parents and relatives.
I myself am no stranger to such experiences. Back when I was a freshman, my game plan was merely to complete my tertiary education. Things changed after our seniors welcomed us with a small rally on our first day. Yes, it was shocking, but a certain passion tugged at me when the orientation program was over and we were singing ‘UP Naming Mahal.’ A few months later, I was off chanting calls to oust Duterte with my fist held high in the air.
Of course, coming from a highly conservative and religious family, I had to walk on eggshells at home. This was a challenge for my patience and self control. For one, my parents have this nasty habit of listening to Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS) on Youtube on loudspeaker, so I’d blast my music at max, too, just to tune it out. I have also lost count of how many times I had to stop myself from answering back whenever the family talked politics at the dinner table, gushing about how Marcos’s years were the country’s golden era.
Once or twice, I tried to answer back, but got hit with the classic “nag-UP ka lang, naging ganiyan na ang ugali mo.” I did not dare reply, though I already had a three-minute speech in my head about how college was supposed to do that, and how they’d never understand because they never experienced it firsthand.
Then again, their disapproval is probably warranted. We were born of different ages and circumstances. They were dead-set on their ideas of right and wrong, while I was actively detaching from them. I would never fully understand them, or them, me. Such is probably the fate of all students who have had the privilege—or curse in some cases—of opening themselves up to left-leaning ideology.
When we still had physical classes, we only had to deal with things like these once or twice a week upon visiting home. Now the struggle is on a regular basis. We are not only forced to toil under a draining setup of education, but made to grapple belief systems with family members whose way of thinking is opposite ours.
As much as we’re clamoring for #LigtasNaBalikEskwela, though (and we should be), our current predicament has also given us the rare opportunity to talk to our families. It certainly won’t be easy to discuss things as dicey as politics, but the duty to educate, or at least inform them about our new worldview is something we have to accomplish at some point. So, why not now?
Besides, a good and honest conversation about it will probably be the best way to preserve the peace when you’re all under one roof, or at least that’s what personal experience has taught me. They might disagree, but they’ll understand where you’re coming from. I know I’ve heard less DDS Youtube content when I tried it.
We think we’re always right, but even if we are, there is always the matter of educating others; so if you’re a progressive individual like me suffering in a house of conservatives, assess your situation. It’s either your family has never listened to what you have to say, or the far more likely possibility: you’ve never bothered to tell them.
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