Question of bad taste in #DongYanWedding comes down to #Filipinos' sense of decency

Did Dantes and Rivero violate the so called 'thoughtless extravagance' code? I think no and yes. Let me explain.

No, simply because there was nothing to cite as proof they violated the code. No one raised and made an official legal issue out of it. No, because 'thoughtless extravagance' is subjective. What Dantes and Rivera can afford can be afforded also by people having the same privileged economic stature. But that does not mean only the richest of the rich can be held guilty of same violation. Other people can also commit the same violation eventhough they are not as rich as the celebrity couple. As it is, the code has not really been clarified as to standards and level where one can be held guilty of violating it. Lastly, no one, as far as I know, has been convicted before of the code violation.

Yes, because, like what the article writer said, which I happen to agree with, it qualifies as thoughtless extravagance in the midst of abject poverty. I don't remember the Lucio Tans, the Henry Sys, the Danding Cojuangcos and other rich people, I mean real rich people, engaging in such decadence. Yes, because it's all about showing off. I understand that the couple can afford it and it's their right to do what they want to do with what their riches can afford. However, the people have also the right to say what they want to say on events not out of envy but out of delicadeza. In their desire to expose the kind of taste they have, it turned out people find it tasteless to have an ostentatious display of wealth. In their effort to show off their class, a number of people opined that it was a classless act on their part.

In the end, I think, we really don't even have to have a decency or extravagance code to know if someone has violated it or not. All we have to have is just pure common sense to weigh in whether or not an act is abhorrent or loathsome. Dantes and Rivera has the right to celebrate their union in the way they know it, fine. But such celebration cannot be divorced from the fact that there are people, many people, in our country who don't share the same financial and luxury comfort they have. It is in bad taste to advertise an extravagant celebration in the midst of people suffering in abject poverty.

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http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/12/did-the-dingdong-dantes-marian-rivera-wedding-violate-the-philippine-civil-code-against-thoughtless-extravagance/comment-page-34/#comment-1035127

Comments

  1. DEMOCRACY...I think that's what they call it...BITTERNESS can make your life miserable...let them be or just die in envy...

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    Replies
    1. don't you have anything new to add aside from bitter and envious? it gets boring. anf fyi, just because you live in a democracy means you have all the right to be stupid and expect people to behave like you do. kool aid, pa renato.

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    2. Mr. Simbulan, the author was being objective. He/she stated the facts, presented both sides, and used logic to arrive at a conclusion. Pano siya naging bitter? And unlike you, who seems to be incapable of separating reason and emotion, I doubt the author wasted an iota of feeling to even arrive at anything close to feeling "miserable." Ang negatibong reaksyon ay hindi lang dahil sa inggit, fyi.

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    3. Dear Anonymous, please read the article again. The author may have cited some facts but, there were also a lot of opinions, thus he\she is subjective. Objectivity means absence of opinion.

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    4. tama... wag masyado maniwala if subjective... your opinion is as good as the author. the wedding was show business... it was business... the author was thinking of his own business (writing blogs and earned income) when he wrote this article...

      If sya si Dingdong, he'll definitely do the same...

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    5. Hi guys! Lets stop arguing about this. Since tapps na to. Lets just help each otherhelp our nation and the poor people instead of talking about these things. Let the words that comes out in your mouth bring life, not death.

      Delete
  2. I agree with you, the so called royal wedding of the Philippines is nothing but a sham of the media moguls, this not a wedding of two person. This is just that the poor are poor and rich have the real influence here. By comparison the real royal wedding of HRH prince william and kate middleton is less expensive despite its a state occasion since prince william is 2nd in to the throne. While dong and marian its just excess. Beside to those who commented against the above l, are shallow and pedantic easily gullible the shallow and pretentious media of the Philippines. Wag kayong umarte hindi kayo dugong buhaw, wag siraan ang author be objective, say the facts not feelings, be educated not moronic

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    Replies
    1. Agreed. Yan naman laging rason ng fans e. Emotions ang gamit, hindi logic. Also, yung sinasabi nila na wala tayong pakialam kasi buhay nila yun? Well, wala sana akong pakialam kung hindi lang pinasara pati public na daanan at pinareroute ang mga tao para lang sa kanila. The previous anonymous commenter is right. Democracy has its limits. If it impinges on the rights of others, the affected have the right to complain.

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  3. BILE...sorry anonymous but I don't drink kool aid, cult people use it to poison their members...In as far Im concerned with how people react to that wedding, well I don't want to be hyper critical on individuals who show extravagance by spending their own hard earned money..by the way the Will-Kate wedding cost TAX PAYERS 10M pounds just to boost tourism earning 2B pounds for UK...& GMA used the Royal thing to boost the network at hindi nag iinarte ang mag asawa na feeling Royal...& the detours?...as if naman million tao ang na apeltuhan...VIPs are attending so they have to re route the traffic...sa barangay nga pag me burol roads are being blocked...punta ka sa India walang sinabe yang Dong-Yan wedding na yan...publicised lang kaya maraming nag rereact...eh anong magagwa natin celebrities sila...

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  4. Since they're showbiz personalities... I think they earned more income in that weekend. The author was not thinking on this one....

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  5. I'm mean wedding, not weekend

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  6. It was show business my friend... high budget, more sponsors/advertisements, more income. as journalist, this is your job, you should understand this fact better.... no one will probably watch that if it's just simple as you want it to be.

    same with you, no one will read/browse your blog if your article is just nothing... you'll not earned any income..

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  7. We should understand that what we see on showbiz personalities in public may not be true in reality... kung bungga ang kasal, it doesn't mean di sila kuripot. in fact they're maximizing the potential income sa wedding...

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  8. Lucio Tan's parties are extravagant. Obviously it is not published since these people like lucio tan are businessman and not in entertainment industry. Like other showbiz weddings, media captured the events. Personally, I belong in a corporate world, we admire this wedding. We are into showbiz stuff. But hey, who wouldn't want to take a look with this nice wedding. Its nice to celebrate. If you have money go for it. You dont suffer bec others are suffering. Dongyan had their ways in helping the less fortunate. Not to mentioned, their wedding cash gifts go to Yes foundation. Based on what I observed, those who said they dont have to display bec many are poor, they could have donated etc... are the ones poor themselves and want to experience a good life. Modesty aside, the people I know who have the money, admired the wedding. Those who have less are the more who responds negatively.

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  9. There are plenty of weddings and parties publicized and shown on tv.. There are plenty of extravagant soiree. The only reason this stood out is because it made people uncomfortable. It was a live telecast and made front and center by the media during the time when there are more news worthy news. There is room for lighthearted news but there is a place and time for everything.

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