The Reaction to the Desperation

It has been over days since we have seen the competition run in the airwaves. Unfortunately, what's supposed to be expected as healthy competition is no longer as beneficial due to the trash talking and the harsh throwing of words intended to shake the stand of another.

Whether it be a member of the AlDub Nation or not, you can feel the tension between the two shows. As a member of this peace-loving, God-fearing, and comaraderie-promoting fandom, I, for one, feel that I need to express my deepest thoughts about this arising situation. I know I may not be able to change much of what's happening now, but voicing out my mind would give solace not just to me, but to many others who are sharing the same sentiment.

First of all, I am alarmed at how Sir Joey has been quite blunt in the word wars lately. I am reading his tweets and he has never been more frank, crossing the usual line of overtones that he has been frequent in treading. But from what I know of him, he is usually safe with his choice of words, not unless provoked and pushed to the edge. Meaning, his patience has been tested with all the maligning over social media and on air.

Competition, over history, has been a measure of pushing the limits of two or more entities in excelling and improving their current situations to fight for anything that will make them supreme. In short, competition is supposed to be a catalyst of progress and development. However, it is not the case recently. The more competitive the shows become, the uglier the scenario looked.

The other party has become desperate in going at par with what Eat Bulaga has been showing: rating, after rating, after rating. Showtime wanted to at least have a fair share of the noontime pie.

They suddenly emphasized Twitter's viewer value due to the number of tweets the AlDub Nation achieves on a daily basis: A million a day. I was surprised at the sudden change of pace, thinking that they could have the advantage if the show could flash the Hashtags that people could follow. For the AlDub fans, the story is different. It's the fan groups that unitedly decide on the HTs and the EB celebrities follow through: now that's fan support at its finest!

Even the support system in the fandom is different. You can only feel good vibes coming from each other. They also correct each other when HTs are wrong. No scolding, no power-tripping. Members also try their best to boost the morale of every individual in every endeavor. Artists, poets, bloggers, animators, graphic designers, video editors, tweet statisticians and many others find their talents valued in this group. They bring in the spirit of Bayanihan in Twitter and you could see history unfold day after day, unmatched by any other fandom in the country.

We do not incubate contention and bashing in this group. However, just as an anecdote goes: "Buddha will get angry when hit three times", it is true with the rest of us. When the going gets tough, we have to protect, but not in the spirit of revenge or hitting back. Instead, we pray for them and ask The Lord to bless them that their feelings of hate and animosity would go away. Making the world a much peaceful and happy place to live in.

Alas, the other noontime show found itself a keg to fire in this battle of ratings. Through another YouTube sensation, they have kindled their flame of hope thinking that following the same model created by Eat Bulaga would work for them. However, it will never be enough.

Placing a girl with poor morals, filthy language, unhealthy lifestyle, and poor grammatical skills, despite of working in a call center, will never come close. And to make matters worse for them, they also have done the most shameful thing a competitor would do for itself: to copy, unadmitedly accept defeat, and just survive the fight. The show displaced its pride and principles just to keep up the pace. Imagine Anne Curtis, a famous celebrity royalty at the other station, gives way to a not-so-famous pastry maker for ratings. How pitiful and sorry is that kind of situation? They have celebrities that have great talent. They have 2 lead vocalists, a world-famous singer who became popular in the UK, a member of an iconic national dancing group, a former player at a national rugby team, a daughter of a diva, a celebrity that has millions of followers over Twitter, and a knowledgeable weather reporter. Oh, and I forgot to include the Korean, along with the trash-talking bashing stand-up comedian.

Have you seen their line-up? Looking at it in a non-biased perspective, they have a powerhouse that could set their own trend! But no, they have placed their fate to a nobody who rants ill of her former love life. As if that would really turn the table around. Is it not ironic?

I am actually feeling sorry for Showtime to be honest. They have established a forte that used to set itself apart from other shows. They used to excel in their own craft and creativity.

However, because of their lust for success and attention, they threw everything away, all the years that they invested for showmanship. They wasted their originality for a shot at glory. The sight is almost cringing. They trashed the moral values of courtship and love enduring. They are teaching their viewers that Twitter is a place to find love, when it's not supposed to be the case. That you can hurry love and lay everything else aside. That swearing is okay and justifiable when you are angry and upset. That it's okay if your parents are not in the know of your relationship and you can go on like nobody cares. That your children can look up to older teens that smoke and have vices.

This fandom is more than just a million tweets if that's what most people think. Behind those tweets are individuals from all walks of life who believe in the power of love that lasts forever. We are believers of a relationship that's fostered by time, patience, and effort. That being old school in courtship and dating is very noble. We are pushing for Alden and Maine for being God-fearing, fun-loving, and fan-supporting. We were not forced and we're also not desperate.

And for the members of our fandom who have tarnished our name as the AlDub Nation? We would like to sincerely apologize on their behalf for barging into groups and pages to defend the love team. They have been moved from their safe stations due to the abuse the fandom is experiencing. We never encourage anyone to step up and fight. They are merely taking defense from attacks that were never intended in the first place.

We, however, are not lenient of such situations and we continue to counsel with them to hold their peace and be loving people; just as how Maine and Alden would want for the members of this world-dominating fandom. We feel sorry for the desperation and hopefully the attempts to gain some ratings would give you the relief sought for the 2-month ultimatum the network has given your show.