JE C.C.
The world of showbiz has inadvertently become a stepping stone for several celebrities into the realm of politics. It also prompted those already in the political arena to create change, albeit [not necessarily] for good.
They say art imitates life. It’s when movies, TV shows, novels, and other forms of literary work, depict what happens in real life. Zero-to-hero and rags-to-riches stories are the common features, although profound human stories that explore the depths of human suffering and victories are great impetuses for creative works.
There’s a barrio girl who was given a sentient white stone that allows her to transform into someone else with superman’s strengths and abilities. There’s an ordinary cop who spent his life in the force, preserving justice for the oppressed, only to become a vigilante who pursued his purpose even in the shadows.
Through the years, familiar but tangible storylines have moved audiences, readers, and spectators. Lasting imprints are left embedded in the heart and mind of people, whose next decisions in life, are partly due to the characters they watched, heard, or read. Art imitates life, and because that’s true, we also find truth in the other way around.
Let’s talk about the overlapping worlds of showbiz and politics. As Filipinos, seeing celebrities take their star power into the political arena, is no longer a foreign scene. It has become commonplace in our setting, in fact. Action stars, box office, and television royalties become mayors, lawmakers, sometimes even presidents. This does not necessarily mean a bad thing, but in our case, popularity does not often equate to political astuteness. Interestingly, as much movies and TV shows affect regular viewers, there are some in the world of public offices who actually take cues from fictional characters in films and other forms of media.
When Senator and now presidentiable Ping Lacson withdrew his support for the Death Penalty, he credited the Kevin Spacey-starred film The Life of David Gale for changing his mind.
Lacson, a former national police chief, previously advocated the death penalty. He authored a bill that seeks to punish capital crimes with the death penalty. The film somehow, according to him, made him care more about saving lives, as not all those who find themselves on death row turn out to be guilty.
The Life of David Gale follows the story of its main character, who was on death row after being falsely accused of murdering an officemate.
For a regular listener or voter for that kind of reasoning–it sounds funny or even problematic to some. That said, it’s a testament to how compelling stories impact lives and decisions. When Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s wife revealed he decided to run for the presidency after seeing the 2015 Marvel film, Ant-Man, most of us did not have a hard time believing she was telling the truth.
Although we are yet to find out exactly which part of Scott Lang’s messy but colorful life story prompted the defeated 2016 vice-presidentiable to try his luck at winning the highest government post in the land, we somewhat understand why.
Scott Lang is a convicted thief and later became an Avengers member. Meanwhile, Marcos is a convicted tax evader, and his family is yet to return a hundred billion peso-worth of stolen fortune from the public coffers.
But perhaps, the biggest and most timely reference we can draw from the notion that says life imitates art is the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who previously played a teacher-turned-Ukrainian-President in the television satire ‘Servant of the People’.
Zelenskky got his chance to prove his commitment to his duty when Russia invaded his country. Initially believed to be just an overnight sensation, the former comedian but also a law graduate, inadvertently inked his name on history books.
That said, Zelenskyy, or even Scott Lang, remain cautionary tales, that should remind everyone to delve deeper into characters and scrutinize motives and personalities. Moving narratives are very often created by powerful minds, and they are not solely made to impart positive changes. The demon l wears an angelic charm, and the devil comes in sheep’s clothing. Politics remain a platform for false prophets, and if history is accurate, Filipinos certainly find struggle in discerning who is genuine and who is not.
