By Farah G. Decano

 

THE issue besieging Carlos Yulo now has nothing to do with sports. I have never passionately dipped on any issue so far in social media until recently. Thanks to the family issue of the golden boy which has gone very public.

Interestingly, so many matters have arisen. Comments that are replete with misogyny, elitism, and ageism abound.  Logic seems to have escaped even from so-called intellectuals.

My experience in this fracas started when I posted my hope on my FB wall that Carlos also dedicates his next medal to his family.  I noticed that the Olympian only thanked his girlfriend’s family after his first win.  On my wall, I posted my wish for Carlos to give his parents a proper acknowledgment by thanking them, too, if he bags the next gold.

Suddenly, my wall was barraged by argumentative law schoolmates and those I consider as intellectuals. They misread my wish to be suddenly an imposition on Carlos.I was stupefied with the avalanche of anti-mother sentiments.  I browsed my FB newsfeed and indeed, their sentiments are more popular than my innocuous hope that Carlos recognizes his origin. I was dumbfounded.

Please note that my post was merely a wish that Carlos recognizes his family too. Here are the objections that cascaded unexpectedly:

The mother is very toxic thus we cannot blame Carlos.  Where is the blame in my post?  While admittedly, she is, aren’t we taught to always conduct ourselves properly regardless of how others behave? Gratitude is not only a virtue but it is also a sign of good manners.

Don’t impose on Carlos. He probably has not healed from the trauma caused by his mom.  When is a wish an imposition? For a mentally tough man who was able to obtain two gold medals despite his circumstances, surely a three-second utterance of gratitude to the family who raised him won’t cause such big harm on his mental health.

Leave Carlos alone.  Huh? Since he won the first gold, he was fast becoming the new Philippine idol. He has reached the status of a public figure that most of his conduct can have impact on our young. My post was a call for magnanimity in victory. How bad was that?

Carlos’ popularity is mere coincidental. Why are you holding him accountable?   Huh? His fame may be coincidental but he will certainly become influential.  And indeed, he is now.  Lots of Filipino youth take interest in gymnastics and are now drawing his images into fan arts.  My wish was that he be responsible for his new stature by being a good example.

I browsed other FB pages and I cannot believe the growing antipathy towards the mother, Angelica. I read many clamours for boundaries and respect for children. They assert that children are not investment plans.

Carlos’ mom was definitely painted as a monstrous mother who scammed his son’s funds. Carlos Yulo, together with his girlfriend later released a video online confirming his unhealed trauma and that his funds were taken by the mother without his consent.  Some netizens cheered him as the courageous son who broke the cycle of toxicity in his family.

While the mom already apologized for the outbursts she made on social media, some spectators claim that she deserved all the pain and exonerated Carlos as almost spotlessly innocent.  After all, they claim, the mom started the mess.

As of this writing, Carlos and his girlfriend are still in Paris. The latter posted on her FB, that they are together against the world in Paris insensitive to the agony of Carlos’ mom still being attacked online.  There is a fresh video showing the distorted faces of the lovers even after the mother apologized. I did not find this funny at all. Still, many find his acts as justifiable.

Para sa akin, mas gugustuhin ko ang taong may ginintuang puso kaysa ang taong dalang medalyang ginto ngunit hindi naman mabuting ehemplo sa Kabataang Filipino.  I hope Carlos realizes that attached to his twin victories is the responsibility to be a good model to those who idolize him.

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