LITTLE did Joey de Leon expect that his “depression joke” would stir the proverbial hornet’s nest.
Nakilahok na rin kasi, hindi lang ang mga netizens, kundi mga kapwa niya celebrity who have expressed dissent over his remark (on Eat Bulaga) that “gawa-gawa lang ‘yon ng tao.”
Bagama’t marami sa kanila ay maayos na nagpaliwanag even sharing their own personal struggles with depression either invoving themselves or their families ay kakaiba naman ang atake ng beauty queen na si Mariel de Leon.
We’re reserving a space for Mariel sa bandang dulo ng kolum naming ito, but not necessarily saving the best for last.
Since Tito Joey (advanced happy birthday po!) miscalculated the effect it had on the viewers ay agad naman siyang nag-post ng apology, confusing depression with stress and regarding both disorders as one and the same.
Kilala si Tito Joey ng publiko for being facetious, ito ‘yung nagbibitaw ng biro na maaaring uncalled for at hindi hinihingi ng isang seryosong pagkakataon.
Remember his Mt. Everest post on his Instagram account years ago?
At sino rin ang hindi makakalimot sa naganap na stampede noon sa programa ni Willie Revillame where scores were dead and injured?
Pero sa pagkakataong ito—where Tito Joey was man enough to own up to his insensitivity (if not sheer ignorance sa isang terminong may clinical definition)—ay lalo kaming humanga sa kanya.
Puwede naman kasi niyang ikatwiran na isa siyang komedyante, and therefore what he delivered on air was nothing but a joke na hindi dapat seryosohin.
Although by being a jester does not give him the license to make fun of anything real and serious, nakakabilib pa rin ang pagpapakumbaba ni Tito Joey as he confessed to being admonished by his wife and kids for his flippant remark.
Para sa amin, maganda ang ganitong pangyayari on national TV as Eat Bulaga provides an avenue for an intellectual discourse on any subject.
The thread of social media comments—dissenting as these may be—ay mistulang balon na maaaring pagkunan ng dagdag na kaalaman.
This makes the noontime program rise above mula sa mga walang kawawaang uri ng pagpapatawa which insult the viewers’ sensibilities.
Imagine, ang inakala pala ni Tito Joey na isang simpleng pakiramdam ng tao, based on the netizens’ participation, is a serious human condition?