20 August 2003 | 1600H | Manila
F4: Foolish Fantasy
Text by: P'an Cortez | Photos by: Pam Ayson
Oh baby, baby... my baby, baby... If you haven't heard these words being sung before, then you definitely aren't in tune with the latest craze that has reached Philippine waters. For quite a few months now, a stork, by way of ABS-CBN, has brought to its viewers an undoubtedly hip and new show that has got almost everyone glued to their seats every weekday at 5:30 in the afternoon. With their good looks, charm, and even angelic voices, the Taiwanese boy band Fantasy Four, or F4 as they are more commonly referred to, is rising the nation's entertainment charts faster than the speed of light.
One can only guess as to how the wild craze has gotten to the extent that it is today. When I say wild and crazy, its actually an understatement because everywhere you go and everywhere you turn, it seems that they are always there! It's not enough that they have invaded the screen, but they have a whole franchise of objects dedicated to them! And I thought the Olsen twins were bad, this can't even compare to that!
The question is, how, from Jesus Christ to local heroes like Jose Rizal, did the country's role models evolve into a group of boys who have barely even sprouted into manhood or better yet, speak in a language foreign to our ears? Don't get me wrong, it's not the age or the race or the fact that they have long hair, but it's the kind of values they are promoting in their soap opera series that is unhealthy for the development of the youth.
These teenage boys have not only been given the opportunity to rise to fame but they are also given the responsibility of shaping up today's youth. They are society's heroes yet they choose to portray roles that show bad examples, one of which can actually be seen through the "most popular" member of the group. Jerry Yen, more popularly known as Dao Ming Si in this series is described to have a very bad temper and tends to beat up other people. He is arrogant and proud and has no respect over authority because he considers himself to be above everyone else. Another one of the members, who goes under the name Xi Men, in Meteor Garden, even believes that women have "expiry dates" and after one week it's time to get rid of the old and start looking for someone new. Also as part of the television series, they send out a wrong message which tells the public that money can control even the youth's education. It tells us that student's can get away with studying because the teacher's are intimidated by their social status.
All this makes you wonder if this is really the kind of show you want to dominate this generation. It makes you wonder if these are the kind of role models you want others, including yourself, to follow. According to a newspaper article it was said that "of the four guys, one is known to keep changing his girlfriend, one has a very bad temper and can be very violent and all four organized a gang in order to bully other students". Now do you really think it's right for the public to allow ourselves to be brainwashed by these kinds of characters? Maybe the next time you decide to flip the channel to your "favorite show", you'd want to think twice because you might not even be aware that it's already corrupting your mind with wrong values.
