It’s safe to say that this year has already been replete with celebrity drama, and to think we’re just almost a month into 2023! The latest to take the spotlight was Alex Gonzaga; and unless you’re living under a rock, you probably heard of all the nuts and bolts of the cake-smearing fiasco that drove the needle into the conversation of treating service workers fairly as well as the dangers of using *aggressive* humor in public.
Alex has already waved the white flag by issuing an apology to the parties involved, albeit it wasn’t welcomed gracefully by netizens who questioned the need for a signed *acceptance* letter from the service worker. But what makes everything more alarming is that while we can all say that Alex played a major part in the act and is already facing the consequences of it—onlookers who cheered and celebrated her seem like they’re leaving the situation unscathed, choosing to be expedient to look the other way around when push came to the shove. Never mind the fact that these friends call themselves “influencers” too, take for instance, Dani Barretto, the one who filmed and uploaded Alex’s act on the day of the actress’ festive birthday bash.
“I’m honestly more concerned with the fact that Dani Barretto shared it on IG story and didn’t see firsthand that it was blatantly pambabastos (even zoomed it on to Kuya’s face). Like people had to call them out pa to see what was wrong with it? Nakakabulag ba ang pera?” one netizen asked, among several negative comments directed to the vlogger.
According to American Psychological Association, “enabling” can refer to patterns within close relationships that support any harmful or problematic behavior and make it easier for that behavior to continue. There are enablers of all sorts. There are the doctors involved in famous Hollywood actors’ deaths for supplying them with prescription pills that led to their eventual overdose. A-listers who became overnight laughingstocks for acting surprised by a sexual predator’s behavior when it’s a longstanding open secret in the industry.
In the local influencer circles: all the partygoers who posed beside Martin Del Rosario’s Jeffrey Dahmer costume for Halloween when it was practically announced as a taboo practice all over social media. And then there’s Donnalyn Bartolome’s kanto-themed birthday bash, attended by personalities whom you thought *would know better*. Heck, even you and I can be enablers, too—I remember this one time a guy I dated had a cheater for a best friend, but he wouldn’t do anything about it because “it’s none of his business.”
If we’re talking about traditional showbiz, it should come as no surprise that an industry built around pretended characters and scenarios could also act like nothing was amiss. But here goes influencers, so-called stars who pride themselves on “showing their real colors” and banking on the relatability currency to sell their vlogs to the viewing public. Shouldn’t it be part of their responsibility as influential personalities to extend their values to their loved ones and refuse to tolerate their act when it’s causing more harm than good? Being supportive of a friend is a universal thing that anyone can accept, but one should also think of the consequences of each act.
It’s a no-brainer that Alex’s recent downfall will be a warning sign for others to be more mindful of their own actions. But here’s to hoping that this also serves as a lesson to those who tolerate their friends’ toxic behavior. Celebrity or not, it takes courage to offer truth rather than cheerful platitudes in difficult situations. But that’s exactly what those we care for, and the world, need more of.
MORE FROM COSMO:
Dear Alex Gonzaga, Kindness And Humor Are Not Mutually Exclusive
Enabler Behavior? Netizens Call Out Dani Barretto On *Cheering* For Alex Gonzaga’s Act
You Are Not What Your Job Is, And It *Doesn't* Pay To Be Married To Your Work