Ang tanga, tanga mo, chuuurrvvaaa...

Moral decadency?

Being Vice President of a company where your employees are predominantly gay is not easy. Believe me, there are times where your tolerance capacity is put to the test. But being gay these days does not necessarily refer to your sexual preference. It has become a “sub-culture” where anyone can be gay with how things are done and the overall attitude behind it all. Most especially in this country, the gay lingo seems to have superseded other kinds of talk. I hear it from women, straight men… virtually everyone.

I find it harder to digest when women try to out-gay the gays. Despite the “fun” atmosphere it promotes, such attitude should be practiced in the right context. Don’t get me wrong, I am a loud person and I enjoy the company of my employees most of whom are gays, especially during drinking sessions or light moments, but addressing superiors in gay lingo just isn’t my thing. It might work for some but it sure as hell doesn’t work for me.

Yesterday, on my way to work, I got a call from my Executive Director about a confrontation between two marketing personnel. One higher than the other, they were already warned by the ED that their “casual” and “too comfortable” relationship might lead to confrontation… and so it came to pass.

Same thing with addressing your employees and the treatment as well as your relationship with them, a certain amount of decorum is expected in order to reap the benefits of the golden rule. As it has been said, “familiarity breeds contempt”.

Apparently, the higher of the two called the other “tanga” in front of everyone and so the strain almost turned into a cat fight. The derogatory term was apparently meant to be a joke but was taken serious. Hell, if someone called me that I’d kick in their teeth, too.

And that, for me, is the problem. Some people seemingly are not shaped to have moral ascendancy above others because with the little power they have they wield it like some kind of a trophy. Ascendancy simply means that you have to be at your best at all times… but the other thing is… Will you best be good enough?