The Privileged and the Oppressed

“Upuan” is a song written by Gloc 9 about the society wherein some are living in thick walls and
some are living in hot steels, according to the lyrics. The approaches of Social Sciences to be applied in
the song analysis are Social Functionalism wherein a society is composed of social structures such as
religion, education, tradition and cultures or the patterns of social relationships between groups; and
Symbolic Interactionism wherein people give meaning to objects, events, beliefs or behaviour as they
interact with society.

“Upuan” is translated to a chair while “po” is a sign of respect to Filipinos. Addressing “po” like
tao po means you respect a person regardless of her personality. This was taught as morals.

The song “upuan” talks about politician who are seated in position to hold authority on the
society. It shows how the rich are comfortably seating in an “upuan” that symbolizes power and
superiority as someone who rules the majority of the place. It clearly depicts the current situation of the
government and reflects the actual state of every Filipino family who are suffering from poverty. The
song talks about the inequality and injustice of the politicians to the person they are serving, the
advantages of the rich from the poor. The politicians tend to abuse their positions, marking the saying
“politics is a dirty game” true but the fact is, the politicians are making it dirty. The song further explains
that the politicians abuse the country’s resources for their personal gain making them more powerful
that those people under may suffer from hunger, poverty and mistreatment.

“Upuan” further discusses the corruption which is the ever-present problem in the society. The
politicians abuse their power and corrupt the money of the people making them more powerful, thus,
silencing the people and taking away from them their rights. From these interpretations, we can say that
“upuan” also symbolizes wealth that whoever sits on it may abuse it.

From the beginning of the song, Kayo po na naka upo subukan nyo namang tumayo at baka
matanaw, at baka matanaw na nyo ang tunay na kalagayan ko, the lyrics are calling out those who
continuously ignore the cries of the people to look at their current state and situation wherein they are
struggling from poverty. They want them to see the current problems of their reign. The verses then
describe how the elites live, how big their mansions are, expensive cars lining up, all of their
possessions. They are unbothered of how strong the rain or heat is. They will not starve, while on the
other hand, the disadvantaged struggle to find their comfort.

Nevertheless, the privileged are unbothered from the current problems of the society even if
the oppressed are calling and hoping for their attention to resolve their discomfort. Selfishness is the
cause of the problems arising in our society such as poverty. The most affected in these situations are
the oppressed because they can’t even afford a single penny yet they are mistreated. The privileged are
products of injustice and the oppressed suffer from it.
 Positivity

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results."-Willie
Nelson

Encountering a lot of person in my life, I have learned that every person has their own good
sides despite of how people see them. We go through different struggles and challenges each day that
greatly affects how we interact with each other. We cannot just say that an individual is bad because he
is a bully, yes, the character he may be seen is bad because he bullies but we don’t know his struggles
that resulted him to bully. Every person is naturally pure and good because they have a mind to think
and a heart to feel.

Let’s face it. There are nasty people out there, from extremely corrupt government officials to
friends who betray and deceive you. Most of the times, those people who you care hurt you because a
stranger does not care but come to think of it, what can you gain if you see them always as a bad
person? It’s better to ponder and think twice to see their positive sides and in that way, you won’t have
problems thinking of the pain they inflicted. I have learned that nobody is bad and nobody is perfect.
Your closest friends have flaws and your enemies have redeeming qualities. Everyone is somewhere on
the scale between zero and the perfect human. This is why your approach to everyone should be the
same.

Furthermore, being positive has nothing to lose. We always say that every person has their
flaws. Try to put yourself in their shoe and situation, then there you will understand them. But, we just
have to be careful because some will abuse your kindness and understanding. It’s not about forgoing
constructive criticism. It’s not about letting people take advantage of you and allowing injustice. There’s
always a place for critical thinking, growth, and justice. If you see each person as, in essence, naturally
pure and good, you can’t hate them, you’ll make feel good around you, you’ll be happier and eventually,
you can change other’s life. Life is too short to entertain negativity.

Carrying on positivity in my life will gain me more friends and less enemies. I will look for the
goodness of the person in which I can use to change them if necessary. Being negative will stress me out
but being positive will make me more productive. Seeing the good in others implies an attitude of
positivity and love. Seeing everyone as a soul just trying to make sense of the world gives you happpiness.
Nobody is all bad. Even the worst people have the potential to be better. It’s not just about being positive
and patient with everyone. Finding only the best in others can transform your life.