UNITY: A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE

 

Dining table and chairs. Refrigerator. Stove. Plates. Forks & spoons. Glasses. Pots & pans. Cutting knives. Pressing iron. Towels. Bed. Pillows. Sheets.

Question: What are they for?

Dumb guess: Sales promo?

Clue: It’s the month of June.

Dumber guess: Summer sales promo?

Another clue: June bride.

Dumbest guess: Summer sales promo for bridesmaids?

Answer: They are essential things inside the apartment of the newlyweds.

Did I miss anything on the list? You may ask, “How about a sofa?” Good question. Sad to say, the newlywed couple’s budget is tight. While he still needs to buy a tool kit and a deadbolt to secure their main door, meanwhile, she longs for a TV and indoor plants. For sure, what they bring in their apartment are the most important things they need to keep their bodies and souls together.

The above list of home essentials stands for the newlywed couple’s physiological needs – the health and biological requirements for them to survive. On top of that list, having an apartment that will “keep the wolf from the door” – equates with their need for safety. The couple go along with the idea that their apartment is not yet ready to play host to visitors, hence, holding off the sofa – reflecting their social need (they put aside for the meantime) for love and belonging in a community. Physiological, safety, and social – the first three levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

I hope my playful opening above has invited your interest to this bookish subject – Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories of motivation. Introducing the concept in his 1943 paper, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” and in his book “Motivation and Personality,” Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, believed that our actions are motivated by the innate human needs that scale up from basic to complex levels in a form of a pyramid: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Interestingly, our newlywed couple lay the cornerstone of their married life at the bottom levels – physiological and safety – hopefully not to be stuck there for the rest of their married life.

In the political context, Maslow’s model played a crucial role in the 2007 election in Australia. Christine Jackman, author, journalist, and communication consultant wrote a chapter, ”The Future Guy,” in the 2009 book “The Best of Australian Political Writing,” giving an account of the political planning behind the Opposition’s wresting the government from the Coalition. She explained how an advertising executive, engaged in preparing for the election, applied Maslow’s model in shaping the strategy.

“The strategy worked,” reported in an article by TPS: A hub for the fifth estate. “The recasting of Maslow’s hierarchical pyramid of human needs into the context of federal politics, and using it to guide election strategy, was a winner.”

FIND A NEED AND FILL IT

In the 2016 Philippine presidential election, PRRD unknowingly put into effect Maslow’s model. Let me explain by reiterating my previous article, “Looking at PH Political Landscape with Management Analytical Eyeglasses.”

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, even his critics would concede that the election campaign turned out well for PRRD who found in the hearts of Pinoys their vital needs and then filled it – a back to basic find-a-need-and-fill-it marketing management principle. What had been the Pinoys’ needs? According to Borgen Project – a non-profit organization addressing poverty and hunger:

1. Over a third of the rural Pinoys are impoverished.

2. At least two-thirds of poor households are headed by no higher than an elementary educated individual.

3. Four out of 10 poor urban families do not have decent living conditions.

The above three conditions, among others, have consigned the majority of Pinoys to the bottom level of Maslow’s model – the physiological need. What’s more, add to that these PRRD spine-chilling words:

“Violence is my strength…there is a need because there’s a [drug] war, and with that kind of problem in my hands now… until the last dragon is killed, this campaign will continue to the very last day of my term…there must be fear.”

Such direful words had enkindled fear which induced added need among Pinoys – to be safe and secure – ultimately entrenching the poor Pinoys in the twin bottom levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – the physiological and safety needs.

Then, PRRD filled such needs with this campaign pledge:

“If elected president, give me about 3 to six months, I will get rid of corruption, drugs, and criminality.”

At the end of his term, having taken Pinoys for a ride, PRRD admitted: “I was really wrong.” As Lao Tzu said: “There is no illusion greater than fear.”

SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE

In the meantime, PBBM in his inaugural address said:

“When my call for UNITY started to resonate with you, it did so because it echoed your yearning, mirrored your sentiments, and expressed your hopes for family, for country and for a better future.” (Underscoring mine)

I don’t think so for two reasons.

First, PBBM followers’ conduct  during and even after the election campaign has been so fiercely damaging that the painful wounds may take too long to heal to achieve the Unity PBBM has aspired for the whole nation as indicated below:

“Robredo’s quotes have been mangled, twisted, [or] fabricated to make her look like she is spouting nonsense. She has been called, rather harshly, Madumb, lutang, tanga, utal-utal, [among others].” (Tsek.ph study)

“Trolls still targeting Robredo past election” (Inquirer headline)

Second, the majority of the poor Filipinos are still stuck at the bottom level of Maslow’s model – in the physiological need.

“43 percent of Filipinos rated themselves as ‘poor’ while 34 percent felt ‘borderline poor’.” (SWS)

Practically, 3 in 4 Filipinos have felt "poor." While stuck in the bottom level of physiological need, poor and hungry Filipinos could not think much of the intangible value of Unity at the upper level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As the Kurdish proverb goes:

“Empty words [like Unity] will not fill an empty stomach.”

Interestingly enough, put side by side, while PRRD’s campaign pledge was like a square peg in a square hole, in contrast, PBBM’s call is like a square peg in a round hole.

Head still photo courtesy of Diva Plavalaguna at pexelsdotcom