*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD
“We are living in a time where some people are proud of what they should be ashamed of.” — Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
I remember watching that Senate session on Youtube. Senator Tito Sotto delivered those words with the seriousness they deserved, a truth that should have made everyone in the hall pause. But what followed was disheartening. Senator Marcoleta answered with sarcasm, and instead of silence or reflection, people laughed. It was as if the weight of the message evaporated in an instant, replaced by shallow amusement. I felt a pang of sadness. How could wisdom so sharp be reduced to a joke? How could a nation so desperate for moral direction allow truth to be drowned by laughter?
That moment is a mirror of our society. We live in times when corruption, instead of being hidden in shame, is paraded as strategy. The flood-control scandal, involving billions of pesos in anomalous projects, is a perfect example. Instead of humility and accountability, what do we often see? Grandstanding in Senate hearings, where those accused smile for cameras, joke with lawmakers, and even earn public sympathy. Here, guilt is masked with bravado, and shame is buried under spectacle. What should lead to repentance becomes an opportunity for popularity.
This is what philosophy warns us about. Aristotle believed that true pride (megalopsychia) rests on virtue — that only those who live honorably can rightfully be proud. Yet today, pride has been severed from virtue. Dishonesty is celebrated as cleverness. Greed is labeled as ambition. Even betrayal is rebranded as political survival. Nietzsche foresaw this inversion of values: when societies begin to honor what is disgraceful and laugh at what is noble. We do not need to look far to see it — it is in our headlines, our politics, even in our social media feeds where arrogance is more admired than humility.
The danger of this inversion is not limited to the powerful; it trickles down to ordinary life. A student cheats on an exam and is called “resourceful.” A contractor cuts corners, risking lives, but is praised as “practical” for saving money. A politician is caught in scandal yet still boasts about popularity in surveys, turning disgrace into fuel for ambition. Meanwhile, the quiet, honest worker is forgotten, and the diligent student overlooked. Slowly, the young begin to ask: why do what is right when society claps louder for those who do wrong?
And yet, shame has always been necessary. It is shame that reminds us of our humanity, of our boundaries, of the accountability we owe to others. It is shame that drives us to change. Without shame, there can be no growth. But when shame itself becomes a source of pride, when the disgraced stand tall and even dare to boast about their sins, we move into moral chaos.
I return to that moment when Senator Sotto’s truth was met with laughter. It was not just laughter at a joke — it was laughter at the truth itself. And that is what cuts deepest. It showed me that as a people, we sometimes prefer sarcasm over reflection, spectacle over sincerity. We laugh when we should think. We applaud when we should question. And we admire when we should be ashamed.
But Sotto’s words remain, lingering like a warning. If we keep celebrating what should condemn us, if we keep laughing at wisdom instead of learning from it, then one day we will wake up and find that we no longer know right from wrong. Our children will grow up in a world where being shameless is not only accepted but rewarded. And by then, rebuilding a culture of integrity may be too late.
The real challenge is not just for politicians but for all of us. Pride must be reclaimed and redefined. Pride must come from honesty, from service, from sacrifice, from building instead of plundering. It should come from the quiet dignity of a public servant who works without fanfare, from the resilience of a worker who refuses to cheat, from the integrity of a student who passes with honor rather than deceit. This kind of pride does not make people laugh, but it does make people respect. It leaves a legacy worth emulating.
The day will come when the laughter fades and the truth remains. And when that day arrives, may we remember that pride without virtue is only vanity — loud, hollow, and fleeting. But pride built on what is good will endure, and it is this pride, not the shameless kind, that can still redeem our nation.
