SO, who?s to blame for the recent snafu involving Manny Pacquiao and his alleged anti-gay sentiments?
For the record, though Manny was forthright enough to make public his stance against same-sex marriages, there was never any reference or allusion to gays being put to death directly from the ?Pambansang Kamao.?
To recall, it was an article on the Examiner.com by Granville Ampong captioned as ?Pacquiao rejects new twist on scriptures? last May 12, 2012 which caused the gaffe. The paragraph in question reads as follows:
?Pacquiao’s directive for Obama calls societies to fear God and not to promote sin, inclusive of same-sex marriage and cohabitation, notwithstanding what Leviticus 20:13 has been pointing all along: ?If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.?
Unfortunately, some writers took this to mean that Manny himself directly quoted the Bible passage and in a flash, the Pacman was unfairly pilloried for being a bigot.
The vilification ranged from hate columns, to cancellations of public appearances, calls for termination of endorsement deals and television dress-downs.
In an effort to stem the tide of revulsion that ensued, Granville issued a clarification in a subsequent article stating that:
??.nowhere in my supposition and integration of my interview with Pacquiao did I mention that Pacquiao recited this Leviticus 20:13 nor did I imply that Pacquiao had quoted such. I have simply reminded in my column how God made it clear in the Old Testament time that such practice of same-sex marriage is detestable and strictly forbidden, in as much as God wants to encourage his people practices that lead to health and happiness and fullness of life. As my style of literary writing suggests in almost all of my columns, the critical thoughts I tied up in the structure of thoughts I wanted to convey pertinent to this issue at hand do not translate Pacquiao’s point of view, however conservative I am in my exposition. (?Biased writers grossly twisted Pacquiao?s view on same sex marriage?, Examiner.com May 16, 2012)
Despite this explanation, Ampong reportedly received numerous death threats on his Facebook page.
STYLE. Though I am hesitant to chastise a fellow writer for the writing style he chooses to employ, I will rib him for the firestorm he created.
As prolific a writer as he is, the afore-cited paragraph isn?t exactly his finest moment. It is beset by maladroit ambiguity and susceptible to dual interpretations.
It only takes one biased and opinionated writer to put words into Manny?s mouth and this is exactly what transpired.
Though he did not exactly state that Manny directly quoted from the passage, it could reasonably be inferred that perhaps Manny might have obliquely mentioned the same in the course of their interview.
After all, if Manny didn?t even make any reference to the Leviticus verse, Granville could have been clearer in his discourse or ?style of literary writing? as he puts it, and this misunderstanding could well have been avoided.
However, Granville has apologized repeatedly to his readers, to Manny Pacquiao and all those he may have offended for the blunder.
ISSUE. I believe a call for sobriety is in order. This Last Rounder couldn?t care less about what Manny thinks about gay marriages (at least not in this boxing column).
But I guess that is fair warning to all writers to be more circumspect and to avoid the pitfalls of journalistic excesses.
Just a thought. I shudder to imagine the uproar locally if Congressman Pacquiao had stated the contrary and supported gay marriages. Now, that becomes an election issue.
DENVER. If it?s not too much to ask, please say a good one to the Man above for our very own Denver Cuello who defends his WBC Silver Straw weight title in Celaya, Mexico against Mexican Ganigan Lopez.
Denver is one of our brightest prospects to carry the mantle of Philippine boxing in the years ahead. He is 30-4 with 20 KOs while Lopez wields a record of 20-4, 14KOs.
LAST ROUNDS. Are on SAC?s ?pambato? songstress Goldie Lebumfacil and Super-Idol star center, Atty. Fermin Pepito, who recently celebrated their birthdays. Cheers!
