My thoughts on the Boyet Challenge #NoToBoyetChallenge

For those who are not familiar with the show Special Tatay (actor’s screen name is Boyet) on GMA7, the actor here portrays a person with intellectual disability most likely under ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is frank, takes everything literally, no filter on how he converse, can’t directly look at you at the eye when talking, having a hard time finishing a sentence and talks like a child.

I am not a follower of the show, but I saw some glimpse of it on Facebook. One of the episodes that made me cry was when Boyet is comforting a young girl because she was being bullied by her peers. But when the mom of the little girl saw that her daughter is crying while talking to Boyet, she thought that he is molesting her so she keeps on shouting “rapist!” and she keeps on hurting Boyet with a “walis tingting“. This episode just shows that we people lack awareness about people in this disability. We give malice to their actions where in fact they don’t have any bad intentions about it.

The show was supposed to give awareness about Autism, pero imbes na maging sensitive ang mga tao, ginagamit pang katatawanan ang pagsasalita at galaw ni Boyet. Now there is a trending video of those people who are doing the so-called “Boyet Challenge”. Pang good vibes sabi ng mga nag post, sa inyo siguro, pero sa mga magulang na may anak, kapatid, kamag-anak katulad ni Boyet at ng iba pang disability hindi ito nakakatuwa.

As an ethnographic observation, the thousands of people who have posted this challenge expose a dark layer of society who think persons with disabilities are different, therefore less than them and are laughable. This perpetuates the culture of bullying that Filipino children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities have to live with everyday.

This may be just a TV show or a way to rack up social media likes for some; but this happens in real life for persons with autism and their families. – Autism PH

Ang daming way para magpasikat/magpatawa at magpapansin, bakit kailangan yung may masasaktan ka pa? Mas gusto mo bang makilala as the person who mocks a person with disability or a person who helps someone in need?

That is why I challenge all the moms out there to teach your kids to be more compassionate and sensitive about people with not only disabilities that can be seen but intellectual too. It is our duty as a citizen to raise kids who respect other people whatever they are.

I am a mom of a child with special needs. I am doing my best to teach him to interact with other properly and to show kindness to everyone, I hope you do the same with your typical kids. This child is not mocking anyone and I will be the first one to correct him if he ever does it so please do the same. Your kid, your rule but please teach them what is right.