The Philippines’ former solicitor general became everyone’s favorite Twitter user when he castigated a former student yesterday for his condescending tweets.
Drama started when Chad Osorio, a graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) law school and an international award-winning writer, posted what many perceived as an insulting tweet last week.
He posted, “Mediocrity posts all around, congratulating students for barely passing their subjects. I’m like, are you for real? [laughing emojis] I do understand that school isn’t the end-all, be-all of life, but why are we romanticizing being average instead of striving hard to be the best we can be?”
His post has been retweeted 540 times and liked 3,600 times.
Mediocrity posts all around, congratulating students for barely passing their subjects.
I’m like, totoo ba kayo? 😂😂
I do understand that school isn’t the end-all, be-all of life, but why are we romanticizing being average instead of striving hard to be the best we can be?
— Chad Osorio (@BabyChadOsorio) May 25, 2018
He follows it up with a post saying, “And don’t give me that bull that that’s all your brain can handle. Your mind is powerful, and can do anything it sets itself to do. You’re just not exerting enough effort. Haist. Life’s too short to celebrate mediocrity.”
And don’t give me that bull na yan lang kaya ng utak nyo.
Your mind is powerful, and can do anything it sets itself to do.
You’re just not exerting enough effort. Haist.
Sayang ang napakaikling buhay celebrating the mediocre.
— Chad Osorio (@BabyChadOsorio) May 25, 2018
Some netizens were hurt by the tweets, such as @seanisagirl, who posted: “Hi, I’m a little hurt by this. I did my best to become an academic awardee in college but my best wasn’t good enough to get that (sic) even a cum laude. What I got were non academic (sic) awards like journalist of the year, leadership excellence, OJT of the year and the like.”
Hi, mejo nasaktan ako. I did my best to become an academic awardee in college but my best wasn’t good enough to get that even a cum laude. What I got were non academic awards like journalist of the year, leadership excellence, OJT of the year and the like.
— seanisagirl (@seanrcy) May 26, 2018
Another user who goes by the handle @TheJRichard says there are many factors to explain why students fare badly in school.
He said: “Sir, not all students have the same IQ. Not everyone can excel in all subjects. Some are physically, mentally, financially, and emotionally unstable. Some are stressed out by their professors. Some are merely forced into their [college] courses. Others are exhausted from their daily commute. There are a lot of factors, yes?”
Sir, not all students have the same IQ. ‘Di lahat kaya mag-excel sa lahat ng subjects. Yung iba physically, mentally, financially & emotionally unstable. Yung iba ginigipit ng prof. Yung iba napilitan lang sa kurso. Yung iba sa byahe pa lang napapagod na. Ang daming factors ano?
— James (@TheJRichard) May 25, 2018
One user @midori posted only two words to describe Osorio. “Arrogant. Irritating,” he wrote in Filipino.
Napakayabang. Nakakairita.
— midori (@amoriaticacid) May 25, 2018
Osorio has apologized for his initial tweets, but wrote: “But aren’t you sick and tired that we’ve increasingly been lowering our standards for achievement?”
UPDATE: I’m sorry if people got offended, I really am. Please know that it’s not my intent to do so.
But aren’t you sick and tired that we’ve increasingly been lowering our standards for achievement?
— Chad Osorio (@BabyChadOsorio) May 26, 2018
Yesterday however, Osorio’s former law professor Florin Hilbay stepped in to give his thoughts on the whole saga.
Hilbay, who was formerly the Philippines’ solicitor general, studied at Yale Law School and was a Fulbright scholar in the United States in 2001. He led the government’s winning legal team in its arbitration case versus China over the South China Sea.
Wrote Hilbay in Filipino and English: “Chad, take it easy with the condescending attitude about students barely passing and mediocrity. I got 2.75 in Crim[inal law] bec[ause] I decided to teach in UST [University of Santo Tomas] to earn some extra money. They’re proud stories of survival.–Your former professor in UPlaw.”
Chad,
Hinay-hinay w the condescending attitude about students barely passing & mediocrity.
I got 2.75 in Crim bec of a personal tragedy & 3.0 in Labor bec I decided to teach in UST to earn some extra money. They’re proud stories of survival.
–Your former professor in UPlaw.
— florin hilbay (@fthilbay) May 28, 2018
Hilbay’s rebuke was so effective that Osorio tweeted back: “Hi Sir, Thank you for calling me out. Again, I apologize if the tweets seemed condescending and failed to take into account the various struggles of people. Such were not my intent. But yes, I should really word things better, & be more emphatic towards others, esp online.”
Hi Sir,
Thank you for calling me out.
Again, I apologize if the tweets seemed condescending and failed to take into account the various struggles of people. Such were not my intent. But yes, I should really word things better, & be more emphatic towards others, esp online.
— Chad Osorio (@BabyChadOsorio) May 28, 2018
Hilbay’s tweet was retweeted 5,800 times and liked 31,000 times.
He seems like a well-loved professor, judging by how one Reddit user, wintermute78, wrote about him: “This guy (Hilbay) once told me that gaining XP [is] better than good grades. [F]ollowed his advice and no regrets ever since.”
Yup, sounds like the kind of professor anyone would like to have.
