Let us first go to the definition of terms or search for the meanings of these two adjectives.
I googled “disagreeable” and I found its synonyms: unpleasant, displeasing, nasty, horrible, dreadful, frightful, odious, abominable, offensive, obnoxious, objectionable, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, repellent, disgusting, foul, vile, nauseating, sickening, hateful, detestable, distasteful, unsavory, unpalatable, unfriendly, bad-tempered, grumpy, peevish, sulky, sullen.
My goodness, these are 31 ‘unwelcome’ meanings.
“Argumentative” is also an adjective with these synonyms: quarrelsome, disputatious, bickering, contentious, wrangling, cantankerous, polemical, litigious, combative, hostile, confrontational.
The dictionary defines argumentative as “using or characterized by systematic reasoning” (ah ha!) or having a tendency to disagree or agree with other people in an angry way.”
From my readings and study, if you ask me, the most argumentative people or race that I have come to know of are the Greeks.
They love to argue, discuss, debate and contest every meaning and applicability of any idea, concept or word that has any relevance to wisdom and knowledge.
Of course, no need to describe who Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were.
Let’s read and ponder on some of their gems of thought.
Socrates said: “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” (Isn’t this very much applicable with what we see, hear and read over the social media portals?)
Plato said: “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” (Oops, was he referring members of our Congress?)
Aristotle said: “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” (Hahahaha, oops again.)
As the pages of time and history have flipped and gone, the Greeks have been, unfortunately, supplanted and replaced by other races and people who generationally developed into their own ilk. (Hope I am not too unkind to the Greeks.)
But of all these races, the Filipino is the “standout.”
Take the Mamasapano massacre where 44 elite members of the PNP Special Action Force were wiped out during the incumbency of the Noynoy Aquino administration.
Suddenly, millions of Pinoy geniuses hurled their individual groans on FB, Twitter and Instagram; over the radio and on the man-on-the-street TV interviews, accusing the then Pres. Aquino 3rd of “command irresponsibility” but were effectively muted out by the regime’s highly paid staunch defenders in the mainstream media and the CHR that has mysteriously gone quiet.
Yes, there are nearly 110 million “geniuses” in this country who represent the total number of the country’s population who would dangle his two cents worth anytime over the radio or express his feelings on the social media.
Each of them is as much argumentative and disagreeable as their village chief who assumes he is much like the mayor of the town in overseeing his barangay the way he desires.
Every Filipino reckons he is as much knowledgeable as the district congressman who pretends to know, by the palm of his hands, all the solutions to the problems of his congressional jurisdiction.
Each Filipino also disputes the position taken by the senator of the republic as regards issues of national interest like the contentious South China Sea, the myriad of OFW concerns here and abroad, the Comelec fraud, the corruption in all levels of the bureaucracy, the campaign against illegal drugs, the messy and un-solved EDSA traffic problem, the Dengvaxia vaccine deaths, etc, etc.
The generation of Filipinos today is no longer timid and ignorant.
Thanks to the advent of the social media and the proliferation of hi-tech and sophisticated software and hardware, Filipinos can cope and deal with global issues and development, wherever they are and whatever they do.
I am surprised that every Filipino today has the gut feeling to know when a government official is lying or not by his actions or statements; when a customs official is guilty of taking a bribe or is acting in conspiracy with others to commit corruption; when a congressman or senator is falsely accusing someone of a crime because he wants to grandstand; when a cop is on the take or not.
They even know what the President eats for breakfast and ‘merienda’.
Be in the know. Be argumentative but don’t be stubbornly disagreeable. (E-mail your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) 2Thess. 3:13. “And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.” GOD BLESS THE PHIIPPINES!
