[OPINION] The ‘not all’ narrative and why it’s a problem

I woke up to a raging Facebook feed. A cop in Tarlac had murdered two of his neighbors over an argument about boga, an improvised canon usually made of bamboo. In a video of the incident, policeman Jonel Nuezca pulled his gun out and shot a mother and her son in broad daylight – in front of bystanders and his own daughter.

Progressive individuals, groups, and organizations were having none of it online. Hashtags condemning the police dominated social media platforms, with some calling for justice, and the dismantling of the PNP itself. But as in all controversies, there were those who condemned the wrongdoers, and those who defended them.

Unfortunately, my family members and a few of my friends belonged to the latter. Some former classmates shared content claiming that not all policemen were like Nuezca, and that good cops still existed within the ranks of the Philippine National Police. My grandfather, an ex-cop, said maybe there was a good reason the victims were shot, as if police officers brimmed with logic in everything they do.

It hit me right then and there how messed up the system was. And it isn’t just because high-ranking officials coddled oppressive institutions, but because they’re courageously defended by blind followers.

This is especially true with the use of the classic “not all…” defense, which does nothing to remedy a problem. In many social issues, it’s been used to protect the majority from the mistakes of individual actors.

In feminism, we have “not all men…” In white racism, we have “not all white people…” And now, we have “not all police…” But all of them are cut from the same irrational cloth.

Minimizing accountability

For the record, no one is saying every man, white person, or cop is bad. Neither are we discounting all the good they may have done. But instantly coming to the defense of faulty organizations when their members misbehave does no one any good. It minimizes accountability and makes an otherwise problematic group seem acceptable.

Whenever we say not all of Group X’s members are bad, we reinforce the idea that everyone in them and everything else they’re doing is okay. This prevents them from checking whether the problem has been internalized into their culture. Hence, nothing is done to solve the root cause of the issue.

Worse, the not-all argument normalizes non-action. In the case of the PNP, officials have condemned Nuezca, but explained that his crime was an “isolated incident.” Duterte supporters and other cop loyalists have struck a similar chord. The glaring problem here – apart from the fact that many other police killings have occurred in the past – is that they’re becoming enablers.

That’s how bad the situation is. Today, some people look at a killer cop, and their first course of action is to defend the institution he belongs to, rather than show mercy for the ones he’s murdered.

Trivializing tragedy

Perhaps the saddest part is they don’t realize this incident hints at just how vulnerable we are as civilians. Any of us could have easily been at Nuezca’s mercy if we were his neighbors. How would we feel then, seeing all these people on social media come to protect him and the organization he works for?

It’s easy to use the not-all argument and trivialize what happens to others. After all, it’s never happened to us, so how true and widespread could it really be? I found myself saying something similar a few years back whenever someone who was harassed would come forward and relay their experiences with men. Saying “not all guys are like that” came almost naturally, but that was me speaking my truth and not letting others live theirs.

Over time, learning about the stories of people who fell victim to abusers changed my point of view. The fact that I was catcalled while walking home one night was the final slap in the face that made me realize how flawed my logic was.

Generally, we don’t concern ourselves with the lives of others; but we shouldn’t have to experience something bad before we start caring for the ones experiencing it now; and what better way to start than by junking the not-all excuse and holding both erring individuals and institutions accountable.

As a student, educating others about this has proved difficult. I have the guts to reply to comment sections or Twitter threads, but I clam up whenever I’m at the dinner table with my family and they’re victim-blaming helpless citizens. This doesn’t mean I’ve stopped trying, though, and neither should anyone else out there who is aware of the problem.

When it comes down to it, our words and reasoning may either pave the way toward a solution, or prohibit us from finding one. Sticking to the not-all narrative belongs to the latter. For as long as we defend and enable those in the wrong, we’re not solving the problem; we’re part of it. – Rappler.com


Jethro Bryan Andrada is a communication student at the University of the Philippines Baguio. There, he is a writer and graphic artist for Outcrop, the school’s official school publication.