Congratulations, you've been duped

Sade's 'Smooth Operator' is playing in the neigborhood karaoke joint. The familiar "smooooth operay-tah..." drone of somebody bastardizing the song has been going on for sometime now. The singer's probably a middle-aged woman who took part in the 1986 People Power revolution and who worshipped Sade during the 80s. Not exactly a horrendous rendition, but it's obviously not from someone with an innate talent in singing. Pwede na.

Before Sade I heard several people cover artists like Bread, Tom Jones, Duran Duran and Cliff Richard in varying degrees of shrieks and attempts at actual singing. I'm no expert but even a first-grader would agree with me had he heard the same ruckus across the street. Even my one year-old son is making the same cringing expression everytime he's taking a major dump while standing. The Sade-singer is the most pleasant-sounding among the bunch.

There goes the obligatory "TAN-TANANAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TANTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Followed no doubt by that "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL SINGER!" in bold brilliant letters.

Even video machines are good at the same oily politicking TRAPOS have mastered to dupe people into putting more money into their pockets. Or more 5-Peso coins into their coin slots.

Amazing how flattery and overlooking obvious flaws can manipulate people into doing what you want.