Sociology professor: 'Hindi kababawan ang AlDub'

"Kababawan ba ang maalala ang ating bayan at kanilang mga pamilya sa pamamagitan ng Kalyeserye?"

This question was posed by Michael Eduard  Labayandoy, sociology professor from the Lyceum of the Philippines University, during a forum at the Palma Hall in the University of the Philippines about the hit segment on the longest-running noontime show "Eat Bulaga!."

In his paper presented in the public forum, Labayandoy said that based on testimonies of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), their apparent "addiction" to the Alden Richards-Maine Mendoza romance reflects the hardships and struggles they face while working abroad.

"Natutuwa ako dahil tinatalakay (sa Kalyeserye) kaming mga OFW. Sobrang nakaka-relate kami dito dahil kami ang totoong AlDub, sa split screen lang ng Skype namin nakikita ang mga mahal namin. Malayo man kami, patuloy kaming nagmamahal at naghihintay ng tamang panahon, makasama lang namin ang aming mga mahal sa buhay," Labayandoy quoted one OFW as saying.

This, he said, also explains why there are different degrees of how Pinoys abroad subscribe to the phenomenon, from OFWs talking about the love team during day-off gatherings to overcooked food due to Pinoys are too hooked on AlDub.

Labayandoy's findings coincided with the tweet heatmap presented by UP sociology professor Erwin Rafael that showed a big chunk of tweets weren't concentrated in the Philippines alone.

AlDub Nation not mindless

In his own presentation, Rafael maintained that AlDub fans are not "mindless morons," but rather people who have a sense of community that sparked numerous fan initiatives geared on civic activities and education drives, such as blood donations and Maine Mendoza standing for the Lumad communities.

"Hindi nakikita ng mga 'matapobreng intelektwal' ang sense of community na mayroon ang AlDub Nation," he pointed out, adding that attempts to understand the AlDub's fan base led to findings that they are genuine and thinking people.

"The social phenomenon is not AlDub, but the AlDub Nation," Rafael said.

Mix of reality and fiction

Rafael also said that a significant factor behind the love team's success is its being "at the intersection of reality and fiction."

The professor cited the Twitter reactions of Alden's father and Maine's sister to Kalyeserye and the involvement of the real Maine and Alden into the famous Eat Bulaga segment.

Rafael said that one more reason why Filipinos love the AlDub teamup is because the split-screen lovers are "real and unpretentious."

Dubbed "Kababawan? A serious look at the AlDub Nation," the forum is among the activities lined up for the celebration of the UP Diliman Sociology Department's 53rd anniversary. —ALG, GMA News