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Friday, September 12, 2008

Right Message, Wrong Messenger

I saw the above passage in an establishment. Nice eh? It reminds people of the value of self determination, the personal resolve to pursue the things that to them mean success.


But take a second look at the purveyor of the message….


Pachinko parlors are establishments featuring slot machines, pinballs and other mechanical amusements. They are a-dime-a-dozen in Japan, with their loud music and flamboyant lights dominating areas near train stations and city centers. They share reputation with casinos, which are supposedly banned in Japan. But just the same, people spend money here, and there’s no denying that the activity here is not amusement but pure and simple gambling. I even know of many Filipinos who have confessed to being addicts to the game.


Right message. But obviously, wrong messenger.


34 comments:

The Gasoline Dude™ said...

Nyahaha! Baka success in gambling ang gusto nilang sabihin. Gusto ni Erap at Chavit 'yan! *LOLz*

Anonymous said...

parekoy, nasubukan mo na maglaro niyan?

David B Katague said...

Gambling is an addiction that needs medical attention, just like any addiction, such as nicotine, alcohol or even addiction to the internet or sex addiction for that matter. Here in California, we have "gambler anonymous", an organization that tries to help "gamboholics". Is there a similar organization in the Philippines currently?

atto aryo said...

Gasdude: He he. Ganun nga talaga. Balak pa yatang gawing professional gamblers lahat. :-)

atto aryo said...

Madbong: Ayoko subukan. Eversince takot ako magsugal. Allergic ako sa feeling ng natatalo. heheheh

atto aryo said...

sir david: until now, people in the philippines are still afraid to face their addictions. i don't think there are already those brave enough to even seek the help of a support group, more so if it's "just" gambling.

KRIS JASPER said...

ha,ha,ha!!!

well, it did catch your attention...

Abou said...

ha ha ur damn right.

hindi din ako nagsusugal, ayoko din matalo ha ha. humihingi na lang ako ng balato he he

xxxborgexxx said...

c'mon, man. where's your sense of humor? it just probably is an oxymoron. if you believe you can win, the act of believing just might be good for you even if you eventually lose. who am i kidding? hahaha. cheers ;p

Cordillera Blogger said...

Before, I wanted to splurge lots of money in casinos(in my dreams). But when some family members went broke because of this addiction. I opted not to. And besides, I don't have lots of money to splurge.

Mabuti na lang walang casino dito sa Baguio.Wahahaha

Abaniko said...

Sorry to disagree but for me, the message itself is not even right. It's too Machiavellian.

Panaderos said...

Definitely the wrong messenger. My family had a sad experience with gambling. My late grandfather lost the family business many decades ago due to gambling.

If one gambles, then like smoking, it should be done responsibly and without compromising the quality of one's life and one's relationships with loved ones.

BlogusVox said...

I heard nakaka-addict nga raw yang larong Pachinko. Yun ba yang hinuhulugan mo nang "black ball" yung mga slots?

I myself don't gamble but I play with numbers. Gambling is a game of chance while you know the odds when you play with numbers.

atto aryo said...

Kris: Actually, di ko sure if the message actually mattered to the common Japanese. he he

atto aryo said...

abou: tama ka dun. :-)

atto aryo said...

borge: hmm. on second thought, you could be right. you only enter a gambling den once you've already decided to try your luck. might as well persevere, right? :-)

atto aryo said...

jm: i always wonder where gamblers find the funds to roll their luck. many of them are not even regular earners. maybe they do sell they family jewels? :-)

atto aryo said...

abaniko: sino na nga ba si Machiavelli? he he. world peace!

atto aryo said...

panaderos: i guess the act of gambling itself is already a symptom of one's loss of control over his urges. With that, I can no longer imagine the possibility of responsible gambling.

atto aryo said...

blogusvox: engineer ka nga he he. but i did hear many people known to be "good" gamblers. Did they study "probabilities"?

totomai said...

its a part of japanese life i guess. saw some them forming their lines outside the place, waiting for it to open up.

dont worry, its panchinkos are not in service for 24 hrs. LOL!

Anonymous said...

whoa. hahahahahahahaha!!! but it must be a fun place to visit... er... is it? :D

escape said...

you have a strong point here.

i agree. right message from the wrong messenger.

nice post!

_ice_ said...

naku buti nalng at di me nahilig sa gambling..

tong 8s lng sa bahay piso piso hahahah

ingat sila lagi

slim whale said...

good marketing team, i should say.

pamatayhomesick said...

dito sa lupang buhangin malakas ang sugal,yung lang daw ang libangan nila eh...lahat ata uso din dito pati tong-its nakarating narin...pareho kami ni abou..abang lang ng balato..ha ha ha.:)

Anonymous said...

wahahaha! i know exactly where this is ;-) isn't this the one at our station?

atto aryo said...

Totomai: corny nga e no? bawal daw ang sugal pero ganun din pala. para rin silang Pinoy: me palusot. he he

atto aryo said...

acey: i think fun nga siya. ang saya ng sounds pag dumadaan ako e. :-)

atto aryo said...

dong: enx!

atto aryo said...

ice: tong-its? aba e andaming pinoy dito na diyan din naloloko. dalang araw minsan, walang uwian!

atto aryo said...

slim whale: i agree, magaling na marketing. pero di ko sure kung gets siya ng target audience hehhehe

atto aryo said...

ever: he he. yan ang d best. balato!

atto aryo said...

caryn: hmmm. di ko na matandaan kung saan ko yan kinuha. hehehe