Of Pearls And Pigs

Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.
(Matthew 7:6, NJB)

When logic fails and minds have already decided what that is wrong is right, I can only sit back and appreciate the wisdom of Jesus. There is a meaning deeper than perceived here but the gist of the parable is loud and clear: Do not waste anything of substance on those who do not know how to appreciate it.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

9 thoughts on “Of Pearls And Pigs”

  1. it will be better if you can hold your “tongue”. dont do things out of rage. think twice before destroying a person’s income path.

  2. Sure, but have you considered the preceding verses in Matthew 7:1-5?
    “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
    “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

  3. kenny sia said it beautifully:
    “She (xiaxue)’s a bad girl. Not by a long shot is she a positive role model for society. Neither are Britney Spears, Jolin Tsai, Paris Hilton or even Angelina Jolie (UN Ambassador/blood swapper/chain smoker/casual sex advocate).

    My point is, bad role models exist everywhere. Impressionable young kids should not be left unsupervised reading websites like Xiaxue, SarongPartyGirl, kennysia.com, or any other blogs out there for that matter. The onus is on the parents to inform, educate or shield their kids away from bad stuff from the Internet, not hers.”

    in the same way you wrote to voxy and kimage, should you not be writing to the many more big companies the big names above endorses (and i will be DAMN if they respond to you the way myopic voxy and kimage did)

    it remains a fact what you did was underhand. it is WRONG, even DESPICABLE. it’s probably already too late to salvage the endorsements; but have some decency, do the right thing and apologise, will you?

  4. If someone relies on brands and endorsements for a living, it is expected that with so many obligations to companies other than his/her own personal agenda, the person in question should be more aware and responsible for the things that he/she says. as an ambassador of these brands, your image represents them. if you do not represent them positively, or in the manner that they expect of you (at the time of contract signing), it is understandable if they choose to withdraw or terminate the endorsement. comparing xiaxue to angelina jolie etc is a false analogy. the companies/organizations that all the rest of these celebrities represent have full access to their public statements, and possess the liberty to judge and discern too – they may terminate their services if they deem that they no longer represent them appropriately. in this case, xiaxue did not privately publish these rather inflammatory thoughts. she put them up on her website, where she herself confirms, thousands visit everyday. there was nothing defamatory in peter’s actions – however, plenty in her’s. she should have expected that sooner or later, her companies are bound to find out. unless you’re fully certain that what you’re saying is consistent with your companies’ views or is accepted by them, then you shouldn’t say them at all. they aren’t paying you for nothing. if you cannot behave like a responsible adult and think before acting and learn how to bear the consequences of your actions, then perhaps you do not deserve to earn your income in this manner. i don’t think it’s unnatural that i feel very little pity for a loose cannon with unthinking callous remarks that target an already underprivileged, misunderstood and under-represented group. i’m somewhat shocked that people can question the morality of peter’s actions. if he doesn’t speak up for the disabled, may i ask who will and who can?

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