Dear Justine,
The best measure of the correctness of one's usage of an idiomatic expression, whether in English or in any other language, is its fidelity to the mood or spirit of the particular occasion--and all the more so when it is expressed in widely-shared online social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. At issue here is a Philippine presidential candidate's birthday greeting on Facebook to Kim Chiu, a youthful Korean-Filipina entertainment personality who happens to be her high-profile political endorser for the highest post of the land.
The birthday greeting by no less than Philippine Vice President Leny Robredo was this verbatim:
"Kim, Happy Birthday. Magkasunod pala Birthday natin. But I want to wish you a very happy birthday. Ah I KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN A GOOD PLACE NOW."The language row was triggered by the expression "Ah I KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN A GOOD PLACE NOW." What does that expression precisely mean and was it appropriate to say it for the occasion? From the intimate way it was said
("Ah I know...), it seems to hint that other than the felicitation, the post also carries a private or personal message known only to the greeter and the greeted. At any rate, however, was the statement "you are in a good place now" a felicitation befitting the occasion?
The furor started on a combative turn when one Mark Lopez, a Bongbong Marcos follower, posted an image on Facebook quoting the greeter's message verbatim. Below it Mark Lopez addressed the greeter with an insulting epithet and made this disparaging remark:
"Bakit hindi tayo na inform na deds na si Kim?" ("Why weren't we informed Kim has died?")
This remark took issue with the impropriety of the phrase "a good place now"--not exactly "a better place now" in the more common form of the idiomatic expression--as a euphemism for
death, meaning that someone has died and has gone to Heaven, as in the statement "Mother Theresa
is in a better place now."
One Mela Franco Habijan, a Robredo supporter, excoriated Mark Lopez for having equated the expression "in a good place now" with the presumption that the greeted one has died. Mela went to great lengths on Facebook to clearly distinguish between “You are in a good place” and “You are in a better place.”
Mela explained: "'You are in a good place” is an idiomatic expression that means someone is confident, [and] content. Being in a good place means one’s mental state is at peace."
In making this fine distinction as an afterthought, I think Mela made a good point between the sense and essence of “You are in a good place” and “You are in a better place.” However, I do believe that the lesson in the use of language to be learned here is that we need to match the occasion carefully and precisely with our choice of words and our expressed thoughts, particularly when we are not really duty-bound but simply inclined to publicly share those thoughts in passing. This would have been the case if the greeter made just a simple birthday greeting on Facebook, avoiding the spur-of-the-moment artifice of saying "You are in a good place now" that--as it happened--just backfired with dire consequences.
Kim Chiu, the greeted birthday celebrator, was understandably livid about the whole thing. She posted this message on Facebook in Tagalog: "Don't you dare tell me that!* You weren't the one greeted but me. I was the birthday celebrator. You are just a kibitzer but you are overacting. Me, I understood what she was saying because her message was meant for me. In your case, have you ever been greeted on your birthday by someone whom you look up to? Get rid of your negativity. So everybody can have a better life. Smile!"
*This was in response to this comment in Tagalog by someone whose name was blotted out in the posting: "OMG the Madama VP's
greetings to Kim Chiu gave me the goosebumps! It made me think it was RIP for Kim Chiu! Sorry!" [END OF THE EXCHANGE]
My point here is the need to resist the temptation to flaunt our literary grasp of idiomatic expressions. We must stick to the point and spirit of the occasion,
as in this excerpt from a young woman's 2009 letter of condolences to the family of a departed friend:
Sat Aug 29, 2009
"It's funny how you think you have an infinite amount of time to build a friendship with an acquaintance."
"What a gift Lauren, the reminder to follow up with those thoughts... to call when you mean to call...to set a date the next time you say 'we should get together soon', to tell people how grateful you are to have them in your life, to reminisce on good times, to cherish those little moments, those small encounters, to value those connections that you make with people when you feel that connection, that feeling when you meet someone and you feel that you've known them forever... thank you Lauren.
"I know Lauren is in a good place. Her heart was pure. She carried the essence of beauty. She shared her love and light. She touched my life and she is truly missed..."
Love,
HB.
The italicization of "I know Lauren is in a good place" for emphasis is mine, Justine. That's all I can add and share with you and with other Forum readers about this touchy and politically tainted subject.
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