u/Jazzlike-Zucchini-30

▲ 42 r/Benilde

be warned about this prof

(disclaimer: I'm not from CSB)

so I had the displeasure today of coming across an old name on google: "Alvin Servaña." after some digging I found out that he seems to be teaching general ed courses in Benilde and PUP(?) currently. let me just say, this guy brings problems wherever he goes. I was a former student of his (I won't say when or where, for privacy ofc) but trust me he is absolutely problematic and he's been switching schools and teaching positions ever since (as in never siya tumatagal sa isang school).

I don't know what he's like nowadays as a teacher in Benilde, but you can search previous subreddit threads (edit: here and here) and see his comments (e.g. unreasonably strict, unclear communication, locks students out of the classroom, etc etc) which totally sound like something he'd do. be forewarned and enlist his classes at your own risk.

I won't go into detail about what my experience of him was like but we (my classmates and I) definitely agree that he's some kind of narcissist and has underlying psychological problems (like a massive, I mean astronomical, divinely-sized ego). it's crazy he has the guts to call himself a Christian and all, given the way he acts towards people (afaik he was studying theology to become a pastor?!?! wild). and the fact that wherever he goes, may dala siyang problema at eventually aalis (or papaalisin) din siya. hope the same goes for Benilde, PUP, and whatever future schools he might terrorize.

"when Bob has a problem with everyone, Bob is most likely the problem"

you have been warned!

p.s. if you have any more interesting details/experiences of what he's like in CSB, I'd love to hear them... even just for the sake of confirmation/closure lol, the experience of that man is really something different.

peace to my fellow Benildeans and greetings from Diliman 😁🌻

reddit.com

Gen AI and cancel culture on social media

Let's say you were scrolling social media one day, and came across a silly post of a famous influencer/content creator you follow that used generative AI. How would you react? How would it make you feel?

Would you go so far as to post/upvote demeaning comments, or even threaten the poster or insult their humanity?

This is a phenomenon I've noticed on social media (particularly Instagram) lately. And it's just a curiosity of mine, not any serious sociological inquiry. But it really got me thinking about the state of cancel culture, social media dynamics, and the controversy surrounding gen AI.

Nowadays AI is all around us on the internet. It's basically integrated into the features of most major apps we use. I imagine the footprint of this alone is massive. But let's say an influencer posts one silly picture using AI, for example, the recent Korean baseball video meme. Suddenly a flood of backlash erupts that quickly devolves into hate comments.

Maybe it's just me, but it's quite bothering to be honest. And that's the crux of what's getting me thinking about how society is reacting to AI, particularly as shown through these examples.

What could it be telling us? There is a genuine social anger at generative AI, but it's being directed into such limited (and, dare I say) ineffective and indiscriminate locations. Is it because of influencers' visibility that they get targeted the strongest? Are people just hopping on the bandwagon, not caring about what they are commenting? And what about the irony that posting even more comments (especially repetitive GIFs that are meant to insult the creator) only generates more engagement, not to mention data usage?

This really puzzles me and I'm itching to make sense of why these things happen. Any sociological or even non-sociological perspectives and explanations welcome.

TL;DR - AI is everywhere and people are mad. But when an influencer posts one stupid AI-generated picture or meme, suddenly the comment section is up in arms with an unprecedented level of vitriol and disgust. What could explain such intense yet isolated reactions?

edit: it seems I have offended people by my very question and received a wave of downvotes in response. I still believe dialogue is important wish people could talk about it instead though. and no, I do not support or write anything using AI in this post.

reddit.com
u/Jazzlike-Zucchini-30 — 21 days ago

Does anyone else here experience being around people physically and located within social groups, yet feeling unable to relate deeply with anyone at all?

I've felt this way for a long time, and I'm starting to realize it might be connected to emotional neglect and trauma.

Growing up, I was taught to put on a filter for others. Act this way. Say these things. Be such and such a kind of person. I could never simply "be me," nor did I really learn why that was supposed to be important, especially (and even so!) in social settings.

Nowadays, I notice that people (presumably, those who didn't experience the things I did) tend to be far more self-assured, confident, and proud of their individual passions and pursuits. And that this sense of pride in themselves leads to natural connections with other, similarly passionate people. This is the regular way that people connect, and form deeply meaningful relationships.

Without that kind of assurance to present myself, especially socially, without all those artificial filters that don't really represent me, I find myself unable to really connect with anyone beyond the surface.

Have others experienced something similar? What does that feeling of isolation—or loneliness despite being surrounded by others—mean to you personally?

reddit.com
u/Jazzlike-Zucchini-30 — 2 months ago