The Chains of blunted discontent: The protest inaction of jeepney drivers and a re-conceptualization of political alienation

This research is based upon the contention that any evaluation of democracy and democratization in the case of the Philippines must include an analysis of public acts of protest since this is still a part of the general repertoire of political participation in the Philippines, even though such acts have failed to gain mass support from non-participants who could benefit if such activities would succeed in influencing the policy process. For this reason, this paper has decided to posit and explore the question what will explain the existence of Inaction in the context of discontent from the perspective of Rational Choice theory and a Marxian re-conceptualization of political alienation. From the data gathered, this paper concluded with a proposed conceptual framework for political alienation. This framework is based upon the exploration of how inaction could exist in the context of discontent via a set of disempowering beliefs that an inactive social individual holds against him/herself, and mobilizing actors. To put it simply, this paper argues that the co-existence of discontent and inaction is due to political alienation built on blunting or a process wherein a supposed incentive is transformed into a non-incentive without being removed totally from a decision-making process. Hence, from its grounded theorizing this paper argues that the co-existence of discontent and inaction is based on political alienation constituted by blunted discontent a condition wherein the need to politically resolve a certain problem, though maintained, is deviated from activities directed at the perceived political root of the problem and blunted empowerment a condition wherein the need to politically resolve a certain problem is overtaken by the need to address its perceived effects on a certain set of values.