03.15.07 kulturnatib

Clothesism

It is not the best judiciary building in the world but the Palace of Justice, officially, the Marcelo Fernan Hall of Justice, behind the main Capitol Building in our city is nice enough. At least its facade is, or rather the entrance area where there is a small plaza enclosed by Ionic columns is quite architecturally pleasant.

Across is the back of the Capitol building where on the roof area they, I think, have moved a group of Roman sculptures that came with this original American-era building patterned after the U.S. Capitol, that is itself Roman inspired. Similar sculptures -- different personages, though -- also adorn the UP Cebu administration building that was built at the same time by the same architect as the Capitol building.

Among these figures, towering over the entrance of the Palace of Justice -- one reason, I think, for its relocation to this spot -- is Lady Justice. She, as we know, is blindfolded and is holding an evenly balanced set of weighing scales.

And, if my memory serves me right, one of her breasts is revealed, which is, with the Romans, nothing prurient but a way to symbolize the inherent nakedness -- not nudity -- of people in face of the Law.

These figures lend to this area a grace and gravitas befitting the function of the building across: The dispensing of Justice, the refuge of Right against blind and brutal might, the bastion of Reason over capriciousness and abitrariness.

Sadly, all this grace and gravitas gets stopped at the door. Here, a crude sign highlights one of the remaining social prejudices that still widely prevails over our society: Clothesism.

One cannot access justice, cannot seek legal refuge and redress, cannot do business legally prescribed for those who are, in this case, unfortunate enough to have to do anything that has to have some required legality to it like transacting marriage, securing identity documents, etc.

Here, one cannot gain entrance to these esteemed halls if one is wearing shorts, sandals, sleeveless shirts, spaghetti straps, etc. Unless one is an accused in a criminal case, who cannot afford bail and in the course of the sorting out of his or her case in these halls must be a guest in one of our city’s or province’s fine justice hotels.

This exception speaks volumes in how Justice or, actually, the Executive Judges -- day to day administrators of this building’s operation -- see or does not see the inherent equality of persons.

This exception is the very embodiment of a paternalism that used to be extended most widely and most hypocritically to women, children, the infirm in body, the feeble in mind.

This declares that those under this exception, even if they are still, in so far as they haven’t been convicted, under the presumption of innocence are already less than full persons. Thus they can be allowed in even if they are clothed in rags, as it were, and not in the finery of full persons; in clothing that do not include shorts, sandals, sleeveless shirts, spaghetti straps, etc.

It is understandable how this practice is most widespread in the ‘tourism industry,’ where, though very discriminatory against the natives, against Filipinos, it is accepted as necessary for ‘presenting the best foot or the best face forward.’ Yet, even then, it is ironic as to be hilarious that these injunctions are used mostly in places where the best foot or the best face is put on display like so much meat hung in the slaughterhouse.

Even the Church, that bastion of Godly discrimination, does not practice this. They encourage modest dressing, which is really as much as they can or should do. They have learned that the listing of what can or cannot be worn in church is an exercise in the slippery slope towards the cementing of what really is arbitrary judgment that, in any case, is subject to the whims of fashion, the most arbitrary judge of all.

As far as listing goes, it appears to be a curious lapse that the Executive Judges have missed the mini-skirt. Or, the micro-mini skirt. Or, the hot pants. Or the belly-button-in-your-face shirt. Or, the backless shirt.

And so on.

As this hall of justice is the secular equivalent of the church, they should do no less. They should just stick with the simple and commonsensical injunction for people to gain entrance to be dressed modestly.