EDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains both implicit and explicit rage bait content. Readers—especially Lasallians—are advised to proceed with caution.
“Alam mo what rage bait and this heat both have in common? Well, they’re both nakakainis super!” Chapped L. Rowin (II, WLW-ADV) echoes the exasperated statement of many Lasallians. She shares that both the sweltering climate and the circulation of rage bait na in online spaces have made both our climate and our heads so hot. But s’yempre, despite these setbacks, Lasallians naman are still able to chill kahit the weather and being on the Internet is super torturous na lately.
Wala eh, it’s gano’n talaga !
Rowin expresses na both the oppressive heat and anger-inducing online content are practically unavoidable, “Kaya nga I’d literally have to decompress na lang in cafes while studying ‘cause I can’t take in na for real.” She also reveals how these coffee spots are the perfect place to unwind with friends, and even make k’wento their jokes to foster lighthearted fun amid the rage-provoking online sphere. “So when we order, we say ‘para kay five six,’ so that when they call us the baristas say ‘for five six,’” Rowin casually conveys in between bursts of laughter.
Pero Lasallians also like to beat the heat away rin naman from the urban jungle. Gaylore Sweet (IV, TS-VER) imparts how her method to cool down has been through much-needed getaways sa middle of her week. “If only Tagaytay was so near lang, ‘cause gas is so mahal going there, but it’s like our version of a malamig na Maldives trip, so it’s parang our guilty-as-sin pleasure na talaga,” she says.
As for other students, deluding themselves into being impervious to the init helps best. Sean Miguel “Miggy” Hawl (I, SAN-MIG) airs his sentiments on the growing “Thuggin’-it-out” culture, “Why I bought this leather jacket pa, and I’m so inis nga because this is thrifted vintage Carhartt, pero I can’t wear it in this microwave-type weather. Dude, especially in the super long line waiting sa DQ (Dairy Queen),” he states how changing his mindset aided sobra despite these hot dog days.
Hawl believes naman na it’s all about the mindset: “Kahit na my fits are very Europe-coded, we gotta slay na lang tropically.” He quotes Kendrick Lamar in his fashion journey, stating how the weather has helped him stay humble.
Hear me out kasi
While these workarounds are nothing new naman sa day in the life of a Lasallian, they are met with backlash agad sa Internet—often being coined as “aircon.” Rico Razzy (III, BS-GALA) imparts his confusion nga eh for getting cooked in his most recent “Study With Me in BGC” vlog. “I only have one class a day, bro, pati Animo Connect is so slow. What’s wrong with going to Taguig a few times a week?” he justifies. “It’s convenient rin because it’s just a short drive and I don’t have to make tawid as often na.”
It is in these misunderstood experiences talaga that the conyo stereotypes arise, pero like Bella Chua (I, NGL-FR) clarifies na not all of them follow the same template naman. “I’m very kanal—halata—and as an authentic simpleng tao, I don’t think applicable sa’kin ‘yung aircon accusations,” she says. “Unlike my classmates who [use] Grab [to go] to school, I know how to commute. Even if it’s super hot, I still use Angkas.”
(I have street humor, obviously, and as an authentic and simple person, I don’t think these aircon accusations apply to me.)
Sweet points out na these controversies invalidate the effort that goes behind their well-deserved respite. “Just because I’m the daughter of a CEO doesn’t mean I’m ’bur-gees’ or whatever. I’ve been using cheaper alternatives na nga eh because I want to save up.” She explains. “I used to go sa States nga every summer, pero now I only go to provincial areas like Puerto Galera or Siargao.”
Just as Lasallians cool off with their Jisulife fans, Sweet reminds everyone to “chill the freak out!” She tells The LuhSallian: “Hot take, but maybe it’s so hot kasi lagi nalang mainit ulo niyo. Like what if we all become positive na lang?” Chua adds that people should keep an open mind and like, hear their side rin. “We listen and we don’t judge, ika nga nila.”
(As they say.)
Can we, like, end this na
“It isn’t even funny na nga,” Razzy admits amid the flood of online hate. Despite the super daming callouts, the conyo Lasallian wave hits just as strong as the summer heat. “I don’t get talaga why people are so naiinis,” Razzy wonders. “Like, okay, I take [a] Grab to go everywhere, but I’m just being practical kaya.” Apparently, the more than P300 price difference between commuting and riding a car is nothing compared to facing the horrors of LRT-1’s dysfunctional air conditioning in Razzy’s eyes.
For the kanal-humored, maybe it’s time for Lasallians to finally change and break free from the stereotype na or something. “They’re so OA, the trains naman aren’t that bad,” Chua narrates, reminiscing her first and last time riding from Vito Cruz to Quirino for a spontaneous gala. “It’s fun kaya to replenish your Beep card, kaso mine has 500 na nga lang eh,” she adds proudly as if it’s not, like, for a one month’s worth of commute na for other people. “Replenish?!” Chua reverberates, showing off her kanal humor once more.
It’s so wild talaga why Lasallians still can’t spot rage bait—or parang at least develop the basic ability not to fall for the same exhausting cycle of discourse repeatedly. With the amount of energy poured into arguing online, insulting each other, doing the whole “it’s not that deep” and “we don’t claim them” thing, and making apology videos, you’d think we’d have solved world hunger na lang or something. Or like, at least, keep school fees from increasing pa.
The discourse cycle repeats like clockwork: a viral, controversial post, an insult-filled comment section, denouncing and dissociating quote reposts, an indispensable homemade apology video, then have it all repeat lang ulit. Maybe by being less pikon, we can finally cool our heads instead of melting, both literally and figuratively. As Sweet exhaustively puts it nga, “We all need to calm down!”
But then again—this is rage bait, actually.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Spoof 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSSpoof2025.