Wednesday, July 18, 2007

I Hate Filipino Culture

Posted by jaywalker at 6:59 PM

Now before you post hate comments, let

me first say that Im no elitist. Im not even rich in the first place so I have no right to be
elitist. Im not one of those snobs who wouldnt recognize the country of their origin
either. Read the entry in its entirety before commenting.
I hate the inter-cultural ignorance that permeates our society. Few cultures condone racism. It
wasnt too long ago when Whitney Tyson was regularly made fun of in TV shows because she
was part black. And still today the term negra is a term that can be used very liberally, in public, with
little consequence. The sad part is that instead of quelling it, mainstream media is actually responsible
for encouraging this type of mentality. When a Filipino sees a black man, either hed stare at him,
snicker or say a derogatory comment. And why wouldn't he when his favorite TV shows tell him that
it's ok. Ironically, Filipinos are very sensitive when it comes to issues about their own race. When a
biscuit was named after us, a lot of people were offended. And when Claire Danes made some
negative comments about the Philippines, she didnt only receive hate mail, our government actually
banned her from ever entering the Philippines. Thats just embarrassing. Who the hell elected
emotionally insecure kids to run our government?

I hate wowowee and eat bulaga. I hate their brand of humor. I hate the way the members of
the audience bounce up and down and laugh like escaped mental patients as they sing their
favorite novelty songs. My blood pressure shoots up whenever I hear novelty songs like
itaktak mo and boom tarat tarat
I hate entertainers who dress up like drag queens and make fools of themselves for the sake
of comedy, which isnt even funny in the first place. It disgusts me. I dont have much respect
for people who have no sense of dignity and self-respect
I dont get Jimmy Santos. Why is someone getting paid so much money for intentionally
speaking carabao English. Is that supposed to be funny? Maybe so if it was unintentional.
Majority of Filipinos talk like that naturally. Theyre a lot funnier than Jimmy Santos but they
dont get paid a single centavo. Why is pun and slapstick always the main course in Filipino
comedy? Its not even witty pun. Its just pure dumb if-you-replace-a-word-with-a-randomword-that-sounds-the-same- its-funny type of pun. I occasionally laugh at slapstick humor
but not when it involves people who get slapped in the back of the head for nothing and make
weird whining noises after. Thats just annoying and demeaning
I hate our religious zealotry. When faced with a challenge most Filipinos would reply
with If thats what god wills, then let it be or Lets leave it up to god. Why take action at
all if god will determine whats going to happen anyway? If something good happens to

them, its because of gods good will. If something bad happens to them, its also because of
gods good will. Its a win-win situation for god and a lose-lose situation for Filipinos. Why
dont we give credit to whom credit is actually due. Filipinos love shifting the credit and
blame to higher authority. They blame or praise anyone but themselves. Instead of praising
themselves for their accomplishments, they praise god and instead of blaming themselves for
their failures, they blame the government. If youre unemployed or underemployed, you
could blame the government or you could also look in the mirror. There are a lot of job
vacancies in the Philippines but employers tend to not want incompetent people in their
workforce.
I hate it that the word ambisyosa or ambisyoso has a negative connotation here. Our
society dictates us to conform and not to stand out. Our society stifles creativity in the name
of practicality. Our society suppresses assertiveness and encourages submissiveness Kids
cant argue with their parents and students cant argue with their teachers. Were raising
generations upon generations of drones and servants when we should be raising thinkers and
leaders. I actually think that our schools are making us more stupid.
I hate the lack of respect for human life. I hate the way people would make more children
than they can feed in the hopes that those children would generate them some money in the
future. Its a reproductive strategy that is reptilian in its primitiveness. Higher animals like the
great apes and dolphins produce just one offspring at a time and nurture it for years and years
with care. Same is the case with more developed civilizations. We, on the other hand, produce
armies upon armies of generic offspring and leave them to fend for themselves, the way
insects and reptiles do. Why wouldnt we? Our religion says contraception is evil. No one
will question the word of god. I hate how religion has so much power over the state.
I hate the fact that so much of our lives revolves around idolatry. I hate the fact that Filipinos
cant tell the difference between what is real and reel. Why did people vote for Lito Lapid and
Erap? Because they killed a lot of bad guys and saved a lot of good guys in their movies.
Politicians bombard us with intellectually insulting, emotional arguments and shallow
entertainment because truth of the matter is, most Filipinos are shallow people. And for
shallow people, you dont need to present intellectually gripping arguments or detailed
blueprints. You just need to appeal to their emotions. There was one episode of Dong Puno
live before where a woman from the audience was asked if endorsements from actors would
influence her vote. With a wide smile on her face, she wholeheartedly said Shed vote for any
candidate whom Juday endorses. While jumping and clapping like a crazed lunatic of
course, the way eat bulaga and wowowee people do.
Am I bashing all Filipinos? No. Am I referring to a certain sector of society? Yes. The sector
that makes up the bulk of our society, the same sector of society that politicians abuse for
their own ends. The same sector of society that elected Erap into power, The sector of society
whose votes can be easily bought with just a few pesos. The sector of society that has the
most voting power. Am I referring to the poor? I will not use the word poor. I do not like
classifying people by their financial status. But I dont mind classifying people by their
way of thinking and by their culture or lack thereof. I am referring to people who subscribe
to masa culture. A culture that is rife with Crab mentality, dragging down anyone
who wishes to rise up into their own pit of communal stagnation; a culture that is so
practical that it lacks awareness and interest on matters that do not immediately
concern their day-to-day living, A culture that puts so much emphasis on idolatry that
independent thinking becomes muffled

Kids who are exposed to foreign literature, foreign media and foreign cultures usually grow
up to have more open and creative minds. I believe one reason why our achievements, as a
nation, pale considerably to those of our neighbors is that our culture is inherently flawed.
Those of us who succeed here are either of a foreign culture (the Chinese) or those exposed to
western ideals. Masa culture isnt Filipino culture. Mainstream media makes it seem like it is.
We shouldnt be proud of it. We shouldnt embrace it. Masa culture is a byproduct of
ignorance. Its also a purveyor of ignorance. A vicious beast that feeds on itself