Filipinos just keep on doing the stupidest things without even being concerned whether what they do is right or wrong. Rather, they defend everything they do as right.
The key line in this article… This article speaks out my thoughts for the past 8 or so yrs.
The problem with a lot of Filipinos is that they always follow their instinctual and basal desires. It’s a mixture of both Needs and Wants.
Abraham Maslow mentions that in the Hierarchy of Needs, it is the Physiological Needs that is the most basal, most instinctual of all the needs. To which, I theorize that it is the stem where greed, lust and human instincts come from, a basal instinct to stick to the most primitive of desires, a backwards way of thinking. Shows that projects such images of following your desires and not thinking of anything else is what the media always exploits to which everyone gobbles up because of how shallow it is. Everybody loves stupid, everybody loves something that has no substance. The common Filipino thinking is the natural instinct to survive and find the quickest way to an easy life.
My God, I mean, for an impoverished country, two of the top five morbidity and mortality rates of our country are Diabetes, and Heart Diseases! Lifestyle diseases that we should have no pleasure of having due to the poverty that we are suffering! That is all cases of retarded that I’ve seen in my life at the Philippines! You have to wonder, for a nation that has people whining that they are suffering, why is there a poor man suffering from Diabetes when he clearly can’t eat three times a day. Hereditary it may be, but it can be averted. And people wonder why Insulin and Nifedipine aren’t in the list of the Pharmaceuticals act.
Diabetes and heart disease get infinitely worse when coupled with poor discipline. I think those two drugs are not on the list of the pharmaceuticals act because it’s hard to tell who is willing to sacrifice drinking soda and eating sisig and who wants to be a Darwin awards winner. Spending money for both groups would bankrupt the nation.
Sigh. While stupidity is common EVERYWHERE, I noticed that everybody else is willing to make fun of themselves for it. However, here, doing that will hurt the feelings of the onion skinned majority.
We need to embark on a cultural change program that will help Filipinos see beyond the basic needs of life and accept that advancement in thinking will help them. It is difficult because poverty and the relative difficulty of life in the Philippines make people focus on basic needs. Culture and media has even helped demonize thinkers as “pangmayaman” and “weirdoes.” Yet more and more people seem to be growing in intellectuality, as noted by Paolo of some squatters. Someone just needs to jump in and set them in the right direction.
As much as I want my home country to be a decent country to live in, I’ll have to say that the Philippines is a lost cause.
I’m not going to draw comparisons from other countries nor do I intend to, but with the current situation as it is, we’re caught in a deadlock.
1) We’re a country with an impoverished majority
2) We’re a country ruled by the families who intend to keep the poor beholden to them, so they resort to giving dole outs that will ensure their own elevated status, and at the same time keep the poor impoverished by making sure they are incapable of improving their own lives.
3) We a country whose poor are illiterate enough, are lemming-minded enough that the media can mnanipulate them easily, making them vote the same people who keep them poor over and over and over.
The Philippines is a good country, Chino. But no matter what good we try to do, the Philippines doesn’t want it. It doesn’t WANT to be better.
Well, with Kris admitting IN A LIVE TV AUDIENCE that it was she who suggested one of the appointees (guess who), you’d have to wonder, will Kris become the next Imelda? And who is the bigger bonehead out of the two, the one who entertained the idea, or the one who suggested it in the first place?
TMM Reply: June 13th, 2010 at 10:47 am
@ Lilly: “This country really deserves Noynoy.”
You said it! To whatever happens to this already impoverished country from now on, WE DESERVE IT! For voting an incompetent fool like Noynoy to the highest office, and even *gasp* making Erap a serious contender…. we will reap the consequences of our actions.
I also think we’re a lost cause. I used to be hopeful, the elections was our one big chance every 6 years to turn things around…. we screwed up once again.
So, goodbye Philippines. I was good to you, I paid my taxes, followed all rules, and rallied for better causes. This is too much!!! Still can’t believe Erap came in 2nd!?
kruz Reply: June 8th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
There is great prosperity in this country if you are just taught how to avail yourself of it, how to believe in yourself, how to be self-sufficient, and how to escape government dependency. It pains me greatly when all the message i’m hearing is how bad the government is and unless it changes one could never avail of a better life.. I come from the poor, I clawed myself out of that rat hole by taking advantage of whatever little things available to me then.
Too many people are credulous, too willing to accept all the propaganda that is showered on them daily by the media and politicians. The poor should learn to think for themselves and not blindly accept everything they hear.
There’s no substitute for hardwork and resilience.
I have to agree with you. Blaming the government is so gasgas na. It’s the people who voted them in… and yet they go to the streets to oust them. That’s what makes some Filipinos stupid. Thus it’s time for people to separate from government dependence and do things one’s own way.
Stupid might be a compliment… NEANDERTHAL LIKE… Filipinos are monkeys in human jump suits… They may have the features of humans.. but their neurological make up is totally wired like the monkeys they are… the reason for this is basic.. to others, although perhaps to them.. totally distant and alien to there understanding capabilities… They cannot extend their neurological empathetic capabilities to take care of themselves as 1 whole community. It all boils down to this… The will, the determination, all stems from being able to empathise. Its as simple as this.. the only way u can change settings of an environment.. If u can distinguish and be able to realise that theres a need for change.. human nature will bring about change.. ..though filpinos cant do this..the millions and millions suffering.. isnt enough to make them realise.. because simply they cannot.. there thirld world status.. wasnt the doing of somebody else or another nation or an unatural power or reckoning.. they dug that poverty hole themselves.. and now they cant get out..
There is intelligence in all of us, but it is either suppressed or undeveloped, due to the lack of initiative for education. It is because the pilipino is mainly an emotional being than intellectual. No show in primetime TV has a molecule of intellectual premises, only emotional highs made only for the katulong of the house. Escapism is the rule, not the exception.
I saw clips of the new TV5 show “Face to Face” in Youtube, where if you look beyond the very entertaining fights and full-blown physical contact that would put MMA to shame, there is an abundance of behavior and actions that defies all known logic! No wonder they’re in Face to Face, they let their heart win, instead of both the heart and mind.
And yes, Chino is again right on the money, by saying that the pilipino refuses to think, because it’s a hassle. Its your choices in life that made you like that, so man up, grow a pair, and use your head. There is a reason why the heart is below the brain.
And since this is a very “macho” society, why can’t we suggest this:
“Manliness requires brains.” “Men with brains are Men with balls.”
nah nah .. intellignce is not within us all.. natural selection..only the ones that posses wintelligence shalle be intelligent.. its not a matter of our envrionment creating these changes within us… its about having these characteristics in the firs place.. the ability of collecting and sustainin intellect.. u can t jsut open a book and so many years later be of high intellect.. that only happens to a few…. Now results speak for themselves… Yes the ability for people to become intelligent is there for those who already posessse the characteristics to do so.. sadly the filipno does not.. and as u can see, in a modern era…. the filipines is in a primitive thirld world state.. now uc ant possibly say thats a prodcut of high intellect let alone any intelect what so ever..
Try talking to more people. You’d be suprised yourself. Even the man in the mountain may know a thing or two.
When I was doing my BS Forestry practicum around 4 years ago, I was sent to an NPA-infested area. My guides? Former NPA members. Why’d they leave? Simple. They were smart enough to realize that their crusade is pointless, and for them to truly move on, they need to start with their children. Farming and logging in the mountains is hard, backbreaking work, and they get the short end of the stick every time, but they were investing on the future. The ex-NPA men are banking on education of their children to pull themselves out of the mire.
Also, even the much-abhorred squatters are capable of picking up stuff. I remember walking past them one night and they were talking aloud on political matters. Though they were talking about conspiracy theories about North Korea, Japan, and China, it was not just plucked from out of the blue. They are capable on using intellect, but they chose to be emotional about things more often than necessary.
MOuntain?? OH YEA BRAINS IN THE MOUNTAIN MUST BE RELAVENT.. WHICH MOUNTAIN WAS THIS ,, were the zeus and hades and meduas hang out ???? u talkin bout Mt olympus????
LOL FREAKIN LOL
we dont need our brains to be situated in the FREAKIN mountains…
we need them infront of the CAMERAS behind sectors of government creating policies for the benefit of all we need brains in the malcanyang palace
not in the freakin wilderness.. CMON MAN!! what is wronfg with u…
Of course you need brains up on a mountain. Do you have ANY IDEA of the survival skills and strategies needed by human beings to survive in the harsh conditions there? Or in a, your words, “freakin wilderness”? How do you think a Kibbutz manages to survive in the Levant, which, by the way, was Moses’ “wilderness”?
And to make such a mountain a viable, sustainable, enterprise, you also need brains. You need to know which trees grow best where, and not just allow for nature to dictate it. You need to catalog the various species and note their growth patterns and rates for effective and efficient harvesting, especially if you want it to be sustainable and not just do it like illegal loggers do, chopping here and there without regard for the future.
Brains aren’t needed, though, when in front of CAMERAS. You just need to look pretty and sound nice, and say the right things. That’s what “newsreaders” – what you call news anchors – do. They rarely think, since a whole slew of staff already did the research and writing of material for them.
I remember this one time we had a seminar for some student councils from the Catholic universities and colleges. The one person who made the most impact on them was this leader of a fisherfolk community. He was just in ordinary clothing, and spoke rather ordinarily, no big words, no powerpoint presentation or whatnot. He just told us what they were doing in their community, how they went about dealing with the issues confronting them, and why they work.
That man didn’t have a fancy name or a fancy course that leads to a fancy diploma from a fancy school like the kids he was talking to. But they respected him. Because he made sense, and he showed INTELLIGENCE.
Because he was using his brains.
Or maybe you’re going to say brains aren’t needed, too, when dealing with the problems of basic communities like fisherfolk?
u guys are idiots.. FILIPINOS CANT THINK THATS THE PROBLEM>> ITS NOT REFUSING>> ITS LACK OF CAPABILITY@!!!!!! CMON MAN>>> if u think which u obviously cant, but lets say u could…. thes filipno country men if they could think, wouldnt they try to make philipines or let phillpines get to the state that it is..??? theres like warning signs that a country is slowly going down hilll.. its not a instance where.. we all woke up one morning and out of the house and into the slums??? its a slow degression.. and this slow degression , the peopl e in the hierachy dont u thihnk they would have said.. oh ! hold on this doesnt look good .. maybe we should devise some preventitive strategies and come up with a plan so we dont look like poor bums in the future to come!! ummmmm that really happenend didnt it ??? cmon this site is suppose to wake u up !!!
Sa pagmamaneho pa lang, the stupidity of the pilipino knows no bounds. I think this is the only country in the world where if a pedestrian or motorcycle and bicycle rider is in the wrong and you hit him, it’s still your fault. Why? Because you are driving a car. I have been arguing with that with my mother who’s an incessant back-seat driver who can’t drive fast ,or at least handle Manila for chrissakes!
I say: To HELL with their rights! If they die by my hand due to their stupid actions then SO BE IT. I’ll piss and **** on their grave. They deserve it. This is a country where doing the right thing is avoided and abhorred? That is STUPID to the core! Why do they avoid crosswalks and overpasses? Hassle? TANGA KA BA? Ginawa yan para di ka masagasaan!
I told this to an uncle and that struck him: Why should I be responsible for other people’s stupidity? That got him thinking.
A good stupid pilipino is a dead stupid pilipino. And that’s a fact.
not that i agree with the idea, but theoretically, if that were the case, there’d be an undersupply of people competing for the few humane jobs available. this might increase wages and maybe encourage automation where cheap labor used to be preferred when it was available.
hey, not such a bad idea! in theory, of course. hehehe
Maru Reply: July 24th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
@ Paolo said: “Sa pagmamaneho pa lang, the stupidity of the pilipino knows no bounds. I think this is the only country in the world where if a pedestrian or motorcycle and bicycle rider is in the wrong and you hit him, it’s still your fault. Why? Because you are driving a car. I have been arguing with that with my mother who’s an incessant back-seat driver who can’t drive fast ,or at least handle Manila for chrissakes! I say: To HELL with their rights! If they die by my hand due to their stupid actions then SO BE IT. I’ll piss and **** on their grave. They deserve it. This is a country where doing the right thing is avoided and abhorred? That is STUPID to the core! Why do they avoid crosswalks and overpasses? Hassle? TANGA KA BA? Ginawa yan para di ka masagasaan!”
It’s true the other way around as well. I choose to take public transit most of the time as I can’t justify being driven around in a car with a driver when it’s just me. As far as I’ve seen, motorists have no concept of what a pedestrian lane/crosswalk is for. I love it when I’m in the US/Canada when vehicles stop the moment a pedestrian steps foot on a crosswalk (the assumption of course is that it’s either a crosswalk with no traffic signals, or it’s a crosswalk where the “WALK” signal is on). Here in the Philippines, crosswalks serve no purpose other than as basis for suing in court when you get hit while crossing on a crosswalk. Motorists here do not stop when you’re on a crosswalk. It’s paunahan kung sino’ng mas malakas ang loob. Additionally, when motorists have to stop at an intersection (red/stop light), they stop/occupy the crosswalk when they’re supposed to stop before the crosswalk so that people can actually use the crosswalk to cross the road.
Both sides (pedestrians and motorists) are to blame. We have an abundance of crosswalks in Manila yet we need to have overpass/pedestrian footbridges for safety reasons because crosswalks are not enough to keep pedestrians (I’m referring to pedestrians who do not jaywalk; who do use the crosswalks) safe from motorists who see but choose to ignore crosswalks.
suppressed or underdeveloped… doesnt this sound like a tune played once to many times…
12:58 alll ABOARD!!!! the DENIAL EXPRESSS next station UTOPIA!!!!! ohh im paolo and ive got FIRST CLASS TICKETS !! ..”
theres no other suppresing factor in the phillipines BUT the phillipino!! theres no reason for being underdeveloped becase according to so many our education system is great!!! which i doubt
but lets pretend it is!!!
A filpino is a dependat variable……
it cannot think or act on its own accord..
THANK U SPAINARDS!!!
if it wasnt for them we all might be in coconut shell bras and banaleaf shorts.. ( wait this aint hawaii? )
Wen the spainards came on there mighty ships,,..
what did the filipino say to the other filipino??
nothing cos at that time they were still communicating through physical gestures.. THATS HOW MUCH THINKIN WE HAD GOIN!!!
see the time that we were colonised was the time wen we were suppose to mature and fend for ourselves let our environment be our teacher…
but this period of maturity was taken away…….
yes we were slaves and uptill this day we still are in alot of ways…
we piggy backed on the spanisd Senior! teach me teach me.. and in return i shall be ur catulong!!!
so we piggy backed em for a while till some idiot ruined it all and rebelled
thought we are better off independant..
but hang on … wen we were indepanedant .. we were nothing but MONKEY!!!SSSSS??
we havnt even discovered the world, probably thought it was flat ..///.. let alone posses the ability to discover other laws and natures of the world around us???
so as we are now , and as we were before……..
without the catalyst which in this dissusion is aid of another person from another race..
we cannot think, we cannot make sound decisions that benefits us all..
we cannot fend for ourselves…..
look at the times wen we had some1 else in our house….
it was like yes SIR YES SIR and things wered one, churches andmonumnens made. etc
and now that were left all alone and to fend for ourselves…
Theres a reason why the phillpines isnt physically connected where most of the other countries of asia are.. or atleast one thats far from the mainland shores of china…..
And are implying that you’re, as you’ve put it, naturally selected?
I honestly think that intellect is acquired, and not “handed out.”
But since you claim that it’s a hand-me-down, as implied by your fervent belief that knowledge is due to natural selection, then it really doesn’t say much on your reliance to nature that “hands out the brains.”
To shift the analogy a bit, it makes me think that you’re a typical Juan who got lucky waiting for an apple to fall on your lap.
Actually, you have to understand the context in which Quezon said that statement.
We’ve never experienced how it us to be under foreign rule, or to be prevented in singing our own national anthem or see our own flag flutter in the wind. We’ve never experienced how to be second-class citizens on our own homeland (well, at least officially, because you see it happen unofficially everyday, today).
In a sense, you can’t blame Quezon for saying that. Its what an ardent nationalist, one who was trying to fight for the independence of his country, would say.
Yeah there is that context in the end where says ‘Because we can change it’. But that is also the most important thing he and the other nationalists never had a longterm vision for. Even worst since when the country gained its independence, there was no Social Revolution that united the society to an understanding that they have to hold their own now and they are capable of making political decisions.
So maybe Quezon was saying something in regards to 1942 but ultimately never had longterm goals for it.
But that fight is already over. We’ve won our independence, we’ve won our democracy (or what passes off as democracy here), but as it turns out we’re not ready for the responsibilities that they entail.
Heck. most Filipinos mistake “freedom” for “acting like a ****tard”. Most of us don’t realize that freedom also has responsibilities.
But yes, you have a point. Hundreds of years of oppressive colonial rule, getting raped by the Japanese, will make Quezon say that. Yes. I guess I was being too harsh when I said that.
But Quezon also never experienced living in a country run by opportunists and populated full to the brim of lemmings. I suppose he was wary about Americans ruling us, but look at Hawaii. Look at Guam. And look at us now.
If we were to be colonized anyhow….. I think it would’ve been better it was the British rather than the Spanish. Then perhaps we wouldn’t be as Catholic as we are now.
Nevermind the human rights issues…. all colonies experienced that and we were full of it as well under the Spaniards.
It’s just that… look at Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia – all former British colonies. (let’s not bring up India for now)
Look at the Philippines, Mexico, and hmmm….. let’s take Peru – all former Spanish colonies. Notice any difference?
The entire point of nationalism is concrete, measurable benefits to the nation. Nationalism hasn’t uplifted the lives of majority of the people here. So, either nationalism has failed, or people are stupid. I believe the latter is more applicable.
I think Manuel L Quezon has the wrong assumption that you can keep the laws, swap out the implementers, and everything will just go on fine and dandy. Well, it didn’t.
This reminded me of this story by my Danish boss. He was in Pangasinan, and his neighbor was a Scotsman. The Scotsman once said: “Look at this country! Did the Americans even teach the Filipinos anything other than English? Where’s the discipline? It’s not like this in British colonies!”
Well, not that I’m blaming the Americans. The British Raj in South Asia lasted far longer than the American Colonial Rule in the Philippines. Filipinos have yet to fully internalize the laws and discipline of the American period when it got caught up in the hell that was WW2. Then the country found itself independent.
The generations who grew up with the American retired, and all memories of the discipline of that period faded into memory. Everything went downhill from there.
I know Quezon was playing with rhetoric. Thing is, he gave in to emo politics. And leading off from Quezon’s infamous utterance, I would front people with this question: if you really love your country, would you really want it to be run like hell?
Depends on where you look at it I guess. Quezon is either a great idiot or a great prophet.
Looking around today at the dumb@$$ electorate, I think that statement summarizes Philippine democracy.
bill kasi Reply: June 28th, 2010 at 3:11 am
Whether we have a good or bad president why do Filipinos allow another country to kidnap the president of the Phil.. How can he defends himself from all those accusations when his hands are tied. People just believe what ever the mainstream media throw at them without thinking harder. Do you want the truth? Then seek the truth. No matter how ugly it may seems, but seek the truth. That is always the best policy.
I guess Filipinos don’t really needs independence. I don’t hear anybody talking about these things.
I will have to say, “No, we are not stupid.” This is a loaded question—it depends on the context and whom you are asking. Is this question being asked because of the outcome of the recent national election?
I think it’s better to rephrase this question into something like:
For the Philippines to be a flourishing, disciplined and respected country, we must sacrifice the 40 thieves in our government who are blocking our enlightenment and hindering our national progress.
The question is, “Would you sacrifice the lives of these 40 Filipino thieves for the good of the nation?”
Or, we can do what’s morally right by not sacrificing their lives. Instead, let the corrupt process continue and participate in a fraudulent and fake democratic system by electing these thieves in our government. Over, and over, and over and over again.
Do we know the answer? Or are we just in denial of the truth that needs to be done? To unclench the grip of the corrupt oligarchs in our society, do their lives have to be sacrificed?
I wish I can answer your question in a way that’s relevant to your intended premise, but it only applies if only the following assumption is true: the majority of Filipinos are able to exercise critical thinking.
The fact that we have Noynoy elected to the seat–compounded by another embarrassing fact that a known plunderer and womanizer ended up as a close contender for the presidency–pretty much makes your question inapplicable.
Your question of “will you sacrifice 40 thieves for the good of the nation?” will only fall on ears attached to heads filled with telenovela mush. They’d probably answer things like “may makukuha ba akong tshirt pag sinagot ko yan?” “nasa TV ba ako? Pede po greetings?”
Yup, it’s a loaded question, a technique that news media often uses. But I did say in my conclusion that Filipinos aren’t really that stupid. They just pretend to be or choose be, even if they know better. And look at the article linked by the words “tend to use it the wrong way.”
Great article, Chino! You’ve raised valid points on why Da Pinoy has a lot of stupid tendencies. I have always been surrounded by people who chooses wrong over right just because it’s commonplace that one point in time I thought that it’s ok to do them.
Unfortunately, though, I don’t believe that this can’t be changed anytime soon. Wala si Dick Gordon to provide the spark Pinoy minds need to wipe off that stupidity. Haaay buhay.
Yeah, it does look bleak… but at least people like us are around. Even back in our hobby forums we can remember a lot of tontows… and the jejemons who we told, “bawal ang textspeak!” hehehe… Haven’t visited in a while. Gotta catch up.
The learned and capable men tried. They just are too outnumbered to make a dent in the Philippines’ downward spiral to self-inflicted doom.
Look at those who voted for Gordon and Gibo. Compare those numbers with those who voted for Noynoy and Erap.
Look at how actual efforts to alleviate the pisspoor quality of life were received. The stupid poor instead prefers to bet on Lotto and fight tooth and nail to get into Wowowee rather than learning a profitable skill.
The learned and capable men tried. But this is a nation overrun by idiots, ruled by families who feed on the stupidity of the idiots.
I was actually able to help 3 non-relatives to college and now happily enjoying their respective careers. There are many ways to help and the fact that there is no evidence of overall effect should not deter anyone from helping however small.
Actually, some of our learned and capable men are part of the problem – they are the oligarchs or they work for the oligarchs. Other articles on this site address how the Pinoy middle class is fragmented even if it is small. BongV has posted a lot on that.
I just don’t like how the article associated Gump with “stupidizing” our culture. The character may be simple and not very knowledgeable but he was very wise in his own way. The entire movie itself is very thought provoking and highly intelligent. There is no way it contributes to “stupidizing” our culture, in fact I think we need more movies like those.
I admit not watching Forrest Gump myself… I just recall an article associating him with the “dumb” characters on screen, another example being the duo of “Dumb and Dumber.” Feel free to replace Forrest Gump with someone really dumb (“Noy”? hehehehe).
I am alarmed though at how dumb, emo and arrogant heroes are common in today’s popular culture. Even in anime and manga, I see a lot of them. Johnny Bravo, Son Goku, Natsu in Fairy Tail, most Gundam protagonists (being inexperienced pilots), Jackie Chan’s earliest character portrayals… it’s been around long, but I think they influence our youth a lot, and thus many are becoming anti-intellectual and emotionalistic.
Bad examples since those are from shows aimed at young boys. Naturally they will be full of firebrash, bravado-laden heroes for their action plots. (In the case of Johnny Bravo, for the laughs)
Furthermore, even those protagonists go through character development as the show goes on and show off their other good traits like kindness, camraderie, self sacrifice, etc. Stuff heroic characters are supposed to do. That’s not really anti-intellectual since they don’t favor being dumb and attack intellectual characters. (In the case of Johnny Bravo, well you can see how far his bufoonery gets him)
Bad form there. Reminds me of those nutjobs screaming about Mass Effect (google it!) being a sex simulator. Mass Effect, a 40 hour sci-fi epic that includes a 15 second sex scene that’s not even explicit (There’s a romance subplot. It’s a Mature rated game hence mature themes.) yet it still got billed as nothing more than cheap porn by the ignorant.
oh don’t worry about that issue. The whole sensationalizing video games may seem like trying to make it a hot issue but its completely pointless rabble. Especially the ‘rape simulator’ game.
I think the better example would have been the duo from Dude wheres my car. The title itself screams of acceptable, funny idiocy.
I agree with you on most things, but I would have to say that I take exception at your brash generalization of anime characters. I agree Anonylol here. What separates anime from the insipid trash that the local people seem to relish watching is the fact that anime characters go through a form of development as the series unfolds.
Take a look at how Amuro Rei’s evolved from a brash, inexperienced, and hesitant pilot into one of the greatest Newtypes in UC history. The guy even sacrificed himself to stop Axis from falling into Earth in Char’s Counterattack.
Now, when’s the last time you saw a Filipino (with their misguided ideals of machismo) character do that?
Good point! Yeah, Amuro Ray grew over the series… I know about that growth theme in manga and anime. Even Ben 10 grew up. Thing is, Son Goku doesn’t seem that more intelligent than before, hehehe. True… when did some Filipino characters grow? Santino started out as a brat… and at the end of the series, after being resurrected, he’s still a brat.
Thing is, some youth will identify more with characters who are still in their growing stage… but I guess that’s their problem.
If we are going to site good characters over the west for examples, then no better than to look at Captain America from Marvel comics if we are going to site as good models of a protagonist. He had ideals, thought for the people and fought for the liberty that he had believed even before the day he was frozen solid throughout the decade.
Anonylol Reply: June 8th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Son Goku from Dragonball was literally raised on a mountain after all. But he’s not a jerk about it (nicest guy in the universe and all that) and enjoys learning new things. 90% of which are martial arts related but hey, at least he worked hard to learn them. Actually, that’s a point in his favor. He works for things rather than wait for them to be given to him.
I think if kids have heroes like good ol’ Cap there to look up to they would be a lot better off. I’d let my kid watch Kamen Rider or Bioman instead of some of the things they call kid’s shows these days. Most parents just see the violence and the costumes in those shows, they completely miss the heroic ideals behind them. That idea of believing in something bigger than yourself and standing up for it. is a valuable thing to impart I think.
The Cap quote is great! Stand fast and say, “No, You move!” Love it! Who was the writer in this issue?
Yeah, there sure are good examples in some foreign shows, while local shows just say, “we poor are oppressed by the rich,” and “we won’t change.” That’s why I wrote my pro-foreign article a while back.
By results and world standards, then yes Pinoys are indeed dumb. Of course like any human beings, there is always room for improvement. I mean hell even in a society that worships mediocracy, there are always a few pinoys that represent what a brilliant mind is capable of. Its just that instead of observing results that work, they’d rather stick to what is comfortable; being dumb. Requires less work, less sacrifice, you can still conform and be accepted in society.
Just like a friend of mine who wants long lasting friendships, but seeks it out in the worst possible kind of people.
“A lady is cheated by her husband, and gets treated like trash, is even battered, but she sticks to her husband despite his obvious harem of women, just to keep the family image intact; it’s right daw.”
Not necessarily wrong. There’s a higher more complicated reason for this, and if you’re in the business of fixing families you’d understand.
“go forth and multiply”
That line is sooooooooooooo misinterpreted. The church has announced a valid explanation of that YEARS ago, but people are just so ignorant of this. I forgot the original line/language it came in, but bottomline is that it does not mean you should keep making babies. According to its original language, it means you should “go and spread the good will”.
Yep, I understand the situation of the lady is complicated with each case. Let’s just assume the worst case for my example, wherein it would be better if the lady split it.
Yes, “go forth and multiply” is sooooo misinterpreted indeed. Multiply the word of the Lord, not your seed. Darn, if the church already had an explanation for this, then it is the people’s fault for believing the wrong thing. Proof of stupidity again.
” it is the people’s fault for believing the wrong thing. Proof of stupidity again”
Indeed. This is another evidence of how a lot of Pinoys still stick to old ways and do not bother to update themselves. If there’s one thing a lot of Pinoys are guilty of, its their egos that cave in easily. These Pinoys love to think that they’re right or have discovered something new making them feel “smart”, but if you try to correct them, enlighten them, or update them their ego caves in and rejects these new knowledge.
Some ridicule new knowledge as “di yan paraan ng mahirap”.
A mayor pointed a gun on Kris Aquino’s head, but let him get away with it. I think that was so stupid. The media just love to worship stupid people. How could Filipinos evolved into a more civilized nation when the media thinks it’s all right to be stupid.
I think the Phil. media is the culprit of Filipinos stupidities. If you didn’t know that the messages are stupid, then they’ll just keep feeding you with garbage opinions and stupid informations, just to protect someone that they worship.
And where was the outrage of Filipino women? Why do Filipinos allow these things to happen?
We do stupid things and defend ourselves.. We are quick to defend our honor, which is probably nonexistent. Why can’t we Filipinos just accept criticisms? Why do we have to make mountains out of molehills? Martyrdom of battered wives might be admirable but in reality they are just too stupid to stick to their abusive husbands. I pity them especially the older generation who are images of total fidelity and obedience to their cheating husbands.. Filipino women today should learn to be more independent. You have already won your right to vote and equal rights, the only thing lacking is for you to act on them. For those with infidelity in their marriages, forgive but never forget.
I’m sorry but I cannot agree to that. As I mentioned above, there is a deeper reason to that.
I have witnessed far worse families survive situations like that. All it requires is proper education, counseling, and strength of heart.
Some women choose not to leave their cheating and/or violent husbands because leaving is just another form of “running away” from a problem that can be fixed. You should actually admire some of these women for their strength and strong sense of hope.
I’ll give you an example: in my line of work I’ve seen a family in this situation:
- dad is a violent drunk and drug addict - drug sessions in his living room with a few certain celebrities (which I will not mention) - gun freak, and sometimes in the height of his drug binge would fire hand gun shots to the living room’s ceiling - children’s room and bed are exactly above the said ceiling - wife is cheated and beaten
And yet this family was fixed through proper counseling and procedures. Now why didn’t the wife just leave? Its because according to her, “my husband is sick, and isn’t it just right that we try to find a cure to a sick loved one rather than just leave them?”
And this is just one of the many severe family cases I’ve seen fixed. And of course, these aren’t things you usually see in public since the media is not interested in cases like this.
It depends on the case. Some may be fixed by counseling. But if the errant family members consistently refuses counseling or refuses to comply with counseling… I guess you have to leave. In your case, the drug abuse caused the violent behavior. All that was needed was to remove it, and it was OK. It’s like the story of a lady, wherein she said her husband became violent every time he was drunk. Yet while not drunk, he was kind and normal. Substance abuse can really ruin families. But I believe there are destructive relationships without substance abuse that should be left. Just examining the case is needed.
In my own family, there is the case of the woman who married a total jerk. He steals stuff from woman’s family (jewelry and expensive liquor) to sell to other people, lies about his family’s condition in order to borrow money, borrows loads of money and gets violent and refuses to pay when asked to pay back, does not provide for his children at all and even asks them for money. And there is no substance abuse here. The guy himself is just abusive. We think this relationship is one that deserves to be left.
I agree that our family traditions are causing fake and unstable, and sometimes destructive, relationships to be maintained. That is why I am now in favor of divorce for our country.
Because of that candy wrapper line, I remembered this one time when I when I was in a popular burger chain in Makati (where you’d think the classier people are at). After finishing my meal, I gathered my trash on the serving tray then dunked it into the bin. While doing that, I saw a nearby group giving me looks as if to say, “WTF are you doing?!” I just glared back.
It’s funny that a similar thing happened again when I was all the way in a Hong Kong branch of that same burger chain. A Pinay on the table next to mine saw that I was cleaning after myself. But recognizing that I was Pinoy too, she smiled and remarked, “Hayaan mo na, may maglilinis naman.” I smiled back, though deep inside, I was really put off and even disappointed.
Yeah, sad fact. Probably reflects the Filipino’s wish to be a haciendero or Richie Rich. They always want someone else to clean up after them. Must be one reason why we have maids and helpers in this country. Heck, I hear even the maids (Pinays in other countries) have maids (maids at home in PI).
If I met that woman in the HK branch, I would have responded (while cleaning up after myself), “mas maganda ang ganito. Mas malinis.” hehehe
Being an optimist, I would think that this entire site is for the betterment of the Filipino society. A wake up call for everyone. And as much as I see so many valid points raised here, I still wonder how this would help the majority of the Filipinos and many of our defective tendencies. Obviously, all the people who comment here are well educated with solid and unbiased reasoning. Would it be safe to assume that all the readers of this site are the educated ones? There are so many things I want to say but for me, it all boils down to education. 8M people are not going to be able to attend college this year. 8M minds that will not have the chance to experience a higher level of education. As much as I enjoyed my HS years, I don’t think that everything I learned there was enough for the life I wanted.
This generation of Filipinos is long gone. They will not help push the country up. Majority are ill-equipped. The key is the next generation. Their level of education is vital. The values are deeply rooted, some good, some bad. What balances things out is the ability to think rationally, and I believe that this can be a skill which can be learned. Education is the key.
I’m not a fan of the Filipino society’s flaws. I am not proud of these flaws of which most are already mentioned all throughout this entire site and its entries.
But when I scroll up and down to view all these people in the comments, it seems they already know all these things(or at least they think they do). I see the aim of this site, but unless the messages here can reach the people who really need to understand these things, all of these are pointless. And all I would see are people making fun of themselves, whining and complaining but never doing anything about any problem which is even sadder. It would mean that even the intellectual Filipino is also useless, and the people commenting here are no different than the people they put down. Now that’s pathetic.
i don’t know what they do. But one thing I know for sure, unless these messages are put across to the people who really need to understand these things, all these posts and comments are merely rants which doesn’t serve a purpose. Just people venting their frustrations. And this site becomes a perfect avenue for other nationalities to stereotype pinoys anew.
I get all these things. Its harsh, but most of them are true. I know the reality and I’m not a person who adore everything that is pinoy. Many things can be changed for the better.
The aim of the entire thing here is to evoke change, now why would you want to change people who obviously don’t consider themselves to be part of the problem?
The essence of this site is brave and even admirable, I just hope it reaches the audience that it should target. Put these messages in the streets. Reach the so-called rotten pinoys and not the people here, all of us already think we’re all better than them.
We have to learn to walk before we can run. What we do here at AP are just baby steps towards the enlightenment of the whole society. Not every Filipino realizes that there is a problem. Most of the commenters here are aware of it but majority of the population thinks that the government is solely to blame for everything.
Likewise, we have to at least try and counter the articles written by emos such as Conrado de Quiros from the Inquirer, et al. Make no mistake, the mainstream media is aware of us and that is what’s important. If we can convince the members of the media to shape up, they will do a faster job at disseminating all the right information to the rest of the public.
Constructive criticisms are intended for the betterment of everyone. These blogs criticisms are all about peoples ways of showing compassions to fellow humans. Others are just lazy to think critically.
“I see the aim of this site, but unless the messages here can reach the people who really need to understand these things, all of these are pointless.”
John Stuart Mill said that people should be free to do anything, as long as they don’t make other people less free.
We cannot force anybody else to read this site. Internet is generally available for a relatively acceptable fee. They have to look for this site themselves.
I agree dude. But how can you expect the less-educated, values-deprived, poverty-struck “rotten pinoys” to access the internet? Much less search for this site? They account for more than half of the Filipino population. Though I can never say that all poor people are rotten, reality is, most of them are. Poverty is the absence of choice and when you go hungry for days, any average person would be clawing their way for a hot cup of soup.
“people should be free to do anything, as long as they don’t make other people less free.”
As much as I get the aim of all these writings, this site also takes away freedom from other people like me, who tries his best as an individual, as a Filipino, to strive in life and maybe somehow contribute to whatever it is to be proud about as a Filipino. “Filipina” was once put into the dictionary as House Helper. Yes, that’s friggin’ embrassing! Referring to a nationality as an occupation? An ill-perceived occupation at that? Like I said, as much as the perceptions here make sense, this does not mean that they do not bring legitimate disadvantages to an average Filipino who lives decently with proper moral Filipino values intact. Other nationalities see me as crap already, now they may get to read about my fellow Filipinos perceptions, and they’ll read that all their stereotypical BS are true. And in a sense, my right to be respected as an individual is taken away.
Even so, I understand all the sentiments here. Because most of them are real and true. But if this site’s intentions is really to evoke change, then I disagree that this is the right avenue for it. That’s all.
“As much as I get the aim of all these writings, this site also takes away freedom from other people like me, who tries his best as an individual, as a Filipino, to strive in life and maybe somehow contribute to whatever it is to be proud about as a Filipino.”
To a certain extent, it could. People who choose to remain ignorant are everywhere, and their reactions upon reading this article will most likely be a hasty generalization.
Sadly, I guess we just have to accept it.
Other nationalities seem more lighthearted about it. In one seminar, the Dutch speaker made a joke. He said: “The Germans aren’t all that dangerous anymore, right?” He said it while specifically looking at the Russians. Everybody from Europe chuckled. In German class, our teacher was pretty candid about it. She even showed up pictures of the Auschwitz area. She said: “The Germans killed a lot of Jews here.” While it would be politically correct to say “the Nazis” she said “the Germans.” You can say that they accepted all the bad things their ancestors did, and are now working hard to change perception. That’s why Germany bailed out Greece.
Well, I guess we have a lot of perceptions to shatter.
In my view, we provide the groundwork for making people aware that there are other people like them. The Internet has become a tool for bringing people together, and that’s what it did for us in AP. AP now seeks other people, so they won’t feel lonely, so they know that they’re not the only ones with a view like this. This site is an attestation to how effective the Internet can be in a way, and it can be used for more.
I think you mean that this site should not be the only avenue, by your words “not the right avenue,” for change. As Ilda indicated, this site is only part of baby steps. There is a lot being done outside of this site, like the Sentro broadcast at DWBL. AP is just one of the avenues for advocating change. After all, change starts with someone pointing out a problem. If you think we repeat pointing out the problem, it’s because some people seem to forget that it’s still around, or say that it’s gone when in fact it’s still there. Also, our articles provide references for other people who are seeking information for their initiatives related to societal improvement.
BTW, does calling Filipinos stupid irk you in any way? I assume you find this an inappropriate method for change, hence your opinion. However, I notice a lot of people still agree with views stated on this site.
Let me turn it over to you: If this is not the right avenue for change, what is? Thanks for the comment, though.
If this is not the right avenue for change, what is?
Take this to heart volumeup. Because if you think sites like FV, PEX can do it, you are only going to get your expectations crushed. Brownraise is alright in taking lessons of the past to apply for a better future, but at the same time they don’t target on the problem. Everyone is open to better ideas. The difference with the sites I’ve mentioned to here is that we are willing to think things through and have an active discourse towards issues like these, regardless of how it may irk the common pinoy such as yourself.
As much as I get the aim of all these writings, this site also takes away freedom from other people like me, who tries his best as an individual, as a Filipino, to strive in life and maybe somehow contribute to whatever it is to be proud about as a Filipino.
This is your problem. First of all, what you do DOES NOT DEFINE YOU WHO YOU ARE AS A PINOY. I may be the most uncharacteristic Filipino in terms of wanting to be socially aware but that doesn’t take away the fact I was born in the island and my nationality is Filipino. No one can take that away from me, how hard whoever wants to try. You are who you are first, and a part of a group of people second. So its natural that we have to prove more who we are as people if our country already has a bad reputation or stereotype associated to it. As there was a blog written here awhile back about the Filipino Curse, so if you or anyone desires to live in peace during these kinds of conditions, its best to work twice as hard as anybody. Or give everyone a constant wake up call and hope that after 60+ or so years, everyone commits to laying down a foundation for a social change. There won’t be an easy way about it, as much as others would want to convince you.
But if you read further down, I think I somewhat answered this already.
Many points here are highly debatable. But… maybe next time.
Ciao
volumeup Reply: June 8th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Already agreed with the site man. I replied to Ilda.
Yes, “stupid filipino” irks me. Why shoudn’t it? I’m filipino and I’m not stupid. But I take it as something to catch my attention so I would read the entire article. And I did. Not everyone will take the title discerningly. And many will find the comments “cool” because they are a different read, many may catch the bandwagon of misguided hate that many may grow into obliviously. I am sure that the authors are aware that these are sensitive topics and I hope they do a better job moderating these comments just as they fervently respond to comments that completely disagree with them.
Ilda said that mainstream media is aware of this. That’s good enough for me. If this was just a blog with nothing more than personal opinions, I will repel it. But if the writings and the authors have purpose with a solid aim and have more than one avenue than just a blog where people can comment and take advantage of anonymity and accountability is non-existent, then I will support it. I believe the objective is good, so I will support it.
Everything here is generalized. And it will not always be accurate. So if I were to suggest something, it would be to write in Tagalog. This not only to keep the issues within the Filipino community(as this is the worldwideweb), but also to let other Filipinos who does not speak or understand English well, like those that don’t get idioms, figurative rebuttals and the like, to fully understand the messages. I’m telling you, many who reply to you that sound completely off are coming from people who take the messages completely out of context because they didn’t understand anything that has been said in the first place. Hence all you get are angry people.The issues are complex enough, it’ll be even harder for an average-minded joe/juan dela cruz to understand complicated words or phrases in English. Write in Tagalog, I think it is safe to assume that all these articles are addressed to Filipinos anyway, so I see no reason why it shouldn’t be in Tagalog.
Also, pinoys weren’t as abhorring to the English language as you think they were. Primarily a product of Erap’s presidency and promoted more pinoy tagalog shows and less English with some stupid basis that it wasn’t beneficial for the pinoy in general. I’m a child of the 80′s and believe me, bilingual was taken pretty well back in the day compared to now when the any pinoy who can speak englitschez is labeled as ‘conyo’ o ‘nagmamarunong’. And due to my English comprehension, my desire to learn kicked in to learn the language from any limited resource. Says a lot when you break from a culture of complacency to one where you take baby steps to value your initiative, eh? Well, I hope you understand where I’m coming from.
If everything is generalized, why do the results have a strong correlation with the generalization? Especially the one you refer to as this article? And no, its not a product of coincidence considering were talking about a long, sustained time frame here.
Complacency has roads that lead to nowhere.
TMM Reply: June 13th, 2010 at 11:50 am
8million? I always wondered why the poor tend to have more babies. Is it rocket science to figure out that if you are poor, you cannot feed your babies well? Why then, why make 10 of them?
I always wonder about this. Is it really that difficult to realize this?
I often find it difficult to help those families with so many kids whom they cannot feed. Why oh why did they even get to that point? And why must I help them with my hard-earned money and make them feel as if its ok to have lots of kids they cannot feed – because someone will come and help, anyway. BAHALA NA! <>
“I see the aim of this site, but unless the messages here can reach the people who really need to understand these things, all of these are pointless. And all I would see are people making fun of themselves, whining and complaining but never doing anything about any problem which is even sadder. It would mean that even the intellectual Filipino is also useless, and the people commenting here are no different than the people they put down. Now that’s pathetic.”
I so agree with you…also let’s hate the behavior and not the people…some of the comments here are really insulting and as someone who have recently discovered AP and have admired the blogs of Ilda and Benigno because of its witty analysis, I cringe at some blogs that has thinly veiled their really anti-Filipino sentiments…some of these are bordering on racist remarks… yes, I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flak with this comment and I know I won’t win the intellectual discourse with some of the intellectual snobs here … but please if you’re really after exposing the lame side of being Filipino, just stick to the issues and not resort to name-calling or giddily report whatever anti-Filipino anecdotes you can dig up because yes, some of us, onion-skinned majority are reading these blogs and can’t help but defend whatever Filipino pride we have left.
Then man up and grow a pair. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow but it can set you free. The pilipino has refused to grow up no matter what kind of ‘pakiusap’ intellectuals use. Isn’t it time we crack the whip, brandish that cane, and whip them to submission? Jesus Christ endured the pain of crucifixion and death to free man from sin, hadn’t the Church drilled that to your brain?
And BTW, what is this “Filipino pride” you speak of?
AP IS sticking with the issues, it’s just that they have run out of “polite” words to describe the dysfunction of the pilipino. AKA: Call it as I see it.
You call them intellectual snobs. Why would you call someone who speaks the truth and who happens to know a thing a two more than you a snob? That’s typical pilipino attitude towards intellectuals!
BTW, alab, you may be reacting to the comments… that’s just one of the quirks of an online article with a comments feature.
Actually, the lame side of Filipinos is the issue here, and we’re sticking to it. If you think we’re just repeating and repeating our complaints, it’s because people are just forgetting them, and others are covering them up. In fact, I stick to my stance that the onion-skinned who are defending whatever so-called “Filipino pride” are not doing the right thing. If they resist and continue to defend this “Filipino pride” thing, they are not making any solutions. Instead, they should drop efforts to defend “Filipino pride” and focus on doing things right. These onion-skinned people are our target, and if they refuse to listen, we will pummel them with more and more of this”insulting” stuff in our blog until they come to their senses and contribute to change. Mind you, this is happening outside of this blog too. We’ll keep keeping the good faith and fighting the good fight.
You won’t get a lot of flak, but you just proved to us you aren’t willing to own up to your denial.
And once again, proving that only idiots like you like to claim this anti-pinoy scrutinizing a racist issue because it isn’t one, yet you are willing to claim it as one. Hence why playing the racist card is honestly so passe nowadays, especially when the likes of you pull it out as your only defense to justifying the existing and failed pinoy culture that worships the mediocrity. Our Asian neighbors and certainly other nations have gone past that and have more to prove of their pride otherwise. They VALUE intellectuals and their input while you and other weak willed individuals are satisfied being stuck in the mire of our own created DOG SH*T from generations on, offering no real solutions to how to get out but justifying its part of the supposed Pinoy Culture.
If anything, alab, I lament for the likes of you. For the thing you defend and justify that is ‘Filipino Pride’ doesn’t exist and isn’t worth your words. Its merely nothing more than a product of false advertising and desperation to believe in anything worthwhile, even if it is empty words.
(from Pinoyexchange, where the chance of the antinoynoys getting banned was upped recently)
Try to read Chapter 9 (Rent-Seeking Families and the Philippine State: A History of the Lopez Family) of “An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines” for you to understand how the Lopezes use ABS-CBN in their rent-seeking activities (the exact same reason why they wanted to install Abnoynoy as this country’s next President- they could easily manipulate Abnoynoy given their usual rent-seeking ways).
NOTE: Rent-seeking is characterized by the political manipulation of the regulatory powers of the state over businesses to favor a few, paving the way for installation of business empires.
I read the article you linked. Right from the start, from my first post, I have no qualms about the messages of the author. But I disagree with many of the people who comment in such extremes as to say that there’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to be proud about our country or about being a Filipino. I believe it is true that there are soooo many things we can improve on, and I agree that it would take something radical to change the status of our country. The sense of pride even if it lacks much basis is, for me, one of the things that keep our country alive since it mostly elicits love for country. Yes the country’s barely breathing, but its alive nevertheless. It annoys me when I read or see fellow Filipinos claiming that the Filipino and the Philippines are the best at EVERYTHING, but it also annoys me to see and hear fellow Filipinos claiming that the Filipino and the Philippines are NOTHING but garbage.
This is all I need to know because this has been my only issue with this site aside from some comments: “Make no mistake, the mainstream media is aware of us and that is what’s important. If we can convince the members of the media to shape up, they will do a faster job at disseminating all the right information to the rest of the public. “
I hope this site takes leaps and bounds because not everyone (filipinos and other nationalities) can be as discerning with all the articles and the comments. Filipinos like me may take more heat or may be discriminated more than we already are. And as much as I would like issues like these to be kept within the country, I know it is not in my hands.
Nevertheless, good luck to you guys. This is something new for everyone, hopefully it does good.
Nice rebuttals @ volumeup. Please consider my take…
1. On sweeping generalization. It’s just a manner of form. Though logic dictates generalization is a fallacy, the framework and the medium (this forum) where we discuss our perception of the Filipino society allows us to move away from that scholarly BS. Perceptions, negative or positive, must be taken seriously and at some point in academic researches are indicators for policy creation or improvements. Though negative perception rants are most of the times “sweeping”, we know for a fact that it is just a form or style. Its substance may mean that “significant” number of …. or on the “aggregate”…
2. AP and its audience. The target may or may not be the common “masa”… those that you’ve defined as less-educated, values-deprived, poverty-struck “rotten pinoys”. Consider these rants as a part of a thesis’ “review of literature”. The general framework of AP is about Filipino culture, government and governance, political economy and politics and economics.
As we’ve read about the Noli and the Fili of Rizal in our HS days, AP is like an open forum of how the amor-propio, indolence, laziness and the a-s-s licking attitude of our kababayans hinders our growth as a nation… a no holds barred critiquing. Do consider the way technology moves… access to this type of information may also be like the cellular phone phenomenon where every where a housemaid or a tricycle driver can afford two… dual sim pa.
but it also annoys me to see and hear fellow Filipinos claiming that the Filipino and the Philippines are NOTHING but garbage.
Its truth. I keep telling it many like you who believe in potential but unless conditions are realized, preparation is taken and awareness is achieved, the results speak for themselves. And it is a long winded result that even I, born from this country is CERTAINLY NOT PROUD OF! Annoyance may be your primary emotion but I take it as straight up disappointment. Of course like you, everyone has different opinions regarding on how to take the information but you cannot run away from that reality of what we currently are. And unless we take the improvement to heart and the desire to be socially aware, I don’t see the results changing.
Trust me, some opinionated people overseas is going to get wind of the inability of the country faster than AP at times. Because usually its our OWNpeople who make the effort to make it to the headlines. But remember, they don’t represent who you are as a person, especially if you are one who is critical and socially aware. I’m certainly not going to defend the stupid behavior of my kababayans when their idiocy is on fully display because on an intellectual level, its rather hard to defend behavior such as drama queen, over-reactive and self-absorbed.
As HHHyman has said in number 2, AP is an open discourse about ideas regarding the country that is backed up with facts. Because nobody in the country is ever open about discussions regarding politics, culture, economy and governance without someone clamoring about how they emotionally feel about these subjects and derailing discussion. Or old conspiracy theories. So certainly this site is beneficial once you get past how you feel about the articles and questioning yourselves the same thing and analyzing the issues. And if you feel differently, put up a convincing counter argument as to why it shouldn’t be that way. Rarely that ever happens, since the analysis holds itself up.
Your questions deserve answers friend. You should be asking and reaching for more questions if we are to know the answers, as opposed to bahala na.
“Truth” to a large extent but to nullify everything including the good, cannot be be stated as fact.
I am not running away from any reality. But I cannot factually state that absolutely everything in the Philippines is trash. You’re right, I may have a different take than you, but to say I am a clueless person that should look for answers is borderline arrogant. Just because I do not completely agree with you or your methods does not mean I’m clueless. You’re trying to raise a debate with a person who already agrees with the objective of this site and it strikes me as odd.
Oh yes its true, Filipinos are the ones who do make the effort to tell everyone how useless our kind is. And if I was not concerned Filipino, I would look at this site as nonsense negativity and as just one of those efforts. But I don’t. I do not understand where you get your insinuations.
Oh, don’t even go to assuming how or what I feel. This site is potentially beneficial, but right now, in my opinion, it is still not reaching the objectives because only intellectuals can comprehend all these– the articles and the comments. I get it, it will take time. No qualms with that.
I can’t believe that you’re even accusing me of having this “bahala na” attitude. The mere fact that I’m writing here means that I am participating and I bring to the table legitimate concerns that do not contradict the objective of this movement and even suggest how all these can be improved. Are you so used to insulting people you don’t know that it makes you react like this automatically? If so, and you want everyone to be like you, I will not want to be part of your society. My opinions may not exactly be like yours, and it may not be music to your ears but if you badger me with your personal assumptions about me, you are no different than the people who contradict you calling you “bitter”, “inggit” and “crab” with a baseless premise, they are the ones you call “stupid” and “onion-skinned”.
Your opinions are your own. Your solutions aren’t exactly the first that I have heard considering I’ve joined other new philippines themed groups in facebook. First off if you are bothered by the personal assumptions, as with being called stupid irks you, does that mean you take it personally? Hence why I am a bit correct on my assumptions. Otherwise any reasonable person would scoff at these accusations since they hold no basis! So don’t let your feelings get the better of you.
“Truth” to a large extent but to nullify everything including the good, cannot be be stated as fact.
No one is nullifying the good at all here. Especially if you read back in certain articles like these. We hold it close scrutiny because by pointing it out, maybe we could find viewpoints we can debate about or even rectify once socially accepted negative viewpoints in a positive light! Unless you can provide factual truth (apparently which you can’t) that there is a positive about the negativity the kind author has put together with his message, its safe to assume the results correlate with his generalization, which holds true in those conditions. You disagree otherwise but you have only given what you feel about it as opposed to solid numbers, facts or figures.
The only thing we seem to disagree at is the methods, which I’m explaining why it is so in a factual manner. And I hopefully I think to have explained myself well on your reply at the bottom.
hoshiwrote on 8 June, 2010, 11:34
He also said “Damn the Americans! Why don’t they tyrannize us more?” when the Americans gave us autonomy. Just your run-of-the-mill politician playing to the nationalistic trend of the masses at that time though from what I read he was extraordinarily good at playing the part; a natural charmer.
It’s sad to know how this topic is so full of anger. In my opinion, you wrote this after you felt the insulted by a Filipino. Perhaps, you wrote this in your hotel room while you’re here in the Philippines. You see, when one hates a Nation it comes from the deepest part of your mind.
I believe that this article is not solely base from your friend. This article is about your very own rooted prejudice and hypocrisy. Firstly, you are a coward trying to hide your racist blog in the mask of a “my friend” perspective. With that, you are a hypocrite for coming to the Philippines. A nation cannot be judge just by mere plain sight. If you must know, all the vented ideas here are very general that it can pinpoint other nations as well. So you see, you did come to the Philippines.
Anyways… gut it up ChinoF… why don’t you rewrite this article and add concrete evidences of your accusations. Add citation if you are really educated. “My friends” will be waiting for your revised article..
This article is about your very own rooted prejudice and hypocrisy
Then put up facts which overturn his arguments OTHERWISE. What he’s written is pretty factual, based on simple analysis and certainly not a biased opinion like the crap that is spewed out from your favorite propaganda based media outlets.
Firstly, you are a coward trying to hide your racist blog in the mask of a “my friend” perspective. With that, you are a hypocrite for coming to the Philippines.
What he puts isn’t racist. Its cold hard truth that you yourself can see if you go out of your posh, gated community and observe how society works. The kind of truth you don’t question often because you weren’t conditioned to look for answers. And he’s certainly not a hypocrite considering his views stay consistent.
. A nation cannot be judge just by mere plain sight. If you must know, all the vented ideas here are very general that it can pinpoint other nations as well. So you see, you did come to the Philippines.
Oh really? Like our neighbors in Asia? Yes, do ME a favor and give me facts about how singapore, China, India, korea and japan EMBRACE mediocracy and how it has screwed over their nation. Or how their culture and values are so messed up that they can’t have a progressive, functioning society. Or that their pride is just as hollow because the accomplishments they have done as a nation means jack squat to what the Philippines has done. Or how their governance pumps out a nation that tolerates idiots to high positions in civil service.
BTW, if your eyes haven’t failed you yet (or your emotions) read a bit more in the blog. ChinoF is actually from the Philippines. So suspend your disbelief when you actually see people with their legitimate claims about the messed up society of the country, backed with over years and years of ineptitude.
If you dislike it so much, create a counter argument worthy of a discourse, rather than expressing how hurt your butt is from being offended.
Environment and access to information have more impact than natural inclination to do stupid things.
How can a Filipino become wise when he’s not given a fair chance to learn properly?
For example, I grew up in a remote province where access to liberal thinking was absent. How could anyone get enlightened when the ideas prevailing in town are thus:
You’re both right in my book, guys. Some choose to be stupid. Others don’t know better because the resources don’t reach them. A very telling sign of social inequality in this country.
For those not given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, thats a given. For those who have made the mistakes and continue to not learn from them, that clearly is their fault and are responsible for it.
But I do agree that many of the provincial type of thinking has much to do with urban legends or folklore that stunts the ability for a community to accept hypothesis or theories.
Yet I challenge some people… many classical theorists use sweeping generalization in their ideas. “Men are beasts” “All men are descended from apes.” All men are like this, like that. Why aren’t they attacked?
Yet one here who doesn’t use sweeping generalization is attacked for using it?
“Yet one here who doesn’t use sweeping generalization is attacked for using it?”
In my opinion, I think the reason’s simple: the truth hurts.
Some, if not most, Filipinos are naturally defensive when someone points out that the Filipino culture is flawed that they tend to, by default, attack the one pointing this out and not the argument itself.
Sadly, I think that most of us find it easier to simply dismiss the person as being a dissident, deviant, etc than having to go through the trouble of defending our stance on the argument presented.
Nevermind that we may actually raise certain points, no matter how ridiculous they might be, in counter-arguing that perhaps make sense but I guess it would be easier for us to say that this person is “naggagaling-galingan” or whatever.
Settling for mediocrity has always been one of the main problems culture here, I think. And those who strive to be outstanding are often subjected to fault-finding just so that they would feel good with themselves.
Sorry, I may have deviated from the main topic. (What was it again? Oh, about sweeping generalizations and attacking the argument)
Honestly, I find it hard not to get slighted a bit by people who labels Filipinos as such and such; I am essentially a Filipino which would naturally equate that when someone generalizes about it, I’m technically counted.
I just find it sad that most of us would not accept these opinions and use it as a leverage to improve.
I just find it sadder that most of us are proving the writer’s opinions even more.
Thanks for hearing me out and I hope I made sense.
Thanks for the “bravest” tag… though I actually think Ilda is the bravest with her direct opposition to Noynoy Aquino. But I guess my direct tirades against Filipino culture as a whole are a brave thing in itself. Heck, “Anti-Pinoy” as a whole is brave.
Papaano na ang Pilipinas ngayon? Filipinos just elected a STUPID AND INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT. The only consolation prize is Jejomar Binay will hold the 2nd highest post. I rather have him than the whiny Mar Roxas who hide behind Korina Sanchez and showbiz character…..
“Also, pinoys weren’t as abhorring to the English language as you think they were. Primarily a product of Erap’s presidency and promoted more pinoy tagalog shows and less English with some stupid basis that it wasn’t beneficial for the pinoy in general. I’m a child of the 80′s and believe me, bilingual was taken pretty well back in the day compared to now when the any pinoy who can speak englitschez is labeled as ‘conyo’ o ‘nagmamarunong’. And due to my English comprehension, my desire to learn kicked in to learn the language from any limited resource. Says a lot when you break from a culture of complacency to one where you take baby steps to value your initiative, eh? Well, I hope you understand where I’m coming from.”
Very good for you, you’re exceptional. And I do get your point. But reality is, not everyone is like you or many of the people in this site. The people who need to understand these things are the ones who don’t take initiative. And you can not influence or jerk them to do anything if they don’t understand anything you say in the first place. With the language used now, the majority of Filipinos will not understand it hence the objective of the article will be lost. Also, as much as English is beneficial to Filipinos, Tagalog should not be disregarded. True that back in the day, more Filipinos were fluent bilinguals, but now they don’t even know what language to speak. However, Tagalog remains to be the dominant language in the country, hence in my perspective, most if not everything here, should be in the language that will be understood by the majority. And its obvious that average Filipinos abhor fluent English speakers who are also FIlipino because they simply can’t understand them. If you knew curses in French but not the full French language, then someone speaks to you completely in French and hear the curses coming out from his mouth while pointing his finger at you, what would you assume? If you plan to rattle their dysfunctional beliefs using strong words like “stupid” or “hate” or whatever, you could at least let them understand the words coming out of your mouth then let them decide whether they will take your message out of context and resort to angry responses or take your message constructively. We cannot speak to Filipinos in Hindi then call them stupid if they disagree since they have no basis to begin with.
And with the case of Erap… It is my observation, and it is obvious enough, that one of the main reasons why he won by a landslide in his first presidential bid and also why he came in second in this election was because everyone understood him. It’s easier to influence, and in Erap’s case, mang-uto, if people actually, literally understands you. And on the other end, this is the same reason why Gordon went relatively unnoticed by the majority because the majority does not understand the words he speaks and the context of his speeches.
“If everything is generalized, why do the results have a strong correlation with the generalization? Especially the one you refer to as this article? And no, its not a product of coincidence considering were talking about a long, sustained time frame here.”
Go ahead, generalize. Its not like I can stop you or anything. My perspective here is that I cannot say that every single person of the millions in the population of the island have exactly the same mindset. Because if that is true, then a Filipino like you should not even exist. And like you, I know a change like this will not happen overnight. It will take decades. But it also does not mean that I cannot do something now and contribute in supporting this movement by suggesting improvements like imparting these messages in Tagalog.
“Complacency has roads that lead to nowhere.”
I don’t know what you are trying to imply here. Are you saying I’m promoting complacency? If you are, then you are completely mistaken.
I’ll be honest, some are hard to turn into tagalog while retaining its meaning and the way it was written. Besides, its generalizing to say everyone in the Philippines understands tagalog. With over several dialects, people practice their regionalism by speaking the local dialect and understanding it more than tagalog. Ironic enough, ENGLISH happens to have penetrated these areas.
. But reality is, not everyone is like you or many of the people in this site. The people who need to understand these things are the ones who don’t take initiative.
Now that is their problem. You don’t survive this kind of created condition without initiative. You are also severely overestimating the value of tagalog, which I have already said one of its weaknesses that it isn’t a unifying language and a very inefficient one, especially when it comes to terms in lingo with advanced sciences, economic talk and political terms. I’m not saying it cannot be used in terms for a proper mode of discourse, but in the areas I’ve talked about, its severely hampering compared to the straight forwardness and specific nature of English, when utilized correctly. In tagalog, you can spend more effort and energy trying to explain something in nature of political policies while in english, its neatly arranged, with a beginning, an end, an argument and a conclusion.
If you plan to rattle their dysfunctional beliefs using strong words like “stupid” or “hate” or whatever, you could at least let them understand the words coming out of your mouth then let them decide whether they will take your message out of context and resort to angry responses or take your message constructively.
You have point there. Though the problem is its rather hard to sugarcoat the issue to make it even more acceptable to them. Take for example when Lee Kuan Yew’s comments regarding the Pinoys in 1992 as lazy and undisciplined. The reaction was just as you would have thought, with Fidel Ramos getting angry and the pinoys telling the the guy to never set foot in the country ever again. Years after, the pinoys themselves haven’t changed for the better and Singapore continues improving itself and keeping up in a progressive South East Asia. So the nature of the message itself wouldn’t matter until the people get what the message stands for. If it gets our attention then good! If they choose to be enlightened and become socially aware through it, even better! Overall either they quickly learn (unlike their predecessors did generations gone ago) or they keep repeating it all over again, even if they knew the message in tagalog.
Erap won not necessarily because people understood him in their terms (especially the poor people mind you. In fact his first win was attributed to many of his voters in the D and E economic class) but the conception of the people regarding politics. Go back as long as 1992 and you’ll see even jokers like Tito Sotto and Bong Revilla Sr. mopping the floor for senator candidacy. I’d say it goes even way back with socially inept and unaware people keep voting for that popular guy or that oligarch who has nothing to offer for the country in the long run! And ironically enough, people don’t buy Gordon’s positive, upbeat yet misinterpreted message on their part! You rather forgot the big factor that Pinoys treat their politics with personality, not with the heart of the issues and that has to change.
Change will come but as I have stated and as many believe here, it WILL NOT COME unless it starts from somewhere. The grand premise that it starts from the top leadership spot and it will naturally follow to the citizens, since the people have yet to see true effective leadership, one which even Gordon or even Gibo was about. And honestly these and other ones discussed here are in a larger scale than communicating it in a failed medium that is Tagalog/Filipino. In terms of generalization, you are aware that the country is ruled by both a mediocracy AND an idiocracy right? Which punctuates the point that the old concepts and cultural mindsets aren’t enough to bring the country towards changing itself.
In the end, I’m just making my point about pinoy society, not about you. At least one of the many negative attributes they seem to promote, which is wrong considering its the worst kind of attribute to have in the condition of life the country is in right now.
We follow Jose Rizal’s model in writing his Noli and Fili in Spanish. He was not aiming for the masses, but the elite, which is why he wrote the novels in Spanish and not Tagalog (or Filipino or what have you). It is safe to assume that he believed the elite would make the changes, not the masses – because he also believed that masses were lazy and inutil. Hence, writing in the “elite” language – like what we do here in English.
Yet we are considering coming out with more Tagalog articles. But I guess the Taglish articles don’t satisfy you? Hang on.
Well we’ve had discussions before about which group of people will impact the message more. I think I forgot to say as well that its not only the poor, unfortunate masses who are lacking but also the elites or the oligarchs, who are also as dumb as rocks. The only difference is they control 80% of the country’s wealth and at least 80% of the land.
If the Filipinos are not stupid, then why there is still Hueteng and ****fighting in almost every Barangay in the Philippines?
Most of the poorest of the poor complain that they have nothing to eat, cannot afford to send their children to school, cannot afford P100.00/per month for Philhealth, SSS, etc. because of poverty, but when it comes to illegal gambling, alcohol and cigarettes, most of them have money.
I lived for eighteen (18) months in Quirangay, Camalig, Albay, where I put up a child-help project sending poor but deserving children to school. In the beginning, the Barangay Officials supported my project until I refused to donate for a Singing Competition for the Barangay Fiesta. Prior to this, I stopped giving money to the Barangay as I came to know that my donations solicited by the Barangay Secretary were not recorded and received by the Barangay Treasurer.
The situation worsened as I complained about the ****fighting and Hueteng activities in the area, where the fathers of my sponsored children regularly bet. I was threatened and was declared persona non grata.
Worst, the children members of the project were harassed by the Barangay Captain and Secretary themselves telling them not to attend my free tutorial activities. I sought the help of the DILG but the answer was “Dayo ako, makisama ako” (Am a stranger to the place, I have to cope up with them.)
A death threat caused me to left the place for good. In fairness to the children, I continue to help them until the last child graduates from High School in 2013, but after reaching this goal, never again will I solicit donations from a foreign country only to support this sick society.
I think what some people like volumeup don’t get it is at least we are beyond understanding the positivity of the country. Or it isn’t something that sustains it long enough to have some sort of a valued impact for society. There is much more negativity happening and tolerated on a daily basis that its better to be aware of these, THUS creating for better acceptance for positivity.
And certainly, society is one thing that has been a negativity in the country for a very long time.
I will probably get the ire of some of the regular posters here like before by saying this…the Filipinos are not the only stupid creatures around. The whole world is filled with stupid people. I’ll probably be asked to give examples for global stupidity but I believe most of you can find out by yourselves.
Yes there are a lot of stupid Filipinos. Even some educated and enlightened Filipinos are stupid in their own right. But this mass stupidity is highlighted by the glaring poverty in our country. Because living conditions can be so bad, compared to western nations, we always end up asking ourselves why can’t the Filipino get out of poverty when he/she clearly wants to live a better life. The answer is simple: they want it but they don’t want to do anything to get it.
There are a lot of bad stuff happening in the country but there are also some good initiatives by fellow Filipinos. Of course nothing is perfect. And any ‘good’ initiative can be nitpicked for this or that. But one of the things that plague this nation is that most people don’t get to hear any good news at all.
All they hear are bad news so that’s what they have come to expect. They feel that their lives won’t change anyway so why bother lifting a finger to even try. Let’s stick with the old politicians because why bother voting for newer ones who can push for reform when they will just lose? That kind of mind-set…
Despite our false pride in our athletes, entertainers and other get-rich quick Filipino celebrities; most Filipinos are not confident that they can bring about the change they want. Perhaps they are misguided in thinking that change is instant when it never is.
I may appear as a the odd man out trying to find something positive in a sea of negativity in this site. But I do agree with most of the points that have been raised. I do believe that there is something wrong with our collective culture. But at the same time, I can empathize what’s its like to be impoverished, to lose everything (job, money, properties, your own son…) and to actually be poor after living such a comfortable life. Is it my fault that I lost certain things, I believe so but I don’t think anyone can say that I’m soley to blame for what has happened. Somethings were after all beyond my control as an individual. I’m not completely masa and I cannot relate to what they want but I feel that I can now understand better the kind of depressing self imposed hopelessness of their ‘stupid’ lives.
There is a way out and I know that. Unfortunately for most of our countrymen, they feel that it is more of a ‘hassle’ to try to excel when there exists a possibility of failing again in the end. Hence lies our stupidity of not being strong enough to risk a better life.
If you think that only makes sense for our people, think again. There have many more nations stricken with distraught, grief and what not however they prove their ultimate accomplishment by turning it around. Examples would be Korea after the Cold War, Japan after WW2, Singapore well before LKY took reins as a leader, India before and during British colonization and even Thailand. They were even worst off than the Philippines at a certain point but as a nation, chose the values and the risk to ultimately look forward, into a future and to a better, competitive tomorrow. I’ve been thinking about it as well and its beyond what it is temporary but has long been sustained (the culture of poverty), misinformation and the embracing the idiocracy. The long term survival and success of the Filipino nation hinges on making the necessary sacrifices and having that foresight. Otherwise, it is a brutal reality that the country will be and there will be absolutely nothing positive to really reinforce that at all.
If anything, you’d figure that once you hit rock bottom the only way to go is up right? Don’t be surprised if that isn’t the case with the country that finds ways to dig holes for itself and its people. So you need the proper attitude and mentality to survive and live through that perpetual reality.
The ultimate good news that this site is reinforcing, under the harshness and the bleakness of it all is Just like those who see opportunity in the face of adversity, you can ultimately find basis or a foundation for changing for the better.
So you are right the Pinoys ultimately chose to be poor, at least most of them. Its an easy decision because it doesn’t need effort and only a spur of apathy. Its all consequential, even as Richard Gordon explained it in his TV interviews. For pinoys to realize to be well off, they will need to accept positivity not just from temporary things, but from realizing they are worth more if they made the simple fixes in their lives.
Ask for the misguided assumptions on ‘spreading the seed’….well some people feel that’s their only joy in life that is technically free. The sex and not what comes after. And in that regard…isn’t that such as sad thought that there is no other joy available for most Filipinos.
“Your opinions are your own. Your solutions aren’t exactly the first that I have heard considering I’ve joined other new philippines themed groups in facebook. First off if you are bothered by the personal assumptions, as with being called stupid irks you, does that mean you take it personally? Hence why I am a bit correct on my assumptions. Otherwise any reasonable person would scoff at these accusations since they hold no basis! So don’t let your feelings get the better of you.”
You can’t blame a person if he is “irked” when called stupid you know. Not unless he’s a robot. But like what I already said, though it “irked” me, I do not take it personally not unless you’re in my face calling my name and yelling that I’m stupid. If someone does that, I’ll break his jaw, rebuttal unnecessary. lol This initial emotional response is not just a Filipino trait, this is something any person would initially feel. For this situation, pertaining to the title, I get “irked” but I don’t respond brashly, I read the message first, its an article, it should have a point. And it does. I felt an emotion, because I’m human, did I let it get the better of me? I think not. Then you come along assuming and concluding that I’m emo and other things. Its not more of taking it personally, but its irritating to be accused of something you’re not. You addressed me directly, you know. You wouldn’t want others stating lies about you, now would you?
“No one is nullifying the good at all here.”
Ok. This is good to know.
“Especially if you read back in certain articles like these. We hold it close scrutiny because by pointing it out, maybe we could find viewpoints we can debate about or even rectify once socially accepted negative viewpoints in a positive light! Unless you can provide factual truth (apparently which you can’t) that there is a positive about the negativity the kind author has put together with his message, its safe to assume the results correlate with his generalization, which holds true in those conditions. You disagree otherwise but you have only given what you feel about it as opposed to solid numbers, facts or figures.”
Just by the fact that there is negative, there is already a positive. If there was no positive, then what is a negative? vice versa. And coming from someone who defends the use of generalization, you did not get that I’m not only taking about the article per se but the whole of Filipino society, the whole country. In any case, you already stated that there is a positive, so that’s good enough for me. I’m just being careful not ride with people who believes that there is only a negative, I don’t want to be associated with extremists but only with rational people. So let’s move forward please.
But just to remind you also, I don’t know if I’m reading you correctly, but it seems you think I don’t like the negative points to be discussed. If you believe so, then you are wrong. If I was like that, I wouldn’t even be here talking to you. I merely point out that there is a positive, even if the positive is minuscule, it exists. No, I’m not glorifying this positive. I’m merely pointing out its existence. Yes, I agree with many of you that the negative aspects of our society should be put upfront, and that is essentially why I’m here. So please, with all due respect kind sir, lay off the personal assumptions. You can criticize and dissect the society, all of us have the right to because we are a part of it and many here are doing it to make it better. But I am an individual, you should not judge me based on your personal assumptions then state them out like they’re facts about me, you don’t even know me.
“The only thing we seem to disagree at is the methods, which I’m explaining why it is so in a factual manner. And I hopefully I think to have explained myself well on your reply at the bottom.”
Reading now… Replying next time. Gotta roll out lol but I think this already should satisfy you. With regards to which audience these messages should be targeted to, it is arguable. I want to discuss it. I will try to look for the references you mentioned but if you already have the links of that discussion pertaining to which should be the readers of all these articles, please kindly paste them here so I can catch up with your perceptions. Thanks.
And do you think its proper? Do you think it solves everything, besides saving your ego from being crushed? Unlike you, who seems to justify they don’t behave like a proto-human despite justifying their emotion-first, reason-second mentality, I’m quite above that for the most part. I’m far capable of reasoning out those who claim my by letting them have that thought while I continue on with my existence. On the other hand, you have to validate yours with getting up on someones’ face and making it out to be some ‘big deal’. That kind of behavior usually isn’t one being civil anyway, especially over a simple remark or insult.
The positivity in the message, not the way the messenger handles it. To say there is only negativity is sadly in your point of view considering a to me is a positivity, especially in a system that doesn’t promote that kind of thinking.
I don’t have to know you to make assumptions, hence derived from the word . I was just making observations regarding on how you took certain parts of the argument since I found the behavior rather typical. But that is besides the real point, which is you don’t get is that the generalizations made is backed by facts and results. The author honestly was never taking shots at individuals but of course people contribute with their own personal stories and their outlook about it. Does it justify exactly what you think that every pinoy individual is an idiot? No, it encompasses the bigger, overall message that is being conveyed, one that is beyond your precepts of trying to accept the concrete positivity. Everyone here is ahead of that anyway but the bigger justice is understanding the message, which applies to everyone but even more so to the elites as ChinoF has stated. For the common folk, its key as well because they can CHOOSE which elites could represent THEM! So its , even if it comes off as being a generalization.
If you perceive what I wrote as personal attacks, then my apologies for dealing with someone who reacts with their emotions first. However, AP can always use a varied type of communicators in trying to get the message out so if you feel you can write a piece that is both diplomatic while retaining the message that is fully intended, by all means feel free to contribute your piece.
I’ll have to go back to the certain articles (since I have a nasty habit of not bookmarking specific ones I like) but for now, search the ones dealing with and . Oh and one on .
why thank you jay for making an example of me as the typical pinoy lol
this is the reason why I think you will never reach people like me, the ones who you aptly describe as people who put emotions first, who happens to be the majority of pinoys since you yourself claim that this behavior is typical. Pinoys are emotional and are not like you, who say he is “above it”. It comes across to me that you come here with the expectation that everyone is like you hence you brand them right away based on your initial observation when they write a hint of disagreement. Heck, you even made an argument when I said I’ll break a dude’s nose if he comes in my face with insults. Man, you really are “above it”, aren’t you? You’re so above it that I think when a guy comes up to you and your wife and the man yells out “your wife is one big whore!” over and over again in the middle of a crowd, you’ll just shrub it off and calmly tell your wife “no worries honey, we know its not true, he has no factual basis”, then just mosey down along. I’m sorry man, I am not as extremely “above it” as you.
I know people are going to react with emotions first and I think its normal. What’s not normal is not to feel anything at all. What I want to deal with is how to help them control their emotions, in a sense that, when they feel something, they’ll still be able to decide the appropriate thing to do as a normal human being and not like a computer. They’re people not machines. You don’t honestly think everyone can be like you, do you? Because by how you freely describe yourself, you’re a man of plain solid logic. You’re unbendable. And all of this leads to what we originally disagreed about at the very beginning– the methods.
This is the last time I do this and will no longer discuss my issue with you no matter how many times you try debate and claim what you believe I feel. I’m the only one who knows how I feel for sure, sorry. This is because I agree with the point you made that this particular topic is useless, you may feel I started it, but you certainly followed suit. So I am ending it right now.
Thank you for the links man. I’ll be reading them all. And when I find the time to contribute a piece, I will. I just simply don’t have the time right now.
But here are some suggestions that I think will help pinoys who come across this site to take the messages in the articles easier:
In every or at least most articles, why don’t the authors include their objectives, their intentions of writing such a piece? The objectives of the piece should be written at the bottom of each article, in a strictly straightforward manner- no back stories, no comparisons etc etc.. I say this since I observed that some of the people who comment here refuse to accept the message because they see no point in it hence they view the article as just plain insults so I can’t blame them if they retort without basis but only with emotions. By doing this, it will be easier for them to find out that each article do not only have points with some facts but also serve a purpose and has an objective. I know it would be like spoon-feeding them, but most here already think that pinoys are stupid, so I don’t see any problem with this. Surely a few more sentences can’t hurt the writers.
Man, you really are “above it”, aren’t you? You’re so above it that I think when a guy comes up to you and your wife and the man yells out “your wife is one big whore!” over and over again in the middle of a crowd, you’ll just shrub it off and calmly tell your wife “no worries honey, we know its not true, he has no factual basis”, then just mosey down along. I’m sorry man, I am not as extremely “above it” as you.
Hey man, glad to know you think that way in a typical sense. Tell me something, do I get something out of beating up that guy spreading the obvious lies? Does that pride feed me or benefit me somehow? Thing is buddy, if all you have for answers to pointless slander and lies is physical retaliation, then you really aren’t above anything.
I never said emotions were bad. But you and I know very well that letting your emotions rule over something that isn’t worth the emotional investment is not a healthy thing, especially in something that is true and has basis for logic and reason. And it doesn’t just benefit the individual but society as well. Especially since societies that have been well off have shown otherwise.
In every or at least most articles, why don’t the authors include their objectives, their intentions of writing such a piece? The objectives of the piece should be written at the bottom of each article, in a strictly straightforward manner- no back stories, no comparisons etc etc..
What is the point if it won’t be debated then? Besides can’t pieces have a distinct writing style about them anyway? Honestly even if ChinoF stripped off the stuff that catches attention, it still would lead to this argument we had IMHO. Besides those who don’t see the point may be working in their own ignorance maybe or aren’t thinking clearly about what is being written and instead taking in more why they should be offended. The point of the article should make you feel something, but should also make any sane, progressive person analyze the argument and the issues and if they had doubts or problems understanding certain things, they should speak out about it here and many of the contributors could help enlighten you.
Add more few sentences and you’d probably still end up with people being too hurt to want to understand it anyway. See how inefficient it is? If you couldn’t understand it what it was before, why write more sentences just to appeal to the inner ego and forget the point or points to debate altogether?
Dahil kay ChinoF ito tuloy ang aking naging thought for the day: Katangahan ba ang umasang may pag-asa pang isang bayang lugmok sa katanghan? Kung iisiping maigi, hindi tanga ang mga Pilipino. Nakakaisip naman tayo ng mga paraan kung papaano malulutasan ang mga problema e. 'Yun nga lang, masyadong 'short-sighted'. Ang pag-iisip, parating panandalian, mabilisan. Hindi na binibigyang konsiderasyon 'yung mga 'long-term effects' ng isang desisyon o aksyon. 'Yun din siguro 'yung tinutukoy ninyong bugso ng damdamin o pagiging 'emotional'. Sa bandang huli, siyempre ang mananagot sa mga kahihinatnan ng ating desisyon ay ang ating mga sarili, at minsan pa nga, 'yung mga magiging anak o apo natin. Bahagi na yata ng kultura natin 'yan. Hindi ba't makakatagpo ng mga taong umaasa na lang sa sugal at bisyo, sa padala ng mga kamag-anak na naghahanapbuhay sa ibang bansa, sa mana? Hindi ba't malimit ding maririnig ang mga salitang "Bahala na", "Ipagpasadiyos na lamang", atbp.?
Can’t we just hire Lee Kwan Yew to turn our country upside down, remove all the unnecessary characters in the government, and just totally change the government into something like what Singapore has?
I am a big fan of Singapore. In a few decades they have achieved what we could not achieve in more than a hundred years.
I think hiring a smart, strong-willed person like LKY would be the smartest thing for stupid Filipinos to do.
In 1990, LKY sent a delegation to Berlin, Germany to observe and gather information on how the city of Berlin functions. They sent Engineers, Architects, Media People and Bus Drivers, who stayed for some months to personally experience the busy city of Berlin.
I was in Singapore last year and I can say that some areas in Singapore look pretty much like the city of Berlin (of course, without the landmarks) in structure. The Orchard Street looks like the Kufuerstendamm, and the buses (Doubledeckers), the flyovers, the parks, etc.
Back in the Philippines, I really felt sad and disappointed seeing how chaotic and dirty Manila is. It is a pity that many Filipinos do not realize how abusive they are of freedom and of their environment.
There’s something here. LKY was actually looking at another country to see how it worked… and he would adopt the ideas. If you did that here, people would say, “you’re so unnationalistic! Wag kang gaya ng gaya… original dapat tayong mga Pinoy!” As a result, we are original in being a nation that knows how to drive itself backward. This is why I wrote my against-Anti-Foreignism article a while back.
There is something destructive about Filipinos belief system. They always say, …”Bahala na si GOD”.
I do believe that, there is only one thing that GOD can not control and that is our minds. If that mind is not disciplined or structured then it just wanders off without a point. As this analogy; If you stop tending your garden for ten years, then it just becomes a wilderness full of snakes, spiders, and what not. That’s the minds of Filipinos. As uncivilized as eating dogs and cats. And what’s next? … Rodents?
Filipinos thinks that GOD controls their minds, but not really. Thats why their minds just wanders off with no certain directions. They just follows each others tails for directions.
Life is how we structured our minds,…how we structured our countries,…how we structured our world.
Very astute observation and point! People don’t know how to place God properly in their lives. God does not control minds, that is true doctrine in Christianity. God will put into our minds ideas, but it is really up to each individual how they will act.
And note the bad effect of what you explain. When something goes bad, people will say that’s it’s God’s fault where it should plainly be theirs.
Filipinos also shun the saying, “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.”
“Let go and let God,” has also been so misunderstood. God can do some things, but you must continue to do your part.
NFA ricewrote on 13 June, 2010, 12:30
I am inclined to think that Filipinos are not stupid. We are just prone to laziness and sentimentality, and the majority of people do not have access to media that offer a variety of political views. I mean political views that emphasize more the specific platforms, not the abstract generalities and accidental history (like having famous parents or belonging to a certain clan).
I doubt this can be changed in the near future. Until then, I am considering moving to Rwanda.
The Filipino is not only a stupid creature. He rationalizes his stupidity. As the case of the taxi driver with tow families to feed. It is his choice. and, if he complains that life is hard. Then, he must bear it. If you put your finger on a hot stove. Don’t compalin that you got burned.
Stupidity will always be there in us. It is in our genes…
Sino ang gusto dito ng awareness through mainstrem media, since may papel ang media sa pagkakandaleche leche nating mga Pilipino. Problema din siguro nating mga pinoy eh, kulang sa untog, dapat brainwash.
4. flipland’s iskul-bukol… titsers ‘bakwet sa abroad to be ofws, hugas pfwets, etchastera, etc;
5. last but not least, flips themselves… puro bow ng bow… “bahala na ang dios” mentality… puro asa sa gobyerno de gung gongs, mga kamag-anaks sa abroad, etchastera, etc… wala ginawa kungdi umiyot… spitting babies that they could not feed/clothe/house… kaya puro pulubi at squats ang labas…
I remember reading an essay before (i’m not sure of the facts stated but I will mention them anyhow) that LKY sent delegates to several countries in Asia and asked them to observe what is wrong and right about those countries. One of the top things they observed is that a lot of Asian countries lack DISCIPLINE. And so they started with this issue in mind: Discipline MUST be a priority for Singapore. I think we know how it went from there. Singapore is now (2010) currently the #1 most competitive nation on Earth. (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1990224,00.html)
My thoughts about hiring LKY as a government consultant stems from a constant frustration of watching ourselves dig our own holes deeper and deeper everytime, not managing to get out of the pits. This 2010 election COULD’VE been a time to turn things around for us, but we screwed up again. We don’t really have any excuse: the likes of Gordon and Gibo (in my opinion) could’ve brought us somewhere better. Perhaps not so far from the pits, but atleast better than where Noynoy could probably bring us.
Btw, I heard other countries have already begun seeking “consultancy” services from LKY. I do not think there is an issue with pride for them.
I must agree with you on this. Stupidity is a symptom of the stupid system that causes poverty in the country. One of the solutions I’ve advocated was to remove or modify the 60/40 rule of land ownership in the Constitution to stimulate foreign investments. And this will provide jobs and help alleviate poverty. And can allow more funds for our educational system. We need to overhaul our educational curricula and all.
The neighboring countries most likely had multi-pronged approaches to their problems. They don’t just focus on poverty only, or corruption only. The problem is actually complex, so they applied complex approaches.
Tayo mga Pilipino, mga tamad, we’ll just say, “corruption lang ayusin natin! Madali lang!” But then we find that it isn’t that simple, and it is more complex than that. The solution should be to address corruption, poverty and a host of related problems at the same time. Focusing on one problem only won’t do it.
my dogs are BY FAR much more intelligent than filipinos . . . n i can BET on that . . . I’ve been here for the last 4 yrs . . . . it’s easier to train a dog than to train a filipino . . . . cz dogs are more smart than them BY FAR . . .
Mga flips hilig bumoto sa mga estupido, and when the **** hits the fan, pray agad kay god. ayan anong nangyari?Even god is powerless against stupidity.
The key line in this article… This article speaks out my thoughts for the past 8 or so yrs.
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YEAH YEAH YEAH!!! Magaling ka ChinoF!!! Mabuhay ka!!!
Ang dami mong links sa ibang articles!!! Marami akong natututunan dahil sa links mo!!! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 4:05 am
Great, dude. Hope it helps you evolve from Kanto Boy to Kanto Intellectual. hehehe
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The problem with a lot of Filipinos is that they always follow their instinctual and basal desires. It’s a mixture of both Needs and Wants.
Abraham Maslow mentions that in the Hierarchy of Needs, it is the Physiological Needs that is the most basal, most instinctual of all the needs. To which, I theorize that it is the stem where greed, lust and human instincts come from, a basal instinct to stick to the most primitive of desires, a backwards way of thinking. Shows that projects such images of following your desires and not thinking of anything else is what the media always exploits to which everyone gobbles up because of how shallow it is. Everybody loves stupid, everybody loves something that has no substance. The common Filipino thinking is the natural instinct to survive and find the quickest way to an easy life.
My God, I mean, for an impoverished country, two of the top five morbidity and mortality rates of our country are Diabetes, and Heart Diseases! Lifestyle diseases that we should have no pleasure of having due to the poverty that we are suffering! That is all cases of retarded that I’ve seen in my life at the Philippines! You have to wonder, for a nation that has people whining that they are suffering, why is there a poor man suffering from Diabetes when he clearly can’t eat three times a day. Hereditary it may be, but it can be averted. And people wonder why Insulin and Nifedipine aren’t in the list of the Pharmaceuticals act.
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Jon Abaca Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Diabetes and heart disease get infinitely worse when coupled with poor discipline. I think those two drugs are not on the list of the pharmaceuticals act because it’s hard to tell who is willing to sacrifice drinking soda and eating sisig and who wants to be a Darwin awards winner. Spending money for both groups would bankrupt the nation.
Sigh. While stupidity is common EVERYWHERE, I noticed that everybody else is willing to make fun of themselves for it. However, here, doing that will hurt the feelings of the onion skinned majority.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
We need to embark on a cultural change program that will help Filipinos see beyond the basic needs of life and accept that advancement in thinking will help them. It is difficult because poverty and the relative difficulty of life in the Philippines make people focus on basic needs. Culture and media has even helped demonize thinkers as “pangmayaman” and “weirdoes.” Yet more and more people seem to be growing in intellectuality, as noted by Paolo of some squatters. Someone just needs to jump in and set them in the right direction.
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Lilly Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
As much as I want my home country to be a decent country to live in, I’ll have to say that the Philippines is a lost cause.
I’m not going to draw comparisons from other countries nor do I intend to, but with the current situation as it is, we’re caught in a deadlock.
1) We’re a country with an impoverished majority
2) We’re a country ruled by the families who intend to keep the poor beholden to them, so they resort to giving dole outs that will ensure their own elevated status, and at the same time keep the poor impoverished by making sure they are incapable of improving their own lives.
3) We a country whose poor are illiterate enough, are lemming-minded enough that the media can mnanipulate them easily, making them vote the same people who keep them poor over and over and over.
The Philippines is a good country, Chino. But no matter what good we try to do, the Philippines doesn’t want it. It doesn’t WANT to be better.
This country really deserves Noynoy.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:00 am
Let’s wait till they get tired of Noynoy… I haven’t seen much but some people are raising hell over his celebrity appointees. More will come.
famous wolf Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:04 am
Well, with Kris admitting IN A LIVE TV AUDIENCE that it was she who suggested one of the appointees (guess who), you’d have to wonder, will Kris become the next Imelda? And who is the bigger bonehead out of the two, the one who entertained the idea, or the one who suggested it in the first place?
TMM Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 10:47 am
@ Lilly: “This country really deserves Noynoy.”
You said it! To whatever happens to this already impoverished country from now on, WE DESERVE IT! For voting an incompetent fool like Noynoy to the highest office, and even *gasp* making Erap a serious contender…. we will reap the consequences of our actions.
I also think we’re a lost cause. I used to be hopeful, the elections was our one big chance every 6 years to turn things around…. we screwed up once again.
So, goodbye Philippines. I was good to you, I paid my taxes, followed all rules, and rallied for better causes. This is too much!!! Still can’t believe Erap came in 2nd!?
kruz Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
There is great prosperity in this country if you are just taught how to avail yourself of it, how to believe in yourself, how to be self-sufficient, and how to escape government dependency. It pains me greatly when all the message i’m hearing is how bad the government is and unless it changes one could never avail of a better life.. I come from the poor, I clawed myself out of that rat hole by taking advantage of whatever little things available to me then.
Too many people are credulous, too willing to accept all the propaganda that is showered on them daily by the media and politicians. The poor should learn to think for themselves and not blindly accept everything they hear.
There’s no substitute for hardwork and resilience.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I have to agree with you. Blaming the government is so gasgas na. It’s the people who voted them in… and yet they go to the streets to oust them. That’s what makes some Filipinos stupid. Thus it’s time for people to separate from government dependence and do things one’s own way.
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Stupid might be a compliment… NEANDERTHAL LIKE… Filipinos are monkeys in human jump suits… They may have the features of humans.. but their neurological make up is totally wired like the monkeys they are… the reason for this is basic.. to others, although perhaps to them.. totally distant and alien to there understanding capabilities… They cannot extend their neurological empathetic capabilities to take care of themselves as 1 whole community. It all boils down to this… The will, the determination, all stems from being able to empathise. Its as simple as this.. the only way u can change settings of an environment.. If u can distinguish and be able to realise that theres a need for change.. human nature will bring about change.. ..though filpinos cant do this..the millions and millions suffering.. isnt enough to make them realise.. because simply they cannot.. there thirld world status.. wasnt the doing of somebody else or another nation or an unatural power or reckoning.. they dug that poverty hole themselves.. and now they cant get out..
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There is intelligence in all of us, but it is either suppressed or undeveloped, due to the lack of initiative for education. It is because the pilipino is mainly an emotional being than intellectual. No show in primetime TV has a molecule of intellectual premises, only emotional highs made only for the katulong of the house. Escapism is the rule, not the exception.
I saw clips of the new TV5 show “Face to Face” in Youtube, where if you look beyond the very entertaining fights and full-blown physical contact that would put MMA to shame, there is an abundance of behavior and actions that defies all known logic! No wonder they’re in Face to Face, they let their heart win, instead of both the heart and mind.
And yes, Chino is again right on the money, by saying that the pilipino refuses to think, because it’s a hassle. Its your choices in life that made you like that, so man up, grow a pair, and use your head. There is a reason why the heart is below the brain.
And since this is a very “macho” society, why can’t we suggest this:
“Manliness requires brains.”
“Men with brains are Men with balls.”
Something like that.
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nah nah .. intellignce is not within us all.. natural selection..only the ones that posses wintelligence shalle be intelligent.. its not a matter of our envrionment creating these changes within us… its about having these characteristics in the firs place.. the ability of collecting and sustainin intellect.. u can t jsut open a book and so many years later be of high intellect.. that only happens to a few…. Now results speak for themselves… Yes the ability for people to become intelligent is there for those who already posessse the characteristics to do so.. sadly the filipno does not.. and as u can see, in a modern era…. the filipines is in a primitive thirld world state.. now uc ant possibly say thats a prodcut of high intellect let alone any intelect what so ever..
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Paolo Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Try talking to more people. You’d be suprised yourself. Even the man in the mountain may know a thing or two.
When I was doing my BS Forestry practicum around 4 years ago, I was sent to an NPA-infested area. My guides? Former NPA members. Why’d they leave? Simple. They were smart enough to realize that their crusade is pointless, and for them to truly move on, they need to start with their children. Farming and logging in the mountains is hard, backbreaking work, and they get the short end of the stick every time, but they were investing on the future. The ex-NPA men are banking on education of their children to pull themselves out of the mire.
Also, even the much-abhorred squatters are capable of picking up stuff. I remember walking past them one night and they were talking aloud on political matters. Though they were talking about conspiracy theories about North Korea, Japan, and China, it was not just plucked from out of the blue. They are capable on using intellect, but they chose to be emotional about things more often than necessary.
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JOHN86 Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
MOuntain?? OH YEA BRAINS IN THE MOUNTAIN MUST BE RELAVENT.. WHICH MOUNTAIN WAS THIS ,, were the zeus and hades and meduas hang out ???? u talkin bout Mt olympus????
LOL FREAKIN LOL
we dont need our brains to be situated in the FREAKIN mountains…
we need them infront of the CAMERAS
behind sectors of government creating policies for the benefit of all
we need brains in the malcanyang palace
not in the freakin wilderness.. CMON MAN!! what is wronfg with u…
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Rob' Ramos Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
Of course you need brains up on a mountain. Do you have ANY IDEA of the survival skills and strategies needed by human beings to survive in the harsh conditions there? Or in a, your words, “freakin wilderness”? How do you think a Kibbutz manages to survive in the Levant, which, by the way, was Moses’ “wilderness”?
And to make such a mountain a viable, sustainable, enterprise, you also need brains. You need to know which trees grow best where, and not just allow for nature to dictate it. You need to catalog the various species and note their growth patterns and rates for effective and efficient harvesting, especially if you want it to be sustainable and not just do it like illegal loggers do, chopping here and there without regard for the future.
Brains aren’t needed, though, when in front of CAMERAS. You just need to look pretty and sound nice, and say the right things. That’s what “newsreaders” – what you call news anchors – do. They rarely think, since a whole slew of staff already did the research and writing of material for them.
I remember this one time we had a seminar for some student councils from the Catholic universities and colleges. The one person who made the most impact on them was this leader of a fisherfolk community. He was just in ordinary clothing, and spoke rather ordinarily, no big words, no powerpoint presentation or whatnot. He just told us what they were doing in their community, how they went about dealing with the issues confronting them, and why they work.
That man didn’t have a fancy name or a fancy course that leads to a fancy diploma from a fancy school like the kids he was talking to. But they respected him. Because he made sense, and he showed INTELLIGENCE.
Because he was using his brains.
Or maybe you’re going to say brains aren’t needed, too, when dealing with the problems of basic communities like fisherfolk?
u guys are idiots.. FILIPINOS CANT THINK THATS THE PROBLEM>> ITS NOT REFUSING>> ITS LACK OF CAPABILITY@!!!!!! CMON MAN>>> if u think which u obviously cant, but lets say u could…. thes filipno country men if they could think, wouldnt they try to make philipines or let phillpines get to the state that it is..??? theres like warning signs that a country is slowly going down hilll.. its not a instance where.. we all woke up one morning and out of the house and into the slums??? its a slow degression.. and this slow degression , the peopl e in the hierachy dont u thihnk they would have said.. oh ! hold on this doesnt look good .. maybe we should devise some preventitive strategies and come up with a plan so we dont look like poor bums in the future to come!! ummmmm that really happenend didnt it ??? cmon this site is suppose to wake u up !!!
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Me nakalimutan ako.
Sa pagmamaneho pa lang, the stupidity of the pilipino knows no bounds. I think this is the only country in the world where if a pedestrian or motorcycle and bicycle rider is in the wrong and you hit him, it’s still your fault. Why? Because you are driving a car. I have been arguing with that with my mother who’s an incessant back-seat driver who can’t drive fast ,or at least handle Manila for chrissakes!
I say: To HELL with their rights! If they die by my hand due to their stupid actions then SO BE IT. I’ll piss and **** on their grave. They deserve it. This is a country where doing the right thing is avoided and abhorred? That is STUPID to the core! Why do they avoid crosswalks and overpasses? Hassle? TANGA KA BA? Ginawa yan para di ka masagasaan!
I told this to an uncle and that struck him: Why should I be responsible for other people’s stupidity? That got him thinking.
A good stupid pilipino is a dead stupid pilipino. And that’s a fact.
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Mike Tan Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
“A good stupid pilipino is a dead stupid pilipino. And that’s a fact”
We would be severely underpopulated if that were to happen.
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Paolo Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Well from an environmental standpoint, that’ll be a boon. Just like hitting a big “RESTART” button.
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Parallax Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 4:05 am
not that i agree with the idea, but theoretically, if that were the case, there’d be an undersupply of people competing for the few humane jobs available. this might increase wages and maybe encourage automation where cheap labor used to be preferred when it was available.
hey, not such a bad idea! in theory, of course. hehehe
Maru Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
@ Paolo said: “Sa pagmamaneho pa lang, the stupidity of the pilipino knows no bounds. I think this is the only country in the world where if a pedestrian or motorcycle and bicycle rider is in the wrong and you hit him, it’s still your fault. Why? Because you are driving a car. I have been arguing with that with my mother who’s an incessant back-seat driver who can’t drive fast ,or at least handle Manila for chrissakes!
I say: To HELL with their rights! If they die by my hand due to their stupid actions then SO BE IT. I’ll piss and **** on their grave. They deserve it. This is a country where doing the right thing is avoided and abhorred? That is STUPID to the core! Why do they avoid crosswalks and overpasses? Hassle? TANGA KA BA? Ginawa yan para di ka masagasaan!”
It’s true the other way around as well. I choose to take public transit most of the time as I can’t justify being driven around in a car with a driver when it’s just me. As far as I’ve seen, motorists have no concept of what a pedestrian lane/crosswalk is for. I love it when I’m in the US/Canada when vehicles stop the moment a pedestrian steps foot on a crosswalk (the assumption of course is that it’s either a crosswalk with no traffic signals, or it’s a crosswalk where the “WALK” signal is on). Here in the Philippines, crosswalks serve no purpose other than as basis for suing in court when you get hit while crossing on a crosswalk. Motorists here do not stop when you’re on a crosswalk. It’s paunahan kung sino’ng mas malakas ang loob. Additionally, when motorists have to stop at an intersection (red/stop light), they stop/occupy the crosswalk when they’re supposed to stop before the crosswalk so that people can actually use the crosswalk to cross the road.
Both sides (pedestrians and motorists) are to blame. We have an abundance of crosswalks in Manila yet we need to have overpass/pedestrian footbridges for safety reasons because crosswalks are not enough to keep pedestrians (I’m referring to pedestrians who do not jaywalk; who do use the crosswalks) safe from motorists who see but choose to ignore crosswalks.
Amen.
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suppressed or underdeveloped… doesnt this sound like a tune played once to many times…
12:58 alll ABOARD!!!! the DENIAL EXPRESSS next station UTOPIA!!!!! ohh im paolo and ive got FIRST CLASS TICKETS !! ..”
theres no other suppresing factor in the phillipines BUT the phillipino!! theres no reason for being underdeveloped becase according to so many our education system is great!!! which i doubt
but lets pretend it is!!!
A filpino is a dependat variable……
it cannot think or act on its own accord..
THANK U SPAINARDS!!!
if it wasnt for them we all might be in coconut shell bras and banaleaf shorts.. ( wait this aint hawaii? )
Wen the spainards came on there mighty ships,,..
what did the filipino say to the other filipino??
nothing cos at that time they were still communicating through physical gestures.. THATS HOW MUCH THINKIN WE HAD GOIN!!!
see the time that we were colonised was the time wen we were suppose to mature and fend for ourselves let our environment be our teacher…
but this period of maturity was taken away…….
yes we were slaves and uptill this day we still are in alot of ways…
we piggy backed on the spanisd Senior! teach me teach me.. and in return i shall be ur catulong!!!
so we piggy backed em for a while till some idiot ruined it all and rebelled
thought we are better off independant..
but hang on … wen we were indepanedant .. we were nothing but MONKEY!!!SSSSS??
we havnt even discovered the world, probably thought it was flat ..///.. let alone posses the ability to discover other laws and natures of the world around us???
so as we are now , and as we were before……..
without the catalyst which in this dissusion is aid of another person from another race..
we cannot think, we cannot make sound decisions that benefits us all..
we cannot fend for ourselves…..
look at the times wen we had some1 else in our house….
it was like yes SIR YES SIR and things wered one, churches andmonumnens made. etc
and now that were left all alone and to fend for ourselves…
nothin…..
suffereing
corruption
anarchy (gettin there)
disorder
and my favourite….. DENIAL!!!!!
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Paolo Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Uh-huh. and your point is?
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TMM Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Yeah, what’s your point, Mr. JOHN86?
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ChinoF Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
My dear John86… lay off a little on what Mr. Renato Pacifico has given you… are you one of his students?
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Paolo Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Chino, He’s doing something: Proving my point.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:38 am
barbara barado Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:13 am
anong pinagsasasabi nito. anong point nya? hoy wag ka dito magwala para kang nasasaniban ah.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:29 am
Hayaan natin muna ito. Nakakatuwa minsan ang mga nasaniban.
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Theres a reason why the phillpines isnt physically connected where most of the other countries of asia are.. or atleast one thats far from the mainland shores of china…..
WE ARE AN EMBARASSMENT TO ASIA>>>>>>
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Deadpancow Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Non sequitur. Look it up.
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what u didnt get it ?? man u must be one of those filipinos who just wasnt naturally selected for, when they were handing out the brains…
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Deadpancow Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
And are implying that you’re, as you’ve put it, naturally selected?
I honestly think that intellect is acquired, and not “handed out.”
But since you claim that it’s a hand-me-down, as implied by your fervent belief that knowledge is due to natural selection, then it really doesn’t say much on your reliance to nature that “hands out the brains.”
To shift the analogy a bit, it makes me think that you’re a typical Juan who got lucky waiting for an apple to fall on your lap.
Though not so lucky as you think you are.
I hope this made sense. Sorry.
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who the **** is that…??
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Lilly Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Lay off the LSD dude.
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“I would rather have a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than a Philippines run like heaven by the Americans.” —Manuel L. Quezon
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Lilly Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I wish he were alive so I could give him the middle finger and a sound kick to the balls.
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Rob' Ramos Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 11:38 pm
Actually, you have to understand the context in which Quezon said that statement.
We’ve never experienced how it us to be under foreign rule, or to be prevented in singing our own national anthem or see our own flag flutter in the wind. We’ve never experienced how to be second-class citizens on our own homeland (well, at least officially, because you see it happen unofficially everyday, today).
In a sense, you can’t blame Quezon for saying that. Its what an ardent nationalist, one who was trying to fight for the independence of his country, would say.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:18 am
Yeah there is that context in the end where says ‘Because we can change it’. But that is also the most important thing he and the other nationalists never had a longterm vision for. Even worst since when the country gained its independence, there was no Social Revolution that united the society to an understanding that they have to hold their own now and they are capable of making political decisions.
So maybe Quezon was saying something in regards to 1942 but ultimately never had longterm goals for it.
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Lilly Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:23 am
But that fight is already over. We’ve won our independence, we’ve won our democracy (or what passes off as democracy here), but as it turns out we’re not ready for the responsibilities that they entail.
Heck. most Filipinos mistake “freedom” for “acting like a ****tard”. Most of us don’t realize that freedom also has responsibilities.
But yes, you have a point. Hundreds of years of oppressive colonial rule, getting raped by the Japanese, will make Quezon say that. Yes. I guess I was being too harsh when I said that.
But Quezon also never experienced living in a country run by opportunists and populated full to the brim of lemmings. I suppose he was wary about Americans ruling us, but look at Hawaii. Look at Guam. And look at us now.
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TMM Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 11:02 am
If we were to be colonized anyhow….. I think it would’ve been better it was the British rather than the Spanish. Then perhaps we wouldn’t be as Catholic as we are now.
Nevermind the human rights issues…. all colonies experienced that and we were full of it as well under the Spaniards.
It’s just that… look at Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia – all former British colonies. (let’s not bring up India for now)
Look at the Philippines, Mexico, and hmmm….. let’s take Peru – all former Spanish colonies. Notice any difference?
Jon Abaca Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:54 am
The entire point of nationalism is concrete, measurable benefits to the nation. Nationalism hasn’t uplifted the lives of majority of the people here. So, either nationalism has failed, or people are stupid. I believe the latter is more applicable.
I think Manuel L Quezon has the wrong assumption that you can keep the laws, swap out the implementers, and everything will just go on fine and dandy. Well, it didn’t.
This reminded me of this story by my Danish boss. He was in Pangasinan, and his neighbor was a Scotsman. The Scotsman once said: “Look at this country! Did the Americans even teach the Filipinos anything other than English? Where’s the discipline? It’s not like this in British colonies!”
Well, not that I’m blaming the Americans. The British Raj in South Asia lasted far longer than the American Colonial Rule in the Philippines. Filipinos have yet to fully internalize the laws and discipline of the American period when it got caught up in the hell that was WW2. Then the country found itself independent.
The generations who grew up with the American retired, and all memories of the discipline of that period faded into memory. Everything went downhill from there.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:08 am
I know Quezon was playing with rhetoric. Thing is, he gave in to emo politics. And leading off from Quezon’s infamous utterance, I would front people with this question: if you really love your country, would you really want it to be run like hell?
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ArticleRequest Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 5:05 am
Depends on where you look at it I guess. Quezon is either a great idiot or a great prophet.
Looking around today at the dumb@$$ electorate, I think that statement summarizes Philippine democracy.
bill kasi Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 3:11 am
Whether we have a good or bad president why do Filipinos allow another country to kidnap the president of the Phil.. How can he defends himself from all those accusations when his hands are tied. People just believe what ever the mainstream media throw at them without thinking harder. Do you want the truth? Then seek the truth. No matter how ugly it may seems, but seek the truth. That is always the best policy.
I guess Filipinos don’t really needs independence. I don’t hear anybody talking about these things.
Thats what Quezon was talking about.
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Is the Filipino a stupid creature?
I will have to say, “No, we are not stupid.” This is a loaded question—it depends on the context and whom you are asking. Is this question being asked because of the outcome of the recent national election?
I think it’s better to rephrase this question into something like:
For the Philippines to be a flourishing, disciplined and respected country, we must sacrifice the 40 thieves in our government who are blocking our enlightenment and hindering our national progress.
The question is, “Would you sacrifice the lives of these 40 Filipino thieves for the good of the nation?”
Or, we can do what’s morally right by not sacrificing their lives. Instead, let the corrupt process continue and participate in a fraudulent and fake democratic system by electing these thieves in our government. Over, and over, and over and over again.
Do we know the answer? Or are we just in denial of the truth that needs to be done? To unclench the grip of the corrupt oligarchs in our society, do their lives have to be sacrificed?
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Lilly Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
I wish I can answer your question in a way that’s relevant to your intended premise, but it only applies if only the following assumption is true: the majority of Filipinos are able to exercise critical thinking.
The fact that we have Noynoy elected to the seat–compounded by another embarrassing fact that a known plunderer and womanizer ended up as a close contender for the presidency–pretty much makes your question inapplicable.
Your question of “will you sacrifice 40 thieves for the good of the nation?” will only fall on ears attached to heads filled with telenovela mush. They’d probably answer things like “may makukuha ba akong tshirt pag sinagot ko yan?” “nasa TV ba ako? Pede po greetings?”
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:46 am
Yup, it’s a loaded question, a technique that news media often uses. But I did say in my conclusion that Filipinos aren’t really that stupid. They just pretend to be or choose be, even if they know better. And look at the article linked by the words “tend to use it the wrong way.”
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Great article, Chino! You’ve raised valid points on why Da Pinoy has a lot of stupid tendencies. I have always been surrounded by people who chooses wrong over right just because it’s commonplace that one point in time I thought that it’s ok to do them.
Unfortunately, though, I don’t believe that this can’t be changed anytime soon. Wala si Dick Gordon to provide the spark Pinoy minds need to wipe off that stupidity. Haaay buhay.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:11 am
Yeah, it does look bleak… but at least people like us are around. Even back in our hobby forums we can remember a lot of tontows… and the jejemons who we told, “bawal ang textspeak!” hehehe… Haven’t visited in a while. Gotta catch up.
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Stupid is as stupid does.
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We can actually spin the alleged Edmund Burke quote into something like
“The only necessary for the triumph of Filipino stupidity is for the learned and capable men to do nothing.”
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Lilly Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
The learned and capable men tried. They just are too outnumbered to make a dent in the Philippines’ downward spiral to self-inflicted doom.
Look at those who voted for Gordon and Gibo. Compare those numbers with those who voted for Noynoy and Erap.
Look at how actual efforts to alleviate the pisspoor quality of life were received. The stupid poor instead prefers to bet on Lotto and fight tooth and nail to get into Wowowee rather than learning a profitable skill.
The learned and capable men tried. But this is a nation overrun by idiots, ruled by families who feed on the stupidity of the idiots.
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J.B. Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Then continue trying.
I was actually able to help 3 non-relatives to college and now happily enjoying their respective careers. There are many ways to help and the fact that there is no evidence of overall effect should not deter anyone from helping however small.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:13 am
Actually, some of our learned and capable men are part of the problem – they are the oligarchs or they work for the oligarchs. Other articles on this site address how the Pinoy middle class is fragmented even if it is small. BongV has posted a lot on that.
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J.B. Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Chino, I was referring to the enlightened and capable ones, not the Bonjings.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 3:34 am
Ahaha, got it!
Forrest Gump wasn’t stupid. In fact, he was a lot smarter than most of us.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:19 am
hehehehe… omg yes. If you abridged his entire life he’s done a hell lot more than any pinoy has done in half their existence.
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Anonylol Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:17 am
I just don’t like how the article associated Gump with “stupidizing” our culture. The character may be simple and not very knowledgeable but he was very wise in his own way. The entire movie itself is very thought provoking and highly intelligent. There is no way it contributes to “stupidizing” our culture, in fact I think we need more movies like those.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:04 am
I admit not watching Forrest Gump myself… I just recall an article associating him with the “dumb” characters on screen, another example being the duo of “Dumb and Dumber.” Feel free to replace Forrest Gump with someone really dumb (“Noy”? hehehehe).
I am alarmed though at how dumb, emo and arrogant heroes are common in today’s popular culture. Even in anime and manga, I see a lot of them. Johnny Bravo, Son Goku, Natsu in Fairy Tail, most Gundam protagonists (being inexperienced pilots), Jackie Chan’s earliest character portrayals… it’s been around long, but I think they influence our youth a lot, and thus many are becoming anti-intellectual and emotionalistic.
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Anonylol Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 3:51 am
Bad examples since those are from shows aimed at young boys. Naturally they will be full of firebrash, bravado-laden heroes for their action plots. (In the case of Johnny Bravo, for the laughs)
Furthermore, even those protagonists go through character development as the show goes on and show off their other good traits like kindness, camraderie, self sacrifice, etc. Stuff heroic characters are supposed to do. That’s not really anti-intellectual since they don’t favor being dumb and attack intellectual characters. (In the case of Johnny Bravo, well you can see how far his bufoonery gets him)
Bad form there. Reminds me of those nutjobs screaming about Mass Effect (google it!) being a sex simulator. Mass Effect, a 40 hour sci-fi epic that includes a 15 second sex scene that’s not even explicit (There’s a romance subplot. It’s a Mature rated game hence mature themes.) yet it still got billed as nothing more than cheap porn by the ignorant.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 4:03 am
oh don’t worry about that issue. The whole sensationalizing video games may seem like trying to make it a hot issue but its completely pointless rabble. Especially the ‘rape simulator’ game.
I think the better example would have been the duo from Dude wheres my car. The title itself screams of acceptable, funny idiocy.
Josh Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 4:19 am
Oh hai guise. It’s been a while. Hurr durr.
@Chino
I agree with you on most things, but I would have to say that I take exception at your brash generalization of anime characters. I agree Anonylol here. What separates anime from the insipid trash that the local people seem to relish watching is the fact that anime characters go through a form of development as the series unfolds.
Take a look at how Amuro Rei’s evolved from a brash, inexperienced, and hesitant pilot into one of the greatest Newtypes in UC history. The guy even sacrificed himself to stop Axis from falling into Earth in Char’s Counterattack.
Now, when’s the last time you saw a Filipino (with their misguided ideals of machismo) character do that?
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 4:49 am
Good point! Yeah, Amuro Ray grew over the series… I know about that growth theme in manga and anime. Even Ben 10 grew up. Thing is, Son Goku doesn’t seem that more intelligent than before, hehehe. True… when did some Filipino characters grow? Santino started out as a brat… and at the end of the series, after being resurrected, he’s still a brat.
Thing is, some youth will identify more with characters who are still in their growing stage… but I guess that’s their problem.
famous wolf Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 5:00 am
If we are going to site good characters over the west for examples, then no better than to look at Captain America from Marvel comics if we are going to site as good models of a protagonist. He had ideals, thought for the people and fought for the liberty that he had believed even before the day he was frozen solid throughout the decade.
Anonylol Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Son Goku from Dragonball was literally raised on a mountain after all. But he’s not a jerk about it (nicest guy in the universe and all that) and enjoys learning new things. 90% of which are martial arts related but hey, at least he worked hard to learn them. Actually, that’s a point in his favor. He works for things rather than wait for them to be given to him.
@Captain America
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/4269/page2captainamerica.jpg
Quotable gold right there.
I think if kids have heroes like good ol’ Cap there to look up to they would be a lot better off. I’d let my kid watch Kamen Rider or Bioman instead of some of the things they call kid’s shows these days. Most parents just see the violence and the costumes in those shows, they completely miss the heroic ideals behind them. That idea of believing in something bigger than yourself and standing up for it. is a valuable thing to impart I think.
famous wolf Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Ah Good ole’ cap, I’m glad he’s still well and alive in the hearts of people all around. I’d pick him as my role model over Santino everyday.
ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 8:57 am
The Cap quote is great! Stand fast and say, “No, You move!” Love it! Who was the writer in this issue?
Yeah, there sure are good examples in some foreign shows, while local shows just say, “we poor are oppressed by the rich,” and “we won’t change.” That’s why I wrote my pro-foreign article a while back.
Here is engine where the Filipinos are created or moulded:
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J.B. Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
How Filipinos are Manufactured
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:55 am
LOL… it’s the way of Beast in this country!
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By results and world standards, then yes Pinoys are indeed dumb. Of course like any human beings, there is always room for improvement. I mean hell even in a society that worships mediocracy, there are always a few pinoys that represent what a brilliant mind is capable of. Its just that instead of observing results that work, they’d rather stick to what is comfortable; being dumb. Requires less work, less sacrifice, you can still conform and be accepted in society.
Just like a friend of mine who wants long lasting friendships, but seeks it out in the worst possible kind of people.
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Great article Chino, just two minor points:
“A lady is cheated by her husband, and gets treated like trash, is even battered, but she sticks to her husband despite his obvious harem of women, just to keep the family image intact; it’s right daw.”
Not necessarily wrong. There’s a higher more complicated reason for this, and if you’re in the business of fixing families you’d understand.
“go forth and multiply”
That line is sooooooooooooo misinterpreted. The church has announced a valid explanation of that YEARS ago, but people are just so ignorant of this. I forgot the original line/language it came in, but bottomline is that it does not mean you should keep making babies. According to its original language, it means you should “go and spread the good will”.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:53 am
Yep, I understand the situation of the lady is complicated with each case. Let’s just assume the worst case for my example, wherein it would be better if the lady split it.
Yes, “go forth and multiply” is sooooo misinterpreted indeed. Multiply the word of the Lord, not your seed. Darn, if the church already had an explanation for this, then it is the people’s fault for believing the wrong thing. Proof of stupidity again.
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juanon Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:35 am
” it is the people’s fault for believing the wrong thing. Proof of stupidity again”
Indeed. This is another evidence of how a lot of Pinoys still stick to old ways and do not bother to update themselves. If there’s one thing a lot of Pinoys are guilty of, its their egos that cave in easily. These Pinoys love to think that they’re right or have discovered something new making them feel “smart”, but if you try to correct them, enlighten them, or update them their ego caves in and rejects these new knowledge.
Some ridicule new knowledge as “di yan paraan ng mahirap”.
Some claim “sus pang conyo lang yan”
And others “pa drama ka pa diyan”.
And the worse resort to retarded insults…
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bill kasi Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 5:03 am
A mayor pointed a gun on Kris Aquino’s head, but let him get away with it. I think that was so stupid. The media just love to worship stupid people. How could Filipinos evolved into a more civilized nation when the media thinks it’s all right to be stupid.
I think the Phil. media is the culprit of Filipinos stupidities. If you didn’t know that the messages are stupid, then they’ll just keep feeding you with garbage opinions and stupid informations, just to protect someone that they worship.
And where was the outrage of Filipino women? Why do Filipinos allow these things to happen?
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True indeed!!!
We do stupid things and defend ourselves.. We are quick to defend our honor, which is probably nonexistent. Why can’t we Filipinos just accept criticisms? Why do we have to make mountains out of molehills? Martyrdom of battered wives might be admirable but in reality they are just too stupid to stick to their abusive husbands. I pity them especially the older generation who are images of total fidelity and obedience to their cheating husbands.. Filipino women today should learn to be more independent. You have already won your right to vote and equal rights, the only thing lacking is for you to act on them. For those with infidelity in their marriages, forgive but never forget.
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juanon Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:45 am
I’m sorry but I cannot agree to that. As I mentioned above, there is a deeper reason to that.
I have witnessed far worse families survive situations like that. All it requires is proper education, counseling, and strength of heart.
Some women choose not to leave their cheating and/or violent husbands because leaving is just another form of “running away” from a problem that can be fixed. You should actually admire some of these women for their strength and strong sense of hope.
I’ll give you an example: in my line of work I’ve seen a family in this situation:
- dad is a violent drunk and drug addict
- drug sessions in his living room with a few certain celebrities (which I will not mention)
- gun freak, and sometimes in the height of his drug binge would fire hand gun shots to the living room’s ceiling
- children’s room and bed are exactly above the said ceiling
- wife is cheated and beaten
And yet this family was fixed through proper counseling and procedures. Now why didn’t the wife just leave? Its because according to her, “my husband is sick, and isn’t it just right that we try to find a cure to a sick loved one rather than just leave them?”
And this is just one of the many severe family cases I’ve seen fixed. And of course, these aren’t things you usually see in public since the media is not interested in cases like this.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 3:08 am
It depends on the case. Some may be fixed by counseling. But if the errant family members consistently refuses counseling or refuses to comply with counseling… I guess you have to leave. In your case, the drug abuse caused the violent behavior. All that was needed was to remove it, and it was OK. It’s like the story of a lady, wherein she said her husband became violent every time he was drunk. Yet while not drunk, he was kind and normal. Substance abuse can really ruin families. But I believe there are destructive relationships without substance abuse that should be left. Just examining the case is needed.
In my own family, there is the case of the woman who married a total jerk. He steals stuff from woman’s family (jewelry and expensive liquor) to sell to other people, lies about his family’s condition in order to borrow money, borrows loads of money and gets violent and refuses to pay when asked to pay back, does not provide for his children at all and even asks them for money. And there is no substance abuse here. The guy himself is just abusive. We think this relationship is one that deserves to be left.
I agree that our family traditions are causing fake and unstable, and sometimes destructive, relationships to be maintained. That is why I am now in favor of divorce for our country.
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Because of that candy wrapper line, I remembered this one time when I when I was in a popular burger chain in Makati (where you’d think the classier people are at). After finishing my meal, I gathered my trash on the serving tray then dunked it into the bin. While doing that, I saw a nearby group giving me looks as if to say, “WTF are you doing?!” I just glared back.
It’s funny that a similar thing happened again when I was all the way in a Hong Kong branch of that same burger chain. A Pinay on the table next to mine saw that I was cleaning after myself. But recognizing that I was Pinoy too, she smiled and remarked, “Hayaan mo na, may maglilinis naman.” I smiled back, though deep inside, I was really put off and even disappointed.
Sigh.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 5:31 am
Yeah, sad fact. Probably reflects the Filipino’s wish to be a haciendero or Richie Rich. They always want someone else to clean up after them. Must be one reason why we have maids and helpers in this country. Heck, I hear even the maids (Pinays in other countries) have maids (maids at home in PI).
If I met that woman in the HK branch, I would have responded (while cleaning up after myself), “mas maganda ang ganito. Mas malinis.” hehehe
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Being an optimist, I would think that this entire site is for the betterment of the Filipino society. A wake up call for everyone. And as much as I see so many valid points raised here, I still wonder how this would help the majority of the Filipinos and many of our defective tendencies. Obviously, all the people who comment here are well educated with solid and unbiased reasoning. Would it be safe to assume that all the readers of this site are the educated ones? There are so many things I want to say but for me, it all boils down to education. 8M people are not going to be able to attend college this year. 8M minds that will not have the chance to experience a higher level of education. As much as I enjoyed my HS years, I don’t think that everything I learned there was enough for the life I wanted.
This generation of Filipinos is long gone. They will not help push the country up. Majority are ill-equipped. The key is the next generation. Their level of education is vital. The values are deeply rooted, some good, some bad. What balances things out is the ability to think rationally, and I believe that this can be a skill which can be learned. Education is the key.
I’m not a fan of the Filipino society’s flaws. I am not proud of these flaws of which most are already mentioned all throughout this entire site and its entries.
But when I scroll up and down to view all these people in the comments, it seems they already know all these things(or at least they think they do). I see the aim of this site, but unless the messages here can reach the people who really need to understand these things, all of these are pointless. And all I would see are people making fun of themselves, whining and complaining but never doing anything about any problem which is even sadder. It would mean that even the intellectual Filipino is also useless, and the people commenting here are no different than the people they put down. Now that’s pathetic.
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Anonylol Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 6:07 am
You mean you know that everyone here does nothing once they’re off the Internet?
That’s called stalking man. It’s bad.
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volumeup Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 7:34 am
lol true man haha
Generalizing sucks, doesn’t it?
i don’t know what they do. But one thing I know for sure, unless these messages are put across to the people who really need to understand these things, all these posts and comments are merely rants which doesn’t serve a purpose. Just people venting their frustrations. And this site becomes a perfect avenue for other nationalities to stereotype pinoys anew.
I get all these things. Its harsh, but most of them are true. I know the reality and I’m not a person who adore everything that is pinoy. Many things can be changed for the better.
The aim of the entire thing here is to evoke change, now why would you want to change people who obviously don’t consider themselves to be part of the problem?
The essence of this site is brave and even admirable, I just hope it reaches the audience that it should target. Put these messages in the streets. Reach the so-called rotten pinoys and not the people here, all of us already think we’re all better than them.
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ilda Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 8:34 am
@volumeup
We have to learn to walk before we can run. What we do here at AP are just baby steps towards the enlightenment of the whole society. Not every Filipino realizes that there is a problem. Most of the commenters here are aware of it but majority of the population thinks that the government is solely to blame for everything.
Likewise, we have to at least try and counter the articles written by emos such as Conrado de Quiros from the Inquirer, et al. Make no mistake, the mainstream media is aware of us and that is what’s important. If we can convince the members of the media to shape up, they will do a faster job at disseminating all the right information to the rest of the public.
Here is something dedicated to you:
Between poverty and ignorance
bill kasi Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 5:32 am
Constructive criticisms are intended for the betterment of everyone. These blogs criticisms are all about peoples ways of showing compassions to fellow humans. Others are just lazy to think critically.
Jon Abaca Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 7:21 am
“I see the aim of this site, but unless the messages here can reach the people who really need to understand these things, all of these are pointless.”
John Stuart Mill said that people should be free to do anything, as long as they don’t make other people less free.
We cannot force anybody else to read this site.
Internet is generally available for a relatively acceptable fee.
They have to look for this site themselves.
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volumeup Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I agree dude. But how can you expect the less-educated, values-deprived, poverty-struck “rotten pinoys” to access the internet? Much less search for this site? They account for more than half of the Filipino population. Though I can never say that all poor people are rotten, reality is, most of them are. Poverty is the absence of choice and when you go hungry for days, any average person would be clawing their way for a hot cup of soup.
“people should be free to do anything, as long as they don’t make other people less free.”
As much as I get the aim of all these writings, this site also takes away freedom from other people like me, who tries his best as an individual, as a Filipino, to strive in life and maybe somehow contribute to whatever it is to be proud about as a Filipino. “Filipina” was once put into the dictionary as House Helper. Yes, that’s friggin’ embrassing! Referring to a nationality as an occupation? An ill-perceived occupation at that? Like I said, as much as the perceptions here make sense, this does not mean that they do not bring legitimate disadvantages to an average Filipino who lives decently with proper moral Filipino values intact. Other nationalities see me as crap already, now they may get to read about my fellow Filipinos perceptions, and they’ll read that all their stereotypical BS are true. And in a sense, my right to be respected as an individual is taken away.
Even so, I understand all the sentiments here. Because most of them are real and true. But if this site’s intentions is really to evoke change, then I disagree that this is the right avenue for it. That’s all.
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Jon Abaca Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:53 am
“As much as I get the aim of all these writings, this site also takes away freedom from other people like me, who tries his best as an individual, as a Filipino, to strive in life and maybe somehow contribute to whatever it is to be proud about as a Filipino.”
To a certain extent, it could. People who choose to remain ignorant are everywhere, and their reactions upon reading this article will most likely be a hasty generalization.
Sadly, I guess we just have to accept it.
Other nationalities seem more lighthearted about it. In one seminar, the Dutch speaker made a joke. He said: “The Germans aren’t all that dangerous anymore, right?” He said it while specifically looking at the Russians. Everybody from Europe chuckled. In German class, our teacher was pretty candid about it. She even showed up pictures of the Auschwitz area. She said: “The Germans killed a lot of Jews here.” While it would be politically correct to say “the Nazis” she said “the Germans.” You can say that they accepted all the bad things their ancestors did, and are now working hard to change perception. That’s why Germany bailed out Greece.
Well, I guess we have a lot of perceptions to shatter.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 9:15 am
In my view, we provide the groundwork for making people aware that there are other people like them. The Internet has become a tool for bringing people together, and that’s what it did for us in AP. AP now seeks other people, so they won’t feel lonely, so they know that they’re not the only ones with a view like this. This site is an attestation to how effective the Internet can be in a way, and it can be used for more.
I think you mean that this site should not be the only avenue, by your words “not the right avenue,” for change. As Ilda indicated, this site is only part of baby steps. There is a lot being done outside of this site, like the Sentro broadcast at DWBL. AP is just one of the avenues for advocating change. After all, change starts with someone pointing out a problem. If you think we repeat pointing out the problem, it’s because some people seem to forget that it’s still around, or say that it’s gone when in fact it’s still there. Also, our articles provide references for other people who are seeking information for their initiatives related to societal improvement.
BTW, does calling Filipinos stupid irk you in any way? I assume you find this an inappropriate method for change, hence your opinion. However, I notice a lot of people still agree with views stated on this site.
Let me turn it over to you: If this is not the right avenue for change, what is? Thanks for the comment, though.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:02 am
If this is not the right avenue for change, what is?
Take this to heart volumeup. Because if you think sites like FV, PEX can do it, you are only going to get your expectations crushed. Brownraise is alright in taking lessons of the past to apply for a better future, but at the same time they don’t target on the problem. Everyone is open to better ideas. The difference with the sites I’ve mentioned to here is that we are willing to think things through and have an active discourse towards issues like these, regardless of how it may irk the common pinoy such as yourself.
This is your problem. First of all, what you do DOES NOT DEFINE YOU WHO YOU ARE AS A PINOY. I may be the most uncharacteristic Filipino in terms of wanting to be socially aware but that doesn’t take away the fact I was born in the island and my nationality is Filipino. No one can take that away from me, how hard whoever wants to try. You are who you are first, and a part of a group of people second. So its natural that we have to prove more who we are as people if our country already has a bad reputation or stereotype associated to it. As there was a blog written here awhile back about the Filipino Curse, so if you or anyone desires to live in peace during these kinds of conditions, its best to work twice as hard as anybody. Or give everyone a constant wake up call and hope that after 60+ or so years, everyone commits to laying down a foundation for a social change. There won’t be an easy way about it, as much as others would want to convince you.
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volumeup Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Will reply to this next time… **yawn**
But if you read further down, I think I somewhat answered this already.
Many points here are highly debatable. But… maybe next time.
Ciao
volumeup Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Already agreed with the site man. I replied to Ilda.
Yes, “stupid filipino” irks me. Why shoudn’t it? I’m filipino and I’m not stupid. But I take it as something to catch my attention so I would read the entire article. And I did. Not everyone will take the title discerningly. And many will find the comments “cool” because they are a different read, many may catch the bandwagon of misguided hate that many may grow into obliviously. I am sure that the authors are aware that these are sensitive topics and I hope they do a better job moderating these comments just as they fervently respond to comments that completely disagree with them.
Ilda said that mainstream media is aware of this. That’s good enough for me. If this was just a blog with nothing more than personal opinions, I will repel it. But if the writings and the authors have purpose with a solid aim and have more than one avenue than just a blog where people can comment and take advantage of anonymity and accountability is non-existent, then I will support it. I believe the objective is good, so I will support it.
Everything here is generalized. And it will not always be accurate. So if I were to suggest something, it would be to write in Tagalog. This not only to keep the issues within the Filipino community(as this is the worldwideweb), but also to let other Filipinos who does not speak or understand English well, like those that don’t get idioms, figurative rebuttals and the like, to fully understand the messages. I’m telling you, many who reply to you that sound completely off are coming from people who take the messages completely out of context because they didn’t understand anything that has been said in the first place. Hence all you get are angry people.The issues are complex enough, it’ll be even harder for an average-minded joe/juan dela cruz to understand complicated words or phrases in English. Write in Tagalog, I think it is safe to assume that all these articles are addressed to Filipinos anyway, so I see no reason why it shouldn’t be in Tagalog.
Good night. hehe
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
AP has articles in Tagalog.
Also, pinoys weren’t as abhorring to the English language as you think they were. Primarily a product of Erap’s presidency and promoted more pinoy tagalog shows and less English with some stupid basis that it wasn’t beneficial for the pinoy in general. I’m a child of the 80′s and believe me, bilingual was taken pretty well back in the day compared to now when the any pinoy who can speak englitschez is labeled as ‘conyo’ o ‘nagmamarunong’. And due to my English comprehension, my desire to learn kicked in to learn the language from any limited resource. Says a lot when you break from a culture of complacency to one where you take baby steps to value your initiative, eh? Well, I hope you understand where I’m coming from.
If everything is generalized, why do the results have a strong correlation with the generalization? Especially the one you refer to as this article? And no, its not a product of coincidence considering were talking about a long, sustained time frame here.
Complacency has roads that lead to nowhere.
TMM Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 11:50 am
8million? I always wondered why the poor tend to have more babies. Is it rocket science to figure out that if you are poor, you cannot feed your babies well? Why then, why make 10 of them?
I always wonder about this. Is it really that difficult to realize this?
I often find it difficult to help those families with so many kids whom they cannot feed. Why oh why did they even get to that point? And why must I help them with my hard-earned money and make them feel as if its ok to have lots of kids they cannot feed – because someone will come and help, anyway. BAHALA NA! <>
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@volumeup
“I see the aim of this site, but unless the messages here can reach the people who really need to understand these things, all of these are pointless. And all I would see are people making fun of themselves, whining and complaining but never doing anything about any problem which is even sadder. It would mean that even the intellectual Filipino is also useless, and the people commenting here are no different than the people they put down. Now that’s pathetic.”
I so agree with you…also let’s hate the behavior and not the people…some of the comments here are really insulting and as someone who have recently discovered AP and have admired the blogs of Ilda and Benigno because of its witty analysis, I cringe at some blogs that has thinly veiled their really anti-Filipino sentiments…some of these are bordering on racist remarks… yes, I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flak with this comment and I know I won’t win the intellectual discourse with some of the intellectual snobs here … but please if you’re really after exposing the lame side of being Filipino, just stick to the issues and not resort to name-calling or giddily report whatever anti-Filipino anecdotes you can dig up because yes, some of us, onion-skinned majority are reading these blogs and can’t help but defend whatever Filipino pride we have left.
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Paolo Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 8:11 am
Then man up and grow a pair. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow but it can set you free.
The pilipino has refused to grow up no matter what kind of ‘pakiusap’ intellectuals use. Isn’t it time we crack the whip, brandish that cane, and whip them to submission? Jesus Christ endured the pain of crucifixion and death to free man from sin, hadn’t the Church drilled that to your brain?
And BTW, what is this “Filipino pride” you speak of?
AP IS sticking with the issues, it’s just that they have run out of “polite” words to describe the dysfunction of the pilipino. AKA: Call it as I see it.
You call them intellectual snobs. Why would you call someone who speaks the truth and who happens to know a thing a two more than you a snob? That’s typical pilipino attitude towards intellectuals!
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 9:24 am
BTW, alab, you may be reacting to the comments… that’s just one of the quirks of an online article with a comments feature.
Actually, the lame side of Filipinos is the issue here, and we’re sticking to it. If you think we’re just repeating and repeating our complaints, it’s because people are just forgetting them, and others are covering them up. In fact, I stick to my stance that the onion-skinned who are defending whatever so-called “Filipino pride” are not doing the right thing. If they resist and continue to defend this “Filipino pride” thing, they are not making any solutions. Instead, they should drop efforts to defend “Filipino pride” and focus on doing things right. These onion-skinned people are our target, and if they refuse to listen, we will pummel them with more and more of this”insulting” stuff in our blog until they come to their senses and contribute to change. Mind you, this is happening outside of this blog too. We’ll keep keeping the good faith and fighting the good fight.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
You won’t get a lot of flak, but you just proved to us you aren’t willing to own up to your denial.
And once again, proving that only idiots like you like to claim this anti-pinoy scrutinizing a racist issue because it isn’t one, yet you are willing to claim it as one. Hence why playing the racist card is honestly so passe nowadays, especially when the likes of you pull it out as your only defense to justifying the existing and failed pinoy culture that worships the mediocrity. Our Asian neighbors and certainly other nations have gone past that and have more to prove of their pride otherwise. They VALUE intellectuals and their input while you and other weak willed individuals are satisfied being stuck in the mire of our own created DOG SH*T from generations on, offering no real solutions to how to get out but justifying its part of the supposed Pinoy Culture.
If anything, alab, I lament for the likes of you. For the thing you defend and justify that is ‘Filipino Pride’ doesn’t exist and isn’t worth your words. Its merely nothing more than a product of false advertising and desperation to believe in anything worthwhile, even if it is empty words.
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fullofhatred Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 2:45 am
(from Pinoyexchange, where the chance of the antinoynoys getting banned was upped recently)
Try to read Chapter 9 (Rent-Seeking Families and the Philippine State: A History of the Lopez Family) of “An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines” for you to understand how the Lopezes use ABS-CBN in their rent-seeking activities (the exact same reason why they wanted to install Abnoynoy as this country’s next President- they could easily manipulate Abnoynoy given their usual rent-seeking ways).
NOTE: Rent-seeking is characterized by the political manipulation of the regulatory powers of the state over businesses to favor a few, paving the way for installation of business empires.
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@ilda
Hello Ms. Ilda,
I read the article you linked.
Right from the start, from my first post, I have no qualms about the messages of the author. But I disagree with many of the people who comment in such extremes as to say that there’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to be proud about our country or about being a Filipino. I believe it is true that there are soooo many things we can improve on, and I agree that it would take something radical to change the status of our country. The sense of pride even if it lacks much basis is, for me, one of the things that keep our country alive since it mostly elicits love for country. Yes the country’s barely breathing, but its alive nevertheless. It annoys me when I read or see fellow Filipinos claiming that the Filipino and the Philippines are the best at EVERYTHING, but it also annoys me to see and hear fellow Filipinos claiming that the Filipino and the Philippines are NOTHING but garbage.
This is all I need to know because this has been my only issue with this site aside from some comments:
“Make no mistake, the mainstream media is aware of us and that is what’s important. If we can convince the members of the media to shape up, they will do a faster job at disseminating all the right information to the rest of the public. “
I hope this site takes leaps and bounds because not everyone (filipinos and other nationalities) can be as discerning with all the articles and the comments. Filipinos like me may take more heat or may be discriminated more than we already are. And as much as I would like issues like these to be kept within the country, I know it is not in my hands.
Nevertheless, good luck to you guys. This is something new for everyone, hopefully it does good.
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HalleluyahHymen Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Nice rebuttals @ volumeup. Please consider my take…
1. On sweeping generalization. It’s just a manner of form. Though logic dictates generalization is a fallacy, the framework and the medium (this forum) where we discuss our perception of the Filipino society allows us to move away from that scholarly BS. Perceptions, negative or positive, must be taken seriously and at some point in academic researches are indicators for policy creation or improvements. Though negative perception rants are most of the times “sweeping”, we know for a fact that it is just a form or style. Its substance may mean that “significant” number of …. or on the “aggregate”…
2. AP and its audience. The target may or may not be the common “masa”… those that you’ve defined as less-educated, values-deprived, poverty-struck “rotten pinoys”. Consider these rants as a part of a thesis’ “review of literature”. The general framework of AP is about Filipino culture, government and governance, political economy and politics and economics.
As we’ve read about the Noli and the Fili of Rizal in our HS days, AP is like an open forum of how the amor-propio, indolence, laziness and the a-s-s licking attitude of our kababayans hinders our growth as a nation… a no holds barred critiquing. Do consider the way technology moves… access to this type of information may also be like the cellular phone phenomenon where every where a housemaid or a tricycle driver can afford two… dual sim pa.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Its truth. I keep telling it many like you who believe in potential but unless conditions are realized, preparation is taken and awareness is achieved, the results speak for themselves. And it is a long winded result that even I, born from this country is CERTAINLY NOT PROUD OF! Annoyance may be your primary emotion but I take it as straight up disappointment. Of course like you, everyone has different opinions regarding on how to take the information but you cannot run away from that reality of what we currently are. And unless we take the improvement to heart and the desire to be socially aware, I don’t see the results changing.
Trust me, some opinionated people overseas is going to get wind of the inability of the country faster than AP at times. Because usually its our OWN people who make the effort to make it to the headlines. But remember, they don’t represent who you are as a person, especially if you are one who is critical and socially aware. I’m certainly not going to defend the stupid behavior of my kababayans when their idiocy is on fully display because on an intellectual level, its rather hard to defend behavior such as drama queen, over-reactive and self-absorbed.
As HHHyman has said in number 2, AP is an open discourse about ideas regarding the country that is backed up with facts. Because nobody in the country is ever open about discussions regarding politics, culture, economy and governance without someone clamoring about how they emotionally feel about these subjects and derailing discussion. Or old conspiracy theories. So certainly this site is beneficial once you get past how you feel about the articles and questioning yourselves the same thing and analyzing the issues. And if you feel differently, put up a convincing counter argument as to why it shouldn’t be that way. Rarely that ever happens, since the analysis holds itself up.
Your questions deserve answers friend. You should be asking and reaching for more questions if we are to know the answers, as opposed to bahala na.
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Link should lead to this
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volumeup Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 2:51 am
“Truth” to a large extent but to nullify everything including the good, cannot be be stated as fact.
I am not running away from any reality. But I cannot factually state that absolutely everything in the Philippines is trash. You’re right, I may have a different take than you, but to say I am a clueless person that should look for answers is borderline arrogant. Just because I do not completely agree with you or your methods does not mean I’m clueless. You’re trying to raise a debate with a person who already agrees with the objective of this site and it strikes me as odd.
Oh yes its true, Filipinos are the ones who do make the effort to tell everyone how useless our kind is. And if I was not concerned Filipino, I would look at this site as nonsense negativity and as just one of those efforts. But I don’t. I do not understand where you get your insinuations.
Oh, don’t even go to assuming how or what I feel. This site is potentially beneficial, but right now, in my opinion, it is still not reaching the objectives because only intellectuals can comprehend all these– the articles and the comments. I get it, it will take time. No qualms with that.
I can’t believe that you’re even accusing me of having this “bahala na” attitude. The mere fact that I’m writing here means that I am participating and I bring to the table legitimate concerns that do not contradict the objective of this movement and even suggest how all these can be improved. Are you so used to insulting people you don’t know that it makes you react like this automatically? If so, and you want everyone to be like you, I will not want to be part of your society. My opinions may not exactly be like yours, and it may not be music to your ears but if you badger me with your personal assumptions about me, you are no different than the people who contradict you calling you “bitter”, “inggit” and “crab” with a baseless premise, they are the ones you call “stupid” and “onion-skinned”.
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Jay Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 3:16 am
Your opinions are your own. Your solutions aren’t exactly the first that I have heard considering I’ve joined other new philippines themed groups in facebook. First off if you are bothered by the personal assumptions, as with being called stupid irks you, does that mean you take it personally? Hence why I am a bit correct on my assumptions. Otherwise any reasonable person would scoff at these accusations since they hold no basis! So don’t let your feelings get the better of you.
No one is nullifying the good at all here. Especially if you read back in certain articles like these. We hold it close scrutiny because by pointing it out, maybe we could find viewpoints we can debate about or even rectify once socially accepted negative viewpoints in a positive light! Unless you can provide factual truth (apparently which you can’t) that there is a positive about the negativity the kind author has put together with his message, its safe to assume the results correlate with his generalization, which holds true in those conditions. You disagree otherwise but you have only given what you feel about it as opposed to solid numbers, facts or figures.
The only thing we seem to disagree at is the methods, which I’m explaining why it is so in a factual manner. And I hopefully I think to have explained myself well on your reply at the bottom.
He also said “Damn the Americans! Why don’t they tyrannize us more?” when the Americans gave us autonomy. Just your run-of-the-mill politician playing to the nationalistic trend of the masses at that time though from what I read he was extraordinarily good at playing the part; a natural charmer.
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hoshi Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:35 am
(Sorry, this was for the Manuel Quezon discussion above)
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It’s sad to know how this topic is so full of anger. In my opinion, you wrote this after you felt the insulted by a Filipino. Perhaps, you wrote this in your hotel room while you’re here in the Philippines. You see, when one hates a Nation it comes from the deepest part of your mind.
I believe that this article is not solely base from your friend. This article is about your very own rooted prejudice and hypocrisy. Firstly, you are a coward trying to hide your racist blog in the mask of a “my friend” perspective. With that, you are a hypocrite for coming to the Philippines. A nation cannot be judge just by mere plain sight. If you must know, all the vented ideas here are very general that it can pinpoint other nations as well. So you see, you did come to the Philippines.
Anyways… gut it up ChinoF… why don’t you rewrite this article and add concrete evidences of your accusations. Add citation if you are really educated. “My friends” will be waiting for your revised article..
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HalleluyahHymen Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
There’s an invisible sign… READ BEFORE RANTING… but a retard would do otherwise… RANTING BEFORE READING…
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Jay Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
*facepalm*
My, my, we’ve been getting angry ones as of late.
Then put up facts which overturn his arguments OTHERWISE. What he’s written is pretty factual, based on simple analysis and certainly not a biased opinion like the crap that is spewed out from your favorite propaganda based media outlets.
What he puts isn’t racist. Its cold hard truth that you yourself can see if you go out of your posh, gated community and observe how society works. The kind of truth you don’t question often because you weren’t conditioned to look for answers. And he’s certainly not a hypocrite considering his views stay consistent.
Oh really? Like our neighbors in Asia? Yes, do ME a favor and give me facts about how singapore, China, India, korea and japan EMBRACE mediocracy and how it has screwed over their nation. Or how their culture and values are so messed up that they can’t have a progressive, functioning society. Or that their pride is just as hollow because the accomplishments they have done as a nation means jack squat to what the Philippines has done. Or how their governance pumps out a nation that tolerates idiots to high positions in civil service.
BTW, if your eyes haven’t failed you yet (or your emotions) read a bit more in the blog. ChinoF is actually from the Philippines. So suspend your disbelief when you actually see people with their legitimate claims about the messed up society of the country, backed with over years and years of ineptitude.
If you dislike it so much, create a counter argument worthy of a discourse, rather than expressing how hurt your butt is from being offended.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Hmmm… onga no.. di mo yata alam Pilipino ako.
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ilda Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Hahahaha! This comment is so funny because it assumes so many things about Chino that are all wrong.
The commenter made the classic mistake of attacking the messenger instead of the message. How typically Pinoy!
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J.B. Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
This is BongV’s fault.
There should be a running head banner at the top of this site that reads “BAWAL DITO ANG MASYADONG SENSITIBO” or something similar.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
More like: CAUTION: Sensitive hearts, have your cardiac medicine ready.
Deadpancow Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
“..and add concrete evidences of your accusations.”
In reference to your comment, please practice what you preach.
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That was just a finger wag waiting to happen. That’s where the phrase, “Onli in da Pilipins” comes in.
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the filipinos chose to be stupid that’s my take.
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J.B. Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
I beg to disagree.
Environment and access to information have more impact than natural inclination to do stupid things.
How can a Filipino become wise when he’s not given a fair chance to learn properly?
For example, I grew up in a remote province where access to liberal thinking was absent. How could anyone get enlightened when the ideas prevailing in town are thus:
Comprehensive Facts and Mindsets of Philippine Provincial Settlers
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
You’re both right in my book, guys. Some choose to be stupid. Others don’t know better because the resources don’t reach them. A very telling sign of social inequality in this country.
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Jay Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 12:11 am
For those not given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, thats a given. For those who have made the mistakes and continue to not learn from them, that clearly is their fault and are responsible for it.
But I do agree that many of the provincial type of thinking has much to do with urban legends or folklore that stunts the ability for a community to accept hypothesis or theories.
“Well, for me, at least there are a lot of dumb Filipinos.”
I would like to thank Chino for not making a sweeping generalization of Filipinos.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Thanks.
Yet I challenge some people… many classical theorists use sweeping generalization in their ideas. “Men are beasts” “All men are descended from apes.” All men are like this, like that. Why aren’t they attacked?
Yet one here who doesn’t use sweeping generalization is attacked for using it?
Strawmen abound…
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Deadpancow Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
“Yet one here who doesn’t use sweeping generalization is attacked for using it?”
In my opinion, I think the reason’s simple: the truth hurts.
Some, if not most, Filipinos are naturally defensive when someone points out that the Filipino culture is flawed that they tend to, by default, attack the one pointing this out and not the argument itself.
Sadly, I think that most of us find it easier to simply dismiss the person as being a dissident, deviant, etc than having to go through the trouble of defending our stance on the argument presented.
Nevermind that we may actually raise certain points, no matter how ridiculous they might be, in counter-arguing that perhaps make sense but I guess it would be easier for us to say that this person is “naggagaling-galingan” or whatever.
Settling for mediocrity has always been one of the main problems culture here, I think. And those who strive to be outstanding are often subjected to fault-finding just so that they would feel good with themselves.
Sorry, I may have deviated from the main topic. (What was it again? Oh, about sweeping generalizations and attacking the argument)
Honestly, I find it hard not to get slighted a bit by people who labels Filipinos as such and such; I am essentially a Filipino which would naturally equate that when someone generalizes about it, I’m technically counted.
I just find it sad that most of us would not accept these opinions and use it as a leverage to improve.
I just find it sadder that most of us are proving the writer’s opinions even more.
Thanks for hearing me out and I hope I made sense.
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J.B. Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 12:15 am
Chino actually is the “bravest” expositor here to my reckoning.
And the fact that Pinoys did not stone him to death
tells you that there is still HOPE left for the Philippines.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 5:29 am
Thanks for the “bravest” tag… though I actually think Ilda is the bravest with her direct opposition to Noynoy Aquino. But I guess my direct tirades against Filipino culture as a whole are a brave thing in itself. Heck, “Anti-Pinoy” as a whole is brave.
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Papaano na ang Pilipinas ngayon? Filipinos just elected a STUPID AND INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT. The only consolation prize is Jejomar Binay will hold the 2nd highest post. I rather have him than the whiny Mar Roxas who hide behind Korina Sanchez and showbiz character…..
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@ Jay
“AP has articles in Tagalog.”
I wish they have more. Most are in English.
“Also, pinoys weren’t as abhorring to the English language as you think they were. Primarily a product of Erap’s presidency and promoted more pinoy tagalog shows and less English with some stupid basis that it wasn’t beneficial for the pinoy in general. I’m a child of the 80′s and believe me, bilingual was taken pretty well back in the day compared to now when the any pinoy who can speak englitschez is labeled as ‘conyo’ o ‘nagmamarunong’. And due to my English comprehension, my desire to learn kicked in to learn the language from any limited resource. Says a lot when you break from a culture of complacency to one where you take baby steps to value your initiative, eh? Well, I hope you understand where I’m coming from.”
Very good for you, you’re exceptional. And I do get your point. But reality is, not everyone is like you or many of the people in this site. The people who need to understand these things are the ones who don’t take initiative. And you can not influence or jerk them to do anything if they don’t understand anything you say in the first place. With the language used now, the majority of Filipinos will not understand it hence the objective of the article will be lost. Also, as much as English is beneficial to Filipinos, Tagalog should not be disregarded. True that back in the day, more Filipinos were fluent bilinguals, but now they don’t even know what language to speak. However, Tagalog remains to be the dominant language in the country, hence in my perspective, most if not everything here, should be in the language that will be understood by the majority. And its obvious that average Filipinos abhor fluent English speakers who are also FIlipino because they simply can’t understand them. If you knew curses in French but not the full French language, then someone speaks to you completely in French and hear the curses coming out from his mouth while pointing his finger at you, what would you assume? If you plan to rattle their dysfunctional beliefs using strong words like “stupid” or “hate” or whatever, you could at least let them understand the words coming out of your mouth then let them decide whether they will take your message out of context and resort to angry responses or take your message constructively. We cannot speak to Filipinos in Hindi then call them stupid if they disagree since they have no basis to begin with.
And with the case of Erap… It is my observation, and it is obvious enough, that one of the main reasons why he won by a landslide in his first presidential bid and also why he came in second in this election was because everyone understood him. It’s easier to influence, and in Erap’s case, mang-uto, if people actually, literally understands you. And on the other end, this is the same reason why Gordon went relatively unnoticed by the majority because the majority does not understand the words he speaks and the context of his speeches.
“If everything is generalized, why do the results have a strong correlation with the generalization? Especially the one you refer to as this article? And no, its not a product of coincidence considering were talking about a long, sustained time frame here.”
Go ahead, generalize. Its not like I can stop you or anything. My perspective here is that I cannot say that every single person of the millions in the population of the island have exactly the same mindset. Because if that is true, then a Filipino like you should not even exist. And like you, I know a change like this will not happen overnight. It will take decades. But it also does not mean that I cannot do something now and contribute in supporting this movement by suggesting improvements like imparting these messages in Tagalog.
“Complacency has roads that lead to nowhere.”
I don’t know what you are trying to imply here. Are you saying I’m promoting complacency? If you are, then you are completely mistaken.
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Jay Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 2:52 am
I’ll be honest, some are hard to turn into tagalog while retaining its meaning and the way it was written. Besides, its generalizing to say everyone in the Philippines understands tagalog. With over several dialects, people practice their regionalism by speaking the local dialect and understanding it more than tagalog. Ironic enough, ENGLISH happens to have penetrated these areas.
Now that is their problem. You don’t survive this kind of created condition without initiative. You are also severely overestimating the value of tagalog, which I have already said one of its weaknesses that it isn’t a unifying language and a very inefficient one, especially when it comes to terms in lingo with advanced sciences, economic talk and political terms. I’m not saying it cannot be used in terms for a proper mode of discourse, but in the areas I’ve talked about, its severely hampering compared to the straight forwardness and specific nature of English, when utilized correctly. In tagalog, you can spend more effort and energy trying to explain something in nature of political policies while in english, its neatly arranged, with a beginning, an end, an argument and a conclusion.
You have point there. Though the problem is its rather hard to sugarcoat the issue to make it even more acceptable to them. Take for example when Lee Kuan Yew’s comments regarding the Pinoys in 1992 as lazy and undisciplined. The reaction was just as you would have thought, with Fidel Ramos getting angry and the pinoys telling the the guy to never set foot in the country ever again. Years after, the pinoys themselves haven’t changed for the better and Singapore continues improving itself and keeping up in a progressive South East Asia. So the nature of the message itself wouldn’t matter until the people get what the message stands for. If it gets our attention then good! If they choose to be enlightened and become socially aware through it, even better! Overall either they quickly learn (unlike their predecessors did generations gone ago) or they keep repeating it all over again, even if they knew the message in tagalog.
Erap won not necessarily because people understood him in their terms (especially the poor people mind you. In fact his first win was attributed to many of his voters in the D and E economic class) but the conception of the people regarding politics. Go back as long as 1992 and you’ll see even jokers like Tito Sotto and Bong Revilla Sr. mopping the floor for senator candidacy. I’d say it goes even way back with socially inept and unaware people keep voting for that popular guy or that oligarch who has nothing to offer for the country in the long run! And ironically enough, people don’t buy Gordon’s positive, upbeat yet misinterpreted message on their part! You rather forgot the big factor that Pinoys treat their politics with personality, not with the heart of the issues and that has to change.
Change will come but as I have stated and as many believe here, it WILL NOT COME unless it starts from somewhere. The grand premise that it starts from the top leadership spot and it will naturally follow to the citizens, since the people have yet to see true effective leadership, one which even Gordon or even Gibo was about. And honestly these and other ones discussed here are in a larger scale than communicating it in a failed medium that is Tagalog/Filipino. In terms of generalization, you are aware that the country is ruled by both a mediocracy AND an idiocracy right? Which punctuates the point that the old concepts and cultural mindsets aren’t enough to bring the country towards changing itself.
In the end, I’m just making my point about pinoy society, not about you. At least one of the many negative attributes they seem to promote, which is wrong considering its the worst kind of attribute to have in the condition of life the country is in right now.
[Reply]
ChinoF Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 2:56 am
We follow Jose Rizal’s model in writing his Noli and Fili in Spanish. He was not aiming for the masses, but the elite, which is why he wrote the novels in Spanish and not Tagalog (or Filipino or what have you). It is safe to assume that he believed the elite would make the changes, not the masses – because he also believed that masses were lazy and inutil. Hence, writing in the “elite” language – like what we do here in English.
Yet we are considering coming out with more Tagalog articles. But I guess the Taglish articles don’t satisfy you? Hang on.
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Jay Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Well we’ve had discussions before about which group of people will impact the message more. I think I forgot to say as well that its not only the poor, unfortunate masses who are lacking but also the elites or the oligarchs, who are also as dumb as rocks. The only difference is they control 80% of the country’s wealth and at least 80% of the land.
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If the Filipinos are not stupid, then why there is still Hueteng and ****fighting in almost every Barangay in the Philippines?
Most of the poorest of the poor complain that they have nothing to eat, cannot afford to send their children to school, cannot afford P100.00/per month for Philhealth, SSS, etc. because of poverty, but when it comes to illegal gambling, alcohol and cigarettes, most of them have money.
I lived for eighteen (18) months in Quirangay, Camalig, Albay, where I put up a child-help project sending poor but deserving children to school. In the beginning, the Barangay Officials supported my project until I refused to donate for a Singing Competition for the Barangay Fiesta. Prior to this, I stopped giving money
to the Barangay as I came to know that my donations solicited by the Barangay Secretary were not recorded and received by the Barangay Treasurer.
The situation worsened as I complained about the ****fighting and Hueteng activities in the area, where the fathers of my sponsored children regularly bet. I was threatened and was declared persona non grata.
Worst, the children members of the project were harassed by the Barangay Captain and Secretary themselves telling them not to attend my free tutorial activities. I sought the help of the DILG but the answer was “Dayo ako, makisama ako” (Am a stranger to the place, I have to cope up with them.)
A death threat caused me to left the place for good. In fairness to the children, I continue to help them until the last child graduates from High School in 2013, but after reaching this goal, never again will I solicit donations from a foreign country only to support this sick society.
[Reply]
Jay Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 3:22 am
I think what some people like volumeup don’t get it is at least we are beyond understanding the positivity of the country. Or it isn’t something that sustains it long enough to have some sort of a valued impact for society. There is much more negativity happening and tolerated on a daily basis that its better to be aware of these, THUS creating for better acceptance for positivity.
And certainly, society is one thing that has been a negativity in the country for a very long time.
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Jon Abaca Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 4:16 am
That’s a tragedy of the commons right there.
Those people deserve the worst, soul crushing dystopia human imagination can muster.
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I will probably get the ire of some of the regular posters here like before by saying this…the Filipinos are not the only stupid creatures around. The whole world is filled with stupid people. I’ll probably be asked to give examples for global stupidity but I believe most of you can find out by yourselves.
Yes there are a lot of stupid Filipinos. Even some educated and enlightened Filipinos are stupid in their own right. But this mass stupidity is highlighted by the glaring poverty in our country. Because living conditions can be so bad, compared to western nations, we always end up asking ourselves why can’t the Filipino get out of poverty when he/she clearly wants to live a better life. The answer is simple: they want it but they don’t want to do anything to get it.
There are a lot of bad stuff happening in the country but there are also some good initiatives by fellow Filipinos. Of course nothing is perfect. And any ‘good’ initiative can be nitpicked for this or that. But one of the things that plague this nation is that most people don’t get to hear any good news at all.
All they hear are bad news so that’s what they have come to expect. They feel that their lives won’t change anyway so why bother lifting a finger to even try. Let’s stick with the old politicians because why bother voting for newer ones who can push for reform when they will just lose? That kind of mind-set…
Despite our false pride in our athletes, entertainers and other get-rich quick Filipino celebrities; most Filipinos are not confident that they can bring about the change they want. Perhaps they are misguided in thinking that change is instant when it never is.
I may appear as a the odd man out trying to find something positive in a sea of negativity in this site. But I do agree with most of the points that have been raised. I do believe that there is something wrong with our collective culture. But at the same time, I can empathize what’s its like to be impoverished, to lose everything (job, money, properties, your own son…) and to actually be poor after living such a comfortable life. Is it my fault that I lost certain things, I believe so but I don’t think anyone can say that I’m soley to blame for what has happened. Somethings were after all beyond my control as an individual. I’m not completely masa and I cannot relate to what they want but I feel that I can now understand better the kind of depressing self imposed hopelessness of their ‘stupid’ lives.
There is a way out and I know that. Unfortunately for most of our countrymen, they feel that it is more of a ‘hassle’ to try to excel when there exists a possibility of failing again in the end. Hence lies our stupidity of not being strong enough to risk a better life.
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Jay Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 3:14 am
If you think that only makes sense for our people, think again. There have many more nations stricken with distraught, grief and what not however they prove their ultimate accomplishment by turning it around. Examples would be Korea after the Cold War, Japan after WW2, Singapore well before LKY took reins as a leader, India before and during British colonization and even Thailand. They were even worst off than the Philippines at a certain point but as a nation, chose the values and the risk to ultimately look forward, into a future and to a better, competitive tomorrow.
I’ve been thinking about it as well and its beyond what it is temporary but has long been sustained (the culture of poverty), misinformation and the embracing the idiocracy. The long term survival and success of the Filipino nation hinges on making the necessary sacrifices and having that foresight. Otherwise, it is a brutal reality that the country will be and there will be absolutely nothing positive to really reinforce that at all.
If anything, you’d figure that once you hit rock bottom the only way to go is up right? Don’t be surprised if that isn’t the case with the country that finds ways to dig holes for itself and its people. So you need the proper attitude and mentality to survive and live through that perpetual reality.
The ultimate good news that this site is reinforcing, under the harshness and the bleakness of it all is Just like those who see opportunity in the face of adversity, you can ultimately find basis or a foundation for changing for the better.
So you are right the Pinoys ultimately chose to be poor, at least most of them. Its an easy decision because it doesn’t need effort and only a spur of apathy. Its all consequential, even as Richard Gordon explained it in his TV interviews. For pinoys to realize to be well off, they will need to accept positivity not just from temporary things, but from realizing they are worth more if they made the simple fixes in their lives.
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Ask for the misguided assumptions on ‘spreading the seed’….well some people feel that’s their only joy in life that is technically free. The sex and not what comes after. And in that regard…isn’t that such as sad thought that there is no other joy available for most Filipinos.
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“Your opinions are your own. Your solutions aren’t exactly the first that I have heard considering I’ve joined other new philippines themed groups in facebook. First off if you are bothered by the personal assumptions, as with being called stupid irks you, does that mean you take it personally? Hence why I am a bit correct on my assumptions. Otherwise any reasonable person would scoff at these accusations since they hold no basis! So don’t let your feelings get the better of you.”
You can’t blame a person if he is “irked” when called stupid you know. Not unless he’s a robot. But like what I already said, though it “irked” me, I do not take it personally not unless you’re in my face calling my name and yelling that I’m stupid. If someone does that, I’ll break his jaw, rebuttal unnecessary. lol This initial emotional response is not just a Filipino trait, this is something any person would initially feel. For this situation, pertaining to the title, I get “irked” but I don’t respond brashly, I read the message first, its an article, it should have a point. And it does. I felt an emotion, because I’m human, did I let it get the better of me? I think not. Then you come along assuming and concluding that I’m emo and other things. Its not more of taking it personally, but its irritating to be accused of something you’re not. You addressed me directly, you know. You wouldn’t want others stating lies about you, now would you?
“No one is nullifying the good at all here.”
Ok. This is good to know.
“Especially if you read back in certain articles like these. We hold it close scrutiny because by pointing it out, maybe we could find viewpoints we can debate about or even rectify once socially accepted negative viewpoints in a positive light! Unless you can provide factual truth (apparently which you can’t) that there is a positive about the negativity the kind author has put together with his message, its safe to assume the results correlate with his generalization, which holds true in those conditions. You disagree otherwise but you have only given what you feel about it as opposed to solid numbers, facts or figures.”
Just by the fact that there is negative, there is already a positive. If there was no positive, then what is a negative? vice versa. And coming from someone who defends the use of generalization, you did not get that I’m not only taking about the article per se but the whole of Filipino society, the whole country. In any case, you already stated that there is a positive, so that’s good enough for me. I’m just being careful not ride with people who believes that there is only a negative, I don’t want to be associated with extremists but only with rational people. So let’s move forward please.
But just to remind you also, I don’t know if I’m reading you correctly, but it seems you think I don’t like the negative points to be discussed. If you believe so, then you are wrong. If I was like that, I wouldn’t even be here talking to you. I merely point out that there is a positive, even if the positive is minuscule, it exists. No, I’m not glorifying this positive. I’m merely pointing out its existence. Yes, I agree with many of you that the negative aspects of our society should be put upfront, and that is essentially why I’m here. So please, with all due respect kind sir, lay off the personal assumptions. You can criticize and dissect the society, all of us have the right to because we are a part of it and many here are doing it to make it better. But I am an individual, you should not judge me based on your personal assumptions then state them out like they’re facts about me, you don’t even know me.
“The only thing we seem to disagree at is the methods, which I’m explaining why it is so in a factual manner. And I hopefully I think to have explained myself well on your reply at the bottom.”
Reading now… Replying next time. Gotta roll out lol but I think this already should satisfy you. With regards to which audience these messages should be targeted to, it is arguable. I want to discuss it. I will try to look for the references you mentioned but if you already have the links of that discussion pertaining to which should be the readers of all these articles, please kindly paste them here so I can catch up with your perceptions. Thanks.
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… daaaang
… flips are plain gung gongs… what is there toargue?
… mamatay kayo sa gutom ng nakadilat…
… flips, puro kayo mga gung gongs. buti nga sa inyong mga katangahan!
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BongV Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
may spam naman from uncle sam
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JOHN86 Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 10:30 am
LMAO !
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And do you think its proper? Do you think it solves everything, besides saving your ego from being crushed? Unlike you, who seems to justify they don’t behave like a proto-human despite justifying their emotion-first, reason-second mentality, I’m quite above that for the most part. I’m far capable of reasoning out those who claim my by letting them have that thought while I continue on with my existence. On the other hand, you have to validate yours with getting up on someones’ face and making it out to be some ‘big deal’. That kind of behavior usually isn’t one being civil anyway, especially over a simple remark or insult.
The positivity in the message, not the way the messenger handles it. To say there is only negativity is sadly in your point of view considering a to me is a positivity, especially in a system that doesn’t promote that kind of thinking.
I don’t have to know you to make assumptions, hence derived from the word . I was just making observations regarding on how you took certain parts of the argument since I found the behavior rather typical. But that is besides the real point, which is you don’t get is that the generalizations made is backed by facts and results. The author honestly was never taking shots at individuals but of course people contribute with their own personal stories and their outlook about it. Does it justify exactly what you think that every pinoy individual is an idiot? No, it encompasses the bigger, overall message that is being conveyed, one that is beyond your precepts of trying to accept the concrete positivity. Everyone here is ahead of that anyway but the bigger justice is understanding the message, which applies to everyone but even more so to the elites as ChinoF has stated. For the common folk, its key as well because they can CHOOSE which elites could represent THEM! So its , even if it comes off as being a generalization.
If you perceive what I wrote as personal attacks, then my apologies for dealing with someone who reacts with their emotions first. However, AP can always use a varied type of communicators in trying to get the message out so if you feel you can write a piece that is both diplomatic while retaining the message that is fully intended, by all means feel free to contribute your piece.
I’ll have to go back to the certain articles (since I have a nasty habit of not bookmarking specific ones I like) but for now, search the ones dealing with and . Oh and one on .
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Jay Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 5:47 am
SCREWY! I’m not used to the new system
Okay links to what I’m talking about:
So yeah what I wrote may seem screwy, but the message is there. This is for volup’s latest reply to me.
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Jay Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 6:00 am
ugh, the linking is screwed up.
http://antipinoy.com/filipinos-are-not-positive/
http://antipinoy.com/failed-family-values/
http://antipinoy.com/the-may-2010-election-results-are-proof-that-filipinos-are-proto-humans/
http://antipinoy.com/inquirer-columnist-patricia-evangelista-confusion-with-the-concepts-of-assertiveness-and-arrogance/
http://antipinoy.com/tyrannical-filipino-culture/
that is just few of the many I thought would help out. Check out the culture section for more.
[Reply]
jethernandez Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Hehehehe… thought it was the learning curve…
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volumeup Reply:
June 11th, 2010 at 3:26 am
@jay
(sorry for this late reply)
why thank you jay for making an example of me as the typical pinoy lol
this is the reason why I think you will never reach people like me, the ones who you aptly describe as people who put emotions first, who happens to be the majority of pinoys since you yourself claim that this behavior is typical. Pinoys are emotional and are not like you, who say he is “above it”. It comes across to me that you come here with the expectation that everyone is like you hence you brand them right away based on your initial observation when they write a hint of disagreement. Heck, you even made an argument when I said I’ll break a dude’s nose if he comes in my face with insults. Man, you really are “above it”, aren’t you? You’re so above it that I think when a guy comes up to you and your wife and the man yells out “your wife is one big whore!” over and over again in the middle of a crowd, you’ll just shrub it off and calmly tell your wife “no worries honey, we know its not true, he has no factual basis”, then just mosey down along. I’m sorry man, I am not as extremely “above it” as you.
I know people are going to react with emotions first and I think its normal. What’s not normal is not to feel anything at all. What I want to deal with is how to help them control their emotions, in a sense that, when they feel something, they’ll still be able to decide the appropriate thing to do as a normal human being and not like a computer. They’re people not machines. You don’t honestly think everyone can be like you, do you? Because by how you freely describe yourself, you’re a man of plain solid logic. You’re unbendable. And all of this leads to what we originally disagreed about at the very beginning– the methods.
This is the last time I do this and will no longer discuss my issue with you no matter how many times you try debate and claim what you believe I feel. I’m the only one who knows how I feel for sure, sorry. This is because I agree with the point you made that this particular topic is useless, you may feel I started it, but you certainly followed suit. So I am ending it right now.
Thank you for the links man. I’ll be reading them all. And when I find the time to contribute a piece, I will. I just simply don’t have the time right now.
But here are some suggestions that I think will help pinoys who come across this site to take the messages in the articles easier:
In every or at least most articles, why don’t the authors include their objectives, their intentions of writing such a piece? The objectives of the piece should be written at the bottom of each article, in a strictly straightforward manner- no back stories, no comparisons etc etc..
I say this since I observed that some of the people who comment here refuse to accept the message because they see no point in it hence they view the article as just plain insults so I can’t blame them if they retort without basis but only with emotions. By doing this, it will be easier for them to find out that each article do not only have points with some facts but also serve a purpose and has an objective. I know it would be like spoon-feeding them, but most here already think that pinoys are stupid, so I don’t see any problem with this. Surely a few more sentences can’t hurt the writers.
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Jay Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Hey man, glad to know you think that way in a typical sense. Tell me something, do I get something out of beating up that guy spreading the obvious lies? Does that pride feed me or benefit me somehow? Thing is buddy, if all you have for answers to pointless slander and lies is physical retaliation, then you really aren’t above anything.
I never said emotions were bad. But you and I know very well that letting your emotions rule over something that isn’t worth the emotional investment is not a healthy thing, especially in something that is true and has basis for logic and reason. And it doesn’t just benefit the individual but society as well. Especially since societies that have been well off have shown otherwise.
What is the point if it won’t be debated then? Besides can’t pieces have a distinct writing style about them anyway? Honestly even if ChinoF stripped off the stuff that catches attention, it still would lead to this argument we had IMHO. Besides those who don’t see the point may be working in their own ignorance maybe or aren’t thinking clearly about what is being written and instead taking in more why they should be offended. The point of the article should make you feel something, but should also make any sane, progressive person analyze the argument and the issues and if they had doubts or problems understanding certain things, they should speak out about it here and many of the contributors could help enlighten you.
Add more few sentences and you’d probably still end up with people being too hurt to want to understand it anyway. See how inefficient it is? If you couldn’t understand it what it was before, why write more sentences just to appeal to the inner ego and forget the point or points to debate altogether?
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Dahil kay ChinoF ito tuloy ang aking naging thought for the day: Katangahan ba ang umasang may pag-asa pang isang bayang lugmok sa katanghan?
Kung iisiping maigi, hindi tanga ang mga Pilipino. Nakakaisip naman tayo ng mga paraan kung papaano malulutasan ang mga problema e. 'Yun nga lang, masyadong 'short-sighted'. Ang pag-iisip, parating panandalian, mabilisan. Hindi na binibigyang konsiderasyon 'yung mga 'long-term effects' ng isang desisyon o aksyon. 'Yun din siguro 'yung tinutukoy ninyong bugso ng damdamin o pagiging 'emotional'. Sa bandang huli, siyempre ang mananagot sa mga kahihinatnan ng ating desisyon ay ang ating mga sarili, at minsan pa nga, 'yung mga magiging anak o apo natin. Bahagi na yata ng kultura natin 'yan. Hindi ba't makakatagpo ng mga taong umaasa na lang sa sugal at bisyo, sa padala ng mga kamag-anak na naghahanapbuhay sa ibang bansa, sa mana? Hindi ba't malimit ding maririnig ang mga salitang "Bahala na", "Ipagpasadiyos na lamang", atbp.?
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ChinoF Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Ganun nga rin pag-iisip ko sa huli. DI naman tanga ang Pinoy, pero nag-iisip at kumikilos na parang tanga, at tuloy lumulubog ang bansa.
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Can’t we just hire Lee Kwan Yew to turn our country upside down, remove all the unnecessary characters in the government, and just totally change the government into something like what Singapore has?
I am a big fan of Singapore. In a few decades they have achieved what we could not achieve in more than a hundred years.
I think hiring a smart, strong-willed person like LKY would be the smartest thing for stupid Filipinos to do.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Gordon for me was the closest thing to LKY in the last elections. Too bad Pinoys snubbed him. There’s the truth… Pinoys will love anyone but a LKY.
[Reply]
mel Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
@TMM:
We need a lot of LKYs!
In 1990, LKY sent a delegation to Berlin, Germany to observe and gather information on how the city of Berlin functions. They sent Engineers, Architects, Media People and Bus Drivers, who stayed for some months to personally experience the busy city of Berlin.
I was in Singapore last year and I can say that some areas in Singapore look pretty much like the city of Berlin (of course, without the landmarks) in structure. The Orchard Street looks like the Kufuerstendamm, and the buses (Doubledeckers), the flyovers, the parks, etc.
Back in the Philippines, I really felt sad and disappointed seeing how chaotic and dirty Manila is. It is a pity that many Filipinos do not realize how abusive they are of freedom and of their environment.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
There’s something here. LKY was actually looking at another country to see how it worked… and he would adopt the ideas. If you did that here, people would say, “you’re so unnationalistic! Wag kang gaya ng gaya… original dapat tayong mga Pinoy!” As a result, we are original in being a nation that knows how to drive itself backward. This is why I wrote my against-Anti-Foreignism article a while back.
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bill kasi Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 3:13 am
There is something destructive about Filipinos belief system. They always say, …”Bahala na si GOD”.
I do believe that, there is only one thing that GOD can not control and that is our minds. If that mind is not disciplined or structured then it just wanders off without a point. As this analogy; If you stop tending your garden for ten years, then it just becomes a wilderness full of snakes, spiders, and what not. That’s the minds of Filipinos. As uncivilized as eating dogs and cats. And what’s next? … Rodents?
Filipinos thinks that GOD controls their minds, but not really. Thats why their minds just wanders off with no certain directions. They just follows each others tails for directions.
Life is how we structured our minds,…how we structured our countries,…how we structured our world.
Your country is what you make it.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 3:36 am
Very astute observation and point! People don’t know how to place God properly in their lives. God does not control minds, that is true doctrine in Christianity. God will put into our minds ideas, but it is really up to each individual how they will act.
And note the bad effect of what you explain. When something goes bad, people will say that’s it’s God’s fault where it should plainly be theirs.
Filipinos also shun the saying, “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.”
“Let go and let God,” has also been so misunderstood. God can do some things, but you must continue to do your part.
I am inclined to think that Filipinos are not stupid. We are just prone to laziness and sentimentality, and the majority of people do not have access to media that offer a variety of political views. I mean political views that emphasize more the specific platforms, not the abstract generalities and accidental history (like having famous parents or belonging to a certain clan).
I doubt this can be changed in the near future. Until then, I am considering moving to Rwanda.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
My thesis as well in the final analysis. I’ve already been to Singapore earlier this year and am considering moving.
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for me, there are stupid filipinos and there are not-stupid filipinos.
the question is which ones the majority?
you know the answer
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Jay Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
well we certainly live in a society that seems to tolerate and revels in it.
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The Filipino is not only a stupid creature. He rationalizes his stupidity. As the case of the taxi driver with tow families to feed. It is his choice. and, if he complains that life is hard. Then, he must bear it. If you put your finger on a hot stove. Don’t compalin that you got burned.
Stupidity will always be there in us. It is in our genes…
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JOHN86 Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 11:27 am
halleh****inuah!!!
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Sino ang gusto dito ng awareness through mainstrem media, since may papel ang media sa pagkakandaleche leche nating mga Pilipino. Problema din siguro nating mga pinoy eh, kulang sa untog, dapat brainwash.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 7:08 am
Ay sus, korek ka dyan. Media ang antipatika dito.
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… daaaang
… nuke flipland!!! nyuk da flips!!!
… flips are fcuktory defcuktive creatures!!!
… RECALLLLL!!!!
… santamariasantacorysantaategosantasantitosantoninohesumaryosep… flips, puro kayo gung gongs!
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… daaaang
… flip katangahan is caused by >>>
1. katolickdicks kaksucker padre damaso’s teachings;
2. flipland administration rulers, oligarchs, traposakals, ladrones garapales, etchastera, etc;
3. flip media – news print, tv, and radio propas;
4. flipland’s iskul-bukol… titsers ‘bakwet sa abroad to be ofws, hugas pfwets, etchastera, etc;
5. last but not least, flips themselves… puro bow ng bow… “bahala na ang dios” mentality… puro asa sa gobyerno de gung gongs, mga kamag-anaks sa abroad, etchastera, etc… wala ginawa kungdi umiyot… spitting babies that they could not feed/clothe/house… kaya puro pulubi at squats ang labas…
hay naku, flips, puro kayo mga gung gongs!…
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Is this our misplaced Filipino pride again?
I remember reading an essay before (i’m not sure of the facts stated but I will mention them anyhow) that LKY sent delegates to several countries in Asia and asked them to observe what is wrong and right about those countries. One of the top things they observed is that a lot of Asian countries lack DISCIPLINE. And so they started with this issue in mind: Discipline MUST be a priority for Singapore. I think we know how it went from there. Singapore is now (2010) currently the #1 most competitive nation on Earth. (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1990224,00.html)
My thoughts about hiring LKY as a government consultant stems from a constant frustration of watching ourselves dig our own holes deeper and deeper everytime, not managing to get out of the pits. This 2010 election COULD’VE been a time to turn things around for us, but we screwed up again. We don’t really have any excuse: the likes of Gordon and Gibo (in my opinion) could’ve brought us somewhere better. Perhaps not so far from the pits, but atleast better than where Noynoy could probably bring us.
Btw, I heard other countries have already begun seeking “consultancy” services from LKY. I do not think there is an issue with pride for them.
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Out of Filipino stupidity comes that will to strategize plans for living (or you may call it survival).
Take note of these driving tips I collated to depict the sad state of
Driving on Philippine Roads.
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The problem in our country is POVERTY not STUPIDITY. Don’t focus on stupidity.
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ChinoF Reply:
June 27th, 2010 at 1:14 am
I must agree with you on this. Stupidity is a symptom of the stupid system that causes poverty in the country. One of the solutions I’ve advocated was to remove or modify the 60/40 rule of land ownership in the Constitution to stimulate foreign investments. And this will provide jobs and help alleviate poverty. And can allow more funds for our educational system. We need to overhaul our educational curricula and all.
Thanks for commenting.
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bill kasi Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 3:33 am
I don’t believe that poverty is the problem. The neighboring countries were as poor as the Phil. was, but why are they more prosperous now?
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ChinoF Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 3:52 am
The neighboring countries most likely had multi-pronged approaches to their problems. They don’t just focus on poverty only, or corruption only. The problem is actually complex, so they applied complex approaches.
Tayo mga Pilipino, mga tamad, we’ll just say, “corruption lang ayusin natin! Madali lang!” But then we find that it isn’t that simple, and it is more complex than that. The solution should be to address corruption, poverty and a host of related problems at the same time. Focusing on one problem only won’t do it.
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my dogs are BY FAR much more intelligent than filipinos . . . n i can BET on that . . . I’ve been here for the last 4 yrs . . . . it’s easier to train a dog than to train a filipino . . . . cz dogs are more smart than them BY FAR . . .
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ulong pare Reply:
July 29th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
… daaang
@avi: “been here for the last 4 yrs…,”, you said… and you still hang around flipland?
… your cz dogs are way smarter than you are… you’re stupider than you thought……
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Mga flips hilig bumoto sa mga estupido, and when the **** hits the fan, pray agad kay god. ayan anong nangyari?Even god is powerless against stupidity.
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ulong pare Reply:
July 29th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
… daaang
@NFA r: 90M flips pray to god every second of the day… non-stop…
… traposakals, ladrones garapales, padre damasos, etchastera, etc use his name to deceive flip gung gongs…
… god got tired and abandoned flipland altogether…