Filipino Colonial Mentality AKA Inferiority Complex

I have travelled to the Philippines countless times and have always been very proud to be from there. It is a blind pride that is handed down from generation to generation. On my last few visits I asked myself why. Why am I so proud to be from here? The poverty is astounding - the last person to help a poor Filipino is a fellow Filipino. This isn't because they don't care, but because of our pre-Spanish history we are very community and family based. You help your family and community before anything else. This unfortunately carries over into politics where - especially in the provinces - jobs and finances are given to relatives before the people who truly need it. This is very similar to Filipino civilization pre-Spanish.

The Philippines also has a social structure set up like a bunch of mini monarchies. In every small town there are 1 or 2 families who run the whole show and control most of the local revenue and industry. There is an upper crust, with a minute middle class and then the serfs. I recently watched the films, 'The Duchess" and "The Other Boleyn Girl". My wife was aghast at the control the higher members of society held over the population. This still exists today! The stranglehold the Catholic Church still holds over the people allows for this type of behavior. While the purpose is to create morals and structure, it does the exact opposite. So much so that mistresses and prostitution within marriages is normal. What does this have to do with inferiority? Well, before the Spanish, Filipino society did not hold such mighty standards regarding divorce. Men and Women enjoyed a sexual freedom which was obviously put to an end by the Colonizers - it threatened not only themselves, but their church. The Spanish convinced Filipinos that their way of life, being and religion was better and therefor stripped the Philippines of its identity. This is tragic, because pre-Spanish Filipinos did not document their lives very well - so little is known about what 'true' Filipino culture was like in that time. The social class was very similar to the way it is today - the classification was more 'Free' Semi-Free' and 'Slave'. What is unique about the Philippines at this point was that there was still no unity for the country - 7000 islands evolving on their own - almost like 7000 little countries. The Spanish found that Filipinos did have a belief which very easily adapted to Christianity - which is why it became so wildly spread throughout the region. The Philippines also had a very established trade system set up with other Asian countries. The Spanish capitalized on this and made the Filipino heads - the chiefs and landowners- Barangay heads (barangay is district). Ultimately this made them slaves of the Spanish. There was nobody who was better off than the Spanish, while the Filipino needed to simply accept their lot in life. Tens of Thousands of Spanish immigrated to the Philippines to enjoy the new lands. They had massive staffs of servants, workers and slaves - teaching the Filipino that they are not as good as them. Showing that being Spanish was a luxery.

Jump ahead to the Spanish American War. The Americans allowed Filipinos more freedom and the ability to evolve and think for themselves. Unfortunately the thinking was always to emulate what America stood for at that time. This type of thinking does not work in a country with a majority lower class. Look at the largest democracy in the world - India - which also happens to be the most corrupt country in the world. The Spanish had stunted any sort of cultural identity, and the Americans just imposed their own. Filipinos are among the most talented people in the world - but that talent is always put into play trying to emulate American pop culture rather than finding a proud sound, look, or story within themselves. Case and point, go into any bookstore in the Philippines and it is all American novelists with a Filipiniana section that looks like a home collection of books - maybe 100 titles.

It wasn't until Jose Rizal published 'Noli Me Tangere' in 1898 that Filipinos began feeling a cultural pride in them. The Americans did not help with their, justifiably, superior approach to government, education, and equal rights - not to mention the money they breeze into the country with while on vacation. Filipinos are still, to this day, left to feel inferior to the Western world.

This is why white, a bridge on the nose, tall, mestizos are still considered more attractive - simply because it is a learned behavior for Filipinos to feel that way. Skin Whitener is one of the top grossing cosmetics in the PH. If I compliment a Filipina she always answers, "I'm dark, short, fat and ugly". Well, let me say that the "Filipino" version of short, fat, ugly and dark, is beautiful.

I am realizing that I can't cover everything in this, but I feel Filipinos need to realize that they don't have to wear Levis, it is okay to say 'pamily' instead of 'family' , and white is not the only form of beauty. When I was daydreaming in the Philippines I walked into a security guard and he panicked saying "Oh sorry, sorry sir." He should have said watch where you are going a**hle. But I am a Filipino who has money (meaning I come from the US - I'm really brokeass like everyone else). Everywhere I go, people ask me what my last name is. Because it is Spanish sounding they are always impressed. It should be the indigenous names that have survived that are regarded well.

In any case, we should embrace our cultural heritage as Filipino and not embrace what it has become. We should be proud of who we are and not who we think we should be. We should embrace our imperfections and be proud of the entire Philippines, not just the region we come from. Try to remember that we are the most hospitable and polite people in the world, but that doesn't mean we can't express ourselves, how we feel and who we are. We are a strong beautiful people - brown in beautiful!

That is why I created the T-Shirt shop PHPride.com. I accept what is considered our shortcomings 'DBD Mobie" and express our sexuality - taking terms like LBFM and embracing it rather than shunning it like its an insult - it isn't...Americans are confirming what we have known all along - Filipino and Filipina are the best lovers :)

Fetching blurbs now... please stand by

 

 

1 of 1 pages