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I Hate Filipino Culture -Society/Politics

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Replies to comments on “I hate Filipino culture”



So apparently one of my articles went viral (I Hate Filipino Culture). I wrote the article back in 2007 back when I wrote without caring so much who I offended. Yes, I was also a lot angrier and a lot less politically correct then. It got a bit of attention when I first posted it but nothing like what it’s getting now. I was surprised when I checked my counter and  I saw that it had almost 50,000 hits in less than 24 hours. It’s now at almost 100,000 hits and still rising. It got a lot of comments as well, some agreed with me some didn’t. I don’t think that I’d be able to reply to all of the comments individually so I’ll be addressing some of them in condensed form in this entry.

On the title of the article: Yes it’s a bit extreme and yes it’s also intentional. It’s the kind of title that would rouse emotions in the reader before they even read the article. It got its intended effect.  I wrote about the average filipino’s sensitivity when it comes to criticism about their own race and the title is a sort of stab at that; A test if they can go beyond the title and actually read the entire entry. If you’d read the whole entry, you’d know that I wasn’t hating on Filipino culture in general, whatever that may be. I was expressing my “annoyance” at certain aspects of our society. And in no way did I imply that masa culture is Filipino culture. I actually said the opposite.

On me having colonial mentality:  Filipino culture can be a pretty iffy term. Almost all remnants of pre-colonial culture have been wiped out. Our own alphabet, baybayin, is practically dead now (a lot of Filipinos don’t even know that it ever existed), our language is littered with Spanish words, Most of our customs, traditions and religions are of post colonial origin. I’m not saying that that’s good or bad, Im just saying that if you’re gonna be xenophobic and hate on all things foreign, recognize that a lot of the things that we consider Filipino arrived at our shores pretty recently. I’m not touting the culture of any particular country and I’m not saying that any of those cultures is superior to our own but there’s a wealth of information out there if we’d not close ourselves to the boundaries of our shores, especially considering that what we have within our shores are a lot of material that cater to the masses. Yes I’m aware that the negative qualities that I enumerated about our people also exist in other countries but just because those qualities exist in other cultures, that doesn’t mean that I hate them any less.

-On depression: nope hindi ako depress …or depressed and I have no plans of killing myself anytime soon, thank you

-On my douchey profile pic. I apologize for my face. Well not really but I probably would’ve chosen a different profile pic if I had known that one of my entries would’ve achieved a bit of notoriety. But it’s there, people have seen it anyway so what the hell. I’ll replace it with something more artsy fartsy soon.

-On elitism. I said that I wasn’t elitist but I guess this is a matter of perspective now. One person’s elitist is another person’s fearless writer. One thing that the entry was NOT about though was about class divisions. Like I said, I’m not even rich in the first place. I’d rather rub elbows with a penniless, starving artist than Willie Revillame or Joey deleon. I don’t look down on the poor because I know that shallowness doesn’t always come with poverty. And to be clear, when I say “masa”, I don’t mean the poor in general.

-On my rant on local TV shows:  I know a lot of respectable people who watch eat bulaga and wowowee. I have nothing against them at all. The rant really was NOT about the people who watch the shows, it was mostly about the people who appear on them, particularly the TV hosts and the way they almost seem to make a mockery of their “masa” live audience. It was one of these TV shows that actually inspired the rant in the first place. If you feel like I insulted you when I insulted your favorite TV show, I apologize. And this is the only part of the article that I will apologize for because I didn’t qualify it clearly.

On not saying anything good about our country: Yes I only highlighted negative aspects of our society. That was the point of the article, really. It’s a rant. In case you’re interested, I also have a travelblog where I write about some of the nicest places that I’ve visited in the Philippines - I don’t only write about negative stuff but why would anyone expect to read positive things about our people on a rant.  One more thing that I’ve noticed about us Filipinos is that not only do we only want to hear the positive, we sometimes ask for it too much.  Whenever foreigners are interviewed about the Philippines, it’s almost like we expect them already to say very rosy things about our country and if they don’t say anything good, they should be deported. We even took up arms when some foreigners said that they didn’t like the food at jolibee, as if our nation’s identity rests squarely on the shoulders of the fastfood giant. And I remember that Ricky Lo interview where he practically was goading Anne Hathaway to say that Lea Salonga was a better singer than her. That was very difficult to watch and it just shows how insecure we are as a people. I sometimes wish that we’d wait for the compliments to come, not expect them and not ask for them directly.

To everyone who agreed with me and to everyone who vouched for me, reading your comments was pretty heart warming and flattering. Thank you.  To everyone who disagreed/ disagreed violently, thank you for visiting my humble little blog and I hope you’d see that I meant no disrespect to our people in general but like others, I see certain flaws. If you do not agree with me that they’re flaws then let’s agree to disagree. I hope you read the entire entry though before you posted a comment.

57 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Personally I believe that you simply tell it like it is.

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  3. It was really worth reading and mind opening. Also I think that every Filipino should take time reading it, cause I may be exaggerating but reading your entry.. can cure the blind.

    Kudos Kuya! c:

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  4. Really good and "inspiring". I hope this serves as a wake up call for our beloved citizens. At ito rin dapat yung mga nababasa ng mga Pilipino sa mga pahayagan, hindi yung editoryal tungkol sa kung sino ang mananalo sa eleksyon.

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  5. Hi, I read your article. Can I just say I wholeheartedly agree with most of the points you made, though I myself have to emphasize on the word most. It was a very inspiring article and I liked to think that it was a wake up call that everyone really needed regarding some flaws in our cultural heritage. I remember a few months back about a guy who did a video on "the worst things about the Philippines" highlighting some examples such as "the free hug" we receive from the security guard upon entering the mall or the warm beer that they serve. To make a long story short, the author was pretty much reduced to tears from all the hate comments and negative feedback. What most people failed to realize was that plenty of the things he mentioned there were actually quite true (unfortunately his follow up video "10 greatest things about the Philippines" was all but considered non-existent).So I'd just like to commend you on being able to "rouse" society, though society might snap at your behind every now and then for doing so.

    Second, I'd just like to add my own opinion though, regarding the "people who subscribe to masa culture". I agree with you that though this may be their way of thinking, I'd just like to point out that this may not necessarily be their fault and that they're not to blame as to why they think and act like "they can be bought with a few pesos".

    I honestly believe it is our fault that these people are like this. It is our fault, as "the rest of the Philippines" for creating a society wherein only we can thrive. I believe the reason these people subscribe to this form of media is because they feel recognized and they feel like they matter. Its a form of entertainment tailor made for the masa. A cultural niche where they can feel important. Of course they would subscribe to it, they have nowhere else to go. I agree with you that they shouldnt embrace Masa culture, but the question then stands, what should these people embrace? foreign literature, foreign media and foreign cultures? Undoubtedly so, but do they have access to these things? Do we foster a society that allows the everyday Juan to just turn on his TV and find himself listening to foreign literature and ideals that can broaden his horizons? No, instead, he finds Wowowee and Eat Bulaga. Of course he'll jump up and down for joy. I guess what Im trying to get at here is that these people aren't exactly to blame for embracing a culture that they shouldnt.

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    1. Thanks. It's a shame that I never got to see that video. I think I would've liked it. This blog will remain online no matter how many negative comments it gets.

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  6. You were able to put into words exactly the way how I feel about that certain sector in our society "the masa." The sad thing is, our political leaders and the influential media people take advantage of their innocence/ignorance(?).

    Yeah, more Filipinos should read this kind of article (I Hate Filipino Culture).

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    1. Yeah. Where else will you see campaign slogans like "gusto ko happy ka". The media and our politicians tailor their programs and campaigns to suit the lowest common denominator at the expense of those who can actually think.

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  7. Hey thanks for your old article, I'll be following you from now on. :)

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  8. I loved the article. In truth, I was just recently contemplating on that same topic, and I can think of a lot of other things I dislike about the culture - but I suppose I'll never be bold enough to publish my thoughts on it (especially after seeing the volume of not-exactly-nice replies you received for your article :p ). Anyway, I'm glad you wrote that; it was quite brave. I didn't find it elitist at all, and I didn't think it was an expression of crab mentality as one of the comments suggested. It was merely an admission of (your perception of) reality, and I'm pretty sure a lot of pinoys sense it too. Cheers!

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    1. Thank you Mar p. It's always nice to read comments like yours especially after reading the torrent of negative comments on the article

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  9. It was an interesting article. I agree with your rant to some extent (I had a paper with similar topic, with more neutral words so as not to agitate the prof but he threw it anyway lol)

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    1. I wrote the article when I was much younger and a lot more passionate. If I wrote the article today, I would've said the same things but it probably would've sounded a lot less angry. I'm glad that I wrote it back then

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  10. Nice one! I know that feel. People often persecute what they cannot comprehend thoroughly. Otherwise, if we all did, we would agree to most of what we have discourse about. Anyway, I know that feeling, but as writers, our pen shall not be silenced! I don't like some things either, but hey, at least we learn to adapt to it somehow.

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    1. Much respect to you, sir. Write and don't let others silence your pen

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  11. Awesome article. It does show that it was more of a rant, kinda rambles in places but you put the idea across well enough. As to the actual content, I agree in essence with a lot of your points. I can probably counter you on your specific examples, eg. Jimmy Santos, Eat Bulaga, etc. but that would require more in-depth intellectual discussion that this comment box won't suffice.

    But just to let you know, I'm a member of PinoyExchange and I used to frequent the Local Movies and TV forum there, I wanted to start a revolution against the main TV networks and their so-called "war", you won't believe how far fans would go with their ad hominems against the "other" network. And that was a number of years ago. I guess I had to give up the fight since.

    Anyway, that's just touching on one of your points. It's very interesting indeed, pretty much an eye-opener for those who haven't realized the truths you mentioned, while basically putting and rephrasing it bluntly for those who have. I hope lots more would take their time to read and contemplate on it.

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  12. I've read your article. I must say I'm surprise it didn't become controversial before. Was it because it was new? You've been writing for a while and they took notice now, was it because of election?

    there is nothing new in the article you wrote before (2007). In fact, we all know this, and we are such hypocrites to think that we are not like that (what you wrote). You didn't exclude yourself anyway (at least that's what it appeared to me), you are included in the "Filipino culture". You just happened to be more open - to other ideals, to other culture, etc.

    Being able to question authority, being able to question at all, is something that developed with time. I have to admit I am still in the process of knowing what to accept, to tolerate and what is definitely UNACCEPTABLE. Opening my eyes that the Philippines is not perfect, that there are countries to explore and cultures to share will keep you in tune with the world. We're not superior... not inferior too. But our way isn't the only way.

    I hope Filipinos see everything within us. We are all like what you wrote - whether we like it or not.

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    1. Thank you. Actually it got a bit of attention before but not like the kind of attention that it's getting now. It was posted on my previous blog before which is now dead. The comments went down with the blog. I transferred the article recently here to blogspot.

      I like this phrase: "We're not superior... not inferior too. But our way isn't the only way."

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    2. I learned the phrase first hand. I am surrounded with people from different nationalities, all have "superiority complex" (including me). After a while, we all realized, there are so many misconceptions about each of our country. We just want to change the perceptions at least within us. :)

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  13. It's a good read... And by choosing the right title - "I hate Filipino Culture", everybody wants to read the whole article and not just jumping on conclusions.. =)

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  14. It really shows how bad filipino thinks highly of themselves. Can't even read between the lines and understand that, '' i hate filipino culture'' in the author's perspective is " we-need-a-change-stop-joining-the-bandwagon-people'' or something like that. Check the date people its almost years ago, so so that means all the haters and bandwagonnersss here are all 5 years devoid of present thinking? It goes to show how bad pinoy mentality is now. I share the author's POV on this. And this is a blog, not a fuckin newspaper,open minded people's freedom wall.

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  15. Well put. Glad I read your two entires.

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    1. Thank you pandesalninica. I hope that the other people who read the old entry would also read this one

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  16. All I can say is he or she is one self hating ignoramus who glorify dead things from the past - like baybayin - believing that authentic is living in the past. Everything moves forward and that is NOT colonial mentality.

    Had he or she not been a victim of the racist brainwashing by white racists who denigrade Filipino culture by accusing us of copycat in ABSORBING WESTERN METHODS AND CULTURE THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH OUR CURRENT CULTURE. The he or she would learn to appreciate the ancestors of Filipinos who were responsible for making us.

    Then he or she in that inferiority complected nonsense of that post SHOULD EDUCATE HIMSELF OR HERSELF.

    FOR EUROPEAN CULTURE AND IDENTITY underwent the same process of change from conquest, trade etc. And no one is bitching about it.

    Everything moves forward. What morons accuse Filipinos of colonial mentality is NOT colonial mentality but the AUTHENTIC MODERN FILIPINO.

    He or she wallows too much in delusions of indigenous schemed from the same morons like the past is all we are.

    Love the Filipino for who we are and not placed in us in an imaginary schemed culture from the fancies of white racists and yellow bastards.

    No one should pretend to be a Filipino if one does not understand and cannot accept what a REAL FILIPINO IS - as it stands TODAY!

    bangkaw

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  17. The most amusing bit about your original post was the kinds of people who reacted.

    I am glad I saw great signs of rational (fellow) Filipinos who could easily slip past the 'I Hate Filipino Culture' title and see what the entry was REALLY about. It is encouraging to know that there are Filipinos who don't need the rest of the world to dote on the culture and say nice things ONLY.

    That being said, the comments that crawled out of the woodwork...priceless. :)

    The very mentality you were raving about came bubbling up to the surface one ignorant reaction after another, agreeably indulging you by proving your point: some of our countrymen cannot take criticism.

    The Comments Section proved your point in a way that your rant only partially delivered, so it was a verrry very good read altogether; thank you. :)

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    1. Thanks. Some of the negative comments are amusing indeed. I especially like the ones that talked about my pimples

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  19. Hey man, I stumbled upon this blog and I would just like to say first of all, that even for a rant, that original post you made in 2007 was very well written. It was also straight to the point; points which for the most part, I agree with.

    I've personally experienced that mentality that us Filipinos have when it comes to stifling creativity and shutting down any yearning to break away from the mold. I'm an aspiring concept artist and my parents still haven't fully accepted it. Now my younger siblings are going into more artistic directions as well and they are not very happy about it. I love my parents to death, don't get me wrong but everything your wrote about, they have them in spades and it's getting really hard to live with.

    Would love to discuss with you, my friend and I actually run a little podcast, that is, if you have time.

    Again great job and thanks for a great read. It's good to know another open-minded and intelligent Filipino out there. I know my roots, I love my home country but god damn I hate most of the mentalities that run rampant there.

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    1. Thanks ultima0chaot. Go pursue what you wanna do and don't let your parents stop you. You can email me at internetjaywalking@yahoo.com

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    1. Thanks 9tha. I used to wonder who nuff was and why he was quoted so often. True story

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  21. Goosebumps on your posts. I totally agree with you with your (I hate filipino culture) Article and you gained my respect, not only mine though. Your blog was straight to the point, it's actually an eye-opener to those people whose eyes are still closed. More enlightening articles please! Thank you, have a wonderful and blessed life!

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    1. Thank you Aly. I'll try to update the blog more often :)

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  22. I learned the phrase fast hand. I would just like to say fast of oll, that event for arent. It was very good read altogather. thank you

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    1. I'm not sure what fast hand means actually but thank you for visiting my blog and for the kind words

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  23. Well, it has been a while since I came across a good blog. Will be following you now. I shared that post in my FB account. Hope it's okay with you. I just wish you'd write more often.

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    2. Thank you for sharing the post. Yup i haven't been stabbed or stoned to death yet by my haters so i guess I'm ok. I'll try to post more often.

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  24. Not posting just to get readers on m blog http://outspokeninthephilippines.wordpress.com/, but I posted a couple of responses on this subject to someone on G+ and decided to post them on Wordpress. Also, just a question, are you just looking for replies from people who totally agree with you? The reason I ask is I noticed a LOT of deleted comments. Thank You!

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    1. I didn't delete those comments. The authors of the comments deleted them. If you'd read the comments on the actual article, you'd find a lot of negative comments some even bordering on violent. They're still there.

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  25. I don't think you're wrong... I actually think you have a valid point and I agree...

    but why the fuck are you such a hater? just wanted to tell you that you wrote 70 "hate" here...
    damn dude...

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  26. You shouldn't criticize people who praise God for their success.

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  27. I am copy pasting a comment I made to a person who showed me a link to your article on I Hate Filipino Culture

    I agree with some points but not all, I believe the author is a bit too whiny in his/her sentiments, though I can understand the stem of the arguments towards us, it is sad that this is reality for us. But then he/she failed to mention the outstanding qualities that I find in our Culture and in our people, the qualities that are lesser known or seen but are just as important.

    Overall I applaud the author for his/her insight on the matter but would wish that the person who wrote this would consider the other views on this matter. To condemn a culture based on these points to me is wrong. Saying in the title the author hates Filipino Culture, plus some of those points are influenced by foreign cultures and teachings so why would the author say that the so called hope of the Philippines is in the foreign culture creating a breed of open-minded individuals. We lose our authenticity or rather we have already lost our authenticity to the foreign cultures hence we have displayed the things the author claims too hate because we have lost ourselves, this is not the true Filipino way but merely our current reality.

    In my opinion.

    Extra comments:

    You are very insightful or rather was insightful when you wrote that 6 year old article.
    May I ask what is your view on our culture now?

    BTW yeah i don't like the local tv programs too and definitely don't find taste in simple comedy employed by our broadcasting networks.

    On the topic on God,
    while i do not share their view on praising God for good and bad events,
    I do understand, that for some God is the only one you can rely on, it is form of coping
    common in people who cannot find greater purpose or lack motivation, so i try not to
    judge so long as they do not push their beliefs unto others.

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  28. Theres so much hate in the article. Hate is such a strong emotionally charged a word to use. The author may have tactically used it to capture Filipinos attention. As he put it, Filipinos (or most) cant take criticisms. Ergo, the title?. I guess, the author has successfully achieved his goal. I for one contributed to his success. I wonder where that hate came from? (Author - Am interested why you felt that way and what made you feel that way in 2007)

    After reading the article and thinking about it, weren't those "things" written out of hate about Filipino culture, the "things" that are unique and interesting that we should also love about Filipino culture. I clearly resonate with what Dimasalang (see previous comments) had to say about this article and to quote -

    "Love the Filipino for who we are and not placed in us in an imaginary schemed culture from the fancies of white racists and yellow bastards.

    No one should pretend to be a Filipino if one does not understand and cannot accept what a REAL FILIPINO IS - as it stands TODAY!"

    :)

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  29. Thank you for posting that article. I agree with everything you've said. Except maybe with the "God" comment. I think we should praise God for helping us achieve our goal but that doesn't mean I think we should thank Him and Him only because our own efforts had a lot to do with it as well. People who think like us though, are a very small minority in the sea of the our countrymen. I can't even begin to imagine just how much impact we can make to our nation if the ones that need an attitude adjustment won't even get to read this article. Or, as it always happens basta sa Pinoy, they'll read the title, go TLDR and hate on it with all the ignorance and lack of critical thinking that they possess.I hope your [previous, not this one] article gets more attention, like, on a national scale or something. But that doesn't seem likely because it was a critique on media too and I'm not sure they'll want to talk about an article putting them in a negative light.haha. Personally, I feel that despite anything we can say, it just won't reach the right ears.

    Call me a "glass half empty" person but I'm tired of our country, tired of the mentality, tired of the "masa", tired of the corruption, both small and large-scale. I've recently been to Japan for a quick visit and I felt at home right away. My ideas and personality don't fit in with the Filipino culture. There's a yawning maw of honor, respect, dignity, pragmatism and honesty lacking. I'm only 23 years old but I feel older than most of my peers. My way of thinking cannot be understood by most of my fellowmen. We free thinkers know WHAT should be done, but not HOW we should go about it. I'm a believer in socialism but with the kind of "leaders" we have, that just won't work. The masa balk at the idea of any sort of impingement to their "freedom" but don't really know how to handle that freedom responsibly or with any wisdom. They also don't realize that it's their fault that we have people like Lito Lapid, Estrada and Grace Poe on the senate. Fine examples of leadership, those three. :) So, whatever, I'm giving up. I'm gonna move to Japan once I can afford to do so...

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  30. The article is very good, it talks about the negative things here in the Philippines. Filipinos should spend their time reading this instead of just keep on doing those that are said in your opinion. Anyway this article should be good for me, because I'm a writer but not as good as you think. Thank you so much for your article it was a big help :)

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  31. Thank you for such awakening! You hit the mark. Kudos!

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  32. Can I just say... You're awesome! Negative comments didn't make you falter, you even made it clearer that that's just how we (or most Filipinos.. or some) are in reality. No facades, whatsoever, just the bitter truth. And nothing is better than the truth. Time to wake up, everyone. (Also, I wish I could write as good as you) Take care.

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  33. All I can say is that back then, you only speak selfishly, maybe because you are motivated by something or really-really pissed off that day. Then you got the attention of the public, because maybe that time, they were bashing other Filipino culture hater too. I can't blame you, it was your own opinion and I can't be angry to the people that sympathize with your ranting. Reading your post back then let me realized that sometimes, people don't realize that they are doing the exact thing what they are hating. For example, your rant about the media being the cause why people are like this, why people like that.. Actually, you posting something like that somewhat convinced others just like the media do. And those who opposed you were just the persons that think the way you do. It's really complicated, but for me, this post really a biased one, yet I respect it because it was purely an opinion, no more, no less. I can't say it's a good read because all I felt during reading it was hatred and personal opinion, not even considering other options. Well congrats, you were able to convince others and even provoked some, nevertheless if you are an aspiring blogger or already a blogger, you have successfully achieved the goal of a writer, get the attention of the reader.

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  34. you know that them trying to speak english is so bad?
    that's like fingernails scratching on a chalkboard, honey, i mean REALLY really BAD

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