Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Discrimination, Pinoy’s Attitude Towards Pinoy

Sexual, racial, gender violence and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture. - Charlotte Bunch

I have my share of discrimination. It was while queuing in an airlines travel office to get a transaction number. I was next in line when the guy handling the machine gave the number to a western looking gentleman behind me. The gentleman took it and hand it to me at the same time told the guy “His in front, he should get it first”. I didn’t react anymore because it’s obvious the guy was embarrassed. Like some pinoys, locals are also enamored and awed with anything western and at the same time look down on other Asians nationalities. I just considered and accepted this incident as part of working in a country whose culture is completely different from ours. What I can’t stomach is when the bashing comes from your own people as what Batjay and Nebz experienced.

Their posts made me contemplate where we got that repulsive attitude. I’ve read a book about evil being genetic in nature. It also mentioned genes discriminate and eliminate inferior design in order for species to survive. And that behavior is passed on to the specie itself. If theres truth to that hypothesis, are the likes of Malu Fernandez genetically superior than to the rest of us? I’ve seen her picture and I beg to differ.

Rizal’s “Noli” is full of these ugly traits. Perhaps we inherit it from the Spaniard's aristocratic ways. But then again we have nobility before the conquistadores reached our shores and “alipin” already exist long before the peasant farmers are beholden to the landowners.

Stereotyping is another form of discrimination. We make fun of people from other regions like the “Redneck” and “Yo Mama” jokes in the states. In Luzon, if you’re from the far north, you’re stingy, if from the south, you’re sexually promiscuous. Kapampangans are arrogant and we laugh at how Panggasinenses speaks English. Same as in the Visayas; Cebuanos think they are superior, Negrenses are “hambog”, Samarinios are trouble makers, Boholanos are the butt of every visayan jokes and we in Panay flies when the full moon is up.

It exists in our socio-economic strata. The “old money” looked down on the nouveau rich, and both disapproved of people who arrive to wealth via matrimony. Some attached the adjective “upper” to emphasize they are a notch higher than the ordinary middle class. And the poor equate their status by how many members there are in their family. Students coming from an exclusive school has more preference in prestigious universities than the one from the provinces, regardless of academic standing. A “Dr.”, an “Atty.” or an "Engr." in front of your name somehow impress a fickle minded individual. While a "Gen.", a "Col." or a mere "SPO1" connotes fear.

I’ve seen some people in the medical field who don’t like to mingle with our kabayans working in constructions. I’ve seen nurses in hospitals belittle fellow nurses who work on clinics. I’ve seen OFWs working in western countries looked down to those working in the Middle East and it goes on and on.

I still don’t have an answer to my question, and the “whys” just keep pilling up. All I know for sure; our culture sucks, big time!

26 comments:

  1. i really don't mind if they label us flying creatures during full moon. but if they push it i might spread my wings, and haunt them he he

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  2. some houses in the countrysides put their and their children's academic accomplishments on a "karatula" infront of their houses.I dont know if they want to impress their neighbors or attract "akyay bahay"gang.

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  3. that's sad. nandun pa rin ang crab-system sa mga pinoy. hanggang kelan ito?

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  4. We were never proud being Pinoys. Kaya we do everything to distance ourselves from who we are. To the extent na tayo na mismo ang nanininira sa sarili nating lahi. Feeling natin, makakatulong yun para masabi ng ibang lahi na hindi nga tayo Pinoy.

    Sandamakmak na ang nakasalamuha kong Pinoy sa labas ng bansa na walang masabing matino sa Pinas. I always make sure na makakatikim sila ng pinakmatinding bara.

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  5. abou, let's haunt them together... Tik..tiktiktik. : )

    ed v., I saw one just like that. Halos mapuno ang facade ng bahay sa dami ng karatula.

    donG, isa pa yan sa mga traits ng pinoy na dapat walain.

    R-yo, parang commercial sa TV ano. Yun bang "Wala sa states nyan". They keep on comparing Philippines to a first world country.

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  6. The worst treatments I got here in the US were not from whites or blacks but from my fellow Pinoys. I've gotten a lot more decent and respectful treatment from people of other nationalities.

    It is only through blogging and through other means that I get to befriend or establish contacts with fellow Pinoys who are decent and broadminded individuals. Sadly, I can't say the same for the Pinoys I often see and meet in the streets here in the US. So yes, our culture does suck big time.

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  7. true indeed...
    sad to say pero minsan mabuti pa ang ibang lahi na kasama kesa sa kapwa mo Filipino.
    IT REALLY SUCKS BIGTIME!

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  8. anybody who thinks he is above somebody else must rethink his position. One may have been fortunate to be born to wealthy parents or was given astounding intelligence but that does not make him/her superior.

    "And listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant. They too, have their story."

    In my opinion, Hitler's success in peddling the superior race is the most stupid thing that man has ever invented. And that holds true to any other bigot in the world.

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  9. panaderos, yes pards, I heard stories from my relatives in the states how you can't trust fellow pinoys.

    Duncan, Thanks for dropping by.

    Ka Rolly, Carl Sagan once talked about humility and how insignificant we are compared to the entire universe. I'll blog about it once I found the video.

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  10. Luckily, I never experienced so much discrimination (yet). But it's really sad and it's true that some Pinoys based in other countries other than Mid East think less of us. Tiny minds. I remember when I was coming here (instead of accepting the offers from other countries), some reacted like, "Ay, bakit naman sa Mid East ka pupunta? Wag ka na lang umalis." I said, "Well, why not?" I have long realized that I made the right choice.

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  11. I remember years back I was on a date in a restaurant,we seated in the far corner of the place,After browsing the menu I called the waitress."MISSSSSSSS"napahaba iyong S lumapit iyong waitress minura ba naman ako,waitress daw siya at hindi aso bakit ko siya sinisitsitan.Tinginan ang mga tao sa loob OMG namula ako sa hiya he he he...

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  12. Ms.Jo, you don't experience discrimination because: 1) your a lady, ladies have preference in any doings in the middle east. 2) you're lucky enough to work in a country who is trying to imitate western lifestyle.

    As for the OFWs in the west. Hindi ko ma "gets" kung bakit arogante at nagmamayabang ang mga tagahugas ng puwit ng matatanda sa states sa ating profesionals working in ME.


    ed v., mas bagay 'tong comment mo sa latest episode ng Buhay Buhangin... hehehe.

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  13. sorry namali ako ng pindot..he he he

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  14. nakakahigh blood yang experience mo sa airport. i wouldn't tolerate such disrespect!

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  15. Mari, I would have reacted, pero naunahan ako ng puti. Besides napahiya na yung tao.

    I've seen and heard treatments by locals to asian expats (especially domestic helpers) worst than what I have experienced. Talo ka palagi, kasi kadalasan kinakampihan ng pulis ang kanilang kalahi.

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  16. I don't know if we can call this a discrimination. Actually, I've this one from an Ilocano. He was complaining why a certain sibuyas has to be called "sibuyas tagalog" or why there is "pechay baguio" etc. Pati daw joke sa pagkain may discrimination-

    Pag "pansit tagalog" may kaunting sabaw at lomi ang ginagamit.

    Pag "pansit visaya" may halong mais.

    Pag "pansit bicol" may halong sili at gata.

    E "pansit ilocos"

    Walang sahog. Pansit lang.

    BTW, I was not aware you've your own blog. Thanks for the support at Sassy's blog.

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  17. Trosp, welcome and thanks for dropping by.

    I'm in a fighting mood lately (maybe because of boredom) and I want to even up the playing field. Para patas ang laban.

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  18. i so agree! the other day when someone asked me for my card and i handed it to him, he asked "why don't you put phd with your name?" duh. i was like, "because i don't want to" dyosko. i deliberately made my card as simple as could be because i'm very averse to having a whole alphabet after my name.

    but i've seen something of the sort in tokyo, the DHs look down on the talents. the engineers aren't comfortable with the researchers. there's always a subtle competition, as if everyone is sizing one another up. sad. classic question in tokyo: "ano ang visa mo?"

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  19. caryn, oo nga ano, baka kasi biglang may sumigaw ng "Is there a doctor in the house?" at ituro ka.

    "ano ang visa mo?"
    I think the right response would be "platinum". : )

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  20. Hmmm, funny thing about the tiktik, i might become one when they act bad about me being Asian or a Filipino. I might even become vampire!

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  21. Sheng, welcome to my blog.

    You know about tiktik? Taga diin ka 'day haw?

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  22. caryn said...

    "i so agree! the other day when someone asked me for my card and i handed it to him, he asked "why don't you put phd with your name?" duh. i was like, "because i don't want to" dyosko. i deliberately made my card as simple as could be because i'm very averse to having a whole alphabet after my name."

    There's a joke among the conservative in the US politics. Once a person has an "R" before or after the name, in their MSM, your good as dead.

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  23. sadly, i experienced this when i was in dubai duty-free last january. the filipina salesgirl in the gold jewelry counter was so helpful to the white customers but was so sungit with me even though i was very polite, undemanding and actually BOUGHT something.

    in another counter, i mistook a salesgirl for a filipina and talked to her in tagalog. she glared at me and said "i'm not kabayan" and walked away.

    i'm not sure which hurt more...

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  24. Hmmm, taga-gensan ko, but have roots in antique, i guess you could say, i was once an antiqueña, hehehe, ti may karay-a man ko naman-an, hehehe...

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  25. mimi, ang susungin naman ng mga salesgirls nayan sa Dubai. We stop-over at Bahrain before pero ang babait ng mga pinoy doon sa duty-free.

    sheng, my father once told me marami kaming kamag-anak dyan sa gensan. They went there during the "homestead act" in the '60s. Sadly, we lost contact of them na.

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  26. uuuuy dami nyan kahit saan,dito nalang sa china e pagka ka mukhang DH asahan mo wala silang nakita my mga stiff neck,sa Dhaka ganyan din my kanya kanyang grupo wala ngang DH dun pero mga taga factory ang baba ng tingin nila e itanong mo naman kung san sila nagtatrabaho?office daw, office ng mga embassy langya nakatuntong sa embassy ng mga puti feeling puti na rin at yung mga asawa ng mga puti?ang tataas ng mga tingin sa sarili,e anu naman trabaho nung mga matatandang puti?professors at consultants daw na halos lahat ng kinita e ibinabayad na first family nila at barya nalang ang natitira na sya nilang ginagastos nung asawang pinay.
    hay buhay.
    natawa pa ko dun sa mga interpretasyon kada lugar hahaha, ang father ko kasi Bulakenio mayabang pero tamad, ang mader ko taga baguio ilokana my pagka kuripot ng konti hahaha.

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