Hmmn…I’ve read an article a long time ago entitled “Racism, Filipino Style” from getrealphilippines.com. It is written by a guy named Benigno. The article is quite sarcastic in nature but surprisingly it is mostly true to almost all Filipinos. He rants about Filipinos getting scared of going abroad because of racial discrimination without taking into consideration that we also are getting discriminated in our country by our beloved Filipino fellows by virtue of the way we speak (especially the English language), the color of our skin (this one I hate a lot), the schools we came from (the elite ones are from private schools), and even how tall we are. He indirectly stated that Filipinos are hypocrites because we say we are free from foreign conquerors but the truth is we are like puppies in front of them and we even give them special treatments more than our fellows. We are complaining about foreigners getting hold of our major business industries, but we are actually fascinated with these people that we are like silly beggars in their presence. Lastly, Benigno stated that Filipinos are just good in complaining but they don’t really make any efforts to pursue what they want.
I couldn’t agree more with Benigno’s views and opinions. As an ordinary denizen in this country I was once become a subject to this what we called “Filipino Racism”. We are so conscious of the color of our skins and we always look up to those fairer-skinned mortals. In my very young age I tend to hate myself because of my skin color. How I couldn’t be when all my classmates are teasing and bullying me because of it. I even questioned the unknown why I got a skin like this and why my classmates despise it so much. At an early age, I was harshly segregated from everyone because of that trivial reality. How pathetic I was that time. But well, that is history. I considered it a part of this society’s rotten culture. And I believe that wherever you may be discrimination will always be there and it would be up to you if you will let it degrade your integrity and confidence.
It bothers me a lot how our fellows tend to categorize us when it comes to our English fluency. The ones who speak it well are the elite ones and the others are in the lower class. I always find it easy to speak to foreigners in English rather than talking English to my fellow Filipinos. It is because most of us are like English Professors who tend to evaluate and criticize us in every punctuations, pronunciations and grammars we are using. It is so sad that we are too proud in speaking English but we barely know how to speak our local dialects. It irritates me a lot while commuting in a jeepney with fellow passengers talking in English like drunken assholes (just like telling every passengers that hey, we are elite we speak English). Oh, well that is my point of view or maybe I’m just too short-sighted here. I couldn’t contain myself but laugh at our own silliness. We rally in streets shouting about freedom and despising foreign capitalists, and then, after that we go to McDonalds and drink Coke Float and eat Mac Burgers. Filipinos are funny people I may say. Sometimes what we say contradicts to what we do. That’s why I couldn’t blame Benigno’s claim that we are only good at complaining. Well, it is still great to say that not all Filipinos are like that. Racism will always be there. You couldn’t stop people from labeling you and it’s all up to you how to react on that. Even our president is not spared. Yet, she proves to all that height doesn’t matter. It all boils down to performance. Filipinos are just good in looking at other people’s mistakes, and I’m sure we don’t differ that much from any caucasians or africans out there.
