The brouhaha from this Marian-Dingdong (#dongyan) wedding drew a lot of interesting comments. One of them particularly struck me as demonstrating the problem with this country:
wow, so high falooting naman you. I’m not a fan, and I don’t even live in the country nor do I have tfc. just take the wedding as it is. Just a wedding of two famous people. We don’t have a royal family to uplift our spirits, the way the British have ….so just leave the happy couple alone, and let them celebrate anyway they want. Now if the bakya crowd wants to enjoy the show, leave us be. The British went gaga when will and Kate got married, and they have economic problems too. why does the Filipino mindset have to be criticized on this happy occasion? sometimes a wedding is just a wedding. period. Heavy mo pare, pa eng eng ka kasi.
Thank you for this comment, since you proved my previous article right. I also wrote earlier that Filipinos may make the perfect slaves (seeing how they are “servants” in other countries, as Chip Tsao said). It is also proven right by this wish for the Philippines to have a “royal family.”
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Looking for a royal family is a rather empty (or in Benign0’s terms, vacuous) and shallow method to gain “uplifting.” It may not uplift, but actually put us down. This wish is nothing more than escapism, the same thing with identifying with Manny Pacquiao or a Filipino beauty queen. It is a delusion of grandeur with trying to riding onto someone else’s success, while stretching it to ridiculous proportions (saying Pacquiao/beauty queen won because she is Filipino). It’s like the high when one is drunk or on drugs. Once the high has passed, the hangover or withdrawal symptoms kick in and bring the happy high crashing down. Whatever kilig one had, once it’s gone, the reality is back – poor and suffering pa rin. Hence Benign0’s creation of an oath for Filipinos based on the Alcoholics Anonymous one.
It’s ironic too. I thought Filipinos were a “proud” people. So why does a Filipino want to be the subject of a monarch? That’s not being proud, that’s being subservient.
Indeed, this comment has shown why the country remains backward compared to most of the world. As many other commentators have said, it is a country whose people are willing to remain colonized, even if the colonizers have long left. The comment shows that these Filipinos prefer to be ruled, perhaps because they are lazy, indolent, or perhaps just unwilling to use their brains to solve their situation. Or as I said elsewhere, perhaps the people who insist that certain celebrities are only hiding the fact that they are frustrated royalty. They’re only overcompensating. They better get real – it’ll never happen.
A royal family is not an assurance inspiration for people or a country getting better. In fact, royalty may even be the cause of problems in certain countries. Russia’s monarchy was a mess, so what happened? Communists decided to kill them and take over. Also, don’t forget the mess a “royal family” created when tried to get land they claim to own in Sabah. Royalty is so overrated..
Also, remember that royalty refers to the family of a monarchy, which is simply dynasty, something that many Filipinos are supposed to hate! Monarchies were created because a family wants to retain its control over other people’s lives. It has created the culture of nobility, but I would say, there is nothing noble about it. Fast forward to today: it seems the country’s oligarchs want to be the Philippines’ royalty – which must never happen.
The Bible has this interesting allegory in the story of King Saul. Filipinos may be likened to Israelites here. The prophet Samuel warned them, if you have a king, he’ll be a douche. The Israelites don’t care; they want a douche! If everybody else has a king (source of “pride,” etc.), why can’t we? So they got a king and everything went downhill after.
You sure you still want a royal family after seeing this?
Oh yes, there was this other comment that made sense, too. That the Dingdong-Marian couple is “royalty” only for their home network and a few… and certainly not for the country.
People should also not forget this: celebrity idolization, including that of royal families, is very much slammed or ridiculed in developed countries. Look at how media abroad ridicule the Kardashians and other celebrities. It happens because those societies know how show business is nothing but entertainment, and could barely be taken seriously, despite the “glamor.” Filipinos should learn to do the same and overcome the media hype, since this is drawing people away from the issues and dumbing them down.
As I repeat in my response to that comment, the Philippines does not need royalty. Rather, it needs its people to uplift themselves without any external influence, with the desire to change for the better, act, and work to improve their and the country’s condition.
I believe, as my cohorts here do, that what Filipinos embrace as their culture is what actually pulls the country down. And those who seem to be anti-dictators, who may also believe themselves to be “heroes,” are the real dictators.
Look to the animal world and herd behavior to explain the human love of heroes, royalty, saints, and even gods. We are not solitary creatures and depend on each other. Social organizations that have an alpha male authority figure are cultural artifacts of the DNA imprinting that we have been hard wired with to promote the survival of our species.
Are those of us that want to change the social order, nothing more than the excluded males at the edge of the herd who constantly plot to bring down the alpha male so that we can make off with his females?
Pushing it to be a Royalty, heroes, saints, or God is deferent.
I mean, royalty in the modern age is much better compared to royalty inthe past 500 and beyond. Looking at Great Britain having a soverign state of power is quite uplifting to some people. Singing to the national anthem
“God Save the Queen” is expressing that you are proud to have a royal family, and you beleive the King/Queen is here to make a change, THEY HAVE A PURPOSE.
Regardless of Matriarchy/Patriarchy.
The Queen of England, or “a.k.a. Queen Elizabeth II” has been a living, breathing embodiment of the crown. “ And other royal titles such as by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
The ideology of ROYALTY STRENGTHENS THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH refelcts her sovereign title. In fact, her majesty has been long honorable to the Pope.
Aside religion. As with monarchy, the Parliament actually has real power over the sovereign state instead of being the monarch ( tho the monarch CAN break the law, as it is said that the British Queen is above all law )…. This fact actually strengthens economic status.
It is not saying that the monarchy is just using Parliament to lay down laws, but rather a collaboration. If you get this – Parliament does all the laws same how the Senate does it here in the Philippines, but it has to go first within the approval of the Queen, as its said, the Queen cannot create new laws but rather approve new laws that are sent. ( in fact, the monarch hasn’t rejected Parliament’s wishes for over 500 ) which means, they know its beneficial for their people.
According to most scholars, monarchy preserves history. As with most people don’t want to ruin the reputation of their mother country. In the modern age, the word “PEASANT” is no longer used in most monarchies around the world. According to sources, it’s actually mostly used by people only for the suit of entertainment or just for laughter.
On a surface level. What does all of this have to do with the Filipinos’ ideology with politics and media? I beleive God is the unexpected. None of us can precisely predict what will be the result if monarchies will be the future of our country. Will there be a better ruler? reguardless of gender?
Royalty is nothing more than a social construct.
Speaking of delusion…
http://seanakizuki.blogspot.com/2015/01/after-dingdong-and-marians-wedding-my.html
“A royal family is not an assurance inspiration for people or a country getting better. In fact, royalty may even be the cause of problems in certain countries. Russia’s monarchy was a mess, so what happened? Communists decided to kill them and take over. Also, don’t forget the mess a “royal family” created when tried to get land they claim to own in Sabah. Royalty is so overrated..”
I may add: During the 1800s, Russia is entering feudalism while Western Europe are moving on to the Modern Age (era after the French Revolution and Napoleon’s empire). Due to the dissatisfaction of the people who were made up of the working class, Communists took over Russia.
My 2 cents.
Please look at this article from Paul Farol as well.
The part where the Filipinos/PH is criticized, I get. It’s the staple here. What I don’t get is the royalty angle. The whole article was written based on a single statement by a poster which unfortunately was used by the writer as the barometer, the standard in which he made his judgment as to the why and the what of the problems of Filipinos.
One random comment from a nobody and boom! Filipinos are doomed.
For one, I don’t know where the idea of ‘looking for a royal family’ came from. Is there really an effort geared on that direction? Who are the ones who are spearheading it? Could be the writer just imagined that there was such a scenario based on random statements of emotional people vis-à-vis the (wedding) event. If that’s the case, that would be a weak inference.
To move on, we are in fact no strangers to royalty. Let me refresh our memory by mentioning some or a couple of long forgotten facts about us and royalties.
1. Rajah Colambu – King of Limasawa in 1521, brother of Rajah Siagu of Butuan. He befriended Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and guided him to Cebu on April 7, 1521.
2. Rajah Humabon – King of Cebu who became an ally of Ferdinand Magellan and the Spaniards.
3. Lakan Dula – King of Tondo
4. Datu Lapu-Lapu – King of Mactan Island. He defeated the Spaniards on April 27, 1521.
5. Datu Sikatuna – King of Bohol in 1565. He made a blood compact with Spanish explorer, Miguel López de Legazpi.
6. Rajah Tupas – King of Cebu, conquered by Miguel López de Legazpi.
7. Rajah Sulaiman III – One of the last King of Manila.
8. Rajah Siagu – King of the Manobo in 1521.
9. Datu Macabulos – King of Pampanga in 1571.
10. The Maranaos have sixteen royal houses who rule the four principalities in what is referred to as the Confederation of Sultanates in Lanao.
🙂
So you’re saying that royalty:
1. Fostered our attitude of “Ako/Kami muna” and fighting our own countrymen “kasi taga ibang bayan” (ex: Humabon wanted Lapu-lapu defeated, so he sent Magellan to do his fighting)
2. Gave our lands to foreign powers, willingly allowed the colonization of our country rich in resources, and in effect ruined our rich culture as well; and
3. The effects of their decisions are still felt 500 years later.
Royalty sure did us a lot of good. /s
1. I’m just gonna point to the New World after Columbus. Hell, I’m gonna even mention the Mexica here — might ring a bell.
2. Again — how did the United States government get parcel after parcel of American Indian land? Surely it wasn’t magic.
3. “Their” meaning both conquerors and conquered, throughout Filipino history, from the Cebu compact through the American occupation of Mindanao. Let us be clear about that.
I also believe that. In the past, we had datus and sultans. They also contributed to the bad culture we have today. There was this list-type of article saying it was better in pre-colonial days. I very much disagree.
No, what I merely said was we are no strangers to royalties.
The Philippines is the only country where people have immediately asked about royalty when I say I’m from England, and more than once.
When travelling in other countries, the go-to reference for England is usually something like “Manchester United,” “David Beckham” – similarly superficial, but I was never asked about “blue blood” until the Philippines.
Why do they have such esteem for ‘elite’ lineage? You’d think they would have had enough of that shit already.
I’ve read that comment and yes, it’s typical mindless trash. Though it’s one comment, it’s quite representative of the prevalent idiocy among Filipinos. They are all so simple-minded and superficial, it’s quite irritating, enough to make me lash out a couple of times.
Looking to celebrity ‘royalties’ for upliftment is vacuousness at its most pernicious. It really distracts people from committing to true efforts at upliftment.
And as for dumbing down…let me remind you ChinoF, PEOPLE HERE ARE ALREADY DUMBED DOWN.
They’re just cashing in on it.
Yup. Though it’s still worth the effort to try and wake people up from their stupor. Of course, people waking up from a stupor can be cranky at first.
I really wanted ChinoF to make an “effort to try and wake people up from [our] stupor.” Of course, not here. This GRP site isn’t a good place to educate us bobo people because it is really hard to comprehend the language you are using without us opening the English-Filipino dictionary.
What I feel about this article of ChinoF is embarrassment. It doesn’t even made a little transformation of my psyche.
Do “dumb Filipinos” really are looking for a Royal family?
Yeah, may sumpong. And if they have ‘sumpong’, they tend to be irrational.
Wait, what?
Just because GMA packaged the event that you’ve been ceaselessly berating as “the royal wedding”, you’re saying royalist or monarchical sentiments are widespread?
Just look at what Paul Farol wrote. Even the people, the voters, still seem to behave more like subjects than citizens. And look up this article from 15 years ago.
ChinoF,
Pls dont say this to people in my country: “Royalty is so overrated..”
I think the monarchy (in my country) is very successfull. Although I am against my own king (Alex and his beautiful Argentinian wife Max).
Robert, a republican in an monarchy.
(Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy)
That depends on the individual persons. It just so happens some monarchs realize they have to do well. But when you look at the history of most monarchies, they usually end up suffering from the whims of monarchs (I mentioned Russia, I forgot all about France). So I still have the same message – don’t overrate monarchy. Also, I believe that in most constitutional monarchies today, the “royalty” are not allowed to participate in government for a good reason.
People should look to trying to control their own destiny rather than look up to “heroes,” “royalty” or “idols,” which can turn them into medicants.
There’s no sense arguing about them being “royal.” It’s not really delusion of grandeur because they do not hail themselves as “royals” but are both acclaimed as King and Queen of Primetime in the Philippines hence, the “Royal Wedding.”
It’s just showbiz hype, is all.
Hey… your search for royalty must have to come its end… “i am the one you are looking for, so stop hunting now and come follow me and lets serve the world with our God given gifts!!!!”
Hehehe…. i can be a royalty in my own world…
See? That explains what “royalty” is. Probably a family who bullied themselves into power or something like that, then they keep a dynasty. In fact, looking for royalty contradicts the principles of a healthy democracy.
In this age where people should be more focused on democracy and its responsibilities, it’s funny that some people believe “royalty” is still a construct that they should admire and look up to. But there you go. People want to have royalty believing the royalty will do everything for them. They want to shun responsibility and accountability. Hence, nga-nga.