Many Filipino-Americans claim that they are part of the great immigrant movement that contributed mightily to building the great nation that the United States is today. The claim is based on the notion that America is “a country of immigrants” — that its motto was once a call to the world to…
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
This is an excerpt from a sonnet written by American poet Emma Lazarus that is engraved on a plaque mounted on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty which has come to symbolise the immigrant plight that built the Land of the Free.
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Indeed, the wave of European immigrants that streamed into America’s shores brought the energy that comes from a collective yearning to break away from old traditions and social structures that had long stifled innovation and social mobility in the Old World into a land where a right to engage in a noble “pursuit of happiness” by everyone is enshrined in its charter.
The question that’s always bugged me is how exactly the Filipino immigrant community has contributed to America in a way significant enough to be counted as a part of the national equity of overall immigrant achievement.
America’s wealth is built upon a foundation of collective prowess across virtually all political, cultural, and commercial aspects that make a nation great. It was the first to implement its brand of a democracy in the vast scale we see it working today. It remains the world’s foremost cultural capital with much of the planet’s people’s idea of “coolness” hinged, for the most part, on the brands Americans created and ways of life Americans lead. Its industrial and military might remains unparalleled and is an outcome of Americans’ tradition of scientific and technical excellence and the bold enterprising spirit that applied these to the business of creating tangible wealth.
So let us step back from that and take stock of how much of that Filipino-Americans really account for.
Let’s start with being real about how much of those aspects of national greatness Filipinos, themselves, possess as a people. Are Filipinos a great entrepeneurial society? Are they known for scientific and engineering excellence? Are Filipinos renowned for an egalitarian society composed of citizens who are mutually-supportive of one anothers’ success? Do Filipinos place achievement over and above credentials and family affiliations? Are Filipinos famous for their industry, frugality and focus on creating and accumulating wealth sustainably through productive enterprise to create commercial legacies that transcend generations?
Just a quick browse of today’s Fil-Am news gives us an idea of the smallness of the sorts of events that the community regards as newsworthy enough to make their top headlines.
10-year-old Filipino-American singer bringing good luck to Warriors…
The Golden State Warriors’ unleashed their most lethal weapon against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
And it’s not the MVP Steph Curry, neither the sweet-shooting Klay Thompson nor defensive specialist Andre Iguodala or any of the players.
It’s the charming 10-year-old Filipino-American girl named Nayah Damasen, who sang the national anthem before tipoff.
And this…
June 12 Independence Day anti-China protest rallies set
Those who cannot physically attend the protest rallies are asked to join their selfie campaign. “Please take a cell phone photo of yourself holding a sign saying “China, go away! #Kalayaan is ours!”, “China, alis diyan! Amin ang #Kalayaan!”, or a translation of that in your local language. You may pose in front of the Philippine flag or map. Post the selfie in your timeline, use it as a profile picture, and tag the Martsa para sa Kalayaan Facebook page,” Reyes urged.
Last but not least…
Filipino Canadians campaign for Tagalog language education in B.C. public schools
In 2010, more immigrants came to Canada from the Philippines than from any other country. And in the 2011 census, there were 662,600 Canadians of Philippine ancestry.
[James Infante, a member of the University of British Columbia Filipino Students’ Association] said that Tagalog classes could enhance the connection between second-generation Filipino Canadians and more recent arrivals. Those newer immigrants sometimes include children of people who may arrived through the live-in caregiver or temporary foreign worker programs. (Late last year, the federal government scrapped the live-in requirement for people moving to Canada under the caregiver program.)
“What we’ve seen through the years is a lot of parents make the choice of having their kids learn English first,” Infante said.
Whether it be branding a trivial contribution to a vast enterprise as a “lethal weapon”, or petitioning the inclusion of a no-added-value dialect as a bridge to a culture and tradition that offers little support to one’s personal aspirations, or mounting activist spectacles in vain attempts to move a rapidly awakening regional superpower, Filipinos remain consistent to their famous Heritage of Smallness.
But America is the land of the big. Everything is big — big food servings, big highways, big cars, big celebrities, big army, big adventure, big capital, big money. It is not surprising that Filipinos find a niche in such a society by inserting themselves in the small spaces in between these big achievements — the caregivers, the burger flippers, the quaint Tagalog poets, and the real estate hawkers that we try to avoid (or at least grant some token small talk to) in those cocktail parties.
Indeed, with Filipinos exhibiting such a sorry track record of making waves (or even ripples, at least) in the global stage, one begins to wonder whether America or any of those great countries that host a sizeable Filipino community would really like Filipinoness rubbing off on their societies in a significant way. Filipinos all over the world, on the other hand, are proud (whether consciously or subconsciously) of how their adopted societies changed their ways — whether it be in the shallow twang it added to their English or the way they became more “self-reliant” thanks to the lack of the armies of servants that were once at their beck-and-call in the old country. Just observe how balikbayans (returning Filipino expats) assert their imagined “superiority” when strutting around Manila’s malls scooping up discounted branded clothes, and behold.
But ask if America, for one, would like their society to acquire a more “Filipino” character in the same way that French, German, Italian, and Spanish traditions now form valuable facets of their society and you’d likely be hardpressed to elicit the slightest serious consideration. It comes down to achievement. What have Filipinos collectively achieved as a community? Until we are able to answer that with a straight face, we should be a bit more circumspect about the place we imagine we hold in the global scheme of things.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
You may want to research US Immigrant History with regards to Filipinos, for starters. Especially the agriculture industry in California and Hawaii. Filipinos, like ALL immigrants to the US, contribute greatly to the common good. ALL (repeat ALL) of the Filipinos I have known in the US are hard working professionals. They come from families who immigrated to the US and are also hard working professionals. Once again, I think you should research this topic much more deeply. You may be surprised what you find.
All I see when I look up Pinoy immigrant history in the US is labour-added value. I mean, every human being has at least a pair of arms and legs as a minimum requirement for working in a pineapple field, right? What then differentiates these Filipinos from other cultural groups? If there were no Filipinos to ship in to work the fields, there’d be a million other takers worldwide. What do we bring to the table that is unique and/or differentiates our lot from the others?
Unlike in the Philippines where they only say it as a platitude, in the USA they actually have the value of “Tiyaga” and “Kayod” which is uniquely Filipino (or Asian) enabling the Filipino American as a group surpass the majority (White) ethnicity as a group in education and income as well as even other Asian ethnicities like Korean, Chinese and Japanese. The Filipino in the USA takes on a more Asian characteristic as opposed to the Hispanic characteristics when they are in the Philippines.
That is a collective contributions: extraordinary hard work and working harder than the people they found here.
Individual contributions are aplenty too. From the nurses, doctors and assisted living facility operators who care for their elderly because NO ONE ELSE wants to, to the Fil-Am soldiers who shed their lives and blood in the different wars the USA had, being the most numerous Asian ethnicity in the US Military. Sailors who manned the US Navy ships because not too many Americans want to be in a steel bucket away from the malls and girls. Filipinos took those jobs on. There are growing numbers of Filipino entrepreneurs, I dare say rate of entrepreneurship is higher than the White population. Dado Banatao, the “Father of Semiconductors” is one of them http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=69330&ticker=IKAN
Another one, founder of the leading websites for finding baby sitters, nannies and caregivers (Care.com) is a Fil-Am http://www.care.com/sheila-marcelo
Such a Flip trait to overinflate your “brethren” at the expense of others (whites). Sounds like a bunch who’s just trying to take advantege of the “white guilt” ridden populace to fuel their agenda.
Nah, Filipinos do not take advantage of white guilt. It is just a reference point, the majority population. No racism or expense intended. It means as a group it went above the average.
There is a growing sentiment there against cheap Asian labor. Caucasians just can’t compete against that. It makes me worry, though. Pinoy population there might just achieve critical political mass one day. Then it’ll be pinoy-style squatter democracy there, pinoy-style governance and bureaucracy, and pinoy economics. Lord have mercy on the future of the USA.
In the USA the Asians get paid the same wages as anyone as anti-discrimination laws mandate that. Of course it is not perfect but even if there is a difference it is not that noticeable. What is noticeable though is Asian Americans (including Fil Ams) work about twice as hard as their counterparts in other ethnicities which is noticeable. Their prosperity is resented sometimes… you know… like how the Tsinoys are sometimes resented by some native Pinoys.
I can say for a fact that 99% of Fil-Ams don’t like what you say as “pinoy style squatter democracy”. There is a reason we left the islands and that is one of, if not the biggest reason we did so.
haay benigno… youngest billionaire in the US = Filipino American founder of Snap-chat Bobby Murphy… Tons of Filipino inventors… look them up. look up computer chips.. look up various inventions.. Look up entertainment and the many celebrities… Gosh a family friend who is pure Filipino was the President of the FBI Academy for a while. Also the Filipinos who do the most good actually understand what immigration is supposed to be w/c is assimilation. They consider themselves American so they have no desire to yell their greatness to the world. The Philippines from experience as another mixed Filipino who has lived in manila for 7 years is a terrible place for an intelligent man. Any good idea or invention is unsupported not only by the government but especially peers of those great minds. Its a living hell for them. And then there those like you.. with good intentions who still do not understand how the game is played. The more you look down on yourself the more you make the rest of us look bad… This is why the word Pinoy was created in the first place. To segregate the hardworking Filipino-Americans from the lazy ones and the Filipino-locals.
In my opinion Filipinos in the US or those that get to the US are a different breed, they are hard workers very different from the locals and the spoiled brats that follow their hardworking parents who sometimes fail to teach their kids proper practiced Filipino-American values such as hard work and perseverance which in my eyes the local Filipinos lack.
So have faith…. Be like the “real pinoys” not the trashy ones. Filipinos like any other people have the trash and the good ones. Kind of how in certain circles the white sides of the family differentiate from white trash and regular good white folk.
Don’t buy into the BS the trailer trash of all races have created that they are superior to you or you are just like them because the color of the skin of popular inventors are the same as theirs or your trashy brethren look like you… That is just stupid. The white race has no claim to the inventions of their “superior people” any more than Filipinos have a claim on the successes of “Pacquiao” Tribalism and inferiority is for idiots. This is why though I am not black I put my money on Mayweather.. I used my head and have no attachments to such ridiculous concepts as “race or ethnicity” that stuff brings you down.
Also don’t fall for the racist comments of the racist trash, the euro trash and the canada trash.. Seriously those people like to come onto our soil point at you and say you are an immigrant. Punch that fool in the face or call them their proper names such as imbred, eurotrash, tourist or immigrant. You are more intelligent and have more claim to the land than they ever will.
Play the game, they strike you hit back but make sure you are properly connected as well. Encourage fellow pinoys to get into the police force and into politics. You do not leave shit around that affect you for other people to decide. You do not let them say, this is your limit… Remember the Irish and the Italians and now look at the Chinese and Koreans they all formed mobs to gain respect.. I’m not saying be a criminal all I’m saying is that its best to learn early on that the USA is a country of type A people. Be type B and they will eat you alive.
As I never lived in the US, I can’t speak for Filipino-Americans or as a Filipino migrant. I have, however, had my share of working alongside Americans as well as frequent visits there. While our media loves to show all the postive things about us in the US (no matter how small they may be), the truth is that we are barely existent in the eyes of Americans. This is not just in America but pretty much every developed country does not see our people as significant. The average American doesn’t even know where Philippines is or what we are. It’s sad really. You only need to look at Hollywood; when was the last time we were featured in a major film or TV show? When was the last time a Filipino character was portrayed in TV? Just go out and about and speak to the locals. They’ll ask you where you’re from and the moment you utter, “Philippines”, they simply stare at you as if they don’t know what to say or aren’t even interested in continuing the conversation.
Yes, Filipinos contributed a lot to the US economy and have gone a long way. Nurses, doctors, engineers and architects are what USA Filipinos are known for. The laborers of the past are of the past. Caregivers (small percent of Pinoy population in the US) are only those who are TNTs and cannot get past a glass ceiling of those who have legal papers. Filipino Real Estate hawkers compose a very tiny percent of the industry (I think less than a percent) as US Real Estate is dominated by the Jewish and now, by a growing number of Chinese.
Take a look at the 2010 census:
http://www.asian-nation.org/demographics.shtml
Filipino-Americans have the:
1. Second highest median family incoe
2. Least amount living in poverty
3. 4th lowest rate of public assistance recipients
4. 3rd highest rate of homeownership
5. 4th highest in high skill occupations.
In other indicators we are way up there along with the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. Just look at the charts.
Filipinos have the second highest number of foreign trained doctors
See http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/international-medical-graduates/imgs-in-united-states/imgs-country-origin.page?
The fact that Filipino Americans are one of the most productive group means they pay a lot in taxes. They contribute to the collective growth of America because in an environment away from the Philippines, the Pinoy actually becomes a law abiding, hard working and adaptive creature. The Jeepney driver who cuts, does not obey traffic signals and stops whenever he wants, drives like an old granny in the USA.
Interesting data there.
Thanks. Filipinos have gone a long way. In fact you will be surprised, it has some sort of prestige in the USA to be one as they know you have attained success and your kids are straight A students and scholars. There are some pockets of places such as some areas of San Francisco where the “squatter style mentality” is sadly preserved (as Pinoys congregate and mix only among themselves and never assimilate) but I can say 95% of Fil-Ams are distinguishable from regular Pinoy culture. I think it is because the later migration waves of Pinoys to the USA always involved IQ related tests. First generation of our family here were US Navy sailors and they had to pass the ASVAB exam of the US Military which you got to have a reasonable amount of intelligence to pass. Then the next wave in our family were the nurses and doctors and they won’t be able to work here as such without passing the NCLEX and other such state licensure exams. Then the next ones were the IT Professionals. Of course, you won’t get hired without at least an MCP, MCSE, CCNA, Oracle etc certification and that filters out the Pinoy dumbass jejemons. The Pacific Ocean too is a good filter. To be able to pull off travelling halfway around the world like that takes a lot of guile. That is why the Americans always wonder why the best project managers and workers are their Pinoy staff but the country is totally effed up. Well, that is my theory.
It’s also odd that real estate hawkers (brokers) are mentioned as a stereotype for Pinoys in the article. That is not what Pinoys are known for. Real estate broker is a highly entrepreneurial endeavor with a lot of risk and consequences of failure. Pinoys I notice prefer the safer route such as highly paid professionals like nurses, doctors, pharmacists, architects, engineers and CPAs. If you go to a real estate convention with about 1,000 attendees you will be lucky if you find 3 Pinoys in the crowd. Most of them are Jewish, Anglos and Chinese.
At least you post some real statical data with references not unlike the OP whose references are websites and paragraph clippings lol.
I’m in Manila right now. I’m a 1.5 generation immigrant to the U.S., and it is my first time back after 11 years. I’m basically American in every way, but I understand and speak Tagalog. I haven’t been wearing makeup due to the heat, and my attires have been low-key ie just been wearing dresses to combat the oppressive heat. My point is, I’m not the type of balikbayan who scoops up department store discounts. I’ve been to a couple of stores, and I’m guessing due to my appearance (I hiked Mt. Pulag and I’m quiet DARK), none of the assistants would give me the time of day. Same in restaurants, I’ve had to seek out the host to ask for a table. What gives? It’s not until I speak in perfect American English that I’m treated like a person. I didn’t experience this in the provinces. Just in the capital. So despite being fluent in Filipino, I’ve been speaking almost exclusively in English just so service workers will give me the time of day.
Sorry that was long-winded, but this type of behavior is unacceptable. The Filipino tries to promote an image of humility and hospitality overseas, but they can’t even treat their own people with respect. Even the passport control officer gave me the stink eye for presenting my Philippine passport and speaking in English (sorry I spoke out of habit? It’s been about a decade after all).
How is the Filipino supposed to contribute to the world if they discriminate against their fellow Filipino?
If you end up in Ayala Mall in Makati, pass by the Landmark department store. Most of the sales ladies are young, thin and light skinned (bleached?). Seems like “dark”, fat or old women can’t work there.
Management decision based on what works. Walk into Abercrombie and Fitch and stores on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and let me know what you see.
I didn’t say job discrimination doesn’t exist in America. A better example is walking into a Nordstrom’s and only seeing blonde chicks working there. But aren’t Filipinos still required to include a photo of themselves in their resume?
And I’ve had a similar experience to BrownSkinGeek. I was born in America to Filipino parents. My mom and older sister still lives in the Philippines. I visited in 2004 and 2012.
So when I’m in the Philippines I’m pretty much mistaken for a local unless I start talking in English. Hell, people will stop me in the city and ask me for directions and I’ll reply “Sorry, I’m a tourist-I’m also lost.”
Anyway, I was in one of those SM Savemore markets one night. I walked to an empty checkout. The cashier and bagger was having a conversation. I kept quiet. I think they continued for another three minutes. If I was CAUCASIAN it would have been different.
Another time I was waiting for the mall to open. There was a closed Gloria Jean’s coffee shop right beside the mall entrance that had outside seating. Looked like some Chinese tourists waiting decided to use the seats. I occupied one of the seats because I needed to fix something with my camera shoulder bag. A security guard walked towards me and told me to leave in Tagalog. He singled me out over the Chinese tourists. I just shrugged and left.
Is this really colonial mentality or is it just racism? Filipinos live to have lighter shin and bigger nose like Westerners. But so do Chinese and China has never been a Western colony.
I speak English too just to get service. Hahaha. Its a good tactic. I don’t have to raise my voice like a normal pinoy, I can just modulate it and people will adjust to what I’m trying to say.
I don’t think it’s fair to lump the immigrants in with the rest of the great unwashed. They are, pretty much by definition, the ones with a bit of brains and initiative.
The problem with the Philippines is the sheer size of the brain drain, exacerbated by government policy. The ones left behind are those who are too illiterate or lazy to fill in the forms required to get the hell out. So they just stay at home and breed, producing a new generation even dumber than they are. The whole country is an experiment in dysgenics.
From a past article with a similar message…
See the full article here! 😀
Filipino migrants contribute greatly to the economies of their host countries through hard work and desire for success… except if they are in their native land. They become bobotantes and tambays. Lol.
That may be true for the US and Western Europe, but here in Japan they’re no better than leeches to the system since most of them work as “entertainers” a business the government does not endorse and not much else. Pray tell how the Filipinos in Japan benefit the local economy.
Here are the job openings in Japan for Filipinos http://www.workabroad.ph/list_specific_jobs.php?by_what=country&id=1027 including veterinarian, software developer and English teacher.
Dancer is only 1 out of 165 job openings. I also doubt the Japanese government can be leeched on. Even the Japanese themselves can’t do that, much less Pinoys.
Read about the Filipino whose job it is to “design and develop car infotainment systems for most Japanese and American car manufacturers”
http://www.illustradolife.com/filipino-japan-my-pinoy-life-in-kobe/
He says:
Is there a Filipino community there?
Yes, our company sends many Engineers here on a regular basis. So I never feel alone when I am here.
——————–
Remember, the Taiwanese used to come to The Philippines as hookers in the 1950’s to 1960’s. Look at them now.
The top 10 are mostly menial labor and the top 20 require surprise surprise females. Not much job prospects beyond that.
Also, way to pick the outlier out of many Pinoys who choose the typical path. And you’ve obviously never heard of the NEET and hikikomori phenomenon since you don’t think the welfare there is being leeched same as other first world countries with their fair share of lazy bums.
Of course, why would the Japanese hire “non menial” workers as they already have enough of them. My point is that Japayukis are not the only ones or majority Filipinos working in Japan. Others, albeit blue collar, get hired in positions that contribute to overall productivity.
Ahh the old “class bias” and fear of the “immigrants” get lost monkey boy and fuck japan. Such an imbred nation of slaves. Do you realize that the Kanji character for the word japanese people is a spear to the eye? Meaning slaves? So get off your high horse. Japan in like the Philippines where only the rich get wealthier. Also your economy is in the toilet has been for decades, luckily the intelligent people in your government that does not include you shun see the problems and have tried to fix it through immigration….
You remind of the white trash in my country. Always believing they are superior because people who look like them did great things. What a bunch of monkey brains you morons are. Hell the Japs are breeding themselves out. I guess nature has decided that inbreeding is bad for its health.. Self destruction, unplanned suicide, what kind of dumb creature does that anyway?
Ouch yes? Shut the fuck up. I bet you can’t sing and some entertainer keeps taking your girls because you are fat fucking slob is why you whine so much. Nihonjin you slave of your government. Raise your head high.
it was through my future wife’s friend at my workplace in Adelaide that I got to meet her here in CDO, then one thing led to another, and now we’re back here putting our son through school and enjoying the life here.
There are about 400,000 Pinoys in Australia, the vast majority professionals who are upwardly mobile.
But I must mention 2 things:
there are very very few Filipino restaurants in Australia – even a small outdoor eatery in the middle of Wollongong mall folded after a couple of months due to lack of support;
and, although you may see dots in Australia on maps of the world there, you will not find a single Jollibee in Australia, why, I don’t know!
(although you will find one Goldilocks in Vancouver!).
Personally, I love Filipino cuisine, and I’m just amazed there are so few such restaurants in Australia!
Yet you will find a Chinese restaurant in every town and village in Australia!
Maybe it’s because Filipino cuisine is not on par with other countries’ food? It’s all brown and with lots of fat. Jollibee is inferior to for example Mcdonalds. The patty is like meat on steroids (big but light in weight).
You must be kidding, walter. The Philippines doesn’t HAVE a cuisine. Nutritionally, their food is absolutely woeful. Rice and more rice, slathered with nondescript sauce made from meat, sugar and MSG. The concept of food presentation does not exist. Vegetables are considered “peasant food”. They do not even distinguish between cuts of meat. Filipino restaurants all have the same dreary half-dozen dishes on the menu.
In terms of culinary prowess, the Philippines has precisely nothing to offer the world.
Not to defend Filipino food but just to give a little bit of balance. Yes, a lot of Filipino “restaurants” are the turo-turo style where it smells like walking into an armpit and the food all taste the same. There are some restaurants though, that represent Filipino food in its’ real glory that you would not hesitate to bring in your white, black or other non-Filipino friends to them.
I recommend Gerry’s Grill as a place to go to when non-Fils ask you they want to try Filipino stuff. Order the shredded adobo, sisig, kinilaw (raw fish in vinegar and lime) and liempo. They will keep coming back for more.
Then there is Max’s where they have the Chicken Sisig or Bangus Sisig, tell them to mix it with rice.
In New York you can bring them to Maharlika Moderno or Jeepney where 90% of the customers are non-Filipinoand they are highly reviewed on Yelp.
There are also a lot of places that are good as far as Filipino Food. Andrew Zimmern even said it is the next wave of Asian food. As Filipino up their scale in society the restaurants get better. Maybe soon the turo-turos will be gone as the next generation of Pinoys will only patronize the ones at par wit the Sushi places such as Gerry’s and Max’s.
As for Filipino food being “Unhealthy”
“… on the oily, ma-cholesterol part… almost ALL cuisines in the world are the same. american cuisine is full of fat (hydrogenated so you dont see it, you’ll just die from it), french and italian cuisines use a lot of butter, chinese food is oily… thats why it shines so beautifully lalo pag bagong luto, middle eastern food uses a lot of animal fat and shares the same cooking procedures as italian food plus their desserts are almost all deep fried and soaked in a very heavy sugar syrup. in the end, its all the same.
indian, malaysian and filipino food all share the same cooking methods… you’ll see the fat floating on top of the sauce but hell, you can always remove it right? its not like a french or italian sauce where the fat is emulsified in the sauce and hindi mo maaalis ng ganun ganun lang.
if pinoys really claim that our food is just too oily… i mean if these people are THAT health concious then they should just avoid eating almost every cuisine and either be japanese or korean… or eat raw vegetables all their life. ”
“1) kahit anong cuisine, save for japanese food siguro (dahil lang maraming raw dishes), sinisimulan sa pag gisa. even french, italian or whatever.
2) hindi naman lahat ng pagkaing pilipino e may bagoong at patis. isa pa thai, indonesian, malay, singaporean food has belacan (stronger than bagoong) and they also use a lot of fish sauce (patis). western foods have their anchovies and salt cured meats… wag mo naman sabihing toyo dahil chinese food and many southeast asian dishes also contain soy sauce and its variations (pati japanese)… and of course, everybody uses salt.
so ano uli? bakit inferior kamo? its attitude like yours kaya nagiging inferior ang pagkaing pilipino. ”
“^well, im just debunking the notion that its because filipino food is too oily or ma-cholesterol or salty. its not… wrong hypothesis kumbaga.
another “reason” i read in one post na dahil matagal lutuin kaya wala masyadong filipino restaurant? well, french food takes a m*f*ing long time to cook… and im talking 5-6 hours just for stock. then you’ll spend another 2 hours braising and finishing. so kung yung “length of cooking time”… nope, its not that either. ”
More interesting views about that from Canard2.0 (a friend of mine) here
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260120&page=2
From: http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260120&page=2
Ray, although there certainly are some top-notch Filipino restaurants, you’re making a classic Filipino argument (“everyone else is the same”) by cherry-picking your comparisons.
Basically, you pick the best that the Philippines has to offer and compare it against the worst of other countries, and say: see, it’s all the same!
Look at the bigger picture, Ray.
First is the sheer RANGE of other cuisines. You could summarize Filipino cooking in 50 pages. I have, in fact, seen a book exactly like that in National. For Italian or French cooking, you’d need an entire library. For Indian cooking, you’d need a library for each region. There is a history there, skills built upon skills. Filipinos may once have had that; but they’ve lost it. All of it.
Evidence? Right here:
“Order the shredded adobo, sisig, kinilaw (raw fish in vinegar and lime) and liempo. They will keep coming back for more. Then there is Max’s where they have the Chicken Sisig or Bangus Sisig, tell them to mix it with rice.”
Same old, same old. Adobo. Sisig. Pork. With rice. And not a vegetable in sight.
Max’s is not even a restaurant. It’s a fast-food joint, and not a particularly good one.
Health: American food certainly is unhealthy, but the irony here is that is the cuisine that Filipino food most resembles: full of starch, sugar and flavourings. The amount of sugar that Filipinos consume is appalling. And they wonder why every third person is diabetic? A diet of mostly rice and sugar is the #1 reason Filipinos are fat and unhealthy. And it’s not because they’re “poor” – the average Filipino thinks he can’t survive without these items, even though vegetables are easier to grow than rice, and cheaper.
Fat and cholesterol has nothing to do with it – neither of these are particularly harmful (except, as you said, margarine – which is the standard in the Philippines, butter apparently being for rich show-offs).
Yes, everybody uses salt. But not as much as Filipinos. Everybody has sugary desserts. Not everybody gorges on them. Chinese food can be oily. But they’ll eat it with a hand-sized bowl of rice, a tiny serving of meat, and six types of vegetable.
As for your supermarkets, they are an absolute disgrace. I’ve never seen such a sorry collection of trash and processed slop outside of the US (the US being the lowest point of reference in the Western world).
There’s no need for this. The Philippines has plenty of land doing nothing. World-class agriculture is possible. World-class chefs could develop a new cuisine. But why bother? The Philippines is perfect already! Nothing needs to change!
I am just saying majority of Filipino restaurants misrepresent Filipino food. Although not as great as other cuisines, it is not as bad as people portray it to be. It could add to the variety of a cultural landscape when represented properly. I myself cannot eat Fil food everyday but when I do, I know how to appreciate it from placed who know how to do it properly. The Desiderata said: “Do not compare yourself to others for there will always be greater and lesser persons than you. If you do, you will become vain and bitter”.
Except balut and that’s only for the gross out factor.
Not really. Have you ever tried well made sisig along with Bagoong rice? How about sinigang mixed with rice? Or Bistek? Those are uniquely Filipino and they do taste good. The reason why these food are not appreciated is because the Turo Turo places do not present or even cook them properly. You also need to educate the others on HOW to eat Filipino food. Like Kare Kare for example, you should mix the sauce, meat and veggies with the rice and a hint ot Bagoong. Individually eaten, they suck but if you mix them, it can be heavenly. Same with Sinigang and Sisig. You have to mix everything with the rice.
That is why I am glad there are newer non-turo turo Filipino places that got smart about this and are taking Filipino food mainstream. One of them is Maharlika at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRNFy1og8-4 … Most of their customers are non Filipino and they love it.
Return to Mexico Marius, Don’t take out your disappointment of losing your taco business to Filipinos..Or are you like that Malaysian Chef who got mad because Filipino Cuisine was ranked above theirs. Shush already. I have to bash people like you because most Filipinos are too nice to do it for themselves luckily I’m mixed and have very much of that Italian-racist temper in my blood so I give everyone a taste of their own meds for a change not only that, piss me off more and you’ll end up in a box on the bottom of the ocean. Piece of shit. Where have you been boy? Too poor to eat at decent Filipino restaurants I bet. Trash.
@Marius
This discussion is actually off-topic, still, I’ll go ahead.
By your statements, I am sad that you really haven’t tasted any real Filipino food, then. You have stated valid points, but you also need to consider going further away from the Metro and into the provinces (and we have soooo many) to really know about our food.
Also, about your comparison of how we cook our food against the European, or even Indian ones (that they can be summarized in 50 pages & via that book you saw in NBS), I can say it may be because that is how it really is. We only do simple cooking here, and we accept that. We don’t have fancy techniques and all that, because we just did not develop a complicated style of cooking, because there was no need for them here. We don’t have sophisticated plating here, too. And we accept all of that.
I am not angered in any way by your observations, but I do hope you try to learn more about our food not only via what you already see, but also by going out of your way into actual places where our food culture thrives. If you don’t want to do that, it’s all up to you too.
Have a good day. 🙂
In a way they do. Filipino immigrants know the greatness of United States and Filipinos are known to be law-abiding and hardworking when they get there. They take that greatness as an opportunity to unleash their own greatness because in their own country there are no equal and great opportunities like what foreign countries can offer. Discipline produced great characters. And they are quite disciplined out there. By being such and being citizens of US that up to this time is still hailed as one of the strongest country on earth, I think they became part of what makes it as such. Not the major organ maybe, but being bone of a backbone is still essentially important.
On the other hand, being disciplined and following rules, working hard and excelling on their field is probably the only choice they have out there being immigrant or overseas workers. There are still racist people out there and of course, the priority is still one’s natural citizens before the outsiders.
The difference with the PH and USA is that there are consequences if you don’t follow the law in the US (most of the time at least). In the Philippines the law doesn’t mean anything. So the Filipinos MUST be law abiding to even survive in other places, especially fully industrialized countries. So it is not a Filipino trait to be law abiding, it is the country that forces them to be law abiding.
People act in their best interest. Make the consequences the same in the P.I. of violating the law, see how the people behave. It is the weak and corrupt authorities of the P.I. that make Pinoys unruly as it is in their best interest to violate the law there due to benefits of pulling off the “perfect crimes” and lack of real consequences. It is not the people’s innate evil nature as like you said, in other countries with rule of law we follow the law and even appreciate it. I do not believe people are genetically inferior or superior. They just act to what is in their best interests in a given environment.
Note how the Fil-Canadians refer to the Nat’l Lang as “Tagalog”. How truly resentful and embarrassing.
It practically is Tagalog.
That dialect deserves no recognition. I blame the Katagalugan for our county’s ills more than any other group or even among our past colonial masters!
Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.
Every immigrant (legal or illegal), is contributing to the Greatness of America. Most Filipinos residing in the good old U.S.A., feel “at home” in America.
Whether you are a: “TNT” caregiver , burger flipper, floor sweaper, or well educated Filipino working in the Research and Development for New Products. As a legal resident of this country; I believe the greatness of this nation is revitalized by the inflow of people that comes from various countries of the world. Where can you find a country; where you can go to the best university; thru student loan or scholarship; and graduate with the best degree , up to graduate school.The “sky” is the limit here. Not even the sky now; you can go to “outer space”…
Dr. Benjamin Csrson; the African American Brain Surgeon, was a son of an illiterate cleaning woman, abandoned by her husband. The good doctor, persevered to become a brain surgeon, ispite of the hardship of his family. He was good in his profession.
Bill Clinton was raised by a widowed mother. And he attended Yale University; became a Rhode Scholar; and President of the U.S.
So, even if you come from the “Ghettos” in America. If you have a dream. You can fulfill it.
Yes, Filipinos are contributing to the greatness of America, in their own ways…
Dr. Benjamin Carson, should be the name. He graduated with a Medical degree, from University of Michigan; and specialcialized as a brain surgeon at John Hopkins Medical University…these people really inspire me…
Are Filipinos in the U.S. again claiming greatness? That the world cannot do without Filipinos? If so, that is a proclamation mired in misguided egoism and plain arrogance.
No, if Filipinos were wiped out from the face of the Earth, the world would not suffer. Filipino are not irreplaceable nor indispensable. You could always find competent replacements all over the world.
And, yes, while the law-abiding (and not all) Filipinos are certainly contributing to their host countries, so are those from other immigrant groups. There are Chinese, Singaporeans, Japanese, Russians, even Arabs (and Muslims), and other immigrants making good contributions to the U.S., and there is nothing Filipinos do that is greater than what they do.
The Filipinos are not special, have never been special, nor will they ever be special. They are equal to other people, and thus deserve no special recognition above others. Again, this is the stupid Filipino attitude of Pataasan ng Wiwi making itself manifest again.
Yes, Filipinos should not have the “special” attitude but also we should balance those who say Filipinos are inferior with the correct information. I am presenting info in the Fil-Am perspective. Everyone contributes to their home country. The Tsinoys for example, did not really invent anything in The Philippines or for The Philippines but can we say they do not contribute? If not them then the Japanese or Indians can be the businessmen and merchants but to question their contribution because it is “mere effort” and not “unique” is undermining them. I am not saying Pinoys are all great, there just has to be some perspective.
Inferior? I think many Filipinos are actually vocal about Pinoy Pride because they are actually ashamed of what they are. They overcompensate by projection. No one’s saying they are inferior, they are the ones believing themselves inferior even when nobody’s telling them.
Most of those who shout Pinoy Pride are from the Phils thanks to your ABS CBN. Fil-Ams mostly know better than to do that.
Fuck you for undermining our achievements here in the US. I am an accountant for a company who makes sure the drinking water of US and a lot of countries are safe. My wife is a Geometry teacher in a prestigious Private School. There are a LOT of good, succesfu, respectable pinoys in the medical industry. How about you? All you do is write articles that only a few could read. Bakit di ka sumulat sa tagalog or bisaya para makuha mo ang tamang mambabasa ng article mo.
He just probably does not know the new data. That is why the comments section exists so you can counter it with relevant data and not curses. That’s what accountants do right? Please provide supporting data to assert your views and not curse. Thanks.
Thanks Ray. Well said.
Why don’t you prove him wrong using your number crunching skills instead of relying on petty insults a la classic butthurt Flip?
Because those who are in a better position to change our society understand English. Very often, these Filipinos also need their heads checked.
The early Filipino immigrants (1800’s) were those who migrated from Northern Luzon to Hawaii to work as farmers, alongside other Asians, such as the Japanese and Koreans. These migrant workers played a significant role in the agricultural industry, though working conditions were very oppressive e.g. discrimination was prevalent and foremen pitted various Asian groups against each other (Takaki R., Strangers from a Different Shore, 1989).
Filipino immigrants who contributed much to the economy and general society of the United States are those who have immigrated under the working VISA. These groups were considered the “cream of the crop” in their profession and training in the Philippines (e.g. those in medical field, etc.) which were needed in the U.S. during the time that VISAs were offered.
Finally there are many first and subsequent generation Filipino-Americans who have excelled in their profession and became significant contributors to American society. I would suppose that we do not hear much about their accomplishments because these Filipinos have assimilated to American culture and identify with it rather than with Filipino culture (and perhaps are no longer active in Filipino enclave communities). There is a cultural dilution that happens in subsequent generations were immigrant descendants identify less and less with their ethnic origin.
Anyway, but personally speaking, I have met many accomplished Filipino-Americans in the U.S. They may not be the focus of media attention, but they are there in professional positions of influence and significance, e.g. in R&D, medical field, etc.
Well said. Maybe people need to go to the USA (outside Filipino ghettos like San Francisco Daly City) and see how majority of Pinoys are like and are treated. Finding a Filipino flipping a burger is like looking for a Jewish trash picker.
Everyone who DOES something and does something to the best of their abilities contributes. It is not what you CAN do but what you ACTUALLY do that defines your contribution. Why did the Manongs get imported to work the fields in the USA? Because no American wanted to do it. Why did nurses get imported? Because little to no American wanted to do it. Why did IT people get imported? Not enough Americans thought it was “cool”. A car’s most important part is the engine but without one wheel, you won’t get to your destination. The wheel contributed to you getting there. Yes, it is a wheel like millions of other wheels but for you, it was there. Have a wonderful time everyone!
It is up to us; to succeed in America. If we think ourselves, as : doing menial jobs, to survive. Then, we will remain that way. Get a good education, and do your best. Graduate on the top 10% of your class…doors of opportunities, will open to you…companies are always looking for good competent and able people, to compete, in their fields of business…so, be the best of the field of work, you have chosen…
I don’t believe in Finding Excuses on why you cannot succeed…”Aim for the Moon, if you miss, You will land among the stars”…they usually say…
As a Filipino who has lived in the United States for years and was able to accomplish a lot, I have to disagree with a lot that’s being said in the comments section. Filipinos don’t move here because they want to contribute to the greatness of the United States. No, they move here because they want to take advantage of what already makes America great so they can live a life they want. Filipinos are not the ones who created the living standards and improved infrastructure of the USA. Filipinos are part of the labor force whether it’s in education, law, medicine, agriculture, engineering, etc. along with many other immigrants. It’s true they are fantastic workers and they should be proud of their achievements. But America is already a great country even without Filipinos. So no, it’s not Filipinos that are helping make America great, it’s America and its high standards that’s helping make Filipinos great. Always remember that, and I’m living proof.
Neither did the individual members of the other immigrant cultural groups consciously aim to contribute to the greatness of the United States. In fact, the German scientists who were conscripted to help America win the space race and develop its missile arsenal were all just war booty captured by the US from Germany at the end of World War II.
But regarding the matter from a cultural groups perspective, it is easy to see that Filipinos, despite being one of the biggest immigrant communities in the US, are essentially invisible. And on that note, I agree, that the US is “already a great country even without Filipinos”. Filipinos can disappear from the face of America today and it wouldn’t really matter much in terms of loss of value to their overall cultural capital.
On a side note, the truth is America wouldn’t be as great as it is today if it weren’t for the German immigrants. In fact, the largest percentage of Americans today are of German descent. It was German immigrants who helped build the modern US educational system, establishing the concept of kindergartens and gymnasiums, installing vocational education into public schools, and calling for universal education. The influence of German cuisine and breweries can be seen in what is today regarded as American food. It was German settlers who created the culture and image of the American cowboy. German Americans helped build America’s automobile industry. Even the German Christmas tree was adopted as an American tradition every Christmas. German immigrants also established theme parks and the concept of the two-day weekend.
The United States would be completely unrecognizable today if it weren’t for the heavy German influence. That’s what you call contributing and Filipinos are nowhere close to that and never will be. Filipinos are “invisible” because their values aren’t about improving the countries they settle in, they just want to benefit off from what they know they can gain from moving to those countries.
I was gonna reply to you in a comment but I ended up writing an entirely new article instead… 🙂
And the German Americans never really tooted their horn. They just quietly wanted to have a better life, and they worked for it.
Of course we can never discount the Germans’ contributions in the same way other nations also contributed. If the Germans contributed during the Genesis of America, the Filipino-Americans did contribute too when there was a shortage of farmers, health care professionals and IT professionals at some point in USA history. We would also never resent if the Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Zimbabweans want to talk about their contributions and even applaud them. Would you tell the Chinese they did not contribute because all they did was build a railroad and the Thais could have done it anyway? That is insecurity.
I also am wondering where you are hearing that “many” or imply that majority of Pinoys in the US brag about their achievements as a people. In fact, it is the opposite. The problem with Pinoys here especially the new immigrants is they are too modest or too much “mahiyain”. My cousin who is in IT once told me he had a co-worker who was brilliant Filipino computer programmer. He worked in one of the project teams and he would work with this American guy William (anglo) on certain tasks. He said it was the Pinoy who would work hard and come up with a brilliant solution to their problems but it is the loudmouthed Anglo who does not know much who would take credit for the work. When my cousin and his friend Craig (another Anglo) confronted this Pinoy why the F he is letting it happen he said he was taught the value of “huwag magbubuhat ng sariling bangko” and my cousin translated in English to Craig who laughed out loud. So this William guy got promoted ahead of him and they said they told him so. Craig said that in America you have to be aggressive and say what you do so you get recognized. Being “kikimi-kimi” or “makahiya” won’t get you anywhere. So he learned how to do it the American way and when he solves problems, he tells the Project managers what he did and how he did it. Shameless self-promotion? So what. It is applauded in American culture. Ali says “I am the greatest” and it is accepted, applauded and admired. Self-Promotion is actually an AMERICAN trait that Filipinos learned from them. In fact, most are still too modest up to now.
It may sound like I’m being hateful, but I’m not. I’m just being a realist. Sometimes I feel Filipinos make too much noise about themselves and need to humble down.
Hey, Fil-Ams actually did not make any noise and are laggers in self-promotion here in the USA. They are more modest compared to Americans and other ethnicities who continue to trumpet their greatness to the high heavens. My response is actually just to balance the implication that Pinoys are mere burger flippers despite the fact that there are UNIQUE contributions and there were NEEDS that Pinoys did fulfill in America. Why did the USA offer those visas if those skills were not needed? And when those needs were fulfilled were those not contributions? Most Filipinos never bragged to others in America. I don’t know where everyone is getting that notion. Tomorrow and the next day and the next week and the next year, every day I go out never will I talk to anyone how great I am and my filipino-ness. I just talk to people about work, the weather and what the score is on a game. No Fil-Am goes around and screams how great they are. They do not want to look silly. My responses are merely in the context of this article.
Many Filipinos are there because they wanted to leave the hardship of the Philippines and get a better life. That’s the sad truth of it, and it isn’t a source of pride.
Geez, why am I getting the vibes that the author wanted his readers to say Filipinos are useless wherever they are, is it only me?
Rey Langit, thumbs up to you for having the patience to deal with these haters.
To do something the local population did not want to do or have a shortage of people who want to do it is a contribution.
To work harder and do things better than the local population is improving upon the society.
Filipinos in America have done those. There are even those who innovated in technology and other fields.
In America self-promotion is the norm. You cannot be meek here or you will be run over by the Americans and other ethnicities. An American once told me “if you do not toot your own horn no one else will” or “squeaky wheel gets the oil”. Ever see why Muhammad Ali says “I am the Greatest” and every American proclaims his greatness? If Fil-Ams do not do that they would not get anywhere and not get recognized. Even the Chinese-Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and Indian Americans do that. You can do that as long as what you say is true.
To brag about empty things and to proclaim “Pinoy Pride” about Pacquiao and Pempengo is wrong. On the other hand it is also wrong to imply Filipinos or Fil-Ams are totally worthless. America has enriched them as they have enriched America. Why sponsor all those visas if America did not NEED them and did not THINK they will not contribute. America is not stupid. They need DIVERSITY to move forward. If they have too many Abercrombie and Fitch models whose idea of doing work is standing around and looking chill, they also need Pinoys and other immigrants to do the “uncool” and “nerdy” work.
Well, who knows. The author and those who demand Filipinos contribute to mankind by inventing a spacecraft that can travel past the speed of light or go through wormholes may actually set the example and build it sooner than we think. Let’s wait.
I dislike American-style arrogance. The idea of “tooting your horn” as a form of self-promotion reeks of classlessness that doesn’t befit a real contributor to society. East Asian societies did not have to rock the boat to achieve where they are at now. A harmonious and seamless work environment and ethic are leagues better than the one-upsmanship and backstabbery that is the MO of the Western corporate world.
Filipinos are ASIAN therefore they should adhere to ASIAN values and ethics.
They do, that is probably why the median personal income of Filipinos is slightly lower than Whites despite having more education… Filipinos are too slow or too shy to promote themselves in America. Afraid of Lola or Tita saying “ayan ka nanaman, magbubuhat ng sariling bangko”… so Mr. Whitey explains the process to the project manager as if he did it (when in actuality the Pinoy did it) and he becomes the next project manager.
Nakakalito. Hindi ba ang mga Filipino na tumira na sa Amerika at iyong mga doon na isinilang at nanirahan ay mas nabibilang bilang American? Ano man ang kontribusyon nila doon ay hindi na sumasalamin sa kanila bilang Filipino kundi bilang mamamayan ng Amerika. Heto ang madaling example. Si Jessica Sanchez American citizen pero dahil may magulang siyang Filipino, gusto ng mga Pinoy lumabas na nire-represent niya rin ang Pilipinas, pero kung siya ang tatanungin American siya. Si Charice Pempengco at Manny Pacquiao, mga Filipino na lumaki at nahubog sa Pilipinas kaya saan man sila magperform sa ibang bansa, kinikilala pa rin sila bilang Filipino. Ang iba nama’y nagpunta lamang doon talaga upang magtrabaho at gumanda ang buhay kaya imposibleng hanapan sila ng kontribusyon sa Amerika o sa iba pang bansa na kapantay ng naibibigay ng tigib na mga mamamayan nito malibang naisip ng mga Filipino na magpunta roon upang doon ipakilala ang imbensyon o kakaibang kaalaman nila na hindi kinilala sa sariling bansa at upang makatulong talaga sa bansang pinuntahan.
The fact na hindi nanghihingi ng tulong o walang inaasahang anuman sa mga Filipino ang mga malalaking bansa ay patunay na wala naman silang espesyal na maiko-contribute. Ang pagbibigay trabaho ng mga malalaking bansa sa mga Pilipino ay hiniling ng ating gobyerno sa kanila at kung kontribusyon man ngang masasabi iyon, cheap labor marahil ang kontribusyon. Ang ebidensya na tuwang-tuwa ang mga Pinoy kapag narinig na nag-o-offer ng trabaho ang ibang malalaking bansa sa kanila ang patunay na nagpunta lamang sila roon upang magkaroon ng kabuhayan ng higit sa tinatamasa nila rito.
The fact na Amerika ang humaharap para sa Pilipinas na may sigalot sa Tsina ay isa ring patunay na hindi naghihintay ng anumang kontribusyon sa mga Filipino ang Amerika dahil kahit saang anggulo tignan, ang pinapakita lang ng Pilipinas ay ang kanilang pangangailangan sa mga malalaking bansa.
Opening statement of the article:
“Many Filipino-Americans claim that they are part of the great immigrant movement that contributed mightily to building the great nation that the United States is today. ”
Where are these “Many Filipinos” the author is talking about? In my decades here I never found them. No Filipino I know has ever talked in that manner from the TNT caregiver to the Doctor with a 7 figure income.
Not only the Germans who are the contributors to the greatness of America…all people, of all races, who were persecuted in their own countries; came to America, to find opportunities, and refuge.
The draining of “Brains” of mostly Third World countries; also made America greater.
In all fields of work, in America…you can find all kinds of people, of all kinds of ethnicity and nationalities.
So, it is not right to single out one kind of people only…
The Mexicans and South American illegal immigrants, who climb over the border fences; make the prices of food affordable to all.
They work as agricultural workers; construction workers; harvesters… etc..
The Filipino TNT caregiver, who makes caregiver cost low, and affordable to low income seniors, and the sick…also contributes in their own way…
There are also Filipino nurses and Doctors, who are good in their professions…
Some Filipinos are in the technical fields…some in research and development. They are also contributing in their own way…
America was great before the Filipinos came. Then, it became greater, because of the contribution of these people.
There is also what they call: “the Genius Visa”, offered by America. It is an H1 Visa, which is a path to Green Card and American citizenship.
If you have a PhD, or working on it , in a good American university. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) , will offer you this Visa. Especially, if your field of work is in the Technical, Scientific, and Research/Development field.
This revitalizes the competetive edge of America, over its rival nations.Corporations are also there , to offer you a good position, with benefits, bonuses and perks…it is an offer you cannot refuse…
Judging by some of the responses I don’t think a lot of people understood what I was trying to say about German immigrants. And I cannot believe what I’m hearing from some others here. East Asian ethics are better than Western only because of Western corporatism? Not everything in the West is corporatist in nature, you know.
Last time I checked it is East Asia that is adopting Western values, standards, and innovation, not the other way around. For example, take Korea. Before 2006 their automobile industry was terrible. But after Korean car companies Kia and Hyundai hired Peter Schreyer, a German automobile designer, to take control the Korean car industry has been exploding ever since thanks to him. Too bad the Koreans are the ones hogging the credit.
Let me tell you, wherever Germans go they take their high cultural standards with them. In America the US states that dominate best livability have the highest percentages of German heritage. In Africa the Germans colonized what is today Namibia, whose capital city Windhoek has been dubbed the cleanest capital in Africa while ranking top 10 most livable African cities and top 3 least corrupt. German immigrants also settled mainly in South Australia, whose capital city Adelaide was awarded Australia’s most livable city by the Property Council of Australia.
Coincidence? No. This is what I consider contributing to the greatness of another country, coming in and increasing the standards of living and infrastructure, helping construct a model society which makes others want to move there and become better people. It’s true that Filipinos work hard to become professionals in many fields that help society, which is something to be admired for. I know, because I am one of them. But as a Filipino I’m not the one who created the conditions for that to happen. I am a byproduct of it, and we should all start acknowledging that. Filipino culture and being Filipino is not what made me a hard working man who cares about the welfare of society, because if that was the case then the Philippines as a country wouldn’t be in the condition it is in now.
Of course the German culture is great and it contributes a lot to the world. I should know. I own German cars and love the engineering. We also have German cultural exchange students stay at our home and we are impressed by their culture. Just because one culture is greater, do the less than great cultures mean that they are non-contributory? Filipino culture is different from Fil-Am culture. Just like Tsinoy culture is different from PRC culture. Filipinos came to American to become productive and achieved more than the mainstream culture there. If they went to a country and found X, and they became X+1 then did they not contribute to the improvement of the place? Yes, they did not invent the next Warp Drive for NASA but that does not mean they are a non contributing leach group of people.
You can’t be serious. The Germans have a history of greatness, from Bach to Beethoven to Gutenberg to Luther to Bismarck to Einstein. Germany today is the only country that is keeping the European Union economy afloat. Wherever Germans immigrate to they develop model societies thanks to their incredibly high standards. We’re talking about HUNDREDS of years of contributions to the development and history of modern civilization.
Nobody said Filipinos are not helping out, but they are NOT the ones who laid down the blueprints for achieving successful living conditions and quality infrastructure. They, like most other Third World immigrants, are the ones who have learned from the builders of modern society such as the Germans, English, Spanish, etc. Filipinos are no different and don’t stand out in terms of anything other than being taught to be part of the labor force whose foundations were laid down by someone else.
So who are:
1. Questioning the German achievements and laying the foundation? No one. Not me for sure.
2. The Filipinos who are claiming to lay down the blueprints? I have probably met thousands of Fil-Ams in my lifetime from my own relatives to people I meet at Seafood City, hospitals or anywhere. I never seen or heard any Fil-Am go around claiming Pinoys did something like “laid the blueprints” or BS like that. I see them buying “bangus” or rushing to and from the hospital hallways and that’s about it.
The question is not who “laid the blueprints” or something like that. The question is did they really contribute? The answer is yes. At certain times in American history, Filipinos were RECRUITED. Americans are not stupid to recruit people to jobs they did NOT need. Manongs in the field, nurses, IT people, US Navy sailors. They were taken in by America in order to… CONTRIBUTE. Yes, there are greater and lesser contributions by other groups but to question their contribution is to kind of insult their sacrifice. Yes, they benefitted and they deserve it.
All taxpayers are contributor to the country they are in. To single out a particular country and ask what have they done to contribute to the greatness of America in the pretense that Fil-Am are claiming to be part of immigrant movement is absolutely outrageous and absurd.
The nature of my work is to go around from state to another and when I see a Filipino, I always make sure to talk to them but never heard anyone claiming to be part of building USA.
Next time, limit your Filipino shaming (GRPs ultimate goal) to the Philippines alone.
Ray Langit, I still think you’re missing the point I’m making. I’m not questioning the contributions of Filipinos. Didn’t I already say they are helping out and should acknowledge their accomplishments? But this article is discussing whether or not Filipinos helped significantly to build the greatness of a great nation like America, in which the answer is an objective NO. It’s not asking whether Filipinos contributed at all.
Its a matter of opinion. Every contribution is significant. The logic “if not x then y could have done it” can also apply to Germans. If not the Germans then the Russians/Japanese/Swiss/Boazanians etc could have “laid the foundation” etc. Contribution is not what you ought to have done, can do or ought to do. Contribution is what you have done and what you are doing. All parts are important for something to work. A bicycle without a pedal or brake is incomplete. Those parts are replaceable but of they are there when you needed them, they contributed significantly to you getting to your destination.
The same can’t be applied. This wrongfully assumes that all those nationalities have the same cultural mentalities and traditions to produce the same successes that can build great societies anywhere in the world and we know that’s not true at all. The German character and influence exists everywhere throughout America and its cultural heritage, you cannot just replace it and call it the country that became great by simply throwing in a different immigrant group.
Again, this is more than just providing a definition of what it means to contribute. This is about contributing GREATNESS to BUILDING great nations. It’s true that many Filipinos contribute their part wherever they settle and we’re all thankful for that, but as a collective they don’t contribute anything so great or influential that they leave indelible footprints in the societies they live in. As a people they haven’t accomplished anything so valuable that warrants any real respectability from other nations that makes them stand out amongst other immigrants. For that reason they will continue to remain invisible and go unnoticed. This is the heart of the discussion. Filipinos can’t even make their own country great. It is what it is.
Filipinos, for one reason or another, are lumped with other Asian immigrant groups as part of the “Model Minority”. That makes Pinoys stand out, along with other fellow Asians, as foremost immigrants. Are you from the United States? The PEW Research Center article The Rise of the Asian Americans was very popular here. Filipinos were included prominently as a great part of that rise. See:
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/
Filipino Americans as a group are educationally and financially superior to the White majority in America and even other Asians in some aspects. Different group and culture than Pinoys in the Philippines.
So much racism here. So much stereotyping. The author might as well deem Filipinos as sub-humans just as Hitler did with the Jews. But then again this article is written by a Filipino. Not surprised there.
Filipinos are humans and belong to the same species as other nationalities.
I’ll never understand racists especially labeling an entire nationality. The modern world has no place for such people.
It’s ironic that pinoys themselves are one of the biggest racist on the planet.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111021224714AAMNNyC
http://www.newsgra.ph/1221/filipinos-among-most-racists-world-says-study/
One commenter noted:
I’m Filipino. But man let me tell you, we Filipinos love playing the race card. You’ll often hear Filipinos from abroad saying they were maltreated, abused etc. just because they were different and yet look at how we discriminate against Indians, Chinese, Iranians and even DARKER skinned Filipinos. Last month there was a news here about a HUNDRED(100+) Iranians studying here from different universities, who all signed a petition requesting for fair treatment because they were being discriminated by Filipinos in their universities. Filipinos love to rally whenever foreign COMEDIANS slightly mentions or even associates Filipinos with maids( which is TRUE) and yet in the Philippines we don’t seem to mind it when we make fun of other races. That’s how we Filipinos are. Sad if you asked me.
As a (enlightened) Filipino who’s lived in the US for almost 30 years, let me make something clear: the US is being destroyed by immigration and multiculturalism. Many immigrant races, Filipinos included, don’t genuinely CARE about the US. They only care about what the US can provide for them, so they can show off to their fellow countrymen of their “successes”. Rather than keeping quiet and assimilating, they create their own mini-nation and lobby to change the host environment to suit THEM, at the behest of the local culture. The system allows it, and nobody wants to speak up out of fear of being called “racist” and facing repercussions. It’s terrible.
Well, if your own people are so great, then why did you LEAVE the country that your people built (or failed to)? Your own people must not be so great then, and you want the reap the benefits of another country that SOMEONE ELSE built. Filipinos don’t make the US better; they bring their lower social standards with them. They want the American life, but don’t want to be held accountable for anything.