Catholicism continues to figure in social and political issues that demand the application of modern critical thought to resolve.
(Photo source: Inquirer)
Did you ever wonder why our government, constitution and laws are so pro-poor? Well, all you have to do is look at a Yellowtard LP rally, and you’ll find many nuns and clergy people holding placards. Catholicism indeed holds a tight grip on the country’s policies and it thrives on a pro-poor philosophy, always siding on the weak, underprivileged and less fortunate.
Being pro-poor actually gives incentives for the poor to remain in their state of poverty. How does that happen? When the state provides freebies like rice and housing to the poor, you actually encourage people to not strive to improve their quality of life. The state is in fact feeding laziness and the mendicant, lethargic mentality and attitude that prevail in poor communities.
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Should the poor have the same rights as the rich/educated?
Family Size. At the moment, the state provides equal rights for families of either rich or poor to get as big as anyone wants it to be? But the poor have no capacity to support a large number of children. So why does the state permit this? Why doesn’t it have some sort of one-child policy for low-income couples?
Instead of many professionals nowadays getting married and having children (yes, many are actually gays I know), we have the people least qualified to support a large family in the slums multiplying like rats in damp sewers. We can always blame the lack of education for these poorest of the poor which makes them incapable of making wise calculated decisions. But why does the state allow this by not enacting laws that will prevent this from happening?
If we allow a one-child policy for low-income couples to proceed, each generation of Filipinos will incrementally shift from 20% poverty incidence, to 15%, and down to 10%. Till one morning: we will just wake up to find no more slums exist when we walk along Pasig River.
Right of Suffrage. The right to vote is currently given to every Filipino, as well as the right to run for office. If we set a rule for example that only those with proper minimal education can participate in elections, would this not give an incentive for the poor to finish schooling?
We should not have a full-blown democracy at this stage if we want to progress demographically. If we want fewer poor-quality people in government leadership, we should not allow poor decision makers to have a say in elections. The High School level (grade 12) requirement can filter out these less qualified people from determining the results of elections.
As an added benefit, our politicians will not have to vote-buy these poor people as they would be rendered useless to them for Election Day. Now that’s two birds with one stone.
Super-Pinoys: Breeding the Right Kind of Filipinos
What we have now is a setup where the weak thrive and even multiply. If you were a farmer who owned a ranch, you would want the best cattle to out-breed the inferior. Normally, the farmer will choose the superior bull to pass on its genetic material to the next generation. This can be done on-purpose artificially.
By failing to hand-pick those qualified to generate the next-generation of Filipinos, we have surrendered to letting nature simply take its course, rather than artificially creating a better breed of Pinoys. In tropical countries, it is the cockroaches, rats and flies that thrive more in number than eagles. Unless we do something radical to shift the income-bracket demography of Philippine society, we will forever be swamped by zombies – poor, uneducated, dysfunctional.
Laws and Vision
The huge flaw in Philippine policy-making is the absence of a unification of our laws and our vision for the country. Those who formulate the laws do not have a clear vision of what they want the country to become.
For example, if we truly wanted a country with a comfortable modern public transport system, we could have created laws that prohibited jeepneys that did not have air-conditioning to ply our roads. Or we could have had laws that prohibited jeepneys from squeezing in more people than it has seats for. And if we were really ambitious about developing our own “sariling atin” technology, we could have had a law that required all jeepneys to have engines and gearboxes designed and made in the Philippines – which could have opened up immense opportunities for Pinoy engineers to stay in the country rather than go abroad to work.
Laws are our sails and rudders that will direct us to the destination we seek to reach. We cannot just allow the wind to dictate our course based on whatever random direction it happens to blow us to.
Shhhhh… it’s not “anti-poor”, it’s actually “pro-education”
I know the word “anti-poor” will not sit well with a lot of Filipinos, and can even bring about violent protests. So what about “pro-education” as the new battle cry of Philippine policymakers?
If only people with a High School degree can vote, then it does not necessarily discriminate against the poor since public education till High School is free. Any person can get a degree, whether rich or poor. And if only people with a High School diploma can have more than one child, then it is not necessarily “anti-poor” as well. It only discriminates against the lazy.
The next time around that we get a chance to change the constitution, please keep these principles in mind. Remember, we can shape whatever Philippines we want to have in the future. But in order to do that, we need precise and calculated policies specifically oriented towards making it a reality. We can no longer just be carried away by girly emotional clichés and slogans waved by activists who have no particular vision and strategy for the country.
Ask yourselves, have these rallying activists ever brought the country anywhere since the time of Cory? We are still pathetically the only country around here just known for YELLOW bananas, mangoes, and pineapples, while our other neighbors in the region are producing high-tech state-of-the-art products. Imagine, even starving North Korea is already into rocket science.
In the end, it is the poor who will be thanking the State the most for its “anti-poor” policies. Let’s call in Mang Juan for a short testimony:
I am a poor carpenter who only finished 6th grade and is married to a household helper. We originally wanted to have 7 children, since we have always heard “ang mga anak ay kayamanan”. I was hoping at least one could finish College and become an OFW to provide for us all. But thanks to our government which started to implement a one-child policy for us low-income folks. At first, I wanted to join the protest rallies being held by the Catholic nuns and the Yellows, but then I realized that it really made more sense. We can now afford to provide stuff like Nike shoes and even an iPod to our only son, who is studying hard to finish High School now. Otherwise, all our children would have been just wearing slippers to school if there were 7 of them. My son is now determined to finish schooling because he wants to earn the right to vote. He said he will vote for Duterte’s son instead of Manny in the next elections because he likes the family’s brand of iron-fisted leadership.
In conclusion, anti-poor is actually pro-poor. Gets?
Zealous revolutionary advocate of bringing back common sense for the common good in a land of dysfunctional and delusional zombies.
I want to comment but I cant comment bec I dont know everything about things that is related to this subject. So I will ask a few questions first.
Just suppose that I am 35 years old and unemployed.
– does the state (government aka the taxpayers) pay me any unemployment benefit(s)?
– if yes, how much?
– if yes, is it sufficient/enough to pay all my bills/expenses (water, rent, electricity, food, etc)
– if yes, till when?
– if no, from what do I live?
What I do understand (but pls correct me when I am wrong) based on my personal experiences is that – especially women – want to have a child (daughter) so that the daughter can look after and take care of her own mom when she is old. Now why is that? It seems to me that not everyone qualifies for getting a pension/retirement. People tell me that only those working for the government (be it national, provincial or city) do get a pension/retirement payment. And how much is that? And so people working in the private sector do not get a retirement/pension at all.
If all the above is true, I am not shocked that people will use their offspring to get some extra money. Hence, offspring is a must. So if you really want to be pro poor or anti poor, its about time to make a good retirement/pension system.
This video explains it:
Interxavier,
watched the video.
Wow, I live in a socialist country.
Over the years since I graduated university, I became increasingly disillusioned by socialist ideas. Don’t get me wrong. I admire the socialist model that serves as the backbone of Western European society like universal healthcare , free higher education, unemployment benefits, and a reliable pension system. However, I am deeply concerned by the implications that these benefits inflict upon the general populace. I don’t like calling Western European countries “nanny states” because the term is disrespectful. However, the socialist paradigm is susceptible to abuse. The cases with migrants and refugees taking advantage of welfare benefits paid for by taxpayer money is sending a message across the continent that some people are becoming too entitled. I’ve seen this get misused in America also where people simply don’t bother to work despite beinh able to because they know they will get welfare. It is painfully scary to think how hard socialism can hit The Philippines if it’s implemented to the same extent.
@Robert Haighton And what country do you live? I’m guessing you’re from a Scandinavian or Nordic countries like in Sweden, Denmark or Norway because they followed of this so-called “Nordic Model” in which it looks like Socialism but actually it’s a Social Democracy.
Maybe the Philippines should also follow this Nordic Model besides the federal system style of Switzerland if there’ll be a constitutional change in my country soon & end the 30 year old “BULOK” Yellowtard Constitution as what I’d said it before from a previous blog of @Zaxx here on GRP about changing our constitution.
mrericx
Not Scandinavia but the Netherlands. For some new things, even Denmark or Sweden are more advanced than the Netherlands is.
Zaxx,
what will you do when your suggested one-child-policy is implemented and a (married) couple has 2 kids? In China that 2nd kid had no future whatsoever. It was basically illegal and had no rights at all. No education, no job. And yes, it did happen in China.
You also need to replace both parents otherwise the entire PH population will be close to 0. So a one-child-policy is not gonna work.
And besides that how will you enforce a 1-kid policy especially in rural, remote areas?
I myself am not a socialist but as long as people do buy things/products, they also pay VAT. So that makes them tax payers and therefore have every right to vote.
In most countries the un-privileged (the poor; the un-educated and low-eduacted) already have a grim future.
I would say that to educate/tell them how they themselves can make their own lives worthwhile, is the least we can do and that procreating is NOT the best way to do that.
Robert: the 1-child rule is just for the poor. If they go beyond 1, the State should confiscate the child and offer him/her up for adoption. The offending parent should then undergo ligation/vasectomy.
But then you have the yellowtards and nuns calling out human rights violation! The choice is quite simple though: follow logic or follow these activists’ appeal to emotion. The Pinoy’s greatest obstacle to progress and reason happens to be “awa”.
Zaxx,
why not use that 2nd child for doing some scientific experiments with?
And maybe if the Philippines will legalize abortion in the future to ease the overpopulation problem in our country? Maybe we will become the 1st Catholic country in the world to legalize it. Better watch out CBCP & Damaso clones. 😀
mrericx,
first start with educating people (both male and female).
Every woman ovulates. The problem is that ovulation mostly doesnt happen on a regular fixed moment. So to be sure to avoid a pregnancy, its best to use contraceptives (pill, condom, IUD or whichever fits you best). So the only reason and cause left for having an abortion is rape. I think that using contraceptives is cheaper then having an abortion.
So yes make abortion legal and promote the use of contraceptives.
@RobertHaighton that’s true & I’ll give you one story on why EDUCATION is the ultimate solution to this overpopulation problems in my country. About 2 days ago when I went into the market just a kilometer away from my home, I’d saw a 14 or 15 year old girl who is a 5 or 6 months pregnant (and I could notice it on the structure of her body) and then she have five “Boyfriends” around her! That’s quite shocking & that will put every Muslim husbands in the world to shame (ouch!) Imagine that, and I don’t know who’s the father of that child & when her child will be born in a few months from now, God knows if her “Boyfriends” will take care of their child or if she’ll perform an illegal abortion to the quack doctor or known as “ambularyo” and then throw the dead fetus somewhere in Metro Manila, and this is very common here in my country especially if you’re a poor girl/woman who have no work & money.
That’s a harsh reality to my country right now, especially that Philippines is the largest Catholic country in Asia next to East Timor. And why the Catholic Church couldn’t do that on the overpopulation problems in my country? That’s because they’re hypocrites & arrogant in the 1st place since the Spanish colonization in the Philippines!
And by the way, did you know that there’s one famous church here in Metro Manila that they could sell abortion herbs & pills around it? It’s not very new & it’s been there for a while.
mrericx,
we just go to a pharmacy and buy the “morning-after pill” (also known as emergency pill). But that wont be needed, if and when my daughter follow the steps I told her. Or we will have a legal abortion (in my copuntry).
Anyway, I dont see things changing very rapidly in PH, so I expect the population to grow and grow in the near and far future. And personally, I dont blame the Philippine RCC (and/or INC). I blame the blind followers. I just cant imagine a 15 year old girl saying: “lets get pregnant asap to keep god and jesus happy” Can you?
mrericx,
whether a man has 7 girlfriends or a woman has 7 boyfriends: who cares?
What is far more important is what they do. Lets pretend that I have a daughter, I will tell her the following:
“You can fuck with every guy you want but if you come home preggy, I will kick your ass and you are not welcome home anymore”
(Why will I allow her to fuck every guy? Simple. When parents forbid their kids to do things, for the kids its very exciting to do the forbidden things. It gives them a kind of rush, adrenaline kick/rush. And when kids are in their puberty, they all are curious about sex. So, its eminent to tell them everything about sex, not only the beautiful aspects but also the negative aspects).
By itself making such a statement is quite shallow, so I will also explain everything to her about her body (ovulation, menstruation, egg cell, sperm cell, libido, orgasm, STIs, HIV/.AIDS) and tell her that she is the only one responsible for her own body (and nobody else). I will also tell her that if she wants to fuck with a guy, she has to demand from him, to use a condom (again, only to protect her own body).
As parent this is my responsibility to inform my own kids and not keep them naive and ignorant.
An important underlying assumption here can be challenged by answering this simple question: Is every new Filipino born a potential economic asset to the nation?
In short, will the average Filipino baby grow up to become a net contributor to or a net subtractor from the economy?
If Duterte (a) were a bit more gifted in the rhetoric department and (b) held the moral high ground, he might have gone up against the CCP on this issue.
He might have pointed out, for example, that nowhere in the Bible does it say that contraception is a sin, or for that matter ‘blessed are the poor’. He might have pointed out that they’re a bunch of power-hungry hypocrites who just make stuff up (knowing that the Filipino “Catholic” has never read a Bible).
He might have pointed out that Catholicism, as a messed-up version of Christianity, was explicitly designed as a tool of political control, and it’s been astoundingly successful in that regard for several centuries.
However, since he has neither the gift of eloquence or an untarnished soul, the CCP have him by the dangly bits, and they will continue to run the country into the ground. Happily, this is the same goal the politicans have, so there’s really no argument between them.
@marius: For that matter, religion actually traces its roots to its beginnings as a tool for mass mind control that, for obvious reasons, has proven very useful to village chiefs and monarchs and, to this day, presidents and prime ministers — even corporate executives. It is particularly useful when your ideology or platform is logically inconsistent internally and, thus, want your constituents to overlook that as a minor inconvenience and keep them engaged or behind you purely via emotional hooks. Religion, essentially, is an effective means to switch brains off en masse. Very useful indeed.
Such a brutal policy, what if you have twin can we just kill off the extra?
Population of developing countries start to decline and why require that policy. High population in one country can be useful (if government is effective utilizing its citizen) and it is a power.
“Without Vision, the People will Perish”…it comes from the Old Testament Book of the Christian Bible.
The Roman Catholic Church, in the Philippines, is an old institution, with a mindset imposed by the Spanish Friars, who abused the colonized Filipinos. It is a very rich Church, with billions of Philippine Pesos, in wealth. The Roman Catholic Church money, is invested in various Corporations in the Philippines; like: the Ayala Corporation, Philex Mining , etc…it even own various tracts ofagricultural lands, like the Aquino’s Hacienda Luisita. They are called : “Friar Lands”, tenanted by poor Filipino peasants…
The Roman Catholic Church is a business, not a Church…Its followers, are mostly the Filipino poor, who contribute to them money everyday …the more poor followers, the more contributions…
Ever wonder, why those Priests and Nuns , are there rallying against any government that does not serve their Purpose ? They are part of the Feudal Oligarchy, that rules our country.
During the Spanish colonial times; there were only three forces, that ruled our country: the Military (the Guardia Civil), the Feudal Oligarchs ( they are still there), and the Clergy ( the Roman Catholic Church)…
There were many poor Indios then; there are still many poor Indios, now …
The Filipino poor serves as “Block Voters”, during elections. Like the “Block voting” of the Manalo’s Iglesia Ni Kristo.
if we have a good laws on controlling the population, and removing the influence of any religion in our government; it would be good for all of us.
This was one of the reason of the Russian Revolution. Religion was controlling the government; and the Russian poor use religion, as a consolation to their poverty.
Vladimir Lenin then banned any religion. He stated : “Religion is the Opium of the people ” !
Jesus Christ is very clear on the duty of religion to the people and the government.
Somebody asked Jesus : ” Is it right to pay tribute to Caesar ?”
He took then, a denarius, and asked: ” Whose picture is on this Denarius ?” The crowd answered: “Caesar!”
Jesus then stated : ” Render unto Caesar, things that are of Caesar; and unto God, things that are of God…”
The separation of the Church and the State was very clear, on Jesus’ statement..
In our country, the Churches, have become the “Caesars”, and their God is “Mammon”, the God of Greed !
You can say that for any religious institution with vast amounts of influence and power because of the large following. Many alt-right members of America are in favour of establishing a theocratic state based on Evangelical principles. They want to bring back the puritanical way of life. Same holds true in the Middle East. Religious fundamentalism spread through political will and insurgency is cancer. Best keep your beliefs to yourself and don’t show off. So yes, a separation of church and state, on paper and as practised, is a must.
What happened to breeding with genetically superior foreigners and espousing phrenology nonsense? Your older articles were funnier.
zaxx: while eugenics might sound workable on paper, it doesn’t work in practice. At least not on humans. A farmer can (and does) cull mercilessly – any defective stock are sold for meat. Unless you’re thinking of “A Modest Proposal” ( Jonathan Swift, 1729), it just isn’t workable in a country where probably 50%+ of the population are genetically defective beyond any hope of redemption.
It really freaks me out seeing dull-eyed, slack-jawed teenagers employed to open doors, carry stuff for customers, etc. I bet half of them have dull-eyed, slack-jawed kids of their own. When humans are doing a job that could be done better by an electric motor or a shopping trolley, things are seriously amiss. But I don’t see any [i]practical[/i] way of stopping the mouth-breathers from breeding apart from stopping them breathing, and I personally discount that as an option.
As for the voting process, it is what it is, and no politician will ever accept adding an intelligence threshold for the simple reason that the idiots represent the simplest target for vote-buying and dumbass PR.
Interxavier,
Based on the video-link you provided, it seems like my country is a socialist country. But are we really a socialist country? I doubt it very much.
Unlike the Philippines, my country is individually-centered. When you need money, I will NOT help you (even when I am financially capable of helping you). You got in (financial) problems by your own doing, so pls dont take it out on me. Solve your own problems. You get my drift?
Secondly, abiout immigration (refugees). I think western Europe has a big history problem that started during WW2. No European government was able to protect their own Jews. And that gave them (the governments) a sense of guilt (never again). You see this more in Germany than anywhere else in Europe.
Thirdly, those European countries that are a member of the EU are bound by EU-laws/regulations to take in refugees (the Dublin treaty, if I am not mistaken). Because England (Britain) now notices where that can lead to, they chose for a Brexit. They want to take matters into their own hands.
Interxavier, I dont know much about health care across Europe. All I know is that having a health care insurance is mandatory/compulsory in my country and that I have to pay a fee every month (like every Dutch individual aged 18 and older). If an individual does not have an health insurance, he/she will NOT go to jail (he will not get a fine) but he/she will not be treated in a hospital and he/she will not get any medication from a pharmacy.
Interxavier,
In my country, each individual pays for his own education, his own healthcare insurance, his own pension system. So its not a free ride or a free lunch.
Robert, I hope you didn’t take my comment out of context as I wasn’t attacking anyone’s country or culture for that matter. My concern is with socialism as an ideology and system because it gives the central government too much power and provides nearly everything for its citizens even without giving anything in return besides taxes. With the sort of people we currently have in our bureaucracies, this type of system can easily be abused and make the populace overly reliant on external forces to progress. I am against the idea of a welfare state unless we, as a culture, have a shift in mindset. Also, PragerU usually cites socialism as practiced in South America and the failures of the system in Venezuela and, recently, Brazil as their prime examples. (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIdm3cM6zQ)
I actually don’t see socialism defining the individual mindsets of Western Europeans. Based on what I have seen and read, socialism is more of a skeleton or blueprint that EU citizens use to guide themselves in their daily lives but not necessarily influence their individual actions and capabilities to think outside of the box. Poorer countries who do not have the same work ethic, discipline and frugality tend to use the system to justify their laziness, victimhood, and wasteful spending. Having lived here, I believe you have seen this up close even without as much benefits compared to richer countries.
I have not much to say about this but I am quite surprised Angela Merkel is still relatively popular and will likely win the upcoming elections. I honestly expected her open-door refugee policy would send her approval ratings to a nosedive. I checked some of the opinions from Germans in Quora and it appears the consensus is that Merkel is the lesser evil.
I will confess that I do not know much about The Netherlands apart from: Heineken Beer, Bicycle Culture, Van Gogh, The Colour Orange, and Arjen Robben. Most of what I know about the EU revolves around Germany and the UK. Thank you for enlightening me about the Dutch healthcare and education systems. I guess there’s a reason most migrants and refugees prefer Germany (and other rich EU countries like Sweden) as they have the institutions that provide those things I mentioned.
Interxavier,
I am not offended in any way. And everyone is free to attack the Netherlands. Will I defend the Netherlands? Only if the arguments used are serious and sincere. So, is the Netherlands a better country than PH? Well, let me answer that in a different way. I am glad I was born here and not in PH. I still think PH have Middle Age laws and a Middle Age culture and not very different compared to many Muslim countries. I read many times here (GRP) that PH need to progress. It makes me laugh all the time. GRP keeps bashing the PH Liberal Party (which is fine by me) but they dont give any alternatives except a guy who loves to shoot and kill. So, I do NOT expect PH to be and to become a 1st world country any time soon. It needs a lot more than a president who kills his own people. The problems go much deeper than portrayed here in GRP.
Back to the Netherlands:
An individual can do crazy things (outside the box) and still have a good life. Why? Because nobody cares. On the other hand, compared with PH, how “crazy” can a pinay do? Bec of the collectivistic culture, she will be “killed” instantly. And that is what I dont like.
I see a lot of pics of pinays being in the sea. It always makes me laugh bec all those women are dressed/clothed from head to toe (Muslim country???) while the guys in the same pic wear swimming trunks. Not one woman wearing a bikini. For me that is the same as going to Saudi Arabia. Now, where is the progress? Pls tell me?
I agree. I’ve noticed the readership of GRP has gone down the past year. While I still visit the site, others have left because they perceive the site as ran by Marcos Apologists, Anti-Yellow, and hate-filled individuals. Not always true as they raise some valid points from time to time like the flaws in the 1987 constitution and the ineffective policies of the Aquino administration in eradicating poverty. Mind you, it’s not just GRP. r/Philippines is becoming infested with hate propaganda because all I see is anti-Duterte threads on the sub-reddit’s main page daily.
I nearly got into blows with a high school classmate because he was saying shit behind my back and was being a douche all because I was too “quiet”. My teachers often called me out for eating “alone” during lunch and not socializing with other kids. People in this country hate introverts and it’s making it difficult for me to consider living here forever. I can’t even go out in public to read a book at a coffee shop because I have to mind my surroundings and the raucous atmosphere at nearby tables is irritating. Even now at work, there is a huge gossip culture wherever you go. There is clearly no separation of professional and personal matters. People throw me dirty looks because I am not married with kids. These practices are not acceptable in the western world.
I will have to disagree with you on that aspect because I have seen pinays clad in two-piece bathing suits in Boracay and Palawan. There are some who wear one-pieces but I believe it’s mostly due to shyness and discomfort with their bodies rather than religious reasons. I wouldn’t want to see an overweight girl in a bikini. That being said, our society is still a deeply religious one but not to the same extent as the Middle East.
In terms of social progress, we are still a lot better compared to other countries outside the developed world because: a) gender equality is a non-issue, b) women can drive, c) people can socialize with each other regardless of the sexes, d) people can dress however they want, e) atheism and homosexuality are not punishable by death
Yes, we still have major problems as a society like: a) utang na loob is still a thing, b) collectivist mindsets are still prevalent, c) excessive entitlement is upheld even by those who do not deserve it, d) introverts are not seen in a good light, e) civil discourse is not the norm when people have a discussion on a controversial topic, f) criticism of any sort is still not taken kindly by many pinoys, and g) saving face is the preferred option instead of being direct when it comes to dealing with conflicts
Social progressivism is trickier to fix because it needs to come from the individual.
Resources are getting wasted on many highly funded but incompetent govt workers. Those funds could be used to hire scientists and technocrats who are actually qualified and capable of doing the job. And, they’re less likely to be partisans which means less politics = more work gets done. We definitely need a cultural overhaul, not necessarily following current Western standards. They have issues as well. A literal, one-directional anthropocentric notion isn’t something that makes one civilized. Far from it. If so, then our laws would be moot.
Interxavier,
I dont buy your argument defending women not weariong bikini and saying it is shyness. A Mr. Santos (If I have his name right) wrote a piece about this some time ago (here on GRP website) and he excellently said why almost no women wears a bikini. Why? Bercause too much (female) skin will cause Mr Santos get an erection. And god forbid that is not allowed. Mr. Sanros will get a fit bec then he has to explain nudity/nakedness and erection has something to do with lust. And again that is against everything the entire religious Philippines is against. Now I dont know nothing about you, but I will NOT get an erection by looking at a cup of coffee (do you?).
I see more ugly PH guys who should cover their entire bodies than pinays. Hypocrites? Or shall we tell, learn and teach all PH females they can be proud of their own beautiful (and sometimes) sexy bodies (progress, anyone?).
Robert,
It is hard to argue certain groups of people and then put them as a whole representation of the attitudes in the country. The women from the parts I’ve been to had no problems wearing bikinis–whether they are religious or not, I can’t say. I don’t have the statistics to validate my argument but I saw what I saw. There are some who don’t have an issue flashing their bodies. Nudity? No, that is still considered too extreme here. That is something I would agree on being hindered by religiosity. Bikinis? I don’t believe their Christian religion is the main factor.
Let me put it this way: some do and some don’t. It depends on their level of education and socio-economic status. I have yet to meet an affluent, independent, and highly educated young woman (Foreign or Filipino) who had problems flashing her body in a two-piece. Yes, I do get triggered when I see her first hand because I’m just like any straight guy who is attracted to women. It’s my actions upon getting this feeling that define me.
You may be referring to Mr. Vladimir Santos who writes and promotes right-wing Christian conservatism.
I am not here to argue as in “I am right and you are wrong”
All I notice – from the ground and in social media – that it looks like wearing a bikini is a big (cultural) “don’t” and has nothing to do with being shy.
Nudity (lets not compare that with pornography) is in a way common for me. All I need to do (and everyone with me) is going to a European beach where people (both male and female) sunbathe in the flesh. Private beach? No, we dont have private beaches only public beaches. On the other hand, every time you make love (have sex) with your significant other, I am sure the two of you are nude as well (No, I am not fishing here). So even for you nudity must be common. Unless of course, people do IT in a dark room, under the blankets/sheets, windows closed, curtains closed and light turned off. Not my thing but hey who the F am I?
In my country wearing a bikini has nothing to do with where a woman comes from (poor/rich, educated or not educated). Its a given freedom (I will not use the word entitlement, bec GRP hates that word) and for every woman to grasp and take.
Yes correct that was Vladimir Santos who used rape victims to score points in his thesis. After I commented on his piece, I cant remember he ever showed up here again. I think in his GRP-profile back then he stated he was an under-graduate. I think he should change that in “under-achiever”. Ah well, talking about him here is already too much.
It all goes back to the idea of saving face and collectivism. People here are still too sensitive about their image and worry too much about what others think of them. In this country, people still resort to name calling such as slut or puta to undermine a woman who had multiple partners. Honestly, who cares? My only concern is that the woman may overlook the necessary precautions to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or an STD. Then again, who am I to judge? Actions have consequences and people should be responsible for their actions. One of the many golden rules to being a citizen of a developed country.
On Vladimir: To put it in a civil manner, I do not agree with what he is preaching. For starters, he arrogantly titled his last post Why Christianity is Real, then proceeded to use Pascal’s Wager to defend his argument. I can’t take such people seriously.
thats why we need to kill poor yellowtards, good article
Interxavier,
I do hear and see (a lot of) people protesting in PH but I never see/saw people go on strike in PH. Why?
Thursday 5 october 2017 all teachers (male and female) in the primary/elementary schools go on strike in my country. Its nationwide, not local. They go on strike for a higher salary. I never heard something like that happening in PH?
Link
That’s one I’ve heard of, assuming it matches your definition of a strike. I don’t think the average Filipino even knows the difference between a protest or a strike. Before, I didn’t either because the concept of Labour Unions aren’t talked much. I could be wrong. As I’ve never participated in any protests or strikes, I’m not clear on the rules and the expected outcomes (if they are even realistic).
Interxavier,
Let me try to give you my translation of going on strike.
You stop working and block/blockade the entrance of the company you work for with the goal to get a raise (increase of salary). As long as you do that with a majority of the employees/co-workers and for a few days, the employer (company) have to give in. This can be done organized from within or by a trade union.
Protesting – the way i see it – going to the streets to protest against a government’s (new) law/rule/decision that can/will harm the country or certain people.
I hope this made some sense how I explained it (or tried to explain it)
I know them better now by definition. Unfortunately, I do not have a good answer. You might want to look up how Labour Unions work here and if they are even well-organized.
Interxavier,
” In this country, people still resort to name calling such as slut or puta to undermine a woman who had multiple partners.”
It is strange that that happens but when a guy had multiple partners then he is THE guy. Probably I have a more modern (advanced) outlook on this: what a man can do, a woman can do as well (or even better). This is not so much about (legal) equal rights but just it sounds strange for me forbidding a woman to do something that I am allowed to do.
“My only concern is that the woman may overlook the necessary precautions to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or an STD.”
A few years ago (I think it was a woman) someone told me here (GRP comment) that in PH sex can only be done for procreation(al purposes). Now, living in a country that is so obsessed with religion (and therefor not allowed to use contraception), I am not that shocked to see the population is increasing (in numbers). And also the number of cases of STI and AIDS/HIV going up.
“… and worry too much about what others think of them.”
Thank god I dont live in a country like that. If I constantly had to think about what others think about me, it means I have to turn myself into a robot and please everybody. Pls be unique and be different.
On Vladimir:
Sometimes, I really dont understand why GRP accepts (or invites) certain people to write here. Not even bec I disagree with them. But how they try to score points (and credits) (using rape victims to get their points across. That is really very low to begin with) and it will certainly NEVER lead to a more prosperous country. So in a way, it also goes against GRP’s mission statement(s). What was in GRP profile: modern conservatist? What the hell is that?
What was in GRP profile: modern conservatist? What the hell is that? (TYPO) should read as:
What was in his GRP profile (Vladimir’s GRP profile): modern conservatist? What the hell is that?
Best ask him.
From my perspective, it’s an oxymoron. Conservatism as defined by preserving christian fundamentalist principles is not modern. Remember, this is the same belief system used by plantation owners in the United States to justify slavery before the Civil War. When you make a holy text the supreme authority of your life, you are only asking yourself to be encapsulated in an echo chamber.
We’re getting off-topic so I’ll let you have the final say. I will be seeing you in the next article.
To recapitulate my main stance on this post: socialism does not work in poor countries because it preserves the lazy, victim, and entitled mindsets of the populace. It can only go so far because traversing beyond what is necessary transcends into catastrophe. Yes to self-empowerment. No to victimhood.
Thrift is poetic because it is creative; waste is unpoetic because it is waste.