Filipino society was again aflutter over the now-famous Miss Universe win by Pia Wurtzbach. Of course, it provides a temporary high after all the depressing truths that Filipinos go through every day. However, this was ruined by a report that Filipinos had been bullying Miss Colombia.
Even host Steve Harvey, who made the mistaken announcement, had been the subject of reported online bullying.
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It was like each time Smart Gilas lost to foreign teams. Filipinos (or even self-declared second generation expatriates in other ocuntries) would flood online posts with hate comments in a show of reckless, barbaric stupidity. But here? We won! And yet some Filipinos are so moronically low and flat that they bully even if they win. They have no right to call themselves fellows of Wurtzbach and other achieving Filipinos.
This goes to show that even if some Filipinos become winners, fellow Filipinos will pull them down with their behavior. Filipinos still carry that sense of entitlement that they should be treated like stars simply because another Filipino has become one on the world scene, or that Filipinos should have special treatment no matter what. But it continues to show the mendicant, free-rider, Juan Tamad attitude of Filipinos – let someone else do all the work and ride on them. Many Filipinos also seem to carry that immature belief that if they must be up, someone else must be down; hence, they pull others down. Perhaps it demonstrates the mentality of someone who feels downtrodden (as Filipinos often do): they are so desperate for attention that they lash out or act arrogantly. The person has issues, as others would say.
Wurtzbach: another foreign-named beauty queen who made it despite being Filipino
Many Filipinos depend too much on other people to give them pride that they become complacent, or too lazy to bring themselves pride. It’s time for Filipinos to realize that they can’t just claim the fame of other people as theirs. They should make their own achievements and prove themselves worthy of being the countrymen of the likes of Lea Salonga, the Gilas team, Manny Pacquiao and Wurtzbach.
As I have explained earlier, the above people and more others worked for their own place in the sun. They do not ride on others’ achievements; they do it on their own. It has nothing to do with their being Filipino; they did it despite being Filipino, as I said of Megan Young. Achievements do not need to be something “showbiz” famous. For example, Filipinos like Dodi Banatao, Yelle Gutierrez Castro, Whilce Portacio, and more, are among the people who need more mentioning for doing things like setting up a pioneering chip company or opening doors for fellows into the comic industry. Another example is, some Filipinos recently have been cited as model citizens in California. Filipinos do not need to strive for greatness and fame. Filipinos are not “naturally” great. All they need is to do the right thing and do it right, and that will bring its own rewards.
Filipinos have long held that famous Filipinos are the ones who lift them up. It should be the other way around. We should be the ones who make them smile. Because if all we do is bully others and spread hate comments, or even arrogant declarations of being “proud to be Filipino” with a hint that we put down other nations, we are bringing shame to Wurtzbach and other famous Filipinos who put us on the map.
Lea Salonga has herself criticized Filipinos for being shallow. Many Filipinos like her who have achieved big things have the right to shower their criticisms on us. It’s because they have shown the good examples that we should follow. And those examples should challenge us to do better. Instead of trumpeting “proud to Filipino” and just doing lip service, we should instead be making good examples of ourselves. For example, instead of wanting a demagogue to bring us discipline, we should do it ourselves. Instead of being shallow and intellectually bankrupt, let us be more intellectually mature. Instead of being me-first, we must have respect for the public space. That makes us worth being called fellow Filipinos along with the other Famous Filipinos on the world scene.
We should thank Miss Colombia for being gracious enough to give up the crown and give it to Wurtzbach after the embarrassing gaffe.
We are the ones who should uplift them. The right thing to do is for us to give them pride, and not the other way around. That way, we lift the Filipino image as well, instead of drag it down. Only then can we be truly called world-class.
I believe, as my cohorts here do, that what Filipinos embrace as their culture is what actually pulls the country down. And those who seem to be anti-dictators, who may also believe themselves to be “heroes,” are the real dictators.
It is the mentality and mindset of most Filipinos.That , if you hitch yourself to the winner. You will share the victory, also. Youd don’t do it on your own. Let the other person do it.If he/she wins, you attach yourself to him/her. And, relish the victory.
It is stupid and insane mindset. However,in reality, most of us has that mindset.
First of all I would like to greet our contributors to GRP blog content and all readers. ChinoF, as usual your article hit our cultural problems spot on – and unless “You are being so negative!” counts as a valid argument, I have nothing to say against these things. (Although it’s not like telling the truth is any more negative than lying to yourself!) These topics are the invisible walls of reality of our society that Filipinos refuse to acknowledge much less improve.
However with how our psychologically sick Filipinos respond to this medication in all good faith, I don’t think they can be saved at all, at least not in our ephemeral lifetimes. I have learned to be cynical and pessimistic about our country that I see no point in asserting these wonderful ideas that change the world to people who cannot even begin to imagine that there is such a thing as logic. Please enlighten me on why we even have to bother. Telling people the harsh and painful truth that they keep on making terrible decisions is one thing, but when you see them denying reality and then shoving it to their butts every chance we get, it’s like beating a dead horse. If Filipinos cannot be saved with words, what can? Thank you and you all have a wonderful day! 🙂
Let me just start with the saying, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Thus, if we don’t bother, as you say, and stop blogging, we are doing nothing.
In other words, you are telling us to shut up and do nothing. And thus, present no resistance to letting the “evil” take over inabated.
Not happening.
The more people keep quiet and go about their business, the more the dysfunctions of our society will spread. And there is always a chance of dysfunction being defeated when someone opens up about it.
NO ONE tells us to stop blogging. NO ONE.
This is very reminiscent of misinterpreting the question “Hanggang kababawan na lang ba?” as “Stop being fanboys/girls,” and in this case, the question of “Why bother?” is being misrepresented as “Stop doing what you are doing.” And I believe no one told you to stop blogging or anything like that. If I may paraphrase the question for the sake of argument – how is this going to influence change GIVEN the situation (i.e. mindset) our country has at this point? That is what I don’t understand. We have the right ideas, we know that we just need to mobilize the people, but they simply won’t because they either aren’t willing or aren’t in the condition to understand. They just die like flies in the midst of guns, goons and gold, poverty, hunger, low salary, high price of commodity and even media bull digestive by-product, suffer needlessly and pointlessly yet wouldn’t give half a damn on what we have to say about it. Your intentions are good. Your ideals are unquestionably reasonable. But it’s like we are equipped with a salt shaker in an ocean of slugs and earthworms – they can double their population by the time we kill off a few. Out of all the people I have met who needed a change of mindset, believe me, I have tried and gained nothing but ostracism, bullying and hate. I don’t mind being rejected, but not being able to change ANY people’s minds at all in my life gets me asking myself, is this really the right way to save people? For years and years it made me think if I can find a way, or maybe I’m just too dumb to actually figure it out myself. But this method – this plethora of rhetorics or maybe even being plain logical and reasonable just doesn’t cut it, makes me lose so much hope of actually making any difference at all.
And to reiterate about the act of blogging, do as you please. Just because I am not into it and just because I asked what it is for doesn’t mean I’m going to stop you. Peace out! 🙂
Well, good to know you are not of the “Critics” who just want to shut us up. Of course, the next step after blogging is action, and that will take a while to do. But people who have the right foundation will know what to do. There are people who just read and do thing like what Kate Poblete above did. People who say, why the hell are we transfixed on this and can’t do do something better? Apparently, media has more influence and it is difficult for blogging to compete with that. But perhaps, soon, we will meet with other people and discuss how to influence society and culture so people will really behave properly. That would include the family sphere of influence.
If you always attach positive emotions to the things you want, and never attach negative emotions to the things you don’t, then that which you desire most will invariably come your way.
“Lifting Famous Filipinos Up”……
this is a joke right?