“I reckon that if you don’t learn to feed yourself and rely only on others to spoonfeed you, some people will start feeding you crap and you’d be none the wiser!”
~Grimwald’s Gandmother 25 years ago
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Hi everyone, I’m Thaddeus Morvacle Grimwald and I was once a spoiled brat. There, I admitted it. See, almost thirty years ago, yours truly wasn’t all that different from all the conyos majority of you hate so much. But then, a series of things happened to me which made me reevaluate my place in the world and consider the choices I’ve made in all the years that I’ve lived. Of course, I didn’t really change overnight but it wasn’t long until I realized the error of my ways and today, I have trouble relating the boy I used to be to the man I am today.
However, this article isn’t about me. Or, at least, it isn’t just about me. Truth be told, I think we all possess some degree of immaturity and selfishness which comes from, and ironically enough contributes to, the overall dysfunction of our country. The bottom line, on the other hand, is that it is essentially our “palamunin” (moocher) attitude that proliferates the vicious cycle of poverty, crime, misery and pettiness in the Philippines. Now, it would be more understandable if say it is only Filipino children that are afflicted with this mindset but the sad fact is that there are many Pinoys who take this attitude with them into adulthood.
As stated by my grandmother above, when you can’t feed yourself, you will only be at the mercy of the people feeding you. When taken metaphorically, when you’re just accustomed to just taking and taking without any reconsideration, you won’t be able to discern if you’re damaging the system through what you’re taking or if what you’re taking is even good for you to start with. Like the figure on the GRP logo, if we just wait for the proverbial fruit to fall, it will be rotten to the core by the time it reaches our mouths. Because we refuse to be proactive in the sad state of affairs in our country, we are often left with little choice in matters and can only complain about how bad things have gotten.
Here is how our “culture of mooching” affects us:
Anti-Intellectualism
Granted, anti-intellectualism isn’t only a Filipino problem but one can note that it is essentially quite prevalent here. Thing is, this ties in directly with our unwillingness to think for ourselves and simply want things, such as facts in this case, to be handed to us on a silver platter. Indeed, I have met my share of people who, when watching films like The Avengers, Lord of the Rings or The Matrix, choose to skip or fast-forward through scenes when the characters go into long discussions and then have the gall to even say stuff like “I didn’t understand it at all!” even though they clearly didn’t make any real effort to understand anything in the first place.
Truth be told, I run into a good number of people who like to complain that the youth of the Philippines keep getting dumber and dumber but often overlook the fact that the media available to youths today are nothing but neuron-destroying TV shows and films that confuse teen lust with true love. Gone are the days when children could at least get some facts about the world around them through shows like Mathtinik or Sineskwela. How can we expect anything more from our youths when the only thing spoonfed to their minds by the media are senseless shows that are centered around immorality and mean-spirited comedy?
Unemployment And Poverty
Well, given all the problems in the Philippines, you’d think that there would be people who’d actually step up and perhaps make a move towards changing the status quo. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case what with everyone actually waiting for something to happen instead of taking action and making things happen. Granted, I know a good many unemployed and impoverished people who work to better their lives and the lives of their families but they are easily outnumbered by those who do nothing and simply wait for freebies.
Look, I know we all have needs that we have to cater to but, you have to understand two very simple facts:
1: Nothing lasts forever.
2: Nothing is free.
These aren’t just assumptions, mind you. These are facts. A tree that provides fruits and other goodies can only produce a limited amount each year and taking all these away can sometimes outright kill the tree. You also have to put in a considerable amount of time in nurturing the tree so that it produces resources regularly. Lastly, when a tree dies, there is no way to revive it and you may need to plant, raise and care for a new one if you want the same goodies again.
The same can be said for the economy. If you just sit there and wait for goodies, all you’ll probably get are crappy ones. If you want something good, you’re going to need to put some effort into it. You’re going to have to work if you want more.
General Lack Of Discipline
A lot of people tend to complain about the “lack of discipline” in the Philippines but they themselves can’t be bothered to discipline themselves. They like to talk about how certain politicians will champion discipline but they can’t even clean up their own yards and dispose of their garbage properly. This is mostly because most Pinoys want someone else to discipline them rather than find it in themselves to bring order to their lives and live as law-abiding citizens.
Then, there are those people who, when called out on their lack of discipline and/or are arrested or at least fined for their troubles, have the audacity to cry foul and even go as far as to claim that their human rights are being “violated”.
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
this reminds me of a time when i was staying-in my boss wife’s house. my boss and i were eating dinner at his wife’s house. he was asking me in a whisper (with his face contorted) if the food served was good and does not make me sick. i chuckled and continue to eat heartily and replied, “i don’t think i have any right to complain sir”.
although i was there working and can ask for better food, i could also help in their kitchen if i hv qualms or just move out if i don’t like it. meanwhile, me and my boss still lives there. haha
Good and relevant article. I have noticed the moocher Filipino mentality that prevails. Many people have horror stories of Filipino inlaws demanding money. I know a Filipina who migrated to Canada and her sister was always demanding money. She told her sister that she has expenses/bills, and her sister insulted her and they no longer talk. The sister is apparently too immature to realize money does not grow on trees and work/sleep deprivation is required to obtain it. Adults should not be constantly asking for money from others; that’s what children do.
Envy seems problematic in the Phils. There is a crab mentality and I have witnessed many times families of working Filipinos guilt the working person. “If I cannot have a new shirt, than neither can you!” This collectivist mindset is cultural; many Filipinos get pissed and jealous. It never crosses the minds of these moochers that their working family member busted his/her $ss in order to be able to BUY the shirt.
Laziness does not get one anywhere. Discipline does. In my experience there is always a hard working Filipino, and numerous lazy family members. These are the people who, instead of buying food/necessities, will blow the pera on San Miguel or a smartphone. These people don’t seem to grasp that their walking ATM may not always be there for them. What if the walking ATM becomes sick/disabled? Then what will they do?
The Phils is a 3rd world country and many hard-working people there struggle to find work. Jobs are lacking and that is another topic. I am talking about the lack of respect/entitled mentality of some Filipinos.
>> In my experience there is always a hard working Filipino, and numerous lazy family members.
I’ve noticed this too. I call it the “designated earner” phenomenon. What’s interesting is that prevalent in ALL poor communities: you can see it from Africa to the Indian subcontinent to the slums of the US. Exactly the same attitude, with one person bringing in money from an honest job and a dozen or more others sitting on their asses with their hands held out.
In my own culture, it is deeply shameful for a man to be unable or unwilling to earn a living. Not so many years ago, teenage boys were expected to learn a craft in preparation for adulthood. The Filipino concept of hiya doesn’t seem to incorporate any of these ideas.
>> Jobs are lacking and that is another topic
I don’t think this is quite true. There are lots of jobs that need doing. It’s just that nobody wants to do them; or, more usually, nobody is capable of doing them and isn’t interested in finding out how. Skilled, hardworking, honest people get snapped up quickly by employers. People with no skills and a bad attitude get left on the sidelines. The only surprising part is that the unskilled and the lazy are surprised that nobody wants to hire them.
My first boss, in my work place , defined people to me: “There are only three kinds of people in this world”:
1. Those who don’t care , that things happen.
2. Those who don’t know, that things happen.
3. Those who make things happen !
Which of the three kinds of people are you ?
Filipinos love freebees…this is the reason politicians give them freebees, during elections, in exchange for their votes.
One of my college professors told me: “Success is 99% perspiration; and 1% inspiration”…if you work hard for a goal; you will certainly able to achieve it !
Our culture is mostly depending on other family members. So, a son or a daughter, or a father or a mother, goes as an OFW and all the family members, depend on him/her as their source of income .
Filipino maturity seems to be severely delayed compared to countries where young adults don’t live extended childhoods under Mama’s roof, don’t endlessly depend on siblings/maids and don’t attend universities that treat them like high school students.
But these immature Filipinos are also more likely to consider themselves ready for parenthood at an earlier age. Maybe they just want an excuse to keep playing with toys and watching cartoons.
A gold standard is to the moochers and looters in government and its people what sunlight and garlic are to vampires.
By the way I understand of what has been written here, I say that majority of the people lack a sense of integrity. Integrity is something that you do good without claiming that you do and without anyone seeing that you do it.
Judging the above words, it sounds somewhat hypocritical don’t you guys think? Or maybe it’s just me but if it’s not, then probably it’s just the pure laziness about everything.
The real “Paluminin” Failipinos are the Yellow Party members, who have benefited (through bribery) from the Chinese and Korean’s (local and foreign) monopoly of the economy, and not the poorer segments of the country. I would also like to add “Patay-gutom” (gluttony) to the Yellow Party members for never having enough, in spite of all the power and money they already possess.
[Edited Version]
The real “Palamunin” Failipinos are the Yellow Party members, who have benefited (through bribery) from the Chinese and Korean’s (local and foreign) monopoly of the economy, and not the poorer segments of the country. I would also like to add “Patay-gutom” (gluttony) to the Yellow Party members for never having enough, in spite of all the money and power they already possess.
#changeiscoming