While we’re in the business of calling out the misogyny, elitism, homphobia, and racism in the leaked group chats allegedly originating from the “brods” of the illustrious Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity, perhaps we should step even further back and regard the full landscape of the deep nature of this “fraternity” culture. In his recent Inquirer column, “Fraternity rites and wrongs”, Gideon Lasco points out that…
[…] fraternities should be mindful of how they — like all male-only organizations — can perpetuate atavistic ideals such as misogyny, homophobia, racism and the pernicious notion that might makes right.
Indeed, this is a call to action that extends way beyond elite mono-gender “fraternities” like Upsilon to the other breeding grounds of these social “diseases” that Lasco highlights and that the current crop of Filipino “feminists” and millennial social justice warriors (SJWs) turn into their shrill fashion statements of late.
| SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY! Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider! Learn more |
In the hierarchy of real elite ecosystems, the environment within Upsilon ranks a distant third to the rarefied cloisters within private all-boys schools like the ultra chi-chi Ateneo de Manila de Katipunan and La Salle Greenhills (respective emphasis on the Katipunan and Greenhills qualifiers). If we are to trace the true roots of the purported “ills” that all-male communities supposedly contribute to society, one can argue that the Ateneo de Katipunan and La Salle Greenhills grade schools and high schools are the cradles of that “masculine toxicity” that feminism had brought to the fore. Within these schools both social and gender selection are at their most acute. The stratospheric school fees and the institutionalised exclusion of females at these primary and secondary schools conspire to breed alumni that, statistically, represent a demographic most likely to become everything feminists and SJWs rail about.
Add to this the fact that both schools are run by the inherently misogynistic imperial Roman Catholic Church and we can easily put up a strong argument that this quaint Upsilon circus is but the tip of a social iceberg that few “activists” truly grasp. Horrors, right?
But the community of shrill traditional Filipino “activists” are anything but horrified. Indeed, most of them are actually from these schools and are at the moment (as I write this) focused on being fans of the equally chi chi University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball games — in solidarity with products of the very culture that forges the brotherhoods of the Ateneo, La Salle and, yes, the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity.
It is interesting to note that even within the Upsilon lives a sub social hierarchy where, sitting at the apex of this little pyramid are, you guessed it, alumni of the Ateneo and La Salle gradeschools and highschools. Indeed, unbeknownst to most, not all Upsilon “brods” are created equal either. The common denominator in this elitism is all-boys ultra-expensive private school grads. Me being, myself, a product of this system (full-disclosure ticked right there), will be the first to say that there is nothing inherently wrong with being a grad of the Hill. Rather, what we need to highlight is the banal inconsistency and, worse, deliberate selectiveness in the “activism” that many in our chi chi circles lead.
The elitism of Upsilon is no more than a diluted verion of the infinitessimally elite community of Filipinos who are alumni of the Ateneo and La Salle grade schools and high schools. Yet this diluted elitism is disproportionately accused of creating the toxic culture that is now on exhibit for all mainstreamdom in the media and “activist” communities to feast on. What hasn’t been highlighted is the far more elite potential cradles of social and gender elitism. On that, perhaps it is high time more scrutiny be applied to evaluating what sorts of Filipinos the Ateneo and La Salle systems actually produce. For that matter, there is something to be said about the Philippines’ overall education landscape which is anything but the true egalitarian systems that characterise truly progressive and truly liberal societies that can be found in the First World.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Well, when you are in a group that feels superiority to others outside the group, you will want this group to dominate and rule society because even if there is the most intelligent person in the society but outside of your group do exist, he/she will still be lower than you. Wait a minute, that’s about white supremacy!
We have all experienced the basta pinoy da best attitude. A mentality that stems that just because something is yours, it is flawless. That blanket pinoy attitude has filtered down to the great rivalries in this country . What we have is the only thing that is relevant. If you are on the other side then what you have is negligible. Asides from Katipunan- Taft those rivalries include ABS- CBN- GMA7 , Globe- Smart , Dilawan – the bulk of humanity. Philippines is an emo culture. Many times pinoys feel they have to preserve their own tribe so much that go on auto pilot with their blind loyalty. Some people get furious with the Trump base when we see that so often in our local culture it is invisible.
That is why the standards and expectations to perform are so low if your fan base will accept anything. Once you elect a 50 year old whose own campaign could not highlight one measly accomplishment. Of course you have to play up dead parents to make the more gullible in society to play along. They play along with the fact the living in the last 50 years have accomplished as much as the dead have in the last two.
Which brings us back to the Blue Eagles. Nobody find it weird that when a president gets labelled as dumb the same school pops up? You got to stand for something or you gonna fall for anything. Anybody who triumphs a nil-achiever (who can not lead by example and who never earned responsibility at any level ) as a president is indeed an organization that falls for anything.
I am glad that I was not a graduate of these exclusive universities, with Roman Catholic clergy oriented mindsets. I was never a member of any “barbaric” fraternity, that calls themselves : “exclusive”.
This “elitism” of these universities is reflected in the elitism of our political system, and our government… We can see that most of the politicians and our leaders, were graduates of these universities, and were members of these fraternities. Most of them are c rooks also, who are stealing our taxpayers’ money, and are living the “exclusive” way of life at our expense !
FILIPINOS ARE SUPERIOR !!! In the U.S. Filipinos feel superior! THEY ARE SUPERIOR !!! According to Fake-American struggling-in-English Filipinos.
Filipinos derided us, Born-in-America Americans, of faulty spoken and written English.
***I have not noticed this my recent mail-order-bride thru 24-hour free shipping and delivery told me***
She said her Filipino co-workers laugh at Americans. Real Americans. Before she quit her job to be with me in the Philippines to teach conversational colloquial English at BPOs.
When she said that is mean to criticize Americans English when the Americans allowed them to accept their surrender to former colonial American masters and apply for re-colonization. They came back at her and accused her as “strip-club wife of White American” and told her their “1st Amendment Right!”
FILIPINOS ARE ARROGANT !!!
Despite their arrogance, when American policemen pull over these “toughies from Philippines” they roll down their windows and stammer while their hands at two-o’clock at the wheel so police can see them they are not holding gun that may hurt American policemen and said, “Officer, Sir, what seems to be the problem”
THEY LOOK SO PATHETIC AND COWARDLY. Trembling. Loosing their English. They do what our Policemen commanded them to do. Step out of the car … slowly … no quick moves or we will blow your f*no head off. Put your hands at the back and sit on the curb while policemen check for balut or fighting dogs and fighting cocks or most of all cheap F*no drugs.
THESE FILIPINOS FOLLOW THESE TO VOICE COMMAND. Nothing like, “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? DO YOU KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS?” Nothing like that. These coward Filipinos just meekly follow.
Bring these fraternity brothers to America and we will teach them how to follow the law.
AMERICA HAVE LAW-ABIDING ELITE. We can investigate Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and their coterie of high-end high-value rich cohorts. We arrested the brother of Bill Clinton in Hermosa Beach for driving under the influence. The house of councilor of Los Angeles was raided by FBI and they came out with boxes and boxes of potential evidence. There was no he-said-she-said typewritten notarized Affidavits and circus before the raid. We just swoop in … silently … no public discourse … discourse comes later after all evidences are laid bare.
In the Philippines they make noise thru fake journalists thru fake newspapers … and the jury is the public … EVEN BEFORE THEY “RAID” THEIR HOMES AND THE SUSPECTS HAS ALREADY CLEANED THEIR HOME TIDY OF EVIDENCES ….
STUPID! IDIOT! NUTS!!! AND THEY ARE GRADUATES FROM ATENEO LA SALLE U.P. AND PMA ….
FILIPINOS JUST DO NOT HAVE THE BRAINS ….. THEY CAN TOP THE BAR EXAM AND MARTSA-MARTSA SA PLAZA BUT do not know how to conduct investigations and journalism …..
You forgot our very rigid and solid driving under the influence program.
America has law-abiding elite.
Then why are beasts like Bill Cosby just imprisoned instead of being put to death by electric chair???
FILIPINOS ARE GENERALIST generalisimos … “Then why are beasts like Bill Cosby just imprisoned instead of being to death by electric chair???”
WE MAY HAVE SEX LIKE DOGS doing it different ways BUT WE ARE HUMANE than FILIPINOS.
REMEMBER IRAQ? Iraqis would rather surrender to Americans than their fellow Iraqis. WHY? Because we treat them like humans. Our chicken has larger cages and less crowded than Filipino jails
R.P. FRATERNITIES ARE GANGS !!! In the Philippines Fraternities and a band of marauding gangs. Because the PMA are afraid of them. Or, they wanted to be with them to partake of their wealth.
THAT IS WHY THE LAST-REMAINING SPANISH COLONISTS ARE UNTOUCHABLES. No corruption charges ever. EVER.
Or, the last-remaining Spanish colonists are just plain HONEST. …. OR RAPPLER IS JUST SOOOOOO SCARRRRrred AFRAID.
FILIPINOS ARE COWARD ….. You can scream at me…. you can troll me …. YOU CAN YELL AT ME ….. n the end FILIPINOS ARE STILL COWARD …
Philippines has never invaded and colonized a country …. Philippines has never defeated colonists …..
Philippines has been a colony under Spain for 350 years
50 years under the U.S.
5 years under Japan …
another 2 years under the U.S. and gave them independence in a silver platter only to be handed to FILIPINOS and colonized the igorots.
FILIPINOS SHOULD ATTACK CHINA. It is about time the toughie Filipinos only-in-Social Media should stand up be counted and armed to attack China and retake scarborough shoal to make their mouth hold true
PHILIPPINES SHOULD BEGIN ROUNDING UP FRATERNITY BROTHERS AND ARM THEM AND SEND THEM TO HERE: http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/index.html
FILIPINO ELITE FORCE. If anyone bothers to follow the link above … these men are brave … THEY ARE ELITE FRONT LINE FORCE against Chinese invasion.
THESE MEN ARE ELITIST !!! ELITE FORCE !!! Stationed in post-apocalypse troop carrier WITH NO TROOPS INSIDE …
The first line of defense !!! Or, were they sent here because they committed serious crime in the Philippines? Is their punishment? Possibly! Because it is beyond imagination how they can defend themselves from onslaught of Chinese Armada.
From a Dutch perspective and only by means of sharing:
One can only join a fraternity (Dutch: studenten vereniging) when being a student at a – dutch – university. So, the minimum age of a student is 18 years and most likely older when joined for the first time. Every Dutch fraternity is mixed. The best known fraternity in the Netherlands is Minerva from the Leiden University. The entire dutch royal family (at least Beatrix and her son – the current Dutch king – Willem) are member of this fraternity. Being a member of a fraternity is best described as being a network for life.
FBI RAID. This is how we do investigation:
*Roughly 15 federal agents showed up at Burke’s office in Chicago’s City Hall around 7:30 am Central time and took over the office by kicking out staffers and papering over the windows, according to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune.
*The agents left in the early afternoon with “one cardboard file box, a computer and two computer monitors,” according to the Sun-Times.
*The windows were also papered over at Burke’s office in Chicago’s 14th Ward, according to the Tribune.
Here: https://www.vox.com/2018/11/29/18118393/ed-burke-fbi-raid-trump-lawyer
WE DO NOT TELL ANYBODY …
WE DO NOT GO TO PRESS …
INVESTIGATION ARE UNDER THE RADAR …
NO CIRCUS …
Then in the early morning hours … we swoop in … ask employees to leave … gather boxes of evidences … carted off computers … windows papered over so the outside world cannot know what we are doing inside and what filing cabinets we sifted thru … WE LEAVE … WE CHARGE … THIS IS THE AMERICAN WAY the Filipino lawyers and PMA investigators were trained … not in the Philippines but in America … including your textbooks are authored by Americans …
JUST THE SAME FILIPINOS CAN TOP BAR EXAM AND PMA martsa-martsa sa Plaza AND FILIPINOS JUST CANNOT LEARN HOW TO APPLY THEIR BAR EXAM and martsa-martsa sa Plaza.
If Philippine Bar topnotchers cannot know what to do with what they learn JUST IMAGINE THOSE FILIPINOS WHO ARE NOT BAR TOPNOTCHERS …. They are clear as day as EMPTY HEADED !!!.
Heard about Michael Cohen? Yeah, without the people knowing MICHAEL COHEN PLED GUILTY AND BECOME MUELLER’S RAT.
There are people who do not want to be called an elite, for example Einstein, he doesn’t want to be called an elite because he knows to well that there were people who were far more knowledgeable than him. He doesn’t take credit of what he was known for in science and that’s just humility. But Pilipinos are different.
The reason why Pilipinos like to be an elite and be treated like an elite is because it feels good to be in a god-status level, to be high above others, like God, and of course, God doesn’t like this, this is the ultimate sin.
God only forgive those who do not know what they are doing, but now you know.
And for those who do not believe in God, they dont care what god thinks and who he forgives.
Like Stalin, Mao, and Pol-Pot, they don’t care what god thinks and who he forgives.
Atheist may not believe in God, but there’s really nothing that prevents him/her from acting like one.
FILIPINOS ARE ELITE PEOPLE … so they think. Why Filipinos think this way because for hundreds of years they were deprived of respect. FILIPINOS WANTED TO BE LIKE THE SPANISH COLONISTS THAT THEY HATED …. now they WANT TO BE SPANISH COLONISTS.
Why they wanted to be SPANISH COLONISTS? Because Spanish Colonists are honest, kind, brilliant, intelligent and Industrious.
Just look at the last remaining Spanish colonists from Ayalas to Zobels. They built the country thru their industries and financial institutions. THEY ARE NOT INTO CORRUPTION. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CHARGED OF ANY NOR GOSSIPS.
*** JUST ASK RAPPLER … THEY CANNOT FIND ANY SHENANIGANS OF THE LAST REMAINING SPANISH COLONISTS … DESPITE BEING DEMONIZED IN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HISTORY TEXTBOOKS AS DEMONS. THEY WERE ALSO DEMONIZED BY AMERICAN-APPOINTED HERO, JOSE RIZAL***
Spanish Colonists try to colonize the brains of Filipinos so they can have COLONIAL MENTALITY like the mentality of the colonists BUT FILIPINOS DID NOT WANT OF THAT …. THEY WANT THEIR OWN CULTURAL MENTALITY: THIEVERY … CORRUPTION …
***What Rappler attacks are their Fellow Brown-Skin 100% Filipino. They are game to Rappler. BECAUSE RAPPLER IS ANTI-PINOY. RAPPLER HATES PINOYS BUT LOVES LAST REMAINING SPANISH COLONISTS***
Not only that, brown-skin Filipinos adore and idolize Spanish Colonist looks like Piolo and Hayden Kho and Maricar Reyes … THOSE ARE THE LOOKS OF THE “HATED” SPANISH COLONISTS THAT THEY WORSHIP
@sarda: in Catholic theology, pride is known as “the father of all sin”.
Filipinos, God-fearing Catholics that they are, decide that pride is a virtue.
The outcome of that is clear for all to see. So maybe those Catholic theologians were onto something.
Whereas in Japan, uniformity is a virtue.
Filipinos are likely misguided folks who have mistaken pride for self-respect/self-worth (one’s SUV brand being the most important parameter in life).
If it’s singing from the heart that counts, the national anthem might as well be replaced by “learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all…” – the Pinoy’s favorite verse in the “Catholic Bible”.
Exactly, they confuse “pride” with “self-respect”. To be fair, this is a common malaise in The West too, although the confusion there is between “self-esteem” and “self-respect”.
I thought the favourite verse was “go forth and multiply …”
The ultimate goal of elitism has always been to achieve the god-level status and Pilipinos are forced to take this path because they think this is the only path.
This whole “blue blood” thing is gross and disgusting. The local liberals and elitists are the original “supremacists” in believing themselves to be apart and above others. Feelings of superiority always stem from an illusion.
As far as i’m concerned, those Upsilonians, UP people, Lasallians and Ateneans all belong to the same elite. That same elite that has led the country to nowhere, and should be first against the wall when shit hits the fan.