What do you think about Philippine culture?

[amplifiedgirl]

I am just wondering,what do other asian countries think about Philippines? I know our government sucks but I just realized how wonderful our country is.We have lots of cool places to go too,speacially beaches.I just dont like that our government has put wrong impression with our country. Philippines has mixed races too.I am partly chinese so my skin is kinda yellow.Some people here are partly spanish,japanese...but most common dark skinned people that you see in the philippines are pure filipino.Indonesians and Malaysians as well as Thailanders kinda look like Filipino too. Sometimes vietnamese looks filipino too.But I wish I wasnt a filipino...hmm I wish I was japanese or korean :(

[Napoleon Chynamite]

*waits for chastizing backlash*

brown sugar is better

[LaiSteve66]

A self-hating pinay? That's new.

[jjlee3dson]

Originally Posted by amplifiedgirl

But I wish I wasnt a filipino...hmm I wish I was japanese or korean :(

Seems to me you're suffering from a bit of cultural imperialism. My experience here in southern california seems to suggest that too many filipinos expend inordinate energy in trying to be something/body else. mt filipino friends tell me the same is the case back in the islands. This post seems to confirm that.

any pinoys care to address this?

[Craig]

You can always try to find a nice Japanese or Korean guy to marry ...

[Azn Retribution]

Why hate what we are.

Everyone's culture is an amalgation of previous cultures and hardly original.

Our's just happens to be a interesting melange of european, malayasian, chinese, etc etc

Is there a specific reason you self-hate your filipino heritage?
The different looks? Chinese are hardly homogenous. (Try north chinese vs south)

You cite the perception of other countries of course your going to get one of condescendence. As is the case with ALL generalizations.
The current situation of the government in the phillippines is not legitimate judgement to put forth as an assertion on those of filipino descent.

Is it the uniqueness of korean/japanese/chinese culture? (without mentioning that they've tended to rip/influence each other multiple times and hell probably from us. remember asia in the ancient days did trade with each other quite often when they didn't have this ridiculous bullshit nationalistic pride). They've attended/maintained that by traditionally adopting closed stances towards foreigners. Our country on the other hand, has been the complete opposite. We try to absorb everything that's good and reject the bad (emphasis on try). Is it truly a bad thing that the culture isn't "distinctly" filipino? or that people stereotype the country as having mostly or soley jacked spanish culture (which is hardly the truth and is a problem with their perception/ignorance, not a problem inherent of our ethnicity)

Maybe what's unique about us is our open-mindness to other peoples concepts and ideas and how we make them our own and adapt/improve them, how open we tend to be with others (try going in a filipino house without getting offered food),

In the end isn't culture just a mixing pot of various traits. just because our culture is comprised of euro and asian doesn't make it something to be looked down upon or that makes us better.
Hell it makes us unique.
Its who we are. but it doesn't define us.


I think you should read up a bit more on filipino history than just simple anecdotes. We have alot to be proud of. Both inside our country and out.

just a few anecdotes I can remember off-hand.

- One of the most versatile, complete, effective combat/martial arts systems in the planet. Arnis/Escrima. (Just because all you've seen is the striking/weapons aspect does not mean it does not include ground fighting(MMA/BJJ stuff), in fact it is a whole branch/subset of its own within arnis called Buno. or as Dan Inosanto likened his system. the "dance of pain" which was a grappling flow meant to teach how to flow from one lock/clench/submission to the other on reaction. Arnis stands as a testament to how while the phillippines as a geographic region may have been foreignly dominated,
it's people never were. In fact Bruce Lee adapted alot of arnis/kali into his Jeet Kun Do fighting system as well as the philosophy that has eventually evolved and adapted into what is MMA today. Additionally, the footwork of arnis/kali has become the basis of the footwork in all modern boxing today. Mohommad Ali has credited his learned his deft light footwork to a filipino boxer in hawaii who was also a learned eskrimador.

How about some of the accomplishments of fellow filipinos?

Lapu Lapu - Tribal Leader who killed Magellan

Manny Pacquio - Lightweight/Featherweight Boxing Champion

Dan Inosanto - was one of the martial arts who comprised a very small informal training group/friends that included Bruce Lee and
Chuck Norris. Also as noted above, taught bruce lee the filipino martial art of kali/arnis. (Whenever you see bruce lee working nunchakus, he's using filipino forms, not japanese/korean ones)

Agapito Flores - Invented the florescent Light Bulb

Adriano Emperado - One of the five founders of Kajukenbo (a mma)

Pancho Villa - no, not the mexican one. The filipino featherweight boxer champion who's name is among those in the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Roberto del Rosario - Invented the karoake machine ( yes... you can blame us for the hell created in its wake)

Pedro Flores - adapted the yo-yo into a toy. (The yo-yo in its original form was a tribal weapon employed by filipinos. Used not too much unlike "rope dart")

Dr. Eleanor Mariano - Top Ranking officer (Rear Admiral/Admiral last time I checked) in the US Navy, Remains the first woman in the navy to ever attain that position. Additionally she is a physician and served through Elder Bush and Clinton's terms as the official physician to the president of the US

Dr Fe Del Mundo -The first WOMAN and the first asian to attend Harvard Medical school which was traditionally all male and almost always caucasian.

Jose Rodriguez - Scientist/Researcher who made breakthrough discoveries in regards to leprosy.

God I could go on and on.
There are so many of us in various fields.
Hip-Hop/Music? Ain't no DJ that can beat DJ Q*bert. hell he DEFINED the genre of turntablism. We're also behind the scenes as dancers, producers. Hey... we're a musical people we like to dance.
--

moving on...


The current government situation of the country and its third world status is not a denouncement on our whole ethnicity/nationality as i mentioned earlier anyway.

It is unfortunate that is the way things are currently, but so are alot of things, it's unfortunate that we have bush in office in the US too.
That's not necessarily connected to race.

It's just the nature of the situation with a third world country in which a majority is impoverished, ignorant/uneducated.

It's exactly the kind of situation tyrants and the corrupt thrive in and love.
and every country has gone through it.. with the exception of the US to a degree (but hey lookie at our current situation and our educational level and our new anti-intellectual mindbent)

Originally Posted by jjlee3dson

But I wish I wasnt a filipino...hmm I wish I was japanese or korean :(

Seems to me you're suffering from a bit of cultural imperialism. My experience here in southern california seems to suggest that too many filipinos expend inordinate energy in trying to be something/body else. mt filipino friends tell me the same is the case back in the islands. This post seems to confirm that.

any pinoys care to address this?

Thanks for generalizing us and the issue as a "filipino" issue.

I guess western festishment of the japanese/korean is completely unheard of no?

How about wiggers? black ppl who want to be asian? white people who want to be asian? asian people who want to be white?

Bottom line.

Everyone expends inordinate energy trying to be something their not.
It's part of growing up and finding out who you are.

[Sunflare]

I didn't read the entire thread yet, caught it at random, but speaking from the heart, one love to all the fiipinos keeping it real out there. Ya had my back in tough times when I was starving and in danger, kicked my ass (literally) when I was wrong. Ya helped this jook sing here to bring me to how I am today as a ABC with a heart of a lion. Man the days cutting high school to cause hell with society with you mofos.

The memories. . .

=)

[Sunflare]

Originally Posted by Azn Retribution

Why hate what we are.

Bottom line.

Everyone expends inordinate energy trying to be something their not.
It's part of growing up and finding out who you are.

More like growing pains, but that is definitely true. All I can add on this is that everyone is entitled to what they damn well wish to identify themselves by without interference from others with their biased ways of thinking. Heck if I wanted that same respect for myself then I should very well respect others in their journeys towards self-actualization and contentment with self.

[Mimeyo]

Originally Posted by amplifiedgirl

I am just wondering,what do other asian countries think about Philippines? I know our government sucks but I just realized how wonderful our country is.We have lots of cool places to go too,speacially beaches.I just dont like that our government has put wrong impression with our country. Philippines has mixed races too.I am partly chinese so my skin is kinda yellow.Some people here are partly spanish,japanese...but most common dark skinned people that you see in the philippines are pure filipino.Indonesians and Malaysians as well as Thailanders kinda look like Filipino too. Sometimes vietnamese looks filipino too.But I wish I wasnt a filipino...hmm I wish I was japanese or korean :(

I felt that way too we just need to be more proud of what we are...