FOLLOWING our conversation about Nationalism, my boyfriend asked me, “What’s the most Pinoy thing right now?” My brain was scrambling for answers while he was smiling at me with those perfect teeth. Adobo would have been an easy answer. But, that was too easy. His clever eyes were saying he just thought of a brilliant idea.
Complaining about the nation’s state of affairs and posting it on social media while actually not contributing anything for the good of society? Hmmm. Sounds about right but even that seems too bleak for my taste. Instead of saying what I thought of, I answered him with my furrowed brows and quizzical look.
“Jejemon,” he said as if it was the most obvious answer. My stomach squirmed. I’ve heard of songs associated as jejemon (“Nadarang” and “Kalimutan Mo Na Yan” come to mind) but these aren’t highly representative of being Pinoy, right?
“Well, mora’g naa siyay merit.” [Well, it seems it has merit], I said with obvious hesitation. “Unsay mora’g? Naa man jud.”[You think? It really does (have merit)], he replied. Then, he proceeded to tell me reasons why jejemon is the most pinoy thing these days.
For one, most pinoys could relate to it. Have you been jilted? Have you been pursued by someone you absolutely have no interest in? Have you been angry? There is bound to be a jejemon song for your predicament. Two, it is easily understandable. You could be listening to a jejemon song while on a jeep and you wouldn’t need that much brainpower to understand the meaning.
I’m sure he had more to add but his explanation was cut short when I had to go home and ride a habal-habal.
The habal-habal ride got me thinking. From my previous article, I said to own being Filipino but when I was presented this idea, I cringed. I am a hypocrite.
And then, I realized. He’s right. Jejemon is the most Pinoy thing these days. Think about it. It’s like a litmus test. Filipinos would either hate it or love it. There is no in between. You’ll love it because it speaks to you or you hate it for deeper reasons.
I hate it because it’s “baduy,” “jologs,” unclassy, pedestrian, and every other word synonymous with “masa.” I hate how its lyrics is overly simplistic. I hate how it leaves something to be desired. It has so much to be improved on and yet little to be proud of. I hate how it’s ubiquitous; you can’t seem to escape from it.
Notice anything? These are some of the very same reasons why it is so hard to own being a Filipino. Somehow, being Pinoy is equated to being masa. Being masa is a state that we should get out from. But aren’t we masa? Don’t we work six times a week so we could pay the bills and enjoy a few weekends? Don’t we eat “bulad” for breakfast before going to work? Don’t we have a hard time making ends meet? When do we start appreciating who we are, what we have, and improve on it?
The next time you hear a jejemon song, listen to it from beginning to end and try not to cringe. Promise? I’ll do the same.