DAVID, my boyfriend, and I found ourselves in a heated conversation about nationalism. It came up when we talked about a local dance group who emulated foreign pop culture.
Don’t get me wrong. I like foreign pop culture just as much as the next person. But as Filipinos, we have a responsibility to further our own Filipino culture. That, or at least support the artists who do that which is frustrating when other local artists would deliberately choose to do otherwise.
“Can you blame them?” he asked. No, I can’t. We grew up believing that anything foreign, or anything from a developed country, should be emulated. Buy Nike instead of shoes from Marikina. Get caviar instead of bagoong. Go to the Eiffel Tower instead of The Water Tower (that’s the city museum just so you know). Or God forbid, read Lang Leav instead of Cindy Velasquez.
“I get it [that] we should be more nationalistic, but it really isn’t in the personality or upbringing of most Filipinos,” he said. It’s true. This is a hard pill to swallow. But isn’t that reflective of our sense of identity? When we don’t choose Filipino, doesn’t that mean we’d rather not be who we are? Doesn’t that mean we hate ourselves?
I think it does. We blast too much glutathione on our skins hoping we can at least be as white as the ones who colonized us years ago. We straighten out our hair just to hide the kinks our aeta ancestors passed onto our genes. We remove any trace of Filipino just so we have a better sense of self.
I’m not saying you go and throw out all the foreign labels in your closet just to prove you are Filipino and stop buying foreign products altogether. No. What I’m saying is to choose Filipino when you are presented an option. Star Cinema instead of 20th Century Fox. Better yet, local indie Filipino film instead of Hollywood. Try reading content from local writers. Love Filipino.
And you’d probably say, “Hey, I’m a proud Filipino. I watch Manny Pacquaio’s fights.” Or “Hey, I always watch Miss Universe to support Ms. Philippines.” Okay, I’ll give you that. But what about when there is no boxing match? When there is no international beauty pageant? Would you still choose Filipino?
“We can discuss this all we want, but if the youth aren't exposed to what being a Filipino really is, then it's all for naught.” I overheard a commentator on TV saying that being confused and amused is very Filipino. I guess it is in some way. Our country is physically fragmented that we can’t pin down what being Filipino really is.
What’s it like to be Filipino? It’s recognizing that your local experience is valid. Eating “proben” at 11 in the evening just to keep the drunkenness down is Filipino. Having a childhood photograph of you at Gaston Park is Filipino. Riding the jeep and getting off at Divisoria is Filipino. Your experience is Filipino. You are Filipino. Own that.