Filipino culture
I'm a Filipino by birth... and no, I'm not particularly proud of it. In fact, I'm often ashamed of my heritage.
Some would say that I'm disloyal to my culture. Some would say that I'm a little brown American, or that I'm an "amboy" (American boy). Fine. So be it.
I'm just so disgusted with the values espoused by my people. I'm disgusted with their rampant dishonesty, and all the corruption. Some would say that this is because people are impoverished, but I disagree. Poverty does play a role, but the bigger problem is that dishonesty is deeply ingrained into Filipino culture. Even the filthy rich do their best to cheat the system, whenever they can. Even Filipinos residing in the USA try their best to do things under the table. Heck, even on the basketball court, you can expect people to play dirty.
"Basta makalusot" is their catchphrase. Even in the USA, people tend to think of us as cheaters, the type who find ways to be dishonest. One department store saleslady in San Fransisco even asked me, "Why do so many well-dressed Filipinas -- total strangers, even -- keep trying to cajole me into giving them free perfume 'samples'? When I explain that I'm not allowed to do that, they say, 'Oh, come on. Surely you can do this for me, right?' It's like they're not willing to buy the perfume honestly, so they'd rather pressure me into giving them some under the table."
No, this isn't just about poverty, folks. This is about being a dishonest cheat, even when one isn't driven by an empty wallet. And frankly, I'm disgusted by my countrymen in this regard.
I'll say more about this sometime. Suffice to say that I have little regard left for my people.
Free Webpages at Webspawner.com
Misfits of Science
Arachnology
Pulchritude
Immunology
More immunology
HP Pavilion ze4125
Send E-Mail to:
This page created using the webpage creation facilities of Webspawner.
Copyright © 2004 Dean. All Rights Reserved