Dangerous Cultural Importation

I came across a comment on FB where one commented: “it is racist.”

What is surprising is that the topic of discussion was corruption in the Philippine government!

It was so absurd that I cannot help myself but laugh loudly.

How can it be racist in the Philippines?

I only know of one race in the country, the Filipino race (if you can call it a race, I leave that discussion to sociologists and anthropologists). For clarity, I am not talking of citizenship or that of foreigners in the country.

Unlike in the US, where “race” is an issue particularly between “whites” and “blacks.”

There are no “blacks” or “whites” in the Philippines.

There is no such thing as “racism” in the Philippines.

Unless you re-define “racism” as a blanket term against anyone you disagree.

Maybe what that commenter wants to say is that some people are “bigots.”

So, is it a matter of poor vocabulary?

No, it is an ideological stance that many have accepted without any thinking.

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The problem with this absurdity is that many Filipinos exposed to social issues in the US through social media would think that what is happening there is also true here.

This unquestioning importation of “cultural issues” was already existing in the past.

For example, it has become trendy to assume that the “generational nicknames” of “Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Millennials” are also applicable to Filipinos regardless of context and culture.

Of course, it is not.

The “US Millennials” are undoubtedly different from the “Pinoy Millennials.”

But, the Pinoy media would reprint articles from the US on this subject, and the readers would devour it as if it describes them when it is not.

The US is currently undergoing political and social upheavals. Thus, the use of “racists” has become ubiquitous.

Pinoys who considered themselves “woke” (another imported cultural idea that has nothing to do with the Philippines) would also use the term “racists” to describe anything that goes against their beliefs or sentiments.

Unfortunately, this unthinking cultural importation does not happen without plans or systems.

On the contrary, it is systematic.

The media, academe, and religious institutions contribute to the spread of this cultural invasion in one way or another.

Those in positions of authority and influence are seeding the minds of the youth and those who are impressionable with ideas that are alien to the Filipino culture under the guise that this is for “renewal” or “empowerment.”

The truth is that those people in power and influence are participating in a power play.

Of course, hypocrites would deny that they are in a power play.

They would protest that what they are doing is “for change,” “it is for the common good,” “it is for renewal,” or “it is for service.”

But we all know that these are all mere platitudes spoken by those whose words are pleasing to the ears but whose actions indicate the contrary.

Due to this ideological and cultural importation, we are no longer talking about the “poor”; instead, we talk about the environment and climate emergencies.

There is no interest in fighting against divorce; instead, we purged those who posed threats against so-called “safe environments/spaces.”

We no longer speak about evangelization; instead, we equate doing God's work with efficient and transparent management processes.

The list goes on…