craig aquino,
Pride isn’t always a bad thing. Parents can take pride in their children; students can take pride in their high grades; and, in general, people can take pride in their achievements.
However, as with a lot of other things, a severe excess is bad.
Filipinos are known to be very proud of their heritage. At the slightest mention of anything Pinoy in an international context, they are quick to take credit. Filipino participating in the Winter Olympics? KABABAYAN KO ‘YAN!! A half-Filipino joining a foreign talent competition? PINOY PRIDE!!! A Hollywood celebrity is 1/16 Filipino? PROUD TO BE PINOY!!! A runner-up in an international beauty pageant is 1/64 Filipino? FILIPINO STRONGEST RACE!!! Pinay maid helping raise a foreign champion swimmer? FILIPINO PRIDE!!!
However, is this really the way to show #PinoyPride?
There is nothing wrong with displaying a sense of patriotism. Citizens being proud of their country is a sign of national unity and cohesion. However, this display is petty and shallow.
Filipinos are quick to jump on the bandwagon of praising their fellows once international acclaim is met. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, what happens is that no support is provided to those local talents on the difficult way to success. It is only when the trials have been passed and there is praise to be reaped that the Filipino come shouting.
Filipinos also grasp at threads just to be able to claim that they are great. No matter how minor the involvement of Filipino culture or how far removed from Filipino heritage something is, Pinoys still take pride in it so long as it can be labelled ‘Pinoy’.
Besides that, there is a culture of immediately antagonising those who criticise anything Filipino.
For example, when a non-Filipino makes fun of Filipino stereotypes online, they are immediately responded to by offended Pinoys who generally respond in uppercase letters and angry remarks. Meanwhile, the same Pinoys openly make racist statements and degrade those different from them.
Another example is the international criticism of the administration’s war on drugs and disregard of human rights. So many Filipinos took to social media to refute these criticisms. They threatened, slandered, and insulted just to protect their view of Filipinos being perfect.
This does not help the Filipino people at all. This is a narcissistic view that fails to recognise the ills in our society. It is a show of a sense of grandiosity which prevents us from improving as a nation. Rather than show how much one loves one’s country, actions like these demonstrate the exact opposite: that one does not actually appreciate the country enough to act for its betterment.
If the Filipino people truly want to demonstrate their love for the Philippines, they should do so in better ways. They could support local talents on the way to acclaim. They could buy more local products to support the country’s economy. They could promote indigenous culture and take pride in the truly Filipino. Finally, they could act for the betterment of the country, instead of insisting on a perfection not truly there.
Pinoy Pride, as it is, is a blight upon Filipino society. It is shallow, disgusting, and blind. It purports to display a love of our country, but fails to show a true appreciation of our culture, race, and heritage. It is pride in name and not in deeds. It does not value the Pinoy. Rather, it values merely the ‘Pinoy’.//by Craig Aquino and Cyrille Villanueva
Opinion: #PinoyPride
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| Photo credit: Gail Clemente |
Pride isn’t always a bad thing. Parents can take pride in their children; students can take pride in their high grades; and, in general, people can take pride in their achievements.
However, as with a lot of other things, a severe excess is bad.
Filipinos are known to be very proud of their heritage. At the slightest mention of anything Pinoy in an international context, they are quick to take credit. Filipino participating in the Winter Olympics? KABABAYAN KO ‘YAN!! A half-Filipino joining a foreign talent competition? PINOY PRIDE!!! A Hollywood celebrity is 1/16 Filipino? PROUD TO BE PINOY!!! A runner-up in an international beauty pageant is 1/64 Filipino? FILIPINO STRONGEST RACE!!! Pinay maid helping raise a foreign champion swimmer? FILIPINO PRIDE!!!
However, is this really the way to show #PinoyPride?
There is nothing wrong with displaying a sense of patriotism. Citizens being proud of their country is a sign of national unity and cohesion. However, this display is petty and shallow.
Filipinos are quick to jump on the bandwagon of praising their fellows once international acclaim is met. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, what happens is that no support is provided to those local talents on the difficult way to success. It is only when the trials have been passed and there is praise to be reaped that the Filipino come shouting.
Filipinos also grasp at threads just to be able to claim that they are great. No matter how minor the involvement of Filipino culture or how far removed from Filipino heritage something is, Pinoys still take pride in it so long as it can be labelled ‘Pinoy’.
Besides that, there is a culture of immediately antagonising those who criticise anything Filipino.
For example, when a non-Filipino makes fun of Filipino stereotypes online, they are immediately responded to by offended Pinoys who generally respond in uppercase letters and angry remarks. Meanwhile, the same Pinoys openly make racist statements and degrade those different from them.
Another example is the international criticism of the administration’s war on drugs and disregard of human rights. So many Filipinos took to social media to refute these criticisms. They threatened, slandered, and insulted just to protect their view of Filipinos being perfect.
This does not help the Filipino people at all. This is a narcissistic view that fails to recognise the ills in our society. It is a show of a sense of grandiosity which prevents us from improving as a nation. Rather than show how much one loves one’s country, actions like these demonstrate the exact opposite: that one does not actually appreciate the country enough to act for its betterment.
If the Filipino people truly want to demonstrate their love for the Philippines, they should do so in better ways. They could support local talents on the way to acclaim. They could buy more local products to support the country’s economy. They could promote indigenous culture and take pride in the truly Filipino. Finally, they could act for the betterment of the country, instead of insisting on a perfection not truly there.
Pinoy Pride, as it is, is a blight upon Filipino society. It is shallow, disgusting, and blind. It purports to display a love of our country, but fails to show a true appreciation of our culture, race, and heritage. It is pride in name and not in deeds. It does not value the Pinoy. Rather, it values merely the ‘Pinoy’.//by Craig Aquino and Cyrille Villanueva
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