Racism...................

Over here there is racism......... but it's an inverted racism against themselves. Obviously everything I say is a generalisation but I think..... no I know .......that any Filipinos reading this will mostly agree with me.

Everywhere you go in the city, all the big billboards advertising this or that, the models used are always (99%) white. They watch a lot of foreign (US) TV which show the usual white handsome men and beautiful woman, rich with their nice cars, homes etc. They have been brought up on this and of course as the general population here are poor, they look up to, admire and would love to be like the all American family.
All the white tourists here are of course... in their eyes... rich, well in comparison with the average Filipino family..... we are.
The Americans helped to liberate them here during the war, they are still grateful for that and look up to America as this great country with no faults.

Everything seems to point to being white = good..... = rich.... = happiness.

Everywhere I go I experience it, I...... being this magical white colour makes me superior !!!!!

No not to me but to a lot of Filipinos, I get priority in lots of situations, walking into any mall or store, Filipinos are searched and if they have bags they get searched too, I am mostly just waved right through, if I have a bag they may sometimes have a courtesy glance but no more.
Cabs will always stop for me over a Filipino but that's only because they think they will get a bigger tip.. but that still falls into this syndrome.... because I am white therefore I am rich.

My goodness they even have skin whiteners here that you can buy in stores, you can have your skin whitened in clinics just like having a facial or any other beauty treatment. People use umbrellas as parasol's to avoid their skin getting darker. The darker your skin is here the lower down the class system you are. Because having dark skin indicates that you are working outside in the sun, could be on a farm or whatever but you are a lowly worker. Being light skin is looked up to as either you don't work or at least you don't work outside in the sun.

I must admit that the people in the slum areas and from certain parts of the Philippines do have darker skin, it is noticeable therefore it is easy to put them in a certain bracket... is that racism or just being aware. From my point of view I would say that I'm just aware of the difference, to be racist in my opinion is to treat someone differently because of that difference.

I talk to any and everyone, I've had good chats with road sweepers as well as anyone else... am I putting a tag on road sweepers.... probably inasmuch as they do have a recognized lowly job... so what does that make me !!
Anyway I do talk to everyone and am friendly with all, I never treat anyone badly ( though sometimes I have to count to 10) or look down on them when I have any dealings with them. I pride myself on being friendly with whoever I come in contact with, I know a lot appreciate it as an unexpected friendliness from a " foreigner". I try to be humble in every situation and I find it easy to be so with such a wonderful, friendly and helpful society of people.

When I have been the coach during these badminton tourneys, my players have the advantage over their opposition simply because they have a white coach.. white coach = superior coach= superior player.... of course it's not true but that is the perception.

This is also one of the reasons that national Philippines badminton players don't so well against white foreign opposition, they are in a lot of cases just as good or even better, but they have this psychological inferiority complex which affects their game.

I've spoken with some young University graduates about this, they agree with me and are trying to change it, as they say... Filipinos must start to recognize that they are equal to any other race or colour. The main thing for me was that they recognized it and gave me many instances when they themselves have experienced the syndrome.

Anyway this is a bit too heavy a subject for my little blog, especially as I am writing this at 9am on a Thursday morning.

I have lots of chores to do today so I better get started.

Have a look again at the pic in my post titled "yyeeessssss ssiiiiiirrrrr" as Gary in Canada brightened it up for me, you can see my face clearer now..... gary's young so he doesn't realise yet that as you get older you actually want photos of your face to be darker as then people can't see how old you really look !!! ;-) Joking Gary.... thanks mate.

The sun ISN'T shining her in Manila yet, it's actually cloudy but I guess the sun will burn off the clouds and eventually show itself.


Thought for the day from Father McGuire... ;-)

Be nice to your road sweeper, school janny or any other considered low status person today... give him or her a smile and a kind word.... it will be appreciated