BANANACUE
REPUBLIC
Vol I, No. 13
Dec. 01, 2004
DRIVE-THRU (Letters)
Further comment on Love
in the Time of Racism, Part 2
Kabayan,
In the Philippines, like in Latin American countries, it is nearly impossible to distinguish bigotry from terms of endearment.
I remember being in a human rights concert in Buenos Aires, and as soon as
Tracy Chapman (black folksinger) went on stage, the whole stadium started singing (yes, singing), FEA NEGRA.
If you were a black person in the audience, you would have shrunk. These people were so conditioned to think this way, and being largely homogeneous (like the
Philippines), they had no idea that jokes like that could be hurtful.
But I was sure they didn't mean to hurt, but was in a tribal way, trying to be funny.
Did Tracy Chapman leave the stage? No. She continued singing and lo and behold, she stole the show, and was all over the media the next day.
In the same show that day, I heard people chant, GORDO, FEO, whatever was the physical attributes of whomever on stage.
That was Buenos Aires. But Philippines, no difference? ITIM, AY NEGRO AMPANGIT, INTSIK BEHO, BABOY, TABACHOY, etc. etc. etc.
Remember: BUMBAY BUMBAY BUMBAY, ANG TITI MO MATIBAY . . .
These are the kind of tribal chants that better left to rot in the old country.
In the U.S., lawsuits are made of these.
Jessica Zafra visited a few years ago and asked me, why is America all about race?
It's simple really: a country founded on genocide of a race of people will always be about race.
The racism contagion is not limited within our borders of course.
Everywhere you go, it's the same huh? Is there an antidote to bigotry.
I think there is:
KNOWLEDGE.
During my travels in Spain this year, there was one thing I realized that was different.
Whenever I was asked what my background was, and I said, Filipino, most often than not, people would stop asking any more questions.
And in Madrid, as much as in Barcelona, there are many places of business, barber shops, beauty parlors, restaurants, etc. that derive their names from the
Philippines: Luzon, Ilang-ilang, Sampaguita, Manila this and that.
People are not as ignorant as
Americans. When people can look at each within a context of knowledge, we stereotype less,
don't we? And we become less xenopobic, no?
Ignorance is the worst of human folly.
That's the place where Pagdanganan failed. His emotionalism has taken him there.
And it is sad that a Filipino official would say that. I appreciate you sharing his somewhat CINDERELLA story.
What he really needs I think, is Henry Higgins, from MY FAIR LADY, someone who can teach him some manners and decorum.
Bino
p.s. Jojo, I appreciate this exchange. You're a great mind. If your thinking process is a virus, please infect the whole country. :-)
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*Our
letter-writer,
New York-based Fil-Am novelist and poet Bino (Realuyo) is the author of
the highly-acclaimed novel The Umbrella Country. Click here
to visit his website.