Duality within the Stereotyped Character of the Average Filipino

Your blogger here has always considered himself above the typical racial stereotyping that goes on in societies around the world.  He tries to see only individuals and their unique personalities, some of which are component traits that can be observed in a diversity of different societies with little interaction (such as individualism, optimism, rebelliousness against the status quo).  But residing and bonding with people who are eager to resort to certain "national/ethnic characters" as the primary means of making sense of their own existences and their places in the world, he finds himself gradually succumbing to similar tendencies...

Especially here in Asia, racial generalization exists as a social norm, and the primary building block of any casual social observation.  And absolutely scary for those of us with a Western liberal arts educational background, the Asians are fond of stereotyping not only others, but also themselves, as in the study of "national character" in Japan so perfectly illustrates.  People are so prone to introducing themselves as part of a larger ethnic or cultural community that shares, according to them, most behavioral tendencies, that one, after meeting even a few of them, begins to wonder exactly what makes them separate individuals.

And as much as many Filipinos seek to escape their Asian heritage by describing themselves as "Pacific Islanders," they have not escaped this uniquely Asian tendency of framing their own existence in terms of belonging to an omnipresent concept of "Filipino people."  In the mind of an ardent internationalist, it is simply sad how an arbitrary social construct formed within the confines of an equally arbitrary geographic/political boundaries becomes so dominant.  However, for those new to the country and never been to the country at all, these are the only available proxies for learning about its people, and will still have to be noted.

And without much further ado, these are the so-called "national traits" of the "Filipino people" and how their adherence have changed the Filipino society.  One common theme of these highly stereotyped and generalized points of pure vagueness is just how much of a duality all of them represent.  For each seemingly positive character, there is always a dark negative side that must exist to sustain its bright facade.  On paper, they all sound nice, but when seen in the context of their respective social consequences, perhaps every Filipino can be a bit more cautious about stereotyping themselves.

(1) "Friendliness."  Every Filipino will boast just how much strangers are welcomed by Filipinos and are shown a good time in the Philippines.  Many a foreigner agrees.  However, in reality, such concept of "friendliness" is also a reflection of certain self-loathing.  Over a dinner with coworkers, one person remarked just how foreigners get so much more respect than Filipinos in the Philippines.  She spoke of how she will never get touched when entering a bank while a Filipino will get a full-on airport security-style body check.  Her boyfriend spoke of drivers who give right-of-way to foreign pedestrians while driving after locals. 

While the universal definition of hospitality does include leaving the best for guests, the way Filipinos are doing it may be causing a certain degree of social degeneration.  One can observe instances of locals putting themselves down to the level of servitude, when none is actively asked for, to satisfy the needs of those they perceive as "above them" socially, whether it be foreign bosses or local strongmen.  They redefine their own happiness as finding happiness for these sometimes ungrateful people, systematically erasing their own individuality and sense of egalitarianism to achieve the sometimes unattainable goal.

(2) "Fun-loving."  Indeed, devoid of strict religious restrictions and attentive to the Spanish/American heritages, Philippines can easily match the partying culture of any Western country.  And with plenty of cheap booze to fuel the fun, the fun is obviously there.  But just as "fun-loving" is in itself a logical extension of "friendliness" mentioned above, the undersides of these two traits are also deeply connected, propping up each other to make sure that not one can exist without the sustenance of the other.  The two combined are not spontaneous, but a collective need for a social pressure valve.

What social pressure valve, you may ask?  Across, it is the stress of keeping up the "friendliness."  Constantly showing a good face to obnoxious foreigners is not easy on the nerves.  And it only becomes more nerve-wrecking when one comes to perceive that "friendliness" are necessary for keeping one's job, social position, and livelihood.  So when the time comes (as was the case in any ongoing Christmas parties), they will need to loosen up those tightened nerves.  Alcohol helps, but an alcohol-fueled sudden deviation from that social contract for putting one below others is the ultimate social salvation.

A slightly tipsy Filipino is a king of his/her own kingdom, courageously flaunting his/her impeccable (and for many, this is certainly true) singing and dancing skills.  The logic is not different from what happens in Japan or Korea, but a step up: it is not just about going crazy and escaping social restrictions (as in Japan or Korea) but a confidence-building exercise to reestablish one's self-worth as an individual, not just as one trapped in self-enforced servitude.  The Western mind can easily relate that search for the individual and will shower genuine applause upon that resulting "fun."