Saturday, September 22, 2007

Racism

As long as it’s not about Philippine politics, I can endure watching news on local TV. Unfortunately, after the Erap saga, here comes the ZTE controversy which has made the Philippine government stink 1 million times more. Bad news on local TV makes me flip channels and I often end up turning off my TV set instead.

The JENA 6, has been a hot topic on CNN recently, and it’s about racism (allegedly), in the US.

Anyway, it made me recall about the racist me, years ago. Then young and uneducated, just like most Filipinos, I grew up with the notion that “black is NOT beautiful” and adored anything white. There was this young girl in our town that we used to tease because of her color. Her father (whom she had never known) is black. I remember she used to just shy away every time we call her names.

Today she’s a tall, sexy lady often mistaken as an African-American. I’ve always wanted to tell her she’s very beautiful, I feel like it’s the best way for me to “apologize”.


Asians are discriminated just like Africans, Middle Easterns and Latin Americans. Of course, white people are no exemptions. Racism exists anywhere in the world. In the Philippines, despite being called hospitable people, some tend to discriminate other races sometimes. But at least it doesn't go beyond calling someone ugly or "mabaho". I’m glad to say also that no one has died here because of racial discrimination. I hope that will never happen.


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

This recalled me of MLK Jr.'s I Have a Dream. Very inspiring.

Yes Ely, that would never happen again...

Anonymous said...

Hey Ely,

I went to school here in the US (in Washington DC and in Philadelphia). In DC, I've never been called ever as Pinoy. I've always been mistaken as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese or Thailander. In Philadelphia - same thing - except that I have a pinay classmate who grew up in Boston who corrected them.

I was actually a victim of racism myself. I think it was in the 80's when Toyota went number 1 in the US and the big three carmakers in Detroit went kulelat and there were a lot of layoffs then as I remember.

Everyone hated Asians, especially if you're Japanese. Back in our neighborhood, which was more like a ghetto then, then hit my car with a baseball bat because i was driving a honda civic then. It was not a pleasant site. Twas really scary.

Anonymous said...

How sad ... sad to think that some really lack some manners ...

Sidney said...

Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.
-Author Unknown-

pusa said...

so ely, were you able to tell the girl that she's pretty =)

Ely said...

hi reyn, used to memorize that back in highschool...

reyna elena, I've heard most FIlipinos are always mistaken as Latin American and never Asian, tama ba? Scary experience you had...

Pusa, no, not yet. :P

Anonymous said...

Racism do exists everywhere, it all boils down to our upbringing...

Anonymous said...

unfair nga nmn ang racism.. but it's everywhere. sad but true.. it's inevitable.

Anonymous said...

uh, racism is what i hate the most. as in.

aaargh.

even within asian communities may discrimination eh, Koreans vs Japanese, Chinese vs Japanese.

dorkzter said...

racial discrimination's awful. i hate it.
un lng po BOW! :D

Anonymous said...

actually, racist ang mga pinoy.

ayaw natin sa mga bombay kasi mababaho. ayaw natin sa mga tsekwa kasi kuripot. ayaw natin sa mga pango ang ilong, kasi masyadong pinoy ang itsura. ayaw natin sa mga pranses kasi hindi naliligo. ayaw natin sa mga hapon kasi sakang at weirdo mag-isip. ayaw natin sa mga native tribes kasi masyadong backward. ayaw natin sa mga negro kasi maiitim.

etc.

Anonymous said...

That's true dam-dam. A saddening reality. :"(

Unknown said...

Hey, nabalitaan nyo na yung sa Desperate Housewives? Tsk tsk..another form of racism!

Ely said...

ndi pa reyn, what about it?

Unknown said...

Eto Ely oh, from GMANews.TV

In the season premiere that aired Sunday on ABC, Teri Hatcher's character, Susan, goes in for a medical checkup and is shocked when the doctor suggests she may be going through menopause.

"Listen, Susan, I know for a lot of women the word 'menopause'" has negative connotations. You hear 'aging,' 'brittle bones,' 'loss of sexual desire,'" the gynecologist tells her.

"OK, before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to make sure they aren't, like, from some med school in the Philippines?" Susan fires back.

Tsk tsk..naging instant attraction yan among Filipino med professionals around the globe. Maraming natanggap na calls sa isang araw lang yung company na nag-air ng show na yan...

Ely said...

OK. hot topic sa mga blogs and pati sa news. I'm not a fan of DH, pero kahit i-ban yan ng milyon-milyong Pinoy sa buong mundo, hindi affected and show.

Imbes na mag-react ng husto ang mga Pinoy, sana ayusin na lang ang imahe natin...hindi maganda ang image natin internationally kaya ganyan. Graft and corruption, cheating...hindi natin sila masisisi kung bat tayo nilalait.