Bale, ang Pinoy Racism… sa kapwa Pinoy lang

Napanood at nabasa ko lang sa internet yung term na “intraracial racism.” Hindi ko siya inimbento. Hindi ko rin siya pinag-aralan nang pormal. Pero nung narinig ko siya, parang may kumatok na pamilyar. Parang hindi bagong konsepto, kundi bagong pangalan lang sa luma nang ugali.

Sabi doon, posible daw maging racist ang isang tao sa sarili niyang lahi. At sa Pilipinas, hindi ito mahirap hanapan ng halimbawa. Hindi ito yung klasikong racism na iniisip ng karamihan. Walang lahing ibang tinatamaan. Sariling atin ang target.

May hierarchy kahit pare-pareho tayong Pilipino. Kulay ng balat. Punto ng salita. Lugar na pinanggalingan. Antas ng buhay. Maputi ka, may lamang ka. Moreno o maitim, may kasunod na biro o duda. Galing ka sa Maynila, parang default na “mas may alam.” Galing ka sa probinsya, parang may kailangang patunayan.

Hindi ito laging lantaran. Minsan biro lang. Minsan “ganun talaga.” Pero paulit-ulit. At dahil paulit-ulit, nagiging normal.

At dahil dyan, napaisip tuloy ako. Hindi na sa nalaman ko, kundi sa nakikita at napapansin.

Habang malaya tayong maghusga sa kapwa Pilipino, iba ang kilos natin sa banyaga. Biglang may control. Biglang may effort. Biglang may kabaitan na halos scripted.

Hindi ko sinasabing peke lahat. Pero hindi rin siya ganap na natural.

Parang may silent agreement: Kapag banyaga ang kaharap mo, dapat mabait ka. Dapat magalang ka. Dapat ipakita mo na “ganito ang Pilipino.”

Kasi kapag umuwi siya sa bansa niya at nagkuwento, hindi lang ikaw ang nire-represent niya. Buong Pilipinas.

Kaya ang nangyayari, nagiging parang walking advertisement ang Pilipino. Hindi lang tao, kundi promo material.

“Punta kayo sa Pilipinas, mababait kami.”

Hindi mo man sabihin nang direkta, pero nandun yung intent. Parang sales talk na hindi mo inamin sa sarili mo.

At syempre, may kapalit iyon. Turismo. Opportunity. Good image.

Samantalang sa kapwa Pilipino, wala namang kailangang i-maintain na imahe. Kilala ka na. Kilala mo na sila.

Kaya doon lumalabas yung totoo.

Doon ka malayang manghusga. Doon ka hindi nagfi-filter. Doon mo nilalabas yung standard mo, kung sino ang “lamang” at kung sino ang “kulang.”

Hindi lahat ng Pilipino ganito. May mga taong patas. May mga hindi tumitingin sa kulay o pinanggalingan. May mga hindi kailangang mag-adjust depende sa kausap.

Pero hindi rin maikakaila na may pattern.

At minsan, ang pinaka-ironic na parte nito ay hindi tayo bastos sa ibang lahi, pero nagiging malupit tayo sa sarili natin.

Parang mas kaya nating respetuhin ang hindi natin kapareho, kaysa sa kapwa natin.

Siguro kasi sa banyaga, wala tayong comparison. Sa kapwa Pilipino, puno tayo ng sukatan.

Sa dulo, hindi ito simpleng usapan ng pagiging mabait o hindi.

Mas malalim siya doon.

Kasi kung ang kabaitan mo ay nakadepende sa kung sino ang kaharap mo, hindi na siya kabaitan.

Most companies are in business solely to make money, even potentially legally obligated to for shareholders.  As such, they are aligned with their wallet.  Don’t expect them to make products that are good for their customers if it conflicts with revenue, market share, investors’ goals, partners’ goals, and so on.

At the end of the day, believe it or not, capitalism rears its ugly head once again, and is a cause for many of the other issues listed here.  Is it profitable?  Then if it’s discriminatory, delusional, gatekeeping, thieving, dangerous --- none of that matters until it significantly hits a company’s bottom line or reputation.  This is not unique to AI, but when a new technology has so many thorny issues needing to be solved already, the potential consequences are combinatorial.

and, if that's the case, they set you up for consistent failure in relationships until you teach yourself that familiar is NOT healthy and break the habit of seeking out people who treat you the same way they did.

idk who needs to read this, but seriously: your parents are not perfect. the dynamic they have with you is not the only way relationships work. it is not your job to make excuses for them. they decided to bring a kid into their lives & it shoukd have been their responsibility to give you a good upbringing. and if you are constantly faced with people who treat you poorly, odds are it's because you were raised into being treated badly and are so used to it that your mind is literally seeking this out because it's familiar. your subconscious mind is an idiot and naturally works to sabbotage you & hold you back! the comfort zone is not comforting at all. . .it's just what your mind knows to be familiar and it doesn't know good from bad. and while it's not your fault that you were raised into it. . .it's on you to recognize and change it.