Another Media Example Of Racism And Crab Mentality?

[relcarve25]

Gee!- I'm pi**ed off. I just wrote quite a long post for this topic. When I tried to post it nothing happened and it was lost. I then found that for some reason I'd been signed out. Guess I need more practice so here goes again........

 

   I think that the whole area of 'Racism,' 'Bigotry,' and 'prejudice' is a very complex one. One man's 'terrorist' is another man's 'freedom fighter' and similarly one man's 'racist' is another man's 'patriot.' It depends which side of the fence you're on. I am sometimes concerned by what I see as a parallel between my birth country of N. Ireland and the Philippines. Both countries are too preoccupied with the past to make them fit easily into the modern world. Both countries have a history of being occupied and controlled by foreign powers, but have never tried to invade others.(Mind you perhaps that's because their peoples have always been too busy fighting each other to co-operate together.) In addition both of them seem to have way too many self seeking, bigoted people who are totally intolerant of others for their own good.

   I have always been struck by the way so many Filipinos will not accept any criticism of their country, right or wrong. They seem to 'close ranks' and if anything is an issue between the Philippines or Filipinos,  and anybody else, they will not accept anything negative about their own country or it's people. Blind 'Patriotism' like this is, in my humble opinion, not a positive or desirable thing. Every person, and every country, does things that are wrong and if you cannot see this, or are unwilling to accept it, it will be difficult to move forward in today's world. My country, N.Ireland, proves the case only too well. I believe that a person should be able to laugh at the foolish things that both they and their country do. (As long as they are not harming others.)

   People in 'glasshouses' shouldn't throw stones and so I am in no position to make too many judgements of others-however it does seem to me that people like the journalist this post is about are being very hypocritical because...

• The Philippines is desperate for tourists and yet many complain about too many 'foreigners' in places like Cebu.
• The Philippine Government badly wants to encourage foreigners to set up businesses in the country to generate employment and yet successful business people like Koreans are hated.
• The country would collapse economically if so many millions of Filipinos were not allowed to work abroad. Not all, but most of these 'abroads' are treated well and earn good money, but when it comes to reciprocation they make it very hard for foreigners to work here.

   I think that the journalist in question here is simply an example of an unprincipled and self seeking bigot who knows that there is a widespread suspicion, if not dislike, of foreigners in the country and is using this to try to show himself in a favourable light. While there are many understandable reasons for the Philippines to regard foreigners as a 'two edged' sword  it is time for them, and countries like my own, to 'move on' and stop looking to blame others for your own failings.  Chris McG.

[i am bob]

I myself have a feeling this is a political move.

 

The newspapers in question are part of group of newspapers.  They are all owned by a certain presently suspended governor's family which includes a few more trying to be elected in the near future.

 

Their main opposition is attempting to increase tourism and are doing things to make it "easier" for foreigners to obtain Visas to the Philippines.

 

So they simply are attacking foreigners in the newspapers so that the family politicians will have ammunition to use in denouncing and opposing the opposition's  plans to be elected.  Since we are in that period where stories about each political party is not suppose to have anything to do with political attacks, the newspapers instead are being used to set up political attacks. 

 

Yes, Freedom of the Press is the same as Free Speech - or at least for some...  Yes, Mike, here's your P850 back...   :mocking:

[Bruce]

HOWEVER we/I/you/US can change this "perception" by being normal .not causing undue attention to ourselves, show a "positive" attitude when among the locals.and trying to make a good influence towards those we meet in day to day situations

 

I doubt you can change his views any more than you can change mine on what has and is happening in the US. As for his points on Magellan... He is right. Magellan acted as all did in his time period. And it was not an issue then. It is an issue today when today's standards are applied retrospectively.  

 

In the US, the minority often, and when in their own company, complain loudly about the evils of slavery and how, because of something that ended 150 years ago, they are now addicted to drugs, have a criminal record and can not get a job and live on government money. Well, Jews were slaves too, and in greater numbers and for a longer period of time. When is the last time you saw a Jew complaining about his ancestors being slaves?

 

If that article writer was given enough space, I am sure he can write up all kinds of negative things about Magellan and the others in that time period and how they treated people back then. But it does not have a negative influence on today... it instead, has a POSITIVE influence on today. Magellan was the BEST thing to happen to the Philippines!

 

Without slavery, the minority in America would be WHERE today? With out Magellan or his fellow explorers... where would the Pinoy be today?

 

Exactly........ so while I doubt that he will ever accept the conduct of Magellan, I have known and worked with minority professionals in the US who do understand that without the pain and horror of past events of long ago... they would not be alive at all not to mention if they were, they would not be educated or have any creature comforts we enjoy today..... Hello Amazon lost tribes... where the life expectancy is what? 40? Air con? medicine? What is that? :cheersty:

[Mike S]

Bruce a lot of people don't know this but it is in Filipino history .......  the Moro from Mindanao were fear by the rest of the Philippines because they would capture other Filipinos and either kill or enslave them bringing them back to Mindanao ...... forts and look outs were built all along the coast to watch for these marauders ..... they terrorized the Philippines for years ...... so why didn't he write about his own people enslaving other Filipinos ..... hummmmmm ... guess he just forgot .... conveniently ...... IMHO  :cheersty:   

Edited March 8, 2013 by Mike S

[Bruce]

Bruce a lot of people don't know this but it is in Filipino history .......  the Moro from Mindanao were fear by the rest of the Philippines because they would capture other Filipinos and either kill or enslave them bringing them back to Mindanao ...... forts and look outs were built all along the coast to watch for these marauders ..... they terrorized the Philippines for years ...... so why didn't he write about his own people enslaving other Filipinos ..... hummmmmm ... guess he just forgot .... conveniently ...... IMHO  :cheersty:   

 

It is easy to focus on the negative and it makes many uncomfortable. They often try to divert attention away and then issue disinformation and after a while, people actually believe it. So much easier to blame others..... PC history in the US has the indians being tricked, taken advantage of and killed and the white man is the bad guy. But in reality, if you remove the white settlers, what you have left are hundreds of tribes, killing and enslaving each other, stealing food supplies and women / children. Living in very rough conditions and general everyday violence. But that is lost to history as it is easier to blame the settlers.

 

During the years 1500 to 1800, slavery was historically a simple buy / sell agreement between tribal chiefs selling their own people to a middle man with a ship to take 'the product' to the buyers country. But that is also lost to history... the local tribal members had no real value to the cheifs beyond cash, so they sold their own people, as a 'product'. But for history.... It is much easier to blame the outsider with the ships.

 

Drug manufacturers are simply filling a need, for cash. But unlike slavery, they are blamed for their own conduct. In slavery, however, the 'manufacturer' of slaves is not blamed, the end buyer is blamed.   

 

So for the writer of that article, it is an easy target to blame some long dead explorer than to have to deal with Pinoy on Pinoy negative history. Historically accurate? Maybe. But when taken in consideration as to the rest of the world at that time and it is business as usual.... But everything the Philippines is today... at least the modern good parts, are a direct result of 'outsiders' like us, and our money and education and experience being applied in the Philippines for the past 400 years.  

[Jollygoodfellow]

The Philippines tourism board should look at what the media write and think about the damage they cause. Potentially the Philippines are wanting to attract tourist but they allow the media to cast a shadow on the welcome mat. For the average guy doing some research on a trip to the land of the Phils who may come across these articles would most likely decide why bother visiting a country where they don't want to welcome you. Not saying that is the truth but to read some things that are said about us then they the Philippines need to look into their own back yard more. Why is it so hard to get a Filipino into most western countries, bad reputation, over staying etc so maybe they can write about that. What about all the unsolved murders and corruption by their own, maybe they can write about that. What about the high crime rate from those Filipinos, you know the ones you find on the sidewalk most likely hiding from their own law.

 

Will this country ever go forth? Not with the attitude of everyone else is a bad alien. 

 

DEPARTMENT OF PHILIPPINES TOURISM WAKE UP before you loose to other foreigner accepting countries.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Gee!- I'm pi**ed off. I just wrote quite a long post for this topic. When I tried to post it nothing happened and it was lost. I then found that for some reason I'd been signed out. Guess I need more practice so here goes again........

 

The forum will not just sign you out, there must be another cause. 

[Tukaram (Tim)]

i got bumped off while making a reply. but i blame this crappy phone.

anyway i was trying to say i hope the Philippines nevet gets their act together enough to bring many tourists. tourism brings high prices and then i would have to find another country ha ha.

[relcarve25]

Bruce said

It is easy to focus on the negative and it makes many uncomfortable. They often try to divert attention away and then issue disinformation and after a while, people actually believe it. So much easier to blame others..... PC history in the US has the indians being tricked, taken advantage of and killed and the white man is the bad guy. But in reality, if you remove the white settlers, what you have left are hundreds of tribes, killing and enslaving each other, stealing food supplies and women / children. Living in very rough conditions and general everyday violence. But that is lost to history as it is easier to blame the settlers.

  I'm not sure what exactly you're saying here, Bruce. I certainly agree that it is an unfortunate ploy that people use to divert attention away from themselves by blaming anyone and anything else instead of accepting that they are in the wrong. However it looks from your American Indian example that the Indians were entirely to blame for what happened to them. They may have been living what the settlers thought was a 'heathen' and 'primitive' life but it was a lifestyle of their own choosing which harmed no-one other than themselves. Can you really say that foreign settlers invading the tribal lands and appropriating the best land using superior weaponry, almost wiping out the staple protein source that the indians relied on (Buffalo) and decimating the indian population by force and spreading disease was justified? Do you really believe that history shouldn't record these facts and cast the settlers as being 'lily white?'

 

During the years 1500 to 1800, slavery was historically a simple buy / sell agreement between tribal chiefs selling their own people to a middle man with a ship to take 'the product' to the buyers country. But that is also lost to history... the local tribal members had no real value to the cheifs beyond cash, so they sold their own people, as a 'product'. But for history.... It is much easier to blame the outsider with the ships.

 

OK!- Let's accept the basic thrust of your argument that there were indeed SOME African Tribal Chiefs who willingly sold their own people into slavery

 and of course I agree that these were very evil people who should be blamed. (We humans haven't changed very much, have we? The world still has numerous people who are prepared to sacrifice their own countrymen, and the resources that their country relies on, for personal gain.) However I would just like you to clarify if you also place an equal amount of blame on the other links in the 'evil' slavery chain. Personally I do not excuse any of the people involved at any stage in this appalling practice. The sellers, facilitators, buyers and users of slaves are all tarred with the same brush by my reckoning- it may be wrong to concentrate all the blame on one of the links- (which I think you are saying?)- but please tell me that you didn't mean that the buyers etc. are not to blame! Wilberforce in England was in the vanguard of modern slavery abolition and your own country, many years later, was prepared to fight a bloody Civil War in which the abolition of slavery in the Southern States of America was a key issue. The world became a slightly better place for that.

  Sorry if I have misunderstood you, Bruce- I'm not trying to offend!

 

[i am bob]

That's the problem with History...  History will always say "the people of" rather than "some of the people".   If it was as cut and dried the way it is presented, Humankind would have ended on this planet long ago.

 

In this case, we have one reporter who is probably a junior (I didn't bother looking) reporter trying to make his way up in the world.  And what better way to do that than to create controversy?  It worked on here and it worked through the paper he works for...  It's better to ignore those who distribute untruths and sooner or later, they will disappear from our sight.