An Honest Evaluation of Philippine Culture

benign0 · May 10, 2001, 06:20 PM

Hey all socio-eco-politically concerned Pinoys. If you want your feathers ruffled a bit, click on the following link...

Get Real Philippines!!

...and tell us what you think!

Orion D. · May 10, 2001, 07:06 PM

Hi Benign0,

I checked out your site, and what can I say? I'm totally impressed!

Indeed, I sometimes feel that it's as if I wrote the same stuff. (my posts here on PEX are very similar in content to the things your site says. exhortations to people like "be objective, be realistic, get real, stop deluding ourselves with cute-rhetoric...") From the stuff I've read from your site, I can say that I agree 100%!

Keep it up!

Q · May 10, 2001, 10:29 PM

Great stuff! But I'm sure you're going to get lots of flack, if you already haven't. Unfortunately, one of the worst Filipino traits is an inability to take criticism. (I believe Orion D started a thread on that subject.)

Nevertheless, I commend you for your work.

benign0 · May 10, 2001, 11:25 PM

Thanks guys. Actually you'd be surprised with how little negative responses I get in my mail (about 1 for every 15 to 20 positive responses such as yours) and as such am really interested in getting more of those kinds of toxic responses. I did get a lot of it in my face when I joined the original eLagda forum but they were more of direct personal assaults which just left me stumped.

Visit
Get Real Philippines!!

raggster · May 10, 2001, 11:27 PM

insightful, direct to the point, and stuffed with hard facts. your article gets a thumbs up from me!

at least people who may not have liked your articles have had the courtesy not to voice out their opinions in this forum yet.

Orion D. · May 11, 2001, 07:15 AM

Benign0,

Yeah, that's usually what happens when you call a spade a spade. There's that tendency (especially among many of our criticism-averse kababayans) to hurl insults and other personal attacks at the MESSENGER or the bringer of the bad news.

In any case, I also had several posts (and threads) here which also tackled the language issue, and my side of the discussion had very similar points as the article on language in your site.

benign0 · May 11, 2001, 05:00 PM

Quote:

insightful, direct to the point, and stuffed with hard facts. your article gets a thumbs up from me!

at least people who may not have liked your articles have had the courtesy not to voice out their opinions in this forum yet - raggster

Thanks although I look forward to some poison in this forum!

Quote:

Yeah, that's usually what happens when you call a spade a spade. There's that tendency (especially among many of our criticism-averse kababayans) to hurl insults and other personal attacks at the MESSENGER or the bringer of the bad news.

In any case, I also had several posts (and threads) here which also tackled the language issue, and my side of the discussion had very similar points as the article on language in your site.

Yup, you can't fix a car unless you know its make! Language is a big issue. I noticed that threads like those you may have started on those topics die a natural death (maybe this one will too!). People here don't seem to want to discuss systemic solutions and would rather stick with the more gossipy-type and speculative-topic forums.

Get Real Philippines!!

KC1 · May 11, 2001, 05:24 PM

I checked out the site and yes, I agree with what you wrote, 99.99 %. Actually, your choice of words are rather tame. If I wrote it myself, you'd see a lot of !#%^&* .Hahaha.

fossil7 · May 11, 2001, 08:04 PM

ano to? naipong galit? or talagang magaling ka lang na manunuri? considering na i agree on most of the issues uve raised, magaling ka nga. hehehehe.

i believe, we have enough intellectual persons to sit and really analyze an synthesize the very roots of our problems in every filipino life aspect that can be brought up. and even all possible solutions on how to deal with this. and yet, andito pa rin tayo. bakit kaya? ah!!! kasi they are not sitting in one table. ***** nga.

Orion D. · May 11, 2001, 08:17 PM

I guess we'll have to form a Philippine Pragmatic Patriots' Party in order to gather ourselves together in huge numbers to get things done... hehehe!

(After all, being PRAGMATIC is all about one thing: Getting Real, being Logical, and using realistic and practical methods to achieve our goals...)

Anyway, Benign0, here's a new article in the Inquirer that's related to some of the stuff your site has:

http://www.inq7.net/bus/2001/may/11/bus_14-1.htm

It's about what Filipinos have to do in order to succeed in business, be it in the USA or in the World.

fossil7 · May 11, 2001, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Orion D.
I guess we'll have to form a Philippine Pragmatic Patriots' Party in order to gather ourselves together in huge numbers to get things done... hehehe!

(After all, being PRAGMATIC is all about one thing: Getting Real, being Logical, and using realistic and practical methods to achieve our goals...)

Anyway, Benign0, here's a new article in the Inquirer that's related to some of the stuff your site has:

http://www.inq7.net/bus/2001/may/11/bus_14-1.htm

It's about what Filipinos have to do in order to succeed in business, be it in the USA or in the World.

tapos takbo rin as party list group sa congress... hehehe.

benign0 · May 11, 2001, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by fossil7.
ano to? naipong galit? or talagang magaling ka lang na manunuri? considering na i agree on most of the issues uve raised, magaling ka nga. hehehehe.

i believe, we have enough intellectual persons to sit and really analyze an synthesize the very roots of our problems in every filipino life aspect that can be brought up. and even all possible solutions on how to deal with this. and yet, andito pa rin tayo. bakit kaya? ah!!! kasi they are not sitting in one table. ***** nga.

Quote:

Originally posted by Orion D.
I guess we'll have to form a Philippine Pragmatic Patriots' Party in order to gather ourselves together in huge numbers to get things done... hehehe!

(After all, being PRAGMATIC is all about one thing: Getting Real, being Logical, and using realistic and practical methods to achieve our goals...)

Anyway, Benign0, here's a new article in the Inquirer that's related to some of the stuff your site has:

http://www.inq7.net/bus/2001/may/11/bus_14-1.htm

It's about what Filipinos have to do in order to succeed in business, be it in the USA or in the World.

The school of thought I'm trying to advocate is not an original concept and is merely a branch of what I think to be called Social Engineering. Lee Kuan Yew would have been the guru at this for what he achieved in Singapore. The problem in our case is that it would be far more difficult because we can't rely on our leadership to take this role and have to rely on ourselves (considering that self-reliance is not one of our strong points either).

That INQ7 article Orion D posted was good because it did address lack of Pinoy solidarity as a problem but, more importantly, pointed to its root -- Pinoy Crab Mentality.

That's the way to go, we have to always try to drill back down to what's wrong with the way we think and behave as a starting point. The topics that dominate Pinoy Issue forums, in my opinion, are only the symptoms of our deeper cultural problems which we are too sensitive to address.

Get Real Philippines!!

benign0 · May 11, 2001, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KC1
I checked out the site and yes, I agree with what you wrote, 99.99 %. Actually, your choice of words are rather tame. If I wrote it myself, you'd see a lot of !#%^&* .Hahaha.

Believe me, the temptation is always there! However, we need to maintain some degree of credibility by staying away from those things. Germans and Japanese did not prosper by laughing at their problems all the time. If you noticed, it's usually the serious cultures that really get ahead.

E tayo, binaha na't natabunan na ng ash-fall, patawa pa rin ang nasa isip natin.

Get Real Philippines!!

brownpau · May 11, 2001, 08:53 PM

I work in Makati. I am a victim of "marketing and promotions genius, underlain with strategies that capitalise primarily on what is undoubtedly the most debilitating colonial mentality in the Third World."

I have chastised the poor for their damn political stupidity, but the truth is that I am probably stupider than all of them combined.

Very true.

I certainly hope we can all help steer the PEx Issues forum to more productive socio-political insight of this sort. Great stuff, benign0!

junh · May 11, 2001, 09:12 PM

benign0,

All I can say is that you've created one heck of a great site that hits at the very root (and nerves) of the issues and problems afflicting the Philippines!

You might be interested in checking out some of the other interesting threads that discusses and talks about the issues you mentioned in your website:

I hope these topics and other issues that you've pointed out will be discussed seriously for there's NO ONE who will look out after the PHILIPPINES but us fellow Filipinos!

To everyone! This is a MUST SEE website! Please visit it and LET'S ALL GET REAL!
Get Real Philippines!

benign0 · May 11, 2001, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by brownpau
I work in Makati. I am a victim of "marketing and promotions genius, underlain with strategies that capitalise primarily on what is undoubtedly the most debilitating colonial mentality in the Third World."

I have chastised the poor for their damn political stupidity, but the truth is that I am probably stupider than all of them combined.

Very true.

I certainly hope we can all help steer the PEx Issues forum to more productive socio-political insight of this sort. Great stuff, benign0!

Thanks for your endorsement brownpau. It means a lot!

benign0 · May 12, 2001, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by junh
benign0,

All I can say is that you've created one heck of a great site that hits at the very root (and nerves) of the issues and problems afflicting the Philippines!

You might be interested in checking out some of the other interesting threads that discusses and talks about the issues you mentioned in your website:

I hope these topics and other issues that you've pointed out will be discussed seriously for there's NO ONE who will look out after the PHILIPPINES but us fellow Filipinos!

To everyone! This is a MUST SEE website! Please visit it and LET'S ALL GET REAL!
Get Real Philippines!

Thanks for that list. I learned a lot from those other threads and actually got some stuff to add to the Web site.

KC1 · May 12, 2001, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by benign0

Quote:

Originally posted by KC1
I checked out the site and yes, I agree with what you wrote, 99.99 %. Actually, your choice of words are rather tame. If I wrote it myself, you'd see a lot of !#%^&* .Hahaha.

Believe me, the temptation is always there! However, we need to maintain some degree of credibility by staying away from those things. Germans and Japanese did not prosper by laughing at their problems all the time. If you noticed, it's usually the serious cultures that really get ahead.

E tayo, binaha na't natabunan na ng ash-fall, patawa pa rin ang nasa isip natin.

Get Real Philippines!!

Sometimes, sa patawa na lang dinadala. That's to keep our sanity.

p.i.joe · May 12, 2001, 02:59 PM

thanks for that eye-opening article benign0. i think it's worth sharing with some friends and hopefully they'd do the same because the message carries with it a sense of urgency.

It's sad but unless we realize what's really ailing us then we will never know if it's time to reach for a cure.

benjiep · May 13, 2001, 10:17 AM

What can come of a country where truth-seeking behavior is rare, even punished? At the base of it all, Truth.


May 11, 2001, 09:12 PM	#15
junh * Carpe Diem * Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stuck in a Mome	benign0, All I can say is that you've created one heck of a great site that hits at the very root (and nerves) of the issues and problems afflicting the Philippines! You might be interested in checking out some of the other interesting threads that discusses and talks about the issues you mentioned in your website: Philipines has no future If I were President I would... NASTY... An Ex-Filipino R.P. Democracy didn't work because people are not educated"..Singapore's Lee Should The Philippines Change It's Name? ABOLISH ENGLISH IN THE PHILIPPINES I hope these topics and other issues that you've pointed out will be discussed seriously for there's NO ONE who will look out after the PHILIPPINES but us fellow Filipinos! To everyone! This is a MUST SEE website! Please visit it and LET'S ALL GET REAL! Get Real Philippines!


May 10, 2001, 06:20 PM	#1
benign0 Banned By Admin Join Date: May 2001 Location: Metro_Manila	Hey all socio-eco-politically concerned Pinoys. If you want your feathers ruffled a bit, click on the following link... Get Real Philippines!! ...and tell us what you think!


May 10, 2001, 07:06 PM	#2
Orion D. ex-MODE-rator Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: not_in_the_Phil	Hi Benign0, I checked out your site, and what can I say? I'm totally impressed! Indeed, I sometimes feel that it's as if I wrote the same stuff. (my posts here on PEX are very similar in content to the things your site says. exhortations to people like "be objective, be realistic, get real, stop deluding ourselves with cute-rhetoric...") From the stuff I've read from your site, I can say that I agree 100%! Keep it up!


May 10, 2001, 10:29 PM	#3
Q Grad Student Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Florida	Great stuff! But I'm sure you're going to get lots of flack, if you already haven't. Unfortunately, one of the worst Filipino traits is an inability to take criticism. (I believe Orion D started a thread on that subject.) Nevertheless, I commend you for your work.


May 10, 2001, 11:25 PM	#4
benign0 Banned By Admin Join Date: May 2001 Location: Metro_Manila	Thanks guys. Actually you'd be surprised with how little negative responses I get in my mail (about 1 for every 15 to 20 positive responses such as yours) and as such am really interested in getting more of those kinds of toxic responses. I did get a lot of it in my face when I joined the original eLagda forum but they were more of direct personal assaults which just left me stumped. Visit Get Real Philippines!!


May 10, 2001, 11:27 PM	#5
raggster ghost in the shell Join Date: May 2001 Location: lost in Cyberspace	insightful, direct to the point, and stuffed with hard facts. your article gets a thumbs up from me! at least people who may not have liked your articles have had the courtesy not to voice out their opinions in this forum yet.


May 11, 2001, 07:15 AM	#6
Orion D. ex-MODE-rator Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: not_in_the_Phil	Benign0, Yeah, that's usually what happens when you call a spade a spade. There's that tendency (especially among many of our criticism-averse kababayans) to hurl insults and other personal attacks at the MESSENGER or the bringer of the bad news. In any case, I also had several posts (and threads) here which also tackled the language issue, and my side of the discussion had very similar points as the article on language in your site.


May 11, 2001, 05:24 PM	#8
KC1 Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: California	I checked out the site and yes, I agree with what you wrote, 99.99 %. Actually, your choice of words are rather tame. If I wrote it myself, you'd see a lot of !#%^&* .Hahaha.


May 11, 2001, 08:04 PM	#9
fossil7 fossile sept Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Metro_Manila	ano to? naipong galit? or talagang magaling ka lang na manunuri? considering na i agree on most of the issues uve raised, magaling ka nga. hehehehe. i believe, we have enough intellectual persons to sit and really analyze an synthesize the very roots of our problems in every filipino life aspect that can be brought up. and even all possible solutions on how to deal with this. and yet, andito pa rin tayo. bakit kaya? ah!!! kasi they are not sitting in one table. ***** nga.


May 11, 2001, 08:17 PM	#10
Orion D. ex-MODE-rator Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: not_in_the_Phil	I guess we'll have to form a Philippine Pragmatic Patriots' Party in order to gather ourselves together in huge numbers to get things done... hehehe! (After all, being PRAGMATIC is all about one thing: Getting Real, being Logical, and using realistic and practical methods to achieve our goals...) Anyway, Benign0, here's a new article in the Inquirer that's related to some of the stuff your site has: http://www.inq7.net/bus/2001/may/11/bus_14-1.htm It's about what Filipinos have to do in order to succeed in business, be it in the USA or in the World.


May 11, 2001, 08:53 PM	#14
brownpau Member Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Washington, DC	I work in Makati. I am a victim of "marketing and promotions genius, underlain with strategies that capitalise primarily on what is undoubtedly the most debilitating colonial mentality in the Third World." I have chastised the poor for their damn political stupidity, but the truth is that I am probably stupider than all of them combined. Very true. I certainly hope we can all help steer the PEx Issues forum to more productive socio-political insight of this sort. Great stuff, benign0!


May 12, 2001, 02:59 PM	#19
p.i.joe Member Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Los Angeles	thanks for that eye-opening article benign0. i think it's worth sharing with some friends and hopefully they'd do the same because the message carries with it a sense of urgency. It's sad but unless we realize what's really ailing us then we will never know if it's time to reach for a cure.


May 13, 2001, 10:17 AM	#20
benjiep Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rizal	What can come of a country where truth-seeking behavior is rare, even punished? At the base of it all, Truth.