We Filipinos are known to be friendly and hospitable. In the world, we are known as the friendliest race. We are lovable and easy to go with. Filipinos have a lot of characteristics. We have a word in Filipino "Bayanihan" which means a spirit of unity.
Yes, we have good traits but we also have a few bad ones. We cannot deny that these traits really piss us off or worst, affects our day.
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In today's article, I will be discussing five toxic traits of Filipino that I observed. These are few of them but I am sure that there are a lot more.
Let's start!
*Note: I am not stereotyping everything, it is just my personal opinion. Thank you!
1) You are not my friend because we are not the same color.
Red, pink, white, black, yellow... Which color are you? The political game here in the Philippines is getting hotter every day. People have their own "pakulo" (gimics) of their bets. They have a caravan, burger stations, merch, anything to promote their bet on the incoming elections. It is so sad that just because we do not have the same bets, we will cut ties to our friendship or relationships. I know it is hard to be with someone with a different mentality but the fact that a 10-year friendship will be forgotten because of different colors. Personally, this trait should be eliminated because, for me, we should respect ones' decision.
2) Crab mentality
This trait is very evident in the business industry. When someone is jealous of you, they will destroy you because they do not want you to succeed. They are jealous because you are the person they want to be. Honestly, my dream is for every Filipino to have a good life, to be a first-world country. I do not get why people would drag down people who are striving so hard to survive. I remember when I am still in the corporate world, someone will be "sipsip" to the manager so that her colleague will not get a higher position. She then tells bad stories to the manager. It was really disgusting and I would never be friends with that person.
3) No discipline
A simple example is when people cross the highway when in fact there is a sign not to cross because they might be hit by a car. Normally, when in this case, an overpass bridge or underpass way is available for people to cross. I do not know if people are just too lazy or do not understand the concept of law. I feel like no discipline of people is one of the reasons why the country is not progressing. What I observed here in the Philippines is that they will follow the rules for two weeks and then after that, they will break the rule. No discipline at all.
4) Children as retirement funds.
This is the norm in the Philippines. You are obliged to give money to your parents or else they will call you "walang utang na loob" or ungrateful. I am so happy that my parents are just cool with it. They do not force us to give them allowance or money. Instead, I want to work hard more for me to be able to provide whatever their needs. I think when the children are pressured and nagged about money, they tend to not give. Giving money should be voluntary and not be seen as an obligation. When I grow up, I will not let my children suffer because of me. I will have my own retirement plan so that I will not be a burden to them.
5) English language as a gauge of knowledge
They look down on people who do not speak or write perfect English. When you have misspelled just one word or mispronounced a single syllable, get ready to be laughed at. They will correct everything that you say in English. They will criticize the way you pronounce English words. When you post something in English, they look at you as smart or sophisticated. When in Tagalog, you are cheap or have poor taste. This trait is so toxic. It is okay to not know the English language entirely. It should not gauge your knowledge because, in the big picture, it is just a language.
Final Thoughts
My thoughts above do not entirely reflect all Filipinos, only some. I have experienced some of these traits and it was a bad experience. I admit that I am toxic too before I was younger but it is just being late on meetings but nothing serious. I learned to be sensitive and to be kind through time. How I wish these traits should be talked about often. To wrap it up, all we can do at this point is to be compassionate to one another and be sensitive to the people around us.
Thank you for reading my article.
Peace- Jijisaur.
Lead image edited on Canva
Opensea/Twitter/Noise.cash: @Jijisaur
You can read my other articles here:
❤️ What If I Am An Animal? https://read.cash/@Jijisaur/what-if-i-am-an-animal-e65168cf
❤️ My Eazy Breezy Sunday https://read.cash/@Jijisaur/my-eazy-breezy-sunday-7172e531
❤️ Answering Questions For Lovers https://read.cash/@Jijisaur/answering-questions-for-lovers-e6be8fce
No disciple is the main reason for bad traits. It's also happening in my city and just because of no discipline we are not progressing.