The Wily Filipino redux
October 7, 2007 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose
For everyone with a bee in their bonnet over TV show statements, take a deep breath, relax (you’re in distinguished company, Filipinos from generatons past have vigorously protested what they perceived as disparaging slights in Hollywood), and read this marvelous essay from someone who managed to be funny and affectionate about Filipinos:
It’s the essay The Wily Filipino, by Steve Martin:
In Search of the Wily Filipino
By Steve Martin“We’ve seen the slit-eyed dangerous Jap, we have seen the wily Filipino…” – Marlon Brando discussing movies on “Larry King Live.”
The wily Filipino. How often have I gone to bed at night with that phrase echoing through my head. And yet I only recently became aware that I had actually never seen one. I had driven through Filipino neighborhoods, and everyone and everything I saw appeared to be straightforward. Signs for this or that – the dry cleaner’s, and auto-repair – all seemed innocuous but probably hid a true guile lurking beneath. I wondered under what circumstances the wiliness would come out.
I have worked with a Filipino for several years, and I decided upon a little test. I asked her what she would do if she saw a traffic accident and someone was wandering around looking dazed. “I would stop and help, I suppose,” she said.
“Why?” I asked. “To get something?”
She looked at me. “What would you do – call for help and wait for it to show up?” I realized that she was invoking the stereotype of the benign and polite Wasp, and I recoiled. I was so upset that it almost made me want to be angry.
I decided to rent movies where I might examine the portrayal of the Filipino. I watched “The Godfather,” “2001,” and “Gone with the Wind.” There wasn’t a single depiction of a wily Filipino. Why? Perhaps the movie industry is secretly run by Filipinos. Perhaps it is they who have been the hidden hand behind such films as “The Logical Filipino” (1986), “The Straight-Up Guy from Manila” (1993), and the adventure classic “Deep in Wily Laos” (1995). And if that were true wouldn’t it demonstrate unquestionable guile?
A friend of mind told me about a sensational Filipino acupuncturist. I called to make an appointment. “What seems to be the problem?” a deceptively pleasant voice asked on the other end of the line. “I… I…” I hadn’t quite worked out this part of the plan. “I… I…” I hung up. Thirty seconds later the phone rang. There was no one there. I thought nothing of it, then recognized the craftiness at work: Caller ID! The wily Filipino had called me back using caller ID, and now had my number! Fearing reprisal, I phoned again and booked an appointment.
I entered the office and sat in the waiting lounge. Waiting for what, I wondered. Probably waiting to be outfoxed, one way or another. The assistant asked me to fill out a form. She cleverly slid the sheet toward me and artfully offered me a pen. I filled it out as I listened to the coded dialogue going on in the office. Common inquiries about the weather were no longer empty pleasantries; they were complexly structured sentences in which the first letter of every word combined to spell out my mother’s maiden name. Once inside the office, I started using words with the doctor and his nurse that were uniquely American – words like “cahoots.” I wanted to see their reaction. I got none. Well, just one – a look so wily I shuddered.
Then this exchange happened:
“It says here you want treatment for parvo.”
“Yes,” I countered. This game was rough.
“Parvo is a dog disease.”
The lakes of perspiration on my forehead instantly beaded into a map of Michigan.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m worried that my dog may have it.”
“So you’re here for anxiety? You want me to treat you for worry?”
This was not just idle sparring between worthy foes. This was a coded chess play of words, a dazzling display of cunning.
The needles went in. Four in my ears. Three in my scalp. Some were twisted by hand. Some had electric current sent thought them. Ten minutes later, they were removed, and I felt a remarkable calm. The tables had been turned. The wily Filipino had allayed my anxiety, and now I was indebted to him. He had won. I had anticipated wiles of some form, but never suspected that they would be at this level of sophistication.
I returned home and turned on the television. “Larry King Live” was still on:
“… the luckless Italian, the furtive Chilean, the horny Hawaiian, the pungent Norwegian, the strict Eskimo, the loud-talking Canadian -”
“We’re running out of time,” Larry said, and the show came to a close.
I needed to get away. I packed my bags, booked a ticket on WILY (the official Filipino airline), and fled to Hawaii.
* From The New Yorker, July 6, 1998.
See my Inquirer Current entry on the same article. Scholarly articles, too, such as You’re a Better Filipino than I Am, John Wayne: World War II, Hollywood, and U.S.-Philippines Relations by Charles V. Hawley, and What to Show the World: The Office of War Information and Hollywood, 1942-1945 by Clayton R. Koppes, Gregory D. Black. One incident mentioned in one of these articles is mentioned in turn, in Why & So What Now? -an official protest by Philippine officials to Hollywood in the 1930s.
And as Torn & Frayed in Manila points out -the hullaballoo was over a work of… fiction.
Technorati Tags: philippines, satire, society
Delicious
Facebook
Flickr
LinkedIn
Technorati
Twitter
Loading ...
vic on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 6:31 pm
Where do I belong, a wily Filipino or a loud-talking Canadian? I can claim both, but never been a wily Filipino yet, instead, it was me who had been wily willied by others. For being loud talking, most hearing impaired individual talk loud and believing it just norm. But this is more truer to Filipinos than being wily, loud talking, just observed US talking to others sitting besides us as if they are across the street. But some nationalities even talk louder. And I don’t want to mention any other than my own, lest I get tagged as “racist†( then I’d rather be both a wily Filipino and a loud-talking Canadian than a racist) as I am both Filipino as well as Canadian…
DevilsAdvc8 on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 6:49 pm
Disparaging slights or not, I think we Filipinos are more sensitive re these slights bec we as a nation, has yet to establish itself as a secure country that can just laugh off jokes made at our expense.
Notice the reaction of the Aquino family re the Daily Show jabs at fmr pres. Cory Aquino. Contrast that with fmr pres. and first wives of the US. These personalities are made fun of, day in and day out at that same show, yet these personalities just take it in stride.
there’s a landmark case in the US. it’s been made into a film. i’m talking abt The People vs Larry Flynt. it set the parameters of free speech, which protects US gag shows today. so shows like Jon Stewart can go on ridiculing public figures on the grounds that satire is guaranteed the 1st ammendment.
i think the only real defense people who are made fun of in these shows can make is either to laugh it off as just a joke w/o a shred of truth or just plainly prove the allegations wrong. either way, over reacting will not help repudiate the slights any better. it’ll only make us look more defensive, as if the jokes made at our expense have a shred of truth in it.
kind of like a roomful of people and then someone farted. the first one to cry out “not me” is usually the culprit. learn to take the jokes in stride, and if you want to get even, make jokes abt them as well. all in good taste, to prove theirs more distasteful.
in the end, we Filipinos have a perfect advice for ourselves: ang pikon, TALO.
Willy on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 9:22 pm
It’s a cheap joke, not quite funny really. Deserves
severe reprimand. But maybe some reactions are over-the-top. Filipinos really have lots more things they should be highly upset about, but choose to make a waay big kind of overblown fuss about these type of bad jokes. Maybe this kind of widespread indignation should get directed where it counts.
The Ca t on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 9:44 pm
In the Desperate Housewives brouhaha, I blamed the writer for the slur. Obviously, the writer is ignorant of the US stringent screening of the non-US University graduates to take their local examinations.
Steve Martin is a comedian, a novelist and a writer. This essay once again proved that some writer don’t do their 1. homework before writing the first parahraph.
1.WILY-the airline carrier that he said brought him to Hawaii-
That must be Philippine Airlines which at that time, suffering from Asian financial crisis starting the year 1998,cut back its number of flights including that which services the East Coast /Philippines via Vancouver. The fleet was reduced from over 50 to 20, discontinuing routes.
In June 1998, the labor dispute paralyzed the operations for three weeks when the air personnel held the strike, followed by the ground personnel in July 1998.
Even if it happened in 1997, Philippine Air Lines do not fly domestic within the US. US mainland to Hawaii is domestic.
How do I know, from 1997 to 2000 I was connected with a travel consolidator and PAL was one of our accounts. What is a travel consolidator? It is a travel agency of travel agencies. Travel consolidator deals directly with aircline companies. Ordinary travel agencies can not just do that because of some IATA rulings and modes of payments.
I have been here in the States for that long and I haven’t met a Filipino-owned dry cleaner. It’s a Chinese business where they have been known as experts in this kind of business for a long time.
Car repairs are mostly owned by Hispanic. Convenience stores are either owned by Indians or immigrants from the Middle East.
Filipinos are known to operate board and care and nursing homes. Mostly the owners-operators are nurses or doctors who keep the hospital jobs for their insurance and 401k.
Since I was diagnosed with C, I learned a lot from keeping appointments with specialists,clinics and hospitals.
The wily Filipino referred to by the writer isn’t wily at all.
If it is not emergency,appointments are made long enough to send you some papers to fill up so you’re ready by the time you report for the appointment.What’s in the forms?
First, if you’re just new,there is the introduction of the services,the office hours, and the statement that they are board certified.
Second is the inquiry about the medical history, complaints and the medications being taken.
And the most important thing is the insurance coverage or who is going to be responsible for the payment.
During the consultation,the form signed is the authority for release of record.
So what’s ,my take about the article, it’s all crap.
DevilsAdvc8 on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 10:04 pm
willy, how right you are. you don’t see this kind of widespread indignation abt the governing of our country, perfidies of local govt officials, and even slights of city hall clerks.
Filipinos’ sense of being offended is warped.
rom on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 10:28 pm
i think devilsadvoc8 got it. we’re too sensitive because we’re so insecure about our worth.
mlq3 on Sun, 7th Oct 2007 11:14 pm
um, guys, the piece of steve martin was a brilliant piece of satire, making fun of stereotypes. he starts off with some loopy string of ethnic slurs marlon brando rattled off on larry king, and ran with it to its absurd conclusion -which is, that his piece is a very affectionate defense of filipinos and how he couldn’t find fault with any filipino he’s encountered. however hard he tried. of course the whole thing is exaggerated for comic effect.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:08 am
I’m sorry Manolo. I just can’t get it. waah! perhaps its bec I’m not familiar with whatever Marlon Brando said on Larry King, perhaps my mind isn’t just wired for that kind of very subtle satire, or perhaps among the films he listed, the only one I saw was Godfather (and even that I dnt remember having any cast of Filipino/s in it). I do get his humor starting with the anecdote abt the acupuncturist, the caller id, and so on. what I dnt get is why he calls PAL – WILY.
God! You must think me so uncouth! oh, well. the only satire i truly enjoy is Jon Stewart’s Daily Show. and THAT isn’t subtle. lols.
BrianB on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:24 am
@mlq3,
Yes, some people just don’t get Steve Martin.
cvj on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:26 am
I watched that segment again and if you analyze the context, it was actually a compliment to Cory Aquino to be included in the same league as Golda Meir and Margaret Thatcher. The problem is, i think the older generation of Filipinos is a bit satire impaired. They want compliments to be phrased exactly as compliments and insults phrased exactly as insults. Anything deviating from this is to complicated for them.
cvj on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:29 am
sorry, above should be ‘too complicated’.
BrianB on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:32 am
cvj,
I’ve been saying this for ten years. Filipinos in general are “irony-impaired.” My exact words. I think a lot of people were offended.
BrianB on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:34 am
“Filipinos are so stupid.” – bunch of anonymous filipino politicians.
You know, they got a point.
pilipinoparin on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 1:05 am
concur with mlq3, steve martin’s piece is all satire.also agree with most of cat’s points above about on how a person gets a medical appointment in non emergency setting. in fact, in my wife’s place, the front desk personnel have to tell the new patient to wait for months to get the first appointment, even the hospital personnel/officials have to wait, if not an emegency case, they keep track of the appointments using softwares in pcs. the preliminaries as mentioned by cat are done by phone, fax, internet or mail.
devils,rom, about the insecure thing, very rarely you meet pilipinos who who are insecure (based on what i experienced). they can take all the jokes, satire, in the right setting, context. we watch all the jokers/comedians here from arsenio hall, to jay leno, david letterman (i like jay’s style better than david)to conan. pilipinos enjoy life most of the time despite some shortcomings, we are one of the most lively people on earth! however, there are times when we have to take note of some “hidden agenda” if seemingly harmless words are said not in the right setting, say when they are talking about the delicate health condition of a gyn patient. it is like what you hear from the fat guy, michael moore or some straight talking guys like in the seven o’clock news.if jay mentioned a barage of things about pilipinos in his show or letterman mentioned a joke about us as being his numero uno, then it is in the right setting, right context…all are said in jest.
btw devil, we in our group have nothing to worry about where we came from. we think we had good training in metro manila and our adopted places here. we survived eight years post high school in mm during the most dangerous time of our country’s history…during macoy’s infamous martial law rule. bencard will surely agree with me. even though our group is less involved during the pre martial law demos compared to bencard’s. you know the lawyers, law students were on the front lines from rotunda, espana, morayta to mendiola…our group are just mere supporters (maybe differences in courses).
vic on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 1:32 am
There are times that it will take some individual from the outside looking in to point some of our defects. The best course of action is to first analyse the “message” and the individual or medium conveying the message and the intention, whether malicious or sincere. As for the Steve Martin satire, I agree with Manolo it was done in good taste and with noble intentions, and it was done partly in defense of the Filipino non-wilyness…
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 1:37 am
BrianB, buti na lang wala si BenignO. tumalon na sana yon sa tuwa at nagsisigaw ng “i told you so!”
me punto naman sana si BenignO. di lang nga appreciated ang mga suhestyon nya dahil masyado syang crass (for lack of a better word). i disagree with most of his views, but i do see the points he was trying to make. which were all valid – up to a point.
BrianB on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 1:55 am
I was being ironic, can’t you tell.
You know, irony is a good alibi.
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:18 am
Yeah for me, I can not get the humor because they are far from reality.
cvj on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:33 am
I like Steve Martin best in L.A. Story.
Manila Bay Watch on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 3:06 am
Devils,
Agree: “Disparaging slights or not, I think we Filipinos are more sensitive re these slights bec we as a nation, has yet to establish itself as a secure country that can just laugh off jokes made at our expense.”
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 3:20 am
cvj, i think i like all of Steve Martin’s films. Well, those that I’ve watched anyway. The one I liked best was the one wherein his daughter was getting married. Forgot its title. It had a sequel, which I also liked.
MBW, i think it applies generally to everyone who’s insecure. whether it be about their physical or character traits.
BrianB, lols. sarcasm can be a better alibi in my opinion. it’s irony, directed agst someone.
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 3:45 am
devils.
so you are one of those ignorant of how the US screen professionals and so you blame those diploma mills too.
And you are indirectly accusing the ineptness of the US system of checking the credentials of the professionals who would like to practice professionally in the US that some medical school graduates are wily enough to pass the MLE wtih fake credentials, worse from University of Recto.
Because the writer is also so stupid to write that script which is impossible to happen.
And you laugh at Steve Martin’s article where he wrote slinky eyed JAP. For your information the Japanese also demand to stop using that label because they considered it slur racial.
It is easy to say, you are not hurt because you may not have experienced being discriminated and being politely labeled DORK with a smile.
The Fil-ams have to claim other ethnicity just to be cast in the movie. Tia Carerre had to claim European parentage when she was Ilocana,etc.
So much low self-esteem of Filipino people that they will be the first to say amen when they’re insulted, nagpapasalamat pa. (rolleyes) , recite the sins of their fathers and fault find to everything we do just to justfiy the insult.
And I remember MLQ3, the reason why I admire your grandfather because he foresaw what kind of life the Filipinos will have as second class citizens if we will be under the US.Because as a delegate and member of commissions sent to the US before he became the President,he personally observed the discrimination .
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 3:53 am
Brianb,
If you think that is a good defense put up by Steve MArtin as a satire, take a look again.
His desription of a Filipino fits more of the Chinese.
The dry cleaner, the acupuncture practice are more associated with Chinese people.
I don’t see any Filipino trait that he wrote that best describe the Filipinos. Practically he’s saying that he’s Pinoys are INVISIBLE because they don’t assert themselves, they hide their ethnicity and they keep quiet when insulted.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 4:38 am
Cat, just to set you straight: (jz add the missing http) http://www.quezon.ph/?p=1527#comment-594966
and diploma mills? our country’s so full of them. exactly why the US is so stringent in screening our professionals. you don’t see them practicing the same kind of discrimination against western medical grads.
you do know the stink of CHED right now, don’t you? allowing so many fly by night schools to continue operating and offering nursing courses even when the quality of their educational standards are very questionable. computer schools offering nursing? cmon! and if I remember right, a certain CHED official resigned because of this.
and you question why our medical professionals are discriminated? naturally. prove the trustworthiness of our schools and our documents by regulating these schools and erasing the stigma of Recto and these “perceptions” and biases americans have of us will slowly vanish.
as I said, the best retort or comeback we can give, is to PROVE THEM WRONG.
and I don’t know why you think I laughed at the part wherein Martin wrote slinky eyed jap. I don’t even get half of what he wrote.
“It is easy to say, you are not hurt because you may not have experienced being discriminated and being politely labeled DORK with a smile.”
I’ve been called DORK lots of times. seen those condescending smiles of people who thought DORKINESS was a curse.
it all depends upon how you view yourself. so for you, being labeled a DORK is demeaning. for me, it was just satisfying. A recognition people give me that I am brainier than them. Seems a compliment to me.
that’s not the only discrimination I’ve experienced. I know how americans view us. worked at a call center, you know. had american bosses, and american customers. the condescencion I had to endure that you think I don’t know abt? yeah, i’ve experienced it.
it just made me more secure of myself. knowing that I know more abt their culture and their country than they can possibly know abt us. it shows them up as ignorant, not us.
that’s right. it shows everyone who discriminates as ignorant. that’s why i can just laugh off whatever jibes foreigners may say abt Filipinos. bec I know we are better than what they think abt us.
It’s easy to say I am not hurt because I know it’s not true. And even for the bad things said abt us, which are TRUE, still does not annoy me. Why? Bec they’re true!
Best revenge? Success. Best comeback? prove them wrong. or you can do what others are doing. WHINE.
i’d rather get my revenge than appear more idiotic by whining uselessly.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:03 am
forget the http. di mo na pala kailangan.
renmin on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 8:32 am
mlq3 :
um, guys, the piece of steve martin was a brilliant piece of satire, making fun of stereotypes. he starts off with some loopy string of ethnic slurs marlon brando rattled off on larry king, and ran with it to its absurd conclusion -which is, that his piece is a very affectionate defense of filipinos and how he couldn’t find fault with any filipino he’s encountered. however hard he tried. of course the whole thing is exaggerated for comic effect.
It’s hilarious–and telling–that you felt compelled to explain Steve Martin’s piece. As illustrated by the Daily Show mini-brouhaha, Pinoys don’t dig irony.
indoro ni emilie on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 8:53 am
we live in hyperspace. two-dimensional people can live in rulers.
supremo on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 9:46 am
“The one I liked best was the one wherein his daughter was getting married. Forgot its title. It had a sequel, which I also liked.”
Father of the Bride 1 and 2. Phoebe Cates was originally cast as the daughter.
cvj on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 9:49 am
You just can’t lose with Phoebe Cates in the cast.
hvrds on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 10:21 am
I have it on good authority that Terri Hatcher was once treated by a Filipino surgeon. (I do not like imposing on my relationships with other people)Reality is always more complex than fiction.
I can almost bet my monthly income that she did not relate the person that treated her to a Filipino from the Philippines. Filipino-Americans in the U.S. have no real (racial)(Filipino) identity in the U.S. since they consider themselves Americans. Even their accents change when they are in the States. I find it funny because whenever I meet a Pinoy in the States I switch to Taglish or Tagalog and I always almost get a response in broken American accent. One of my regrets is not being able to speak in fluent Tagalog and I find that in my later years am trying to make attempts to speak it more. I believe languages should be taught in grade school. In spite of being on the American scene years before other Asian countries Pinoys have not been able to break into mainstream American consciousness such as (Asian) Indians have done in the last ten years.
Hawaiian natives have the opposite problem integrating themselves in American society. They do not consider themselves Americans.
It is always difficult for observers to separate themselves from what they are observing. Pinoys seem to have a problem of self-esteem about their being from these islands when they are in the States.
Jon Mariano on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 10:44 am
Cat was funnier interpreting Steve Martin’s piece than the piece itself! How’s that in Tagalog? Nagmukhang katawa-tawa?
Jeg on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 11:34 am
Steve Martin I think is better as a writer than as a movie star I think. Pure Drivel (where The Wily Filipino also appears) is one the most re-read books in my library.
Im with renmin. The fact that MLQ3 had to explain the Martin piece is… ‘funny’ isnt the right word. The word Im looking for is ‘disappointing’.
(what I dnt get is why he calls PAL – WILY.
He didnt call PAL WILY. He called WILY WILY. WILY is the national airline in the piece, calling attention to the ‘wily Filipino’.)
Willy on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 11:52 am
I guess satire/ irony hasn’t really caught on in the Filipino psyche.I don’t think we even have local terminology for this. Public officials seem to be catching on though, wittingly or unwittingly. Problem is, it’s hard to tell which way.
missingpoints on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 12:52 pm
Don’t assume that the DH scriptwriter is ignorant. He is most probably just writing Susan in character. She is supposed to be ditzy and ignorant. The accuracy of her line of dialog is irrelevant to the story, the point is that she thinks Philippine (or any 3rd world) schools are bad.
Further in the episode the Harvard graduate misdiagnoses her.
And satire, whew, good luck explaining that. Appreciating TDS not only requires a knowledge of satire, but also an awareness of US pop culture. To fully understand Samantha Bee’s segment you’d need to be familiar with “Sex and the City,” the US stereotype of women as shoppers, the internet and perezhilton, conservative commentators, and probably a bunch of other, more obscure references.
Jeg on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 1:59 pm
I guess satire/ irony hasn’t really caught on in the Filipino psyche.I don’t think we even have local terminology for this.
I think the term ‘kuwentong kutsero’ used to be the local term for satire. However it transmogrified to mean ‘unfounded rumor’. Probably because satire/irony hasnt really caught on in the Filipino psyche.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:12 pm
de Quiros echoes my sentiments.
http://www.opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=93112
cvj on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:27 pm
The irony is, the Americans are themselves lacking in a sense of irony (e.g. when compared to the Brits).
Abe N. Margallo on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:30 pm
mlq3 :
um, guys, the piece of steve martin was a brilliant piece of satire, making fun of stereotypes. he starts off with some loopy string of ethnic slurs marlon brando rattled off on larry king, and ran with it to its absurd conclusion -which is, that his piece is a very affectionate defense of filipinos and how he couldn’t find fault with any filipino he’s encountered. however hard he tried. of course the whole thing is exaggerated for comic effect.
It’s hilarious–and telling–that you felt compelled to explain Steve Martin’s piece. As illustrated by the Daily Show mini-brouhaha, Pinoys don’t dig irony. – renmin
The way I see it, Steve Martin’s piece was more of a swipe at Marlon Brando than “an affectionate defense of Filipinos.â€
Here’s the full quote of Brando in Larry Ling Live in April 1996 that Steve Martin was reacting to:
“Hollywood is run by Jews. It is owned by Jews, and they should have a greater sensitivity about the issue of people who are suffering because they’ve exploited [them]. We have seen the Nigger and Greaseball. We’ve seen the Chink. We’ve seen the slit-eyed dangerous Jap. We have seen the wily Filipino. We’ve seen everything, but we never saw the Kike, because they knew perfectly well that is where you draw the wagons around.†It was a reprise of what Brando said in Playboy in 1979
Nigger, Chink, and Jap we are quite familiar with, Greaseball refers to Americans of Latin, Italian and Mediterranean descent and Kike is another ethnic slur for Jews. But wily Filipinos? No such animal . . . that I suppose was Steve Martin’s point (which the title of the essay betrays: “In search of the wily Filipinoâ€). And then Martin proceeded to rub it in by exaggeration to discredit Brando as if to argue that Filipinos aren’t important enough to be in the league of the Chinese, the Japanese, the Italians and the Jews. There’s no such movie or nothing to his knowledge or experience, Steve Martin clearly pointed out, that has stereotyped the Filipinos as “wily,†so how the hell Brando coined the “wily Filipinoâ€? Maybe simple, pristine, innocent, unsullied (or Kiplingishly “half-devil, half-childâ€), but not “wily†for that seemed an upgrade.
So, the rant of Brando (who, aside from being an award-winning actor, was also an activist) against the Jews, the essay appeared to suggest, was as unfounded as Brando’s brew of the “wily Filipino†or those still-to-be-hackneyed “the luckless Italian, the furtive Chilean, the horny Hawaiian, the pungent Norwegian, the strict Eskimo, the loud-talking Canadian.â€
My guess where Brando had encountered the “wily Filipino†could be during the filming of the Apocalypse Now in the Philippines two decades before the Larry King interview. I remember reading then certain accounts about Francis Ford Coppola complaining that Filipinos were taking advantage of the production of the film in Philippines and were “outfoxing†the crew: from the nickling and diming by Filipino generals to rent army choppers for the “helicopter scene†to Igorot extras overpricing their service.
Thus, as The Cat has indicated, had Steve Martine been a bit more diligent (in defending the Jews), he would have avoided the comic slipups of equating Filipinos with Mexicans, Chinese, Koreans or Middle-Easterners and known that the law of supply and demand is well within the sophistication of Filipinos, as Brando and Coppola had found out.
rom on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:49 pm
pilipinoparin:i beg to differ, uncle. insecurity doesn’t necessarily mean you have to live a miserable life. you can be lively and still be insecure. and we are. you insist on there being the right setting for certain jokes. well, who determines what the right setting is? and who determines what jokes are appropriate for a a particular set of circumstances? being lively only means that most of the time, our insecurities aren’t touched on. which is, really, a roundabout definition for your “right joke in the right setting” theory: it is the right joke in the right setting if it doesn’t touch on the filipino’s insecurity. For instance, that housewives joke. If we Filipinos were secure in our medical prowess, what would that joke have mattered? the fact is, most filipinos feel that that slight might ruin our reputation as med professionals. Is our reputation then that fragile, that a stupid throwaway joke can damage it? We know we’re good, but we’re not sure that everybody knows it. and that’s insecurity.
rom on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 2:52 pm
btw:wasn’t brando married (or something) to a filipino? maybe that’s where he got the impression that filipinos are wily, and just kinda projected it to the jews he was ranting about. anyway, as slurs go, wily isn’t so bad. In asia, one equivalent would be subtle.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 3:58 pm
Tnx Abe. That was thorough. Now I get it.
ormocanon on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 4:13 pm
“Wily Filipino?” I think I’ve seen his kind during the campaign period of an election year, doing any or all of the following:
1. Kissing babies
2. Shaking hands with the ‘masa’( and secretly nodding to his or her aide to bring the rubbing alcohol over so he or she could cleanse his or her hands from all that handshaking.)
3. Conjuring imaginative ways in buying votes.
4. Claiming that he or she came from humble beginnings to garner some sort of rapport with the audience.
5. fill in the blank___________.
He or she can be seen on
nation-wide t.v. during Congressional inquiries, asking the same questions over and over again to some poor ‘resource persons’ and other ‘willing or unwilling guests’ in aid of legislation,right? Duh.
Actually he or she is after the media mileage. You know, to get into the public consciousness;
and all of that’s in preparation for the next elections of course.
Think of all that money saved from hiring PR firms.
…or maybe I’m just imagining things.
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:14 pm
I do not deny that there are no diploma mills in the Philippines as there are many correspondence schools in the US that churn diplomas/certificates for all kinds of degrees, Masteral in Divinity included.
But of course they will be stricter for non-US graduates because they have to find out if the curricular program and the course desctiptions and the course coverage match those of their programs. It is not discrimination. It is a standard process that even we observe for transferees from other schools or from other countries.
This is to find out if they qualify to take the licensure exams given by the US professional organizations. For doctors, it is not only one, they have to take at least two.
The nurses who go to the US takes three tests, our local, the CGFNS (now some States remove the requirement, the NCLEX).
Tell me, if a diploma mill graduate would pass the screening?
Non-medical/healthecare professionals from the Philippines are given reciprocity to practice their profession even if they do not take the local examinations, like lawyers.
If it does not tell of the standard of our school what will?
Just try to bring your children with you here and enroll them in the public or private school and see them awe their classmates.
I know CHEd and do you know that for the last two years, the Ched chairman is conducting an audit of these so-called fly-by night schools.I should know the former chairman was urging me to come back to the Philippines to help in the audit. He was the one who trained me in putting up schools, preparing curricular programs. Pity that his position was just good for one year and the last year was a hold -over.
AMA is just a name and they started offering non-computer degrees long before they offered nursing. The name of the school is irrelevant since that’s the business business name, a trademark if it is business. It is the facilities and the teaching staff which matters i.e. if those who are teaching have their bachelors and masteral degrees.
The school of vocational nurses here in the US that I put up have produced lots of graduates since 1997. And I can tell you that the Filipinos wherever they are outperform students from other countries.
If you have this observation, you cannot be humble not to say something on the cheap shots about our educational standards.
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:21 pm
Marlon Brando’s caregiver was a Filipina to whom he bequathed a real property in his will. It turned that he was wily enough to do this in order to hold on to the caregiver who’s the only left to take care of him. His children and former wives did not care about him.
After his death, the executor did not award to this property since all properties of Marlon Brando was in a trust. MB knew this all along because that was his way to avoid taxes.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:26 pm
Cat, call it cheap shots and what you will. the fact is, you didn’t even bother to read the link i’ve posted. that alone tells a lot of why you still have that false perception you have of me.
that i am “one of those ignorant of how the US screen professionals and so I blame those diploma mills too,” and that i am “indirectly accusing the ineptness of the US system of checking the credentials of the professionals who would like to practice professionally in the US…”
you don’t have to detail the process to me. i have a VisaScreen Cat. yes. certified by CGFNS. my educational credentials are verified by FCCPT, another independent US body. so yes, I’m secure I didn’t graduate from a diploma mill.
told you, you shuda read first that link.
alert! foot in the mouth, foot in the mouth!
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:31 pm
The insecurity here is not an issue. The issue is that TV is a powerful medium that can influence people who have little
knowledge about the Philippines and the US system of screening professionals.
It is also the time that Filipinos starting to assert their rights. As I have said Filipinos are INVISIBLE in the United States. So many have brought that false humility value that even if people have already stepped on their toes, they still smile. People here will respect you if you assert your right even if you’re a criminal. So cut it out justifying that we are guilty of this and we are guilty of that so we desereve this insult. Quit your Catholic guilt. If it is wrong, say so, no ifs, buts.
DevilsAdvc8 on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:37 pm
“Just try to bring your children with you here and enroll them in the public or private school and see them awe their classmates.”
and oh, just so you know, my sisters are starting college in New York. they were initially told that they will have a hard time enrolling in exclusive schools there (prolly coz they weren’t US schooled) they showed their grades and the school administrator jz gawked at them and stammered “in this case, they’ll have no problems at all.”
told ya i know all abt biases westerners have of us, Cat. if you want, i could go on.
abt AMA, are they making the cut for required percentage of board passers? a lot of vocational nursing schools can’t even produce one single board passer.
“And I can tell you that the Filipinos wherever they are outperform students from other countries.”
then we have no need to worry abt our medical professionals’ ability being in question now, should we? all we have to do is point out this fact at foreigners and put them straight.
still insecure? i know i aint.
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:40 pm
Ako nakakatawa? Guess what, you didn’t get what’s funny with Steve Martin?
He was trying to defend a Filipino when he was really talking about was a Chinese.
Parang sa eksena sa korte na sinasabi niyang walang sala, ang kaniyang kliyente na akala niya ay Filipino and only to be told by the judge that he is a Chinese. Now that’s funnier. hahaha
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 5:54 pm
I’ve read that. And one thing with Filipinos is that they criticize the system as long as they exclude themselves. I read your blog.
Yon ang isang ayaw ko doon sa isang forum na the commenter even continued to say Kayong mga Filipino. para bang hindi siya Pilipino.
I did not also graduate from a diploma mill but the diploma mill is not even an issue here. It’s only the Filipino bloggers who made this as a reason to justify the insult.. sort of we deserve this insult because… we are guilty of this …because…we have brought it to ourselves…gawddd what a reasoning.
As i have said if ever there is a need to overhaul the educational system, it is more of adding plenty of units for character building and that is SELF-ESTEEM and nationalism– and what I mean is not only talking in Tagalog.
This writer may not even have this info about this and we are offering the information. Kung may kaso ito talo na. We are prosecuting ourselves.
The Ca t on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 6:27 pm
I made a a a blog about this DH, days before the Johnny come latelies “overreacted” when I discussed how a business magnate in the Philippines supposed to be assassinated in Manila, Philipines was portrayed in a movie where Pierce (James Bond) starred. The billionaire business magnate was buying some fruits in a talipapa (that is Manila for you) without bodyguards, garbed like Vietnamese. The peole around are also sporting the cone-shaped hat(the salakot of Vietnamese)and the talipapa
are full of products in the Philippines. There was even a restaurant with a sign Ristorante. Obviously, it was filmed in Mexico but the portrayal of Filipinos and that of business magnate (haaah) even Lucio Tan who is known to
interview cigarette vendors incognito would not dare walk in a talipapa somewhere in Manila , not even in the congested Chinatown.
So what am I saying, people should not be believing what writers (no matter who the f…they are) if you believe that you know the facts better. And that as PT, you know better but you choose to exempt yourself because you think that is more of diploma mill that inspired the writer to write the slur. No honey, it’s ignorance.
I did not link with anybody, I did not mention any authority because I always see to it that whatever my opinion is, it’s all mine. I do not care if it is not popular as long as it is mine.
And that is another serious flaw in our curriculum, we go by the popular opinion instead of looking for facts, leaving ourselves merely parroting other people; looking for somebody who share our sentiments to be more confident that we are right.
ramrod on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 8:58 pm
Again with the “Desperate Housewives” thing. The way I see any reaction to this issue is an affirmation of our mentality of being “victims.” From a marketing professional’s point of view, this could not have been an issue at all. The exposure to this supposed “slur” would have been isolated within the target viewership of this show, laughed at, or dismissed as nonsense, or maybe even fall in the “didn’t get it” scenario. The “over reaction” of some sector of the Filipino community (which I believe is very insignificant) catapulted this otherwise “trivial” event into a GLOBAL CONCERN. They even evangelistically spread the word in the known cyberspace. Basing on experience, we don’t have to overtly assert ourselves as it will sound “silly.” Picture this, some care giver shouts “respect us or perish!” to his/her patient and then proceeds to wipe his/her ass. For me, inorder to reach the level of respect that we want will not be won by “whining” but by “achievement.” By sheer competence and productivity lets show these ugly Americans what we’re made of, let them see that we are not just capable of “servicing” them, that we are capable even of outranking them.
Two months ago I met some American executives to give them some bad news. Seeing that I was asian they went on and on about they’re rising costs, union issues, etc,. etc., I had to cut them off. After summing up the profitability (or unprofitability) of their operations, ROCE, 2007 profitability program, I ended with “we’re shutting you down,” we’re moving this part of our operations to China. These “big men” as I am just 5′6″ reacted the same way Filipinos do after getting fired, the same facial reactions, same loser look, no big difference. On the way out, one of them commented “so you Chinese must be doing great?” I smiled (as its always an automatic reaction for us Filipinos in awkward situations) and said “yes, I’m from the Philippines.” In hindsight I should have said “I’m Filipino” but I guess I still lack that degree of patriotism.
ramrod on Mon, 8th Oct 2007 9:39 pm
Honestly, I didn’t understand the essay “In Search of the Wily Filipino” on first reading. I’m used to straightforward everything, to include “humor,” I couldn’t help thinking about the cunning and scheming COYOTE in the ROAD RUNNER cartoons of my childhood. The way I see it, after all those talk about the “wily Filipino” he expected to be duped by one and ended up disappointed as the Filipino is not wily after all, and he even had a pleasant experience during the encounter. Not that I subscribe to this again “servicing” the American scene but then again it was a negation of the Filipino being the bogeyman, thats not so bad for me…
renmin on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 12:00 am
Actually, the stereotype of the wily Filipino (sly, cunning, deceptive, treacherous) has been floating around in the American popular imagination for quite some time– since at least the 19th century, even before colonization in 1898. In Melville’s Moby Dick, published in 1851, for instance, Ahab’s mysterious harpooner Fedallah (refered to as a “Parsee,”) leads a crew composed of Filipino sailors:
“Less swart in aspect, the companions of this figure were of that vivid, tiger-yellow complexion peculiar to some of the aboriginal natives of the Manillas; – a race notorious for a certain diabolism of subtility, and by some honest white mariners supposed to be the paid spies and secret confidential agents on the water of the devil, their lord, whose counting-room they suppose to be elsewhere.” (Ch. 48, The First Lowering)
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 12:21 am
renmin,
No way! I wouldn’t have believed it but I have a copy of Melville’s Moby Dick, right in page 187. I didn’t think of these “Manillas,” as Filipinos before because of the way they were decribed here “a race notorious for a certain diabolism of subtility, and by some honest white mariners supposed to be the paid spies and secret confidential agents on the water of the devil, their lord, whose counting-room they suppose to be elsewhere.”
If this is what “wily Filipino” means, then I’m for it, call me WILY!
Pumpy on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 1:44 am
Hey, Fallows’ essay is online:
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/1987/11/a_damaged_culture_a_new_philip.php
Abe N. Margallo on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 3:04 am
ramrod,
I guess indeed some wouldn’t mind diabolism of subtilty either, which seems paradoxical at best (paradox being a self-contradictory proposition but in reality expresses a possible truth, and “subtilty†an old form for subtlety, one meaning of which is “delicacy of discriminationâ€); and paid spies and secret confidential agents on the water of the devil, their lord, whose counting-room they suppose to be elsewhere could either be an allusion to the “gutsy†Spanish galleon sailors or, as described by Rizal, the seafaring Rajahs and warriors who captured Sarawak and “conquered and overthrew the terrible Alzadin . . . renowned in the historical annals of the Far East.â€
Unfortunately, wily ram, Merville’s characterization of the “aboriginal native of the Manillas†of “yellow-tiger complexion†(possibly another racial mix-up of the Steve Martin variety) could mean a lot of things but “wily.â€
tomoe on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 4:13 am
It was a joke. It’s not only Filipinos who are subject to punchlines. We have to get over ourselves.
The Ca t on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 4:38 am
To Sir Abe Margallo,
This one will make you proud. And this guy might punch anybody who will make fun of Filipino healthcare workers.
http://www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s070917.html
Jon Mariano on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 6:40 am
I’m sorry for my “funny” slur against the Cat. I guess that’s what we get by taking seriously and literally what’s written on a satire?
I thought the piece was written quite simply and in a very straightforward manner. Steve Martin started it off with a quote from Marlon Brando (of the wily Filipino) and because he didn’t know or see any of that, he tried to look for one. Until the end he didn’t see one (in his piece anyway).
If you read it like that, then it can be taken as a defense for Filipinos. If you focus on the wrong imputations then you will miss the point he was driving at entirely.
Bencard on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 8:21 am
most pinoys always express exaggerated indignation over “slurs”, “insults”, “put-downs”, “bad-mouthings”, real of imagined, done by a foreigner in the name of humor. while generally, we can laugh at ourselves, we don’t like people from other groups laughing at our expense.
having lived in america for almost 4 decades, i find the average american (regardless of the level of education attained) better able to take a joke. usually, they can dish it out as well as take it, all for fun. i believe, it is because they are a very confident people, so sure of themselves that they don’t seem to mind being called the “ugly american”, “great satan”, or described as ignorant, uncouth, wild, or stupid, even by non-americans. thus, they seldom, if ever, sue for racial discrimination, class defamation, or make diplomatic protests for alleged international affront.
unless the joke is cruel and deliberately made to ridicule someone’s physical, mental, psychological, or sexual condition, or racial/national origin, i think it’s best to treat it for what it is – a laughing matter. getting all worked up on, and making hysterical condemnation of, a ridiculous and false joke only serves to give it a life of its own and a semblance of validity.
i believe it’s best to to treat a joke the way americans do – laugh it off and quickly think of a funny repartee, instead of stomping one’s feet on the ground and crying like a baby.
DevilsAdvc8 on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 9:21 am
Bencard, thank you. that was beautifully said.
i think i have tears in my eyes now. sniff.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 9:30 am
copy that bencard. literal-mindedness kills poetry. drat!
DevilsAdvc8 on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:01 am
Pumpy, thank you so much for posting that link of James Fallows’ essay. have never read it before. now that i have, it just intensifies my extreme sadness for our country. hope everyone who hasn’t read it yet read it.
Jeg on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:03 am
We have witnesses the birth of a new stereotype: The Whiny Filipino.
watchful eye on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:05 am
Yeah Bencard, Mel Gibson is Australian, and Don Imus “Ho” is Greek? And political correctness was invented in Iran.
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:28 am
“We have witnesses the birth of a new stereotype: The Whiny Filipino.”-jeg
Hahahahaha! Personally I’m getting to like this “WILY” tag. “Cunning, diabolical, subtle” – I believe it aptly describes us OFWs, working smartly, never minding anyone’s business, while silently siphoning dollars and euros and sending them to the folks back home (of course saving a cut for GMA and company).
Bencard on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:36 am
watchful eye, gibson and imus made cruel, demeaning racial/national origin remarks vs. jews & black americans, respectively, which were not at all funny. a joke about filipino doctors’ license (on the heels of the much-publicized cheating on the nurses’ licensing exams)was ridiculously funny. who in the world would believe that cory is a “______”? it’s like saying hitler was a humanitarian icon, which is outrageously funny, isn’t it?
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:46 am
Cory a “____?” Along with the dress, rosaries, and hair -”frigid” is a more insulting word.
cvj on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:48 am
Besides, is ’slut’ still a pejorative? I think the use of that word reveals more about the speaker than the target.
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 10:55 am
Seriously, not all americans are racists, actually I’ve never met one myself. Several of my colleagues are americans and we have become good friends. There’s one thing I really find endearing with americans though, you can argue with them, bang your fist on the table even, you can both shout at each other to prove your point, yes even an ocassional insult is in order, but in the end its just “work.” You can have a beer o martini afterwards without fear of “getting stabbed in the back.”
Jeg on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:03 am
ramrod: Seriously, not all americans are racists…
However, many Filipinos are. When I was in Dubai, Pinoy OFWs had pretty choice things to say about Indian and Pakistani OFWs.
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:07 am
“However, many Filipinos are. When I was in Dubai, Pinoy OFWs had pretty choice things to say about Indian and Pakistani OFWs.”- jeg
Yes, I also notice this, referring to the unique “armpit” aroma. Some people (Filipino OFWs) would snicker and whisper to each other as if its not obvious.
Jeg on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:12 am
ramrod: Yes, I also notice this, referring to the unique “armpit†aroma.
Among other things. Words that also came up were ‘bobo’ and ‘tamad’. As in ‘Mga tamad yang mga pana.’ Pana is what they call the South Asians.
As for smell, a couple of colleagues who were sent to Indonesia told us about the time when they were in an elevator with an Indonesian and one of them complained about his smell in Tagalog. Unfortunately for them, the Indonesian understood a little Tagalog and angrily informed them that Pinoys also have a distinct stink.
watchful eye on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:18 am
I find Imus very funny and all he said were “ho” and “nappy head.” But even the white establishment has ganged up on him. Can Americans, black or white, really take a joke?
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:21 am
It only goes to show that the GOLDEN RULE is still very relevant to this time “do unto others what you would like others to do unto you.” As Filipinos have embraced this destiny of being global citizens, we should be able to take what we can also dish out.
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:22 am
cvj,
“Zao an. Ni hao ma?”
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:26 am
“I find Imus very funny and all he said were “ho†and “nappy head.†But even the white establishment has ganged up on him. Can Americans, black or white, really take a joke?” -watchful eye
There’s this black reverend or something I couldn’t remember his name who cries “racism” everytime and makes too much fuss. Oprah, I believe didn’t react much to this “Imus” issue.
watchful eye on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:28 am
… and Bencard, did you hear too about General Betray Us. Wow, even antiwar senators signed the Senate resolution condemning the MoveOn ad, didn’t they? KJ!!!
watchful eye on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:34 am
…. and, and when the Iranian president said there are no gays in Iran, those funny Americans thought the little guy was serious … hahaha
watchful eye on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:46 am
and before I go, Bencard, when Hilary cackled during an interview, many Americans thought it wasn’t funny at all and criticized her for being unpresidential. talagang KJ itong mga kano. sana matuto namam sila sa Pinoy.
cvj on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 11:50 am
I read somewhere that we Filipinos smell like dried fish. Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to tell.
As for the odor of the Indians, once the conversation gets going, my Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai friends acknowledge that too (although it’s my Filipino friend who brings up the topic) particularly in connection with riding the MRT over here.
Yeah, i agree Filipinos are a racist bunch. We don’t even have a respectful vernacular for other races (e.g. ‘Intsik’ for Chinese, ‘Bombay’ for Indian, ‘Negro’ for Blacks). I remember in TV Patrol when Noli de Castro burst out laughing when he mentioned the word ‘Intsik’. Mel Tiangco (who had Chinese blood) had to get him out of that pickle.
Of course, it would be wrong to overcompensate by being too politically correct because what is repressed eventually comes out with a vengeance.
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 12:08 pm
“Of course, it would be wrong to overcompensate by being too politically correct because what is repressed eventually comes out with a vengeance.” – cvj
Filipinos above all, OFWs, have this propensity for diplomacy. In general, we know when to talk and when to shut up, precisely because we have a clear picture of what our priorities are. We are citizens without barriers, this is where I believe “proactivity” is widely practiced consciously or unconsciously in the way we relate to the different cultures and races we encounter. Of course there are occasional slip ups. “Aberration is the hallmark of homo sapiens, while longanimous placability is the indicia of supramundane omniscience.” To err is human, to forgive divine…
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 12:09 pm
cvj,
Hey you didn’t answer me. “Ni hao ma?”
Jeg on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 12:36 pm
I believe that ‘intsik’ only became a pejorative during the American occupation when they used the word as a pun for ‘insect.’ Originally it was a term of respect that came from the Malay word ‘encik’ (en-chik) which means ’sir’ or ‘ma’am’. Malay was the language of trade before the Spaniards came and Filipino traders spoke Malay to their trading partners, among them the Chinese.
cvj on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 2:41 pm
Ramrod, i’m fine thank you. Sorry, had to google the meaning.
Jon, i read somewhere that the word was derived from the Chinese (don’t know if hokkien or mandarin) equivalent of ‘your uncle’.
cvj on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 2:43 pm
sorry, i meant Jeg.
ugly american on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 5:38 pm
we just laugh at the jokes thrown on us, the likes of calling us names, like the Great Satan, dirty perverts American and laugh them off, But watch the skies over your head, our Warthogs, our F-14s and our Sherman tanks will be tramping your land, you gays (for Iran) and the damm Saddam the ruthless dictator of Irag with its billions of drums of oil underneath, and you too NOKOR, one more joke from you and you will experience the wrath of this ugly american… so better keep you joke for yourself, we may laugh at them but just watch for your skies and your shores…
vic on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 5:52 pm
Funny people my neighbors. But so far we get along just fine. Well, that’s how they sometimes interpret their Freedom of Speech, say anything you want and if they hit the bulleyes, just apologize for some at least we already heard what they really meant to say. Remember George W. calling the 3 countries the “evil empire”? well it was a Canadian speech writer who feed the words to his mouth. We don’t say it, let the American president say it cuz it carries a lot of weight…
ramrod on Tue, 9th Oct 2007 8:09 pm
ugly american,
SHOCK AND AWE the gay Iranian president!
ormocanon on Wed, 10th Oct 2007 6:21 am
“The wily Filipino. How often have I gone to bed at night with that phrase echoing through my head. And yet I only recently became aware that I had actually never seen one. I had driven through Filipino neighborhoods, and everyone and everything I saw appeared to be straightforward.”-Steve Martin
Ah, he’d never seen one because he never made his search in the Philippines. The wily Filipino does exist; he is amongst us, he is cleverly disguised in one form or another. Sometimes, he appears as a religious leader.
He spreads the word of God here and abroad and in the process, he somehow manages to acquire huge amounts of wealth and power.
Know why? well, maybe its because he subtly makes his followers part with ten percent of their money and call it ‘tithing’.
One can tell if he has a large flock and powerful influence already because politicians of opposing sides usually make a beeline towards his doorstep on his birthday and during campaign periods.
Of course, again, maybe I’m just imagining things.
Bencard on Wed, 10th Oct 2007 10:57 am
the tackiness of the pinoy ways is best illustrated by what makes him laugh. subtle, cerebral jokes don’t appeal to him. he laughs at physical appearances, infirmities, defects of another. nothing is funnier to him than someone being pilay, duling, maitim, mataba, payatot, pandak, pangit, utal or bulol, gago or luko-luko or bobo. he finds someone accidentally slipping on a banana peel and falling down as hilarious.
compassion to others for their physical or mental deficiencies, unless the subject is a close relative, is almost absent.
there are psychological explanations for this. one that comes to mind is “defense mechanism”. it seems ridiculing a poor, physically impaired (including speech deficient) person gives the troll a sense of superiority, a feeling that ” i’m better than her because i talk better”.
vic on Wed, 10th Oct 2007 11:48 pm
Bencard, I am with you all the way if a joke is referred to the deficiencies of a disabled individual, physically or mentally.
I remember a year or so, i read in an inquirer column about a “light hearted joke” by one of its columnist ( a respected priest) and referring to a Canadian disabled individual. I wrote him (with a generous donation to his charity) and put him to task about discrimination against the disabled and to make a joke about their disabilities go deeper than just light hearted. He apologized and I show his apology to a Filipino friend (a new arrival) of mine who happened to have a disabled child, and that’s the main reason why he immigrated here. to give his child the respect and equality lacking in our native country and he could never been hapier with that decision….
ramrod on Thu, 11th Oct 2007 7:22 am
Its a shame how we “cruelly” treat the helpless among us and cry foul when we think we are being treated cruelly also. I fully understand what you mean, when my son was born I prayed so hard the way I never did in my whole life that he will come out normal and complete knowing the way disadvantaged children are treated here.
DevilsAdvc8 on Thu, 11th Oct 2007 12:40 pm
I believe the humor Bencard is referring to is called slapstick. Most pinoys hasn’t yet evolved (so to speak) into liking subtle or witty humor. probably the reason for this is that only the well-educated can get witty humor. hence, the rest of the masa are consigned to the humor that they can appreciate best.
mlq3 on Thu, 11th Oct 2007 1:01 pm
slapstick has universal appeal. as a kid, one of the most popular shows i remember was the benny hill show, certainly not the height of british sophistication. we all like low brow and high brow humor is just a matter of what today is called niche humor marketing.
Bencard on Thu, 11th Oct 2007 6:51 pm
devils, slapsick is true humor and usually self-deprecating. what i was referring to is ridiculing someone else’s personal defects, that exist through no fault of his/her own, with obvious intent to cause pain and contempt. it is a mark of ill-breeding, regardless of wealth and “education”.
Bencard on Thu, 11th Oct 2007 6:54 pm
erratum: i mean “slapstick”, not slapsick.
ramrod on Thu, 11th Oct 2007 7:30 pm
I watched the Benny Hill Show too, lately there’s Mr. Bean. Locally, we have the old Dolphy movies which was funny but not offensive because he mostly made fun of himself or was the butt of the joke. Then we had Tito, Vic, and Joey, people I don’t find funny at all. I don’t know but I believe it was Charlie Chaplin who introduced the “man slipping on banana peel” scene, now this is supposed to be an accident but we still find it funny. Some of the popular funny people have unique physical attributes like “Dagul.”
Zugzwang on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 11:26 am
Helloooooooooooooo . . . . i know it’s 2 years later but I just listened to the audiobook version of ” In Search of the Wily Filipino” which is just of many schticks in the Martin book “Pure Drivel.”
I just laughed myself silly. Manolo, your words resonate. It’s absurd- even dadaist. Affectionate? Yes. I think so.
Profundity can be found in Pure Drivel. This book about nothing has more to offer than all the seasons of seinfeld.
Z