Crab Mentality Is Universal
(Part 7 of the “In Defense of the Filipino” series)
IT IS said that we Filipinos have crab mentality and so we do not attain the progress and prosperity we have long been aspiring for, that it is practiced only by us Filipinos, and that we will remain a poor nation if it is not plucked from our selves.
Allegedly, we pull those on top of us so that we can be the ones in the better position; or when it seems that we cannot all go out of our bad conditions, we pull everyone down so that all of us will share the misery; then, we relish it when we have pulled somebody down.
Neighbors defaming neighbors, reporters inventing stories about celebrities, businessmen performing unfair competitions, and professionals dislodging fellow professionals are among the crab mentality practices. Of course, there is the timeless neighborhood rivalry: If a resident buys something, his neighbor will try to outdo him by purchasing a similar but more expensive item. And when politicians fail to deliver their electoral promises of better lives, they chastise the people for not cooperating and rather pulling down others, hence the general failure.
There was that actress who became “world-famous in the Philippines” when she made striking feats in London’s West End and New York’s Broadway theaters.
Her countrymen, who were very proud of her, prayed for her to win the most prestigious stage-acting award in New York. Her victory overwhelmed them. But years later, she pointed out in a television interview that she achieved all those glories because she came out of the Filipino attitude of pulling each other down.
What about the millions of Filipinos who were very proud of her and prayed for her?
Universal attitude. Crab mentality is a human habit similar to what crabs do when put in a basket. If the basket is left with no heavy cover, the crabs inside it will all have gotten out fast in less than an hour. If the basket is weak, they go to one side and cause it to fall toward it, thus freeing them all. If the basket is designed against their escape, they cannot all go out.
They all try to get out of where they are, and in that process pull each other down, whether they succeed in getting out or not. For them, pulling down or stepping on others is a fact of their existence. It is natural for them in the quest for success or when confronting failure.
Crab mentality is also part of humanity. It simply is envy. (Crabs do not envy one another; they just want to be free.)
Humans envy and try to outdo each other because of selfishness and greed, but not all the time. When one envies somebody, one of his natural reactions is to knock him down, but this does not always happen. Each one of us may envy, yet we do not always pull others down. We usually just keep to ourselves those envious feelings and then let them go away.
Other articles by Jon E. Royeca
- Why Is the Philippines A Poor Country? - January 19, 2010
- Defend the Filipino - January 19, 2010
- Wrong Perceptions of Americans - January 19, 2010
- Gossips are everywhere - January 19, 2010
- Copycats? - January 19, 2010
- Colonial Mentality - January 19, 2010
- The Real ‘Filipino Time’ - January 19, 2010
- On Our Sense of History - January 19, 2010
- It’s Not Lack of Discipline - January 19, 2010
- All Nations Have Graft and Corruption - January 19, 2010
6 Responses to “Crab Mentality Is Universal”
they are not anti-filipino … “binabatukan lang ang sarili
Comment made on February 13th, 2010 at 9:52 pmpara makatawag pansin”… most of the time they don’t really
know what they’re doing … akala nila mabuti iyong ginagawa
iyon pala …ngek.
napapansin ko malimit mong ihambing ang pinas sa usa …ikaw
ba’y…anti-american…di puwede ang papataypatay at tamad
dito.
next gamitin mo ang australia, europa, canada,japan,korea,
china
peace i appreciate your writing.thanks
No, I don’t compare the Philippines and U.S. There is nothing that can be gained from making such a comparison because the U.S. is miles ahead of the Philippines in almost every discipline of civilization.
Comment made on February 14th, 2010 at 11:16 pmThe U.S. is cited profusely in this series because of the abundance of U.S.-related materials available in print and on-line.
But, as you can see, I have also mentioned about crab mentality in Britain, Ireland, Japan, India, China, and Singapore.
I am not anti-American. In the 1950′s and 1960′s, during the height of the Cold War, anyone criticizing U.S. policies was labeled as an outright communist. During former Pres. George Bush’s war on terror, anyone who didn’t support or sympathize with the U.S. was a terrorist.
Now, anyone who criticizes U.S. policies is envious, anti-American, etc.
Well, that’s their opinion.
people who lack self-esteem often drag people down,in order for them to boost their inner neediness in terms of fulfilling their insecurities,it is very humane to feel envious but it is the way we react to it that matters. Compassion with each other,is the only key..lack of knowledge about it makes the situation worst.. “the love of oneself” is the inner core.Filipino can divert the “bayanihan” not only in crisis and enjoyment, but in innovating solution towards poverty,not necessarily making it more complicated.
Comment made on May 19th, 2010 at 1:31 pmJuan:
I believe you. This world is filled with people suffering from varied emotional anomalies, one of which is crab mentality.
This mentality will always be part of humanity. It can never be erased. However, it can be checked: We must confront people who try to drag us down.
But to eradicate this trait is unrealistic. Humans will remain human.
Yes, we Filipinos help one another, recognize our faults and shortcomings, and hail the good that we have and do.
If there are some of us who try to drag others down, well, like what I always say, we cannot make a perfect world.
Comment made on May 22nd, 2010 at 2:30 pmI enjoyed reading this. You brought up some very good points. I especially like when you said
“We Filipinos do not pull our countrymen down. We admire, help, or extol them. If there are envious ones pulling down others, they are just few, and they will always be around because crab mentality is part of human existence.”
I agree 100%. Crab mentality is indeed inherent in every person and every society.
However, regarding these:
–Racism is the worst form of American crab mentality. Since white is the dominant race in the U.S., if one is not white there, he is an outcast, relegated as a lower-class citizen.–
Where are you getting this information from? I’m assuming you either derived it from a book published in the 1800s, or you just pulled it out of thin air. I do not deny that there is definitely racism everywhere, including here. I am an Asian who lives in America. I’ve lived everywhere, including parts of California where there are more non-whites than whites; in the East Coast, where there are plenty of non-whites, but where the population is still mostly white; and in the middle part of the US, where my family was the only Asian family, and everyone else was white. Never once have I come across this alleged “outcast, relegated as a lower-class citizen” you mentioned. (except for the KKK, which is a small extremist group and shouldn’t be considered as a representation of America as a whole), are you suggesting that there are racist groups that somehow degrades non-whites? If you are aware of such a group, I’d be surprised if the U.S. government has not condemened it. It would have made headlines if what you’re saying is true.
–Many blacks and other non-whites are picked on or bullied in white-dominated schools–
Again, if this were true, it would have made headlines. I’ve heard of bullying in schools, but none that were racially motivated.
–A number of non-white professionals, even if they have excellent qualifications, do not get the same treatment, breaks, and benefits the whites do.–
yeah, you’re right. If Barack Obama were pure white, they would have appointed him as king of the world. Unfortunately he’s black, so he has to settle as being a president of the United States.
Also, my boss is Chinese, and he’s only the United States Secretary of Commerce.
–There are many Christian churches where non-whites cannot enter and worship God. Those churches’ doors warn: “Excuse me! Whites only!”–
what?? where?? you need to tell me so I can avoid going there. Possibly you’re referring to KKK, but again, this is an isolated group, which does not at all represent white people in America.
The only reason I brought these up is because I’m having trouble telling facts from personal opinion. Forgive me for being argumentative, it’s just that I live in America, and I know it’s not a perfect nation, but I feel the need to defend it from wrong allegations such as these. Also, you’ve listed some examples of crab mentality in different countries. This is an interesting article and I want to share it with my friends. However, I wanna know first if what I’m reading are facts before I share.
That story about that woman killing the neighbor’s child — so gruesome, unbelievable how dangerous crab mentality can be!
Comment made on June 21st, 2010 at 12:35 amCinnamon Toast, thank you for reading and for the comment.
Regarding those incidents in the U.S. that I cited here, well, you better find them out. They’re in books, newspapers, wire reports, and on online resources. Here are some:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/racism.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27895706/
That gruesome killing of a woman did happen–and it was reported in newspapers and a wire agency (AFP, November 27, 1999).
Comment made on June 30th, 2010 at 2:40 pmLeave a Comment