Wrong Perceptions of Americans

Very interesting article. It’s true that perceptions of America may be quite different from the outside. But I am an American and see your point of view daily. It’s really very mixed. Those of us (myself included) who are not rich or in the middle class do have to work a great deal just to make ends meet. But there are plenty who take their good fortune for granted and do not consider the source of their wealth or the suffering caused by their demands (for example, sweat shops, environmental damage, etc).

In your efforts to make your country a better place, certainly it’s good to see what others have that you would want but it’s disappointing to see that be a source of envy. Filipinos should be able to do better than the US. For example, look at some of the western European countries. They aren’t so bogged down in classism and selfish consumerism. Their governments have better policies to protect and support the prosperity of their citizens. It’s true that no place is perfect, but there are far better examples to emulate than the US.

All the best to you.

Please get your facts straight before you go mouthing off your opinion to others about the United States of America!
Many of the points that are trying to be made are just opinions not fact and lets go to the Filipinos are hypocrites point that is not listed in the Anti-Filipino section now if you closely examine both articles you will see this is just a blow hard and has not a real fact for study and probaly never been to the States as you call it. So I could go on and on for defense but it is pointless with this kind of absurd mentality

The facts presented here are mostly based on information given out by U.S. government agencies themselves, like the “Crime in the United States,” which is an annual publication of the U.S. Department of Justice.

This article wants to prove to anti-Filipinos that what they are saying about Americans are not all true, like their claims that there are no gossips, cheating, corruption, crimes, and other wrongdoings in the U.S.

This is not an attempt to embarrass or destroy the image of the U.S. because the facts presented come from the Americans themselves. The U.S. is the greatest country on earth, and so it is totally useless to challenge it.

There is also no hypocrisy on our part because we Filipinos know that there are crimes, wrongdoings, and other flaws committed by us.

I am not also defending the flaws that we commit. What my articles are trying to accomplish is to challenge those anti-Filipino remarks that degrade our race, like this one: “Crimes happen only in the Philippines! And are committed only by Filipinos!”

Such comments are completely racist and untrue. We need to defend ourselves.

It is like saying that “black peoples are evil because of the diabolical color of their skin.” If blacks defend themselves, that is only the right thing to do.

I understand your telling people not to believe everything they hear…and I totally agree with you. I have a hard time understanding your point on Anti-Filipinos. You post this at the begining to make a point…“Alam mo, walang ganyan sa States!” (You know, there’s nothing like that in the States!)…but by no way is that anti Filipino. Really none of your error as you put them are Anti-Filipino! In order for “You know, there’s nothing like that in the States!” to be anti anything they would have to add who they were being anti anything…like if they would have said “Look at that Filipino pissing on the building, there’s nothing like that in the States!” then that would have been Anti-Filipino…but again maybe not…cause for one they would have had to known it was a Filipino…if they didn’t go and tap them on the shoulder and ask his nationality then they were just ignorant and should have added race to it. If I go in a grocery store here and say you would never see milk being sold on shelves away from refrigeration in the states…is that Anti-Filipino…NO…it just what I have witnessed in the states. In the states most milk is sold in refrigerated section of the grocery store…milk in the states don’t last months, most only last weeks. In your Error no. 1: Americans are so industrious that they don’t even have time for themselves. All they do everyday is work, work, and work. How is that Anti anything…to me it would be of a statement that Americans are worse off cause they don’t have time for anything except work. Wouldn’t that be a complement to any country that has more time for family and friends…countries that don’t put so much time on the job. Error no. 7: Americans cannot kill their fellow human beings. If there are murders in America, it is not they who commit them. Again nothing anti there…in order for your fact to be real…you would have had to show how many of those murders were actually done by Americans…not all murders in any country are committed by the so Nationality of that country.

I could go on and on…but this is my point…if you are trying to make Filipino’s understand that America is not the greatest country…or not even the greatest…but maybe that they shouldn’t think its so great on the other side. You should have points of how each so called error differs between the Philippines and the US. Show the Murder rate here in the Philippines…to the Murder rate in the United States. Show the crime rate in both and so on and so on. Then at the end you could make a statement that Filipino’s shouldn’t listen to Anti-Filipino’s in everything that is told without looking at facts…but if a Filipino can look at those same state you put in your blog here and see that compared to the Philippines its still looks better in the States…you lose and the so called Anti-Filipino’s win!!! Another thing…you could look at all the myths Filipino’s believe about America and Americans…another way to make your point. One myth…not all American that come and live in the Philippines are rich!!! Or that they are all rich period. Myth two…Americans don’t all have Aids! Myth three…that Americans will put an Filipino in jail for cooking fish that stinks! Myth three American men don’t all have big Dicks! Myth four Americans don’t all marry Filipinas or Pinay just to be their maid or sex slave!…I’m sure there probably has been a case that an American married for that purpose…but the Majority marry cause they have found love and they agree with all the customs and beliefs of the Filipino People! Myth five Americans don’t all beat there spouses…I say that cause beating can happen to a husband or wife…spousal abuse happens world wide! Myth six Americans don’t care about their family and move out and forget there family. Myth seven Americans don’t celebrate birthdays and don’t care. These are all things I have heard about Americans here in the Philippines and they are all Myths and all wrong!!!

Jul, thank you for reading and for the comment.
You were born and raised in the U.S., and so you really don’t have a full awareness of how things and ideas are run here in the Philippines.
Anti-Filipinos are people who believe that Filipinos are erratic and the only ones who commit mistakes, crimes, and other flaws, and so Filipinos are the world’s laughingstock, the jokes of foreigners, and must always die of embarrassment every time some of us commit mistakes.
Anti-Filipinos have wrong thinking of Americans. They believe that Americans are near perfect, like what is stated in this article, and they use those wrong beliefs of Americans in deriding the Filipinos.
If you want to know who those anti-Filipinos are, read our daily major newspapers or listen to radio and TV commentators. They’re everywhere.
As to what that Korean or any other persons claim that it’s lack of nationalism that keeps Filipinos from being progressive, then they better read Philippine history books to know how we Filipinos have always fought for our freedom and for our one and only native land: from Lapu-lapu to Raja Sulaiman to Sultan Kudarat to Dagohoy to Sumuroy; to Rizal, Bonifacio, and Aguinaldo; to the World War II generations; and recently to the 1986 People Power Revolution.
They should also observe how Filipino farmers, professionals, workers, employees, and service personnel work hard to earn and have decent and fruitful lives.
The problem with some peoples is that, since they have already become prosperous, then they feel that they already have the right to lecture other citizens with regard to nationalism.
In the past, the U.S., because it was so prosperous, used to lecture through the World Bank and IMF other countries about sound economic policies. With the economic recession that it now faces, other countries would really listen carefully before following any U.S. lectures.

I think maybe you let your emotion get to you on what people comment to you. I never said I haven’t read all your blogs, I just choose to respond to this one…I didn’t say I didn’t know who the anti-filipinos are! What I said is there is nothing anti-filipino in your so called errors. I didn’t say you were putting down Americans or anything about you trying to make the Philippines look better then the U.S. What you write is not embarrassing to Americans cause you can find crime in every country in this world…you can find good people and bad people from every nationality in the world. So what is embarrassing to anyone? My point was for you to maybe look at ways to strengthen your points on what anti Filipinos are really saying that is anti Filipino in order for Filipinos to understand. Its just good criticism…you could learn from others trying to help you…don’t be against those trying to help you. I might even been better to not say anti Filipino and say Pro American…and give wrong perceptions of Americans. In order for a comment to be anti Filipino…one would have to make a negative comment to Filipinos! Anti meaning is against or opposed…so when you say anti Filipino…you are referring to anyone against or opposed to Filipinos. But, If I’m a Filipino and I say to your face America is the greatest place in the world…does not mean I am against the Philippines or our people in anyway…Your reply to me could be why do I feel that way as a Filipino…and my answer could be “cause they have the best Barbecue Ribs in the world!!! So just cause someone thinks America is great…does not mean they are Anti-Filipino!!! No one should say anything that is a wrong statement…I agree with you!!! No one can say any country walks on water…cause no one does! But, just cause anyone goes around saying another country is great…does not automatically mean they are against the Philippines! Example: I could love every aspect of America and think it could be the closest country to be able to walk on water…I could see no bad in the U.S. or American people. That does not make me anti anyone else…I could love this country in every aspect the good and the bad…to me it doesn’t have to be the greatest country for me to love it…its my blood…its my sole…its my land! Really think about it…I’m only saying think of ways that you can actually show that it clearly is anti Filipino…that all I’m trying to do…you should take it as someone not against you but helping you…If you take it as against you then maybe you need to look deep within yourself and see if you actually believe everyone is anti you and anti Filipino? It doesn’t matter what your past blogs are about if anyone starts reading from any point they should still see that you make your point clearly.

Hello, thank you for your reply.

Those “anti-Filipinos” whom you speak of are just so ignorant, I just couldn’t even fathom anyone existing with that mentality. I would believe that yes, there are some people that are so embarrassed about the current state of the Philippines that they sing praises of Americans and even go to such lengths as to lie about their ethnicity, but to perceive Americans as complete angels, and inhuman? I find that amusing. I would think that they’re just in denial, praising Americans just to allow themselves to feel above other Filipinos that they criticize so much. It angers me as well to see some Filipinos just turn their back on their own people.

But then again, are we talking about OFWs or Filipinos living in the Philippines? Because you’re correct, I wouldn’t have a full understanding of the culture in the Philippines, but what I can tell you about Phil-Am culture is that many of us have several critiques regarding America and American culture. But like I said in my previous comment, there are also many Phil-Ams who lost much of their Filipino culture and therefore have no interest in their parents’ homeland.

Yes, I’ve read about the history of the Philippines, and the large displays of nationalism from the people. But from my perspective, I was referring to Phil-Ams–I don’t see much of that same nationalism from people my age, and from some of the adults. My father was just talking to me about how his Filipino co-workers would state that they were Hawaiian, but once Manny Pacquiao and Arnel Pineda came around, they suddenly proclaimed that they were proud to be a Filipino. Pathetic. And in my high school, I always saw kids wearing the Filipino flag on their backpacks, when they didn’t even know anything about the culture, neither speak nor understand any Filipino dialect, and couldn’t even eat many Filipino foods, except for the tanyag na pagkain, like pancit and lumpia. I’m probably generalizing here, but I’m just basing this all off of my own experiences.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I greatly respect the professionals working abroad and those struggling to make a living for their families in the Philippines, even in the face of corrupt leaders. These people do have a sense of nationalism and are helping our country prosper. However, there are also many who don’t. Those living in complete poverty sa ‘Pinas, do you think these hundreds of millions of people have a sense of pride in their nation when their own government has neglected them so much? Also, how about those Phil-Ams who don’t even wish to visit the Philippines because they tell me they don’t want to go to a 3rd world country?

I wouldn’t call myself nationalistic, but I care a lot about the Philippines because I love the country my parents were born and raised.

Have you lived abroad before? From the perspective of my parents and my other relatives who immigrated to the US, England, and Canada, they believe that having a more global perspective on the economy is integral to helping the Philippines prosper. It would be a good idea to get the perspectives of people living abroad, as countries’ economies are so interconnected and dependent on each other, on a global scale.

This is why so many American students study abroad–To gain a more global perspective. I’m not lecturing anyone about nationalism, I’m sorry if I was misleading. I was merely trying to say that many Filipinos have lost hope already. This is one of the problems.

And you were talking about how the U.S. used to lecture other countries about sound economic policies? The U.S. is still a prosperous nation, despite its economic downfalls during recent years. However, poorer countries with less capital per person will grow faster because each investment in capital will produce a higher return than rich countries with ample capital. I’m not saying that you should listen to everything an industrialized country says, but I think you should just take into account their perspective on issues as well; perhaps it’ll help our country in some way.

I havent read all other articles you have wrote but your perceptions on anti filipinos are actually true. When you live in a village or a in a secluded community in the Philippines you can see and experience how native filipinos admire and value foreigners in their society, as if they’re gods and goddesses that would be given the best offer they could give. It actually shows hospitality of the filipino and nothing wrong with that. But sometimes giving too much value could create inferiority to us filipinos that we are only second to them in our native land. American people are great. Filipinos are also great. what we are lacking is the determination to uplift the morale of the filipinos around the world. Eradicating “änti-filipino attitude” would be i guess one step.

People who are against their own country is not only happening in the Philippines. There are also citizens of other nations who abhor their own race, cannot stomach the acts and behavior of their fellow citizen and wanted to get out of their country for better future. Some other nationality would rather choose to become citizen of highly developed countries such as america than continously suffer abject poverty on their impoverished nation. JUST LIKE FILIPINOS, there are anti-filipinos who detest their fellow filipinos and there are filipinos who love being a filipino. There are some who love foreigner and there are some who are genuinely xenophobic.
The article discussed the anti filipino habit which is really happening across the length and breadth of the country. This is absolutely true. But, I believe that pro-filipino outnumbers anti-filipino.
I read an article wrote by an arab, which i forgot the name, entitled “world without filipinos”. He discussed the importance of filipinos around the world and how heroic they are. Their greatness, dedication and love for their family, work and for the world as a whole is immeasurable. His point of view about filipino really inspirable and laudable that regardless of having no filipino blood nor even relatives, he has great admiration to the filipino people.
I think by writing even little appreciation to heroic act of filipino people can boost self esteem and confidence and persuade them not to turn their back as a filipino. Writing good things would also have great impact to anti filipinos that gradually they would change their perceptions and convictions later. We cannot blame antis for having this kind of attitude. Maybe they have certain situation why they have this kind of conception.
I think instead of persuading them to love their own race, the best way is give them some good example of filipino who has an unwavering sacrifices for the country and contributed a lot to uplift the morale of filipino people just like what an arab writer does who value the importance of filipino around the world.