Change We Badly Need

While the world was ecstatic about the Obama victory, a lot of Pinoys including those in my workplace  were noticeably silent,  indifferent to the pervading excitement around them, deadma as we call it.

This is not surprising considering global polls cite the Philippines as one of the countries favoring McCain,  the other two being Israel and Georgia.  The Economist magazine on the other hand had the Philipiines down as going 70% for Obama’s opponent.

I would not be surprised and In fact I believe that the reason why many Filipinos do not favor Obama is because he is black.  And as the world celebrates the dawning of change, our dysfunctional society of  people whose color is but a lighter shade of the new US president ( although they look at it as the tanned shade of white –” they like our kayumanggi color that’s why they tan themselves” is their proud and insane claim), chose to be sorry losers clinging to their colonial racist mentality.

After more than 60 years of anti-imperialist struggle of our people, we still behave like a new colony.  We are stuck in a world of make believe, unmoved by a wave of change hitting the very foundations of our fantasy.

partners

Of the 10 Filipino migrants I have encountered, 8 of them  did not favor Obama because he is yes, black. Only the white people can save the world — notwithstanding what Bush did. I remember a Filipina during the primaries saying ” Anybody except Obama.  Not a black person because the world will look down on the US.  The US will lack credibility she said and the investors will pull out of the US,  resulting in a terrible unimaginable recession.  It is the end of America as we know it.”

Well, it did happen — the crisis.  Only that it happened during a white man’s watch, and the black guy will inherit all of it.  And I can see this early what will happen — they will blame Obama for being incompetent to solve the crisis.

To these people, a qualified black man cannot be president while an incompetent and unqualified white man deserves eight years in office.  These feel-Ams are the most pathetic lot I’ve seen, viciously stupid in their racist best

One thing is very sure though, this race they look down on has produced a president of the most powerful nation in this planet.  Thye have struggled to be not invisible by being who they are.  And they won.

And the Filipinos, forever proud of being able to blend with society (we speak english better than the rest of the world (so we claim) and we love whitening lotion — yes skin whitening lotion, to look like our masters), mistaking invisibility for being mainstream, still live in a magical realist world.

And we wonder why we’re always at the bottom of the heap.

If we ever are to progress as a people, we need to find our identity and assert it.  We have to have the consciousness of a distinct and sovereign people, proud of their heroic struggles, historical roots and cultural integrity.  We need to finally stop being a neo-colony — a cursed status we ignored (or loved?) for 60 years) and start living as a truly free and independent people and democratic nation.

And heck, we need to get rid of Arroyo. Seriously.

That is the change we badly need.