Editorial
Re: http://showbiznest.blogspot.com/2012/02/ahcee-flores-wishes-victims-of.html
I tell people I know how it feels to be Bisaya because I am Pangalatok/Pangasinense/Pangasinan. In our province, I remind them, the native language, which is closely related to the Ibaloi and Sambal languages, has an accent that sounds weirdly funny especially to Tagalogs. Our /e/ becomes /i/, and our /o/ becomes /u/, and vice-versa. I grew up in Manila, so I didn't inherit the accent, but my fellow Pangasinenses are used to being laughed at in the face. But the difference is, I noticed after years of observing with intent, they don't equate the teasing laughter with mockery or putdown of one's self or personhood. The Bisaya (Visayans), I realized, are different. They are extra-sensitive about this issue.
Pangasinenses, if they don't hide their embarassment in vain or are not apologetic in advance, often react to the teasing by 'wearing' the wrong accent like a badge, as though to say, "All that teasing is useless -- my /i/'s will always be /e/'s and my /e/'s will always be /i/'s." The Visayans are different in that they are often defensive; they take the comment as an insult against their personhood, their very being. Something apparently is complicating the picture.
But no one needs to be a genius on this one; one only has to put on the Bisaya's shoes.
We can't deny the fallout from history: Manila's establishment as the nation's capital instead of Cebu may have something to do with hurting Visayan pride. Manila's, and by extension, Luzon's, win certainly have given Manilenos a sense of entitlement, the sense of leadership, centrality, superiority -- the sense of being an empire and regarding everything surrounding it to be its subjects.
The centuries cannot march on without the resulting imbalance in power, economics, and cultural perceptions. This must explain today's negative stereotyping of the Bisaya as poor hicks of the peasant class, never mind the fallacy, never mind that the same stereotyping hounds non-Manilan Luzonians, never mind the atypical rise in mainstream culture of the likes of the Osmena political clan, Pilita Corrales, Yoyoy Villame, Amay Bisaya, and these days, Manny Pacquiao and his wife and mother -- defiant (and in each their own way, excellent) Visayans all.
But despite the breaking of stereotypes, despite Manny Pacquiao's fabulous vengeance on behalf of all Visayans, hurt ethnic pride, especially when repressed, seems very hard to soothe, and if festering for years like red boils, could only erupt into lavas of pus.
Another possible explanation, a Visayan friend offers, is that the Visayans do not feel inferior at all but are, in fact, too proud to allow themselves to be so treated, so woe to anyone who insults them as a people.
In any case, the social networking incident in which one person maligned all Visayans with such head-shaking wickedness can, therefore, only serve as a wick that's long been waiting to be kindled, the catalyst history has long needed to set things afire, to arouse dormant memories of ethnic slights, and inspire cries for a-tooth-for-a-tooth vengeance.
The insult is even worse than the case of kicking a dog that's already limping. It is more like a coup de grace to end all insults. For what could possibly worse than wishing the extinction, the total decimation, of the Visayans of Cebu and Negros, and while at it, calling them names too, right after they were literally and spiritually shaken by a strong temblor?
The choice of insult is especially noteworthy, already wrapped as it is in religious sacrilege (prayer was used to convey the offense). "Baduy" literally means "unfashionable," "un-hip," "out," etc. It can mean a lot of things. Its most current synonym is "jologs," which has an even 'richer' meaning because of the added-on economic slant: it means "unfashionable because economically poor or deprived." It is one of those freighted words that may only be used by a fellow sufferer from the usage of such word, or else all hell breaks loose.
It is very easy to confuse between a) calling people "jologs" or "baduy" because of what they do (like what they wear) and b) calling them such because of who they are, because of their ethnicity. Visayans, who may have long confused the two for generations, can not help but conclude, "I am being maligned just for being a Visayan," and who can blame them if they jump to such a conclusion? In the case of the above insult, one doesn't even have to analyze it; the utter contempt, uncaring and disregard is obvious. It is rubbing into centuries of feelings of hurt ethnic pride.
The seemingly harmless and pathetically trying-to-be-funny gesture betrays a level of ethnic haughtiness, bigotry, or racism that we haven't heard since Hitler. If anyone is looking for an example of a hate crime, then this is it. I'm not a lawyer, but I'd recommend some jail time.
Re: http://showbiznest.blogspot.com/2012/02/ahcee-flores-wishes-victims-of.html
I tell people I know how it feels to be Bisaya because I am Pangalatok/Pangasinense/Pangasinan. In our province, I remind them, the native language, which is closely related to the Ibaloi and Sambal languages, has an accent that sounds weirdly funny especially to Tagalogs. Our /e/ becomes /i/, and our /o/ becomes /u/, and vice-versa. I grew up in Manila, so I didn't inherit the accent, but my fellow Pangasinenses are used to being laughed at in the face. But the difference is, I noticed after years of observing with intent, they don't equate the teasing laughter with mockery or putdown of one's self or personhood. The Bisaya (Visayans), I realized, are different. They are extra-sensitive about this issue.
Pangasinenses, if they don't hide their embarassment in vain or are not apologetic in advance, often react to the teasing by 'wearing' the wrong accent like a badge, as though to say, "All that teasing is useless -- my /i/'s will always be /e/'s and my /e/'s will always be /i/'s." The Visayans are different in that they are often defensive; they take the comment as an insult against their personhood, their very being. Something apparently is complicating the picture.
But no one needs to be a genius on this one; one only has to put on the Bisaya's shoes.
We can't deny the fallout from history: Manila's establishment as the nation's capital instead of Cebu may have something to do with hurting Visayan pride. Manila's, and by extension, Luzon's, win certainly have given Manilenos a sense of entitlement, the sense of leadership, centrality, superiority -- the sense of being an empire and regarding everything surrounding it to be its subjects.
The centuries cannot march on without the resulting imbalance in power, economics, and cultural perceptions. This must explain today's negative stereotyping of the Bisaya as poor hicks of the peasant class, never mind the fallacy, never mind that the same stereotyping hounds non-Manilan Luzonians, never mind the atypical rise in mainstream culture of the likes of the Osmena political clan, Pilita Corrales, Yoyoy Villame, Amay Bisaya, and these days, Manny Pacquiao and his wife and mother -- defiant (and in each their own way, excellent) Visayans all.
But despite the breaking of stereotypes, despite Manny Pacquiao's fabulous vengeance on behalf of all Visayans, hurt ethnic pride, especially when repressed, seems very hard to soothe, and if festering for years like red boils, could only erupt into lavas of pus.
Another possible explanation, a Visayan friend offers, is that the Visayans do not feel inferior at all but are, in fact, too proud to allow themselves to be so treated, so woe to anyone who insults them as a people.
In any case, the social networking incident in which one person maligned all Visayans with such head-shaking wickedness can, therefore, only serve as a wick that's long been waiting to be kindled, the catalyst history has long needed to set things afire, to arouse dormant memories of ethnic slights, and inspire cries for a-tooth-for-a-tooth vengeance.
The insult is even worse than the case of kicking a dog that's already limping. It is more like a coup de grace to end all insults. For what could possibly worse than wishing the extinction, the total decimation, of the Visayans of Cebu and Negros, and while at it, calling them names too, right after they were literally and spiritually shaken by a strong temblor?
The choice of insult is especially noteworthy, already wrapped as it is in religious sacrilege (prayer was used to convey the offense). "Baduy" literally means "unfashionable," "un-hip," "out," etc. It can mean a lot of things. Its most current synonym is "jologs," which has an even 'richer' meaning because of the added-on economic slant: it means "unfashionable because economically poor or deprived." It is one of those freighted words that may only be used by a fellow sufferer from the usage of such word, or else all hell breaks loose.
It is very easy to confuse between a) calling people "jologs" or "baduy" because of what they do (like what they wear) and b) calling them such because of who they are, because of their ethnicity. Visayans, who may have long confused the two for generations, can not help but conclude, "I am being maligned just for being a Visayan," and who can blame them if they jump to such a conclusion? In the case of the above insult, one doesn't even have to analyze it; the utter contempt, uncaring and disregard is obvious. It is rubbing into centuries of feelings of hurt ethnic pride.
The seemingly harmless and pathetically trying-to-be-funny gesture betrays a level of ethnic haughtiness, bigotry, or racism that we haven't heard since Hitler. If anyone is looking for an example of a hate crime, then this is it. I'm not a lawyer, but I'd recommend some jail time.
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