A Damaged Culture Redux

I recently came upon the article A Damaged Culture by the American journalist James Fallows. I remember reading the article, which Mr. Fallows wrote for the Atlantic Monthly in 1987, back in high school. It was required reading but I doubt if I read it as I can not recall what it was about prior to reading it again 20-odd years later.

I remember the article generated a lot of controversy since nationalistic sentiments were especially high one year after EDSA. I do not recall reading it (much less understanding what it was about if I had) but I distinctly recall feeling aggrieved, even at 15, as if the author was dishing out a personal insult to me in particular. No doubt many others shared the sentiment; a 15-year old, after all, merely apes the reactions of his elders.

But reading the article now I find sadly that Mr. Fallows was in large part accurate on his reading of Philippine affairs. Substitute Mrs. Arroyo’s name for Mrs. Aquino’s and it sounds like Mr. Fallows was writing about present realities.

I was particularly struck by Mr. Fallows’ observation that “this is a country where the national ambition is to change your nationality.” I know this to be true—I myself have contemplated leaving many many times. In fact I must confess that I have not completely banished the thought from my mind especially since it has become increasingly difficult to make ends meet in these times of skyrocketing fuel and food prices. Like so many Filipinos, I have relatives and friends who now live in other countries, not necessarily the U.S. of A. And sometimes it just gets too tempting—perhaps life is really better elsewhere?

But there lies the problem, as Mr. Fallows wrote and to which I completely agree. Mr. Fallows, in writing about the Philippine elite, wrote that “there is not necessarily a commitment by the upper class to making the Philippines successful as a nation…if things get dicey, they are off with their money.”

Today it seems this observation applies to everybody with the means and opportunity to get out. And while the middle and lower middle classes have no money to take out of the country, they nevertheless take with them a very valuable resource---their expertise and their energy.

Granted, middle and lower class Filipinos who find work overseas regularly send a majority of their earnings home thereby helping to keep those that remain afloat (remittances from overseas Filipino workers reached a record $ 14.45 billion last year). But is this necessarily a good thing or does this only lead many to apathy with regards to how this country is run? Why reform the Comelec or why speak out against corruption? We can always go elsewhere, why fix the problems at home?

Mr. Fallows wrote, too, that compared with other cultures, we seem unable to think of ourselves beyond the tribe, beyond the family. He wrote that unlike, say, the Japanese or the Koreans, or even the Thais, we Filipinos seem to lack a sense of national identity. Mr. Fallows likened the extent of our loyalties to the Mafia families portrayed in the Godfather—“total devotion to those within the circle, total war to those outside.” Which is why we keep on having leaders who think only of their own aggrandizement instead of working for the benefit of the whole, according to Mr. Fallows.

Now why am I going through all these trouble for an article written 21 years ago, you might say? Precisely because things haven’t changed. A survey by the SWS early this year found that most Filipinos are pessimistic with regards to the quality of their lives improving in the near term. In another SWS survey last month, it was found that 60% of those surveyed were dissatisfied with the performance of Mrs. Arroyo. And still another SWS survey revealed that an estimated 2.9 million families have gone hungry in the last three months alone. Yet with all these unfortunate circumstances, no widespread protests have occurred beyond those mounted by traditional critics of government.

In ending his article, Mr. Fallows wrote “what will happen when…the culture doesn’t change and everything gets worse?”

It has gotten much worse and apparently most of us are just thinking of leaving.
-oOo-
For XUHS Alumni: Mr. Charles Culanag, "Charcul" to his students and friends, is ill with cancer. Any support, and prayers, will be much appreciated. For details on how to send your help, please contact Dr. Bernard Cepeda(rebnarmd@yahoo.com).