The Effects Of Colonial Mentality

On The Filipino Culture

MAY 17, 2016

Arnel T. Ambag

Thyrell Luizuinni A. Baslot

Che-Anne Mae T. Celeste

Joymae M. Eltagon

Josephine P. Namocatcat

We shall begin with the question- As a Filipino; do you consider

yourself to be a patriotic person? The answer to this question
needs a great assess to yourself whether you are a Filipino with
a respect for your country’s flag and with a desire to see your
nation succeed or an apathetic Filipino with a colonial mindset.

The Philippines is an area known for its rich society and

customs, having been involved and impacted by various
countries including Spain, America, and Japan. The colonial
history of the Philippines is the essential element in the presence
of colonial mindset among its people. It is accepted to be a result
of over four centuries of colonization under Spain and the United
States of America. Colonial mentality is a mental procedures to a
great extent credited to colonized individuals or individuals with
pioneer history. While the Philippines is a free nation, it has a
rich history of expansionism, from the Spanish to the Americans
(Lasado, 2014). According to David and Okazaki (2006), its
degree is not constrained to the support of outside items but
rather likewise includes the decision of dialect, idea of
magnificence, instructive framework, laws and approaches, and
even political framework. Filipinos with the colonial mentality are
oblivious more often than not that they show this sort of outlook.
The development of such a mentality is a product of the
Philippines’ experiences.

Filipinos are afflicted with a colonial mentality which is one of the

long-term effects brought by the colonial era. It is basically the
mindset that foreign talents, practices, products, skills and many
more aspects better than of one’s own. As seen now in the
status quo of our streets or in our mass media, most of the things
being sold are from foreign countries or foreign celebrities are
often projected to advertise our local products. Slowly, this sanity
replaces our sense of nationalism; our identity as Filipinos.

The result of this mentality is cultural weakness that makes

Filipinos extraordinary open to the acceptance of modern mass
culture which is often western. Thus, there is depletion of Filipino
practices, preference of the Filipinos in terms products and
entertainment, and factors that make Filipinos feel inferior than
any other races.

CULTURAL EFFECTS
As we try to consider some specific issues in the effects
of colonial mentality in the Philippine culture, let’s define first
what colonial mentality really is and also it is necessary to have a
little background of the Filipino culture.

Depletion of Filipino Practices

Culture refers to the traits and personalities of a specific race.
The Philippines is a known country for its cultures and traditions
having been influenced by foreign forces. Colonial mentality
crept in our minds and it runs through deep affecting our Filipino
culture, practices and traditions. Before, women were generally
diffident, refined and inhibited. A girl before was not seen alone
with a man, no touching not even her hands when talking to each
other they were always an arm’s length apart. On the other hand,
a man before had to undergo and should pass several tests
before they can date a woman.And most especially, men were
famous of the so called “Harana” or the old school way of
courting or pursuing the heart of a woman. But with the influence
of western ideas of dating and courtships, these practices are
now out of the trend.

A different scene happens when the technologies and

westernized way of living influenced the Filipinos where courting
takes place through social media like chatting, video calls, or
texting which cause Filipinos have colonial mentality
(Anonymous, 2011).

Bayanihan is one of the most famous Filipino culture. It is

assisting one’s neighbor as a group and doing a task together to
make the job easier. But those traits are gone now. Aside from
the change of environment there is also a change in people’s
attitudes and dispositions. This perception was influenced by the
western countries to be independent and having the ability to do
the things without the help of others or so called individualism. A
group of sociology students had conducted a social experiment
entitled “The Lost Wallet” last April 15, 2016. The said social
experiment came up with a result that some of the Filipino
people did not care for the owner’s feeling even though the
wallet was placed in front of the subject. Indeed, Filipinos are
now influenced by western culture.
Another famous culture of the Filipinos is the “Utang na Loob” or
debt of gratitude. This is where Filipinos would owe somebody
who has helped them overcome trials. However, because of
colonial mentality, it somehow distorts the idea of owing
someone. Sometimes, individuals would prefer not to have an
obligation of appreciation to somebody who they believe is lower
than them. Because of colonial mentality, there are individuals
who rank others according to their standards. A person with this
mentality would not have any desire to owe somebody from the
squatter. It also destroys the Filipino’s culture of “Pakikisama” or
Harmony (Anonymous, 2008).

Preference of the Filipinos in terms of

products and entertainments

The status quo of our country in this modern time is that, we

Filipinos are no longer the master of our homeland but rather the
aliens now control our economy. We are stuck in the hustle-
bustle of choosing foreign products rather than our own and that
is why our country’s economy has drop vertically nowadays. In
the Philippines colonial mentality is most apparent in the
presence of bias for Filipino mestizos (essentially those of
blended local Filipino and white lineage, additionally blended
indigenous Filipino and Chinese, and other ethnic gatherings) in
the diversion business and broad communications, in which they
have gotten broad introduction in spite of constituting a little
populace in the nation ( Lago, 2012) that is the reason why the
local brand Penshoppe imports international artists to endorse
their clothing brand. Hollywood films such as Civil War, Hunger
Games, The Walking Dead and songs like Love Yourself by
Justin Bieber, Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and Work by
Rihanna attract more Filipino audiences than “Original Pilipino
Music” (OPM) and Filipino Movies such as Orapronobis and
Manila Sa Kuko Ng Liwanag by Lino Brocka. Plainly, the
motivation behind why the excitement business is giving much
enthusiasm to the mestizo on-screen characters and performing
artists is on the grounds that they have more benefit in them.
They discover more benefit in them in light of the fact that the
Filipinos venerate them and to the degree of adoring them and
getting to resemble them. Those mestizos on-screen character
and performing artists get to be moment hits in our general
public in view of provincial attitude. (Anonymous,2008)

In addition, in view of colonial mentality, most Filipinos see that

having white skin improves them look. They have been blinded
into imagining that non-natives are better even in physical
appearances that is the reason they attempt to duplicate them
and seem as though them. A case is the utilization of skin
whiteners. The interest of skin whiteners in the Philippines is
high and is ceaselessly expanding in light of the fact that
increasingly Filipinos need to be white to accomplish the greatly
sought outside look. A few Filipinos consistently squeeze their
noses to make them less level and look more European. They
additionally avoid the sun or utilize skin brightening items to look
whiter and respect English capability and levels of
Americanization as measuring sticks of insight and
status.(Anonymous,2008)

Sadly, we have not been accountable in our stand about

“Tangkilikin ang sariling atin”. It may sound cliche but the reality
is Filipinos do not live by it.

Factors that make Filipinos feel

inferior to any other races
Colonial mentality strikes in the confidence of the Filipinos or the
inferiority complex. One factor that leads to being inferior in one
self is the language sensitivity. Just like in the Philippines
whenever they are compared to a foreigner most of the time they
feel inferior and lose their confidence. In the Filipino perspective,
speaking in English fluently is a measurement of intelligence
(Sta. Ana, 2013).

These are the Factors that make Filipinos feel inferior than any
other races:Being a full-blooded Filipina and speaking as a teen
who is highly internet and trend conscious, We choose to narrow
the factors into three. First would be something that appeals to
our inner vain selves – Beauty or more precisely, the world’s
perception of beauty and attractiveness. It is a shame how we –
a race of naturally tanned skin, stout and round stature, and
flat/button nose – try to whiten, trim, and surgically ‘enhance’
ourselves in order to conform to the world standard of
attractiveness. Our hair is usually more wavy than straight and
we seldom see Filipinos as tall as foreigners.Because of Spanish
colonization, another factor arises way back in the history of the
Philippines where natives often judged by their physical
appearances like their height, skin color and pudgy nose or
“pango”. Most Filipinos prefer to have white skin for them to look
better. They have been blinded into thinking that foreigners are
better even in physical appearances that’s why they try to copy
them and look like them. Also during the Spanish Era, some
were treated slaves and prisoners and that’s one of the reasons
why the thought of foreigners as why the superiors came into the
Filipino minds (Anonymous, 2008). Yet due to colonial
perception and westernized idea of beauty, we force out bodies
to succumb into ways which we are not. Because to us ‘lowly’
Filipinos, Foreigner beauty is how beauty should be.Second:
Education and language. You are smarter if you are fluent in a
language not you own, especially if it’s English. It is horrifying
how most university students choose to be more proficient in
foreign languages i.e., English, and struggle when directed to
write or speak in our own tongue. Also disappointing, how
political misgivings has stunted the growth of the education
sector and pushed us to rely on foreign scholarships to get
worthwhile and internationally recognized post-graduate studies.
Lastly, Workforce Seen from foreign countries, Filipinos =
Domestic Workers, Construction Workers, and such. Always the
white collared workers on contract – always the employee, an
inferior wage. We were always the race who exports manpower
because we cannot afford to give stable and sufficient jobs to our
own citizens and rely on rich countries. While some may argue
that it is division of labor and it is a necessary exchange skill, a
symbiosis per se, it does not alter the fact that our OFW left the
country because they would not be able to support their families
if they stay in the PH. This is rather alarming and sad, how being
an OFW should just remain and option. But due to economic and
political reasons, our citizen are left with being and OFW (and
eventually hoping to get a GREEN CARD) as the ONLY option
out of the murky waters of poverty in the PH. We see ourselves
as inferior because we look and act as if relying on other
countries is our only option left.

The colonial mentality was eventually passed from generations

to generations. And this way of thinking has also influenced the
way we see ourselves. We feel inferior and we feel so left behind
that is why we tend to adapt their ways. As the old cliché goes,
“If you cannot beat them, join them!” We tend to let their
standards be our standards as well forgetting our own. English
has been the measurement of intelligence and pearly white skin
has been the measurement of beauty. This is us now and this
will be us in the many years to come if we will continue losing our
loyalty and pride to our county and our identity as Filipinos.At this
point in time, we already have elected new set of leaders that will
hopefully lead our country into a new prosperous era, and the
choice is in our hands if we’re going to let this mentality ruin us
once again or not. Because we tend to clamor for change, and
even joining the bandwagon of CHANGE IS COMING hashtags,
and yet we do the complete opposite. Why have we not really
outgrown our colonial mentality?
REFERENCES
David, E.J.R. and S. Okazaki. 2006. The Colonial Mentality
Project. 2010, January 7.

Lago, Amanda. The semantics of ‘mestizo’.

GMA News.GMA News Online. (2012, July 27). Date Accessed
May 2, 2016. Retrieved
from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/267061/lifestyle/art
andculture/the-semantics-of-mestizo

Anonymous.Colonial Mentality (Weakness of the Filipino

Character). Blogspot.com. (2011, April 13). Accessed May 2,
2016. Retrieved
from http://filipinopersonality4us.blogspot.com/2011/04/colonial-
mentality-weaknesses-of.html?m=1

Anonymous.Colonial Mentality.Onebigblog2008’s Weblog.

(2008). Accessed May 2, 2016. Retrieved
from https://onebigblog2008.wordpress.com/colonial-mentality/