“Anak, ‘wag ka na pumunta sa UP. Magiging aktibista ka lang doon,” are words far too familiar for the young Filipinos. In this country, there are so many negative connotations in being an activist. In truth, activism is not tantamount to extreme radicalism but the majority of people perceive it as is. Needless to say fighting is absolutely key to winning arguments however this does not simply equate to waging out full on acts of violent protests. As long as there is persistence, there should be no need to be radical. Activists take pride in what they do, the cause they fight for and some see their own marginalization as an emblem of honor. The question being asked here is, what is so wrong with being aware of the political machinations surrounding your home country? I believe that this is associated with the Pinoy culture of anti-intellectualism and smart shaming.
If Filipinos are particularly big on anti-intellectualism, it's most likely because they perceive it as unattainable for themselves and their kids. The individual has the tendency to attach negative feelings towards objects they perceive as unattainable. For example, you listen as your best friend describes the big promotion they got (and corresponding pay increase) and feel a spike of jealousy. On a much bigger scale, this applies to wealth, education, status, etc, factors rarely found in this country with a 16.6% poverty rate. The less perceived access there is, the more people tend to attack it. American academic scholar of cognitive science Douglas Hofstadter explains in his work on anti-intellectualism that this issue is rooted in schooling or the lack thereof. In the words of Tim Lacy, “A properly functioning education system would mitigate the possibility of a persistent, socially-embedded anti-intellectualism”. From another perspective, it could be said that Filipinos in general don't like to be ridiculed and embarrassed for not being smart, so they build this defense mechanism to instead ridicule and embarrass others for being smart. Textbook insecurity.
Indeed, the Filipino mindset is paradoxical and the reasons behind this culture are not definitive. In Julia Jasmine Madrazo-Sta. Romana’s article about the culture of anti-intellectualism on GMA News Online, it’s mentioned how our country’s experience with Spanish and American colonization has embedded within our psyche a distrust of Western constructs, most especially elitism. During the period of colonizations, such existing social stratifications have produced a huge dichotomy between the upper class educated Filipinos and the lower common folk who had attained no privileges in education. It has peeled off the togetherness and sense of community of the Filipino people, as Dr. Virgilio Enriquez, the Father of Filipino Psychology, mentioned in Sikolohiyang Pilipino while exploring the concept of “pakikipagkapwa”.
Moreover, we also must view how many Filipinos’ possess colonial mentality in a sense that respect for education is more about showmanship and the prestige it brings to the society as well as the people connected to the achiever. Individual achievement looks good, income is banked yet many wouldn’t bother to even contemplate on any of the ideas forwarded by these achievers. Based on experience, intellectual types are prone to experience microaggressions, poor treatment or annoyance. The superiority-inferiority theme creates jealousy, another byproduct of crab mentality.
Furthermore human values instilled at a young age are abused to serve authority and further compliance. We live in an age where humility and submissiveness (pagpapakumbaba) are synonymous, therefore leading to the avoidance of change or challenge to the status quo. So children are brought up to think in black-and-white especially in political life, and to fear the unknown. There is also the common “Nangangatwiran ka pa”, as if the use of one’s independent reasoning were a bad thing. Some causes of this anti-intellectual mindset may be rooted in poverty which spawns a culture that admires shortcuts to wealth and prosperity.
That is why when we see youth organizations, social media figures and celebrities actively promoting their radical or anti-government ideas online, netizens would be quick to reply with the sarcastic tagalog phrase, “Ang dami mong alam”. Filipinos, although not all, would rather overlook the serious issues going on and put their utmost trust into the higher ups. Again, this is in connection to conformism and authoritarianism taught to us. The natural respect that a child would have for adults in a psychologically healthy society is corrupted and transformed into unquestioning obedience, resulting in the discouragement of the development of reasoning, mediation, conversational, and negotiation skills.
I hope one day we can put an end to this toxic culture of anti-intellectualism. Only then our nation’s young and progressing leaders will be free from the negative connotations of “activist”. There is nothing wrong with initiating collective engagement and tail after liberating, transforming and empowering social change for the good of one and all. All activists who do their part in different ways are catalysts of empowering social change.
Sources:
Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic. Pressure For High Grades: The Damage Parents Could Be Causing Kids. Retrieved from: https://adelphipsych.sg/the-damage-parents-could-be-doing-by-pressuring-kids-to-get-high-grades/
American Psychological Association. (2019). How to help children and teens manage their stress. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/topics/child-development/stress
Arul, J., Thirunavukarasa, M., Rajkumar, R. (2015). Academic Stress and Depression among Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274643692_Academic_Stress_and_Depression_among_Adolescents_A_Cross-sectional_Study
Morin, A. (2020). The Danger of Putting Too Much Pressure on Kids. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-dangers-of-putting-too-much-pressure-on-kids-1094823
Sinha, A. (2016). Parental pressure: A fine line between caring and caring too much. Retrieved from: https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2016/05/02/parental-pressure-a-fine-line-between-caring-and-caring-too-much.html
Tang, S., Davis-Kean, P. E., (2015). The association of punitive parenting practices and adolescent achievement. Retrieved from: https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ffam0000137
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