For your Inconsideration

There's a post circulating online - mostly thru Reddit - about how Filipinos are the friendliest people in the world, but are the least considerate. The post was made by two Americans, and I originally saw the post on Nutribun Republic's wall on Facebook. The post goes on to show how our inconsiderate nature shows up in many, many things that people have come to take for granted as "that's just how things are, jut let it be."

I'm not going to mince words here - the statement is 100% correct. We Pinoys are among the most inconsiderate race in the world. All of the examples listed by the Facebook page - the loud karaoke until the wee hours of the night, trash littering the streets because we're too lazy to pick up our shit and toss them in the bin, the sheer laziness of getting up, ambling to the jeepney driver, and paying for the fare personally instead of asking other people to shuttle the fare forward - these are all annoying Pinoy habits that stem from several basic Pinoy traits that have been instilled into us either by tradition, culture, or history. 

One - Pabayaan mo na / Nakakahiya

This is the number one culprit why we remain to be very inconsiderate. We are taught to just let things be, don't make a scene, what will the neighbors think? Don't rock the boat, in other words, and just let things proceed the way they will. I'm willing to bet that this stems greatly from the fact that this is a predominantly Catholic nation. Back away, critics; I'm a practicing member of the cult of Cathol myself. I'm just not wary of poking fun at it. But think about it. Catholicism is a heavily doctrine-driven religion, but the practice itself focuses heavily on tolerance and forgiveness, making these the cornerstones of Jesus' greatest commandment of love. Hell, the history of Catholicism has seen it tolerate persecution to the point of humiliation, mutilation, and execution, with the likes of St. Agnes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Lorenzo Ruiz. We're indoctrinated to tolerate suffering - what are the odds that the tolerance of inconveniences is a much easier thing?

Two - Tribalism

Since we're talking about indoctrination, let's talk about how our tribes flavor the way we think. And I'm talking about how you stick to your family, your group, your clique, despite the obviously evident flaws in the way they work or operate. Take a look at how the current situation of the Philippines has been shaped; the Ilocanos stick to the Marcoses because they're from their neck of the woods, and they defend him through thick and thin. Awan ti solid north my butt. Meanwhile, the Davaoeños do the same for the Dutertes, again because these guys are one of theirs. 

See? Tribalism. 

This isn't a fully Pinoy trait, to be fair. In fact, you can see this in the US where you're either a Democrat, a Republican. A more extreme example would be the organized crime families, where the entire family and their crews get involved if a family member was hurt or killed by an opposing crew. But Pinoy tribalism is such a specifically different flavor of us-versus-them. Everything – from religion, occupation, social status, and social circles – almost always fades into the background when your tribe is concerned, and it shapes, again, how much you're willing to let slide because somebody in your tribe was involved – up until somebody wrongs somebody in your tribe. Then suddenly, it's a cage match with no rules. 

Three - Manifest Destiny

I'm not talking about manifest destiny in the same manner as the white man's burden or the mandate of heaven, but in the innate Pinoy belief that they are the main character in their story. If you're a Filipino, stop for a moment and think: are you the superhero in your story? Do your experiences shape the lives of other people? Are your sufferings unique to yourself, and does no one have the capacity to understand your woes? If yes, then you're suffering from main character syndrome. This gives people the egotistical belief that what they do is, if not right, forgivable by the general public, because hey. I'm the star, my guy. 

Think about it – there have been countless individuals that have been alive up to this point, and there will be countless more to come after. Are you telling me that in that multitude of multitudes, there's nobody who's ever encountered a situation that's even remotely similar to yours? That there hasn't been anybody who's exuded more main character big dick energy than you? And don't get cute with me and say that hey, it may be similar but it wasn't me, because you're going to get a good smack upside your head. Get over yourself, man. You are the most important person in your life, but there is no way in hell that you're the main character. Not even close.