A Theory on the Crabs of the Orient

I've lived in Manila for 17 years and while I do adore the people and the country there are just some kinks in it that really bother me. One of it is the extreme crab mentality people have there.
It's a miracle to find someone who isn't family that would be genuinely happy for your success.

And in family, they tend to be genuinely happy just because it gives them another reason to brag about themselves. Tough for the nation known to be one of the most family-oriented.

I've been in Singapore for 8 months now so I've gotten some distance from the homeland and as I mulled over my Black Pepper Chicken set I wondered.. what if there was a root to this mentality?

You see I've seen it in so many places. In school, in people's workplaces, in my online games, the local television and stuff..Filipinos just have this innate thing that they HAVE to stick together. They HAVE to be uniform and God save you if you start acting "different" around their pack. (Ever tried speaking straight english around a pack of local Filipinos? It tends to get awkward.)

And then this little theory hit me. The Philippines was under Spanish rule for 300 years. They've been treated like lower beings. Looked down on. Until the revolution came, a famous man was shot and the people came together to put an end to what was going on. It was the first actual sign of national unity. It was camaraderie and love of country. It was patriotic. It was the good of the era. They realized they had to stick together or else nothing would change.

These feelings and values get passed on to the children. To never let another foreigner enslave us again. Of course, the Americans came and well, that changed a lot of things. Filipinos are generally a very giving and laid back people. But some things just don't change. To be different from one's own kind was considered shameful. As if you were betraying your nation.

Yesterday's patriotism morphed into today's ignorance and close-mindedness. It got completely screwed out of context. You don't see this happening to Filipinos who were raised in other countries. Just mostly the ones who consider themselves native Filipinos. Of course, it also doesn't help that a lot of the ones running the country are Chinese or have Chinese blood in them. This only pushes the gaps further.

What I'm trying to say is that we used to clamor for unity and the people have taken it in a way that meant we will all sink together on the same level for that is patriotism. But if the people do not allow others to rise then who will help raise up the others?