An alarming virus is currently plaguing the Filipino people and no, it isn’t the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been silently lurking throughout the years, gradually infecting more and more people, turning them into zombie-like beings who, instead of hungrily screaming for brains, shun these thinking organs away because, in their own words, “Being well-mannered is better than being educated.”
Symptoms of said virus include hostility and mistrust towards the pursuit of knowledge. In most cases, infected ones mock people who have high intelligence and/or critical thinking skills. This virus, which many have tested positive of, is called smart shaming or anti-intellectualism, and what a powerful wave did it have during the campaign period for the 2022 Philippine national elections.
It is loaded with seemingly innocent statements like, “Edi wow!” It is implied in self-deprecating sentiments such as, “Sorry, bobo kasi ako.” It is found in the sarcastic quip, “Ikaw na ang magaling!” or in the blatant suggestion, “Edi ikaw na lang mag-presidente!” Even the phrase “Let me educate you” has been antagonized.
Although it has been much more noticeable only recently, smart shaming goes a long way back and can be traced from a crucial part of Filipino identity. Dr. Virgilio Enriquez, the Father of Filipino Psychology, mentions in his book Sikolohiyang Pilipino that Filipinos place great importance on the concept of “pakikipagkapwa” or sense of togetherness. They value conformity, empathy and social relationships, a common trait among Asian countries.
In an article by Julia Jasmine Madrazo-Sta. Romana, she points out that Spanish and American colonization significantly affected Filipinos to the point where a distrust of Western concepts, such as individualism or elitism, is embedded in their psyche. Additionally, the social structures during the colonial period created a huge gap among the people, dividing them into the well-off, educated ones and the common folk who have no means of attaining any level of education. This weakened the Filipino people’s spirit of togetherness and eventually confined intellectuals to an elitist stereotype which still lives on today.
Filipinos give importance to companionship with the common people but when only 48% of the population finish high school (PSA, 2018), it paints an idea of what the common Filipino looks like. This is why, according to Sta. Romana, Filipinos are inclined to smart shame. Those who think outside of the box are seen as a danger to normality and are perceived to be looking down on the rest of the population.
For a culture such as the Philippines wherein education is treasured, it is quite ironic how smart shaming is normalized. John Pedicino, a professor at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California, notes in an essay about teaching critical thinking in an age of political disinformation and perceived anti-intellectualism that “in today’s world of politically motivated disinformation, students may arrive at classrooms already misinformed about science or highly skeptical of its message.”
Campaigning during the 2022 Philippine presidential elections worked the similar way. 31 million voters have arguably fallen victim to the vast and calculated network of fake news and propaganda by the Marcoses designed to catapult the family’s name back into power. With Filipinos being active social media users and therefore more prone to disinformation, this strategy was in hindsight, definitely effective. The disinformed majority now became the face of the common Filipino.
It has reached to the point where conspiracy theories are preferred over cold hard facts. Credible media outlets are branded as biased, resulting in people relying on vloggers and influencers as their main source of information. Random Youtube and Tiktok videos, often spliced, are taken without a grain of salt. Knowledge from research is selectively important. Speaking up against the norm and for the truth is considered as arrogant because of the need to respect everyone’s opinion.
Such reality reflects what Isaac Asimov said about America in A Cult of Ignorance: “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”
As the Philippines slowly recovers from the coronavirus, another virus prepares to take over. Much like the former, it takes time for symptoms to appear, but the difference is, it takes an even longer time to recover from it. How can the Filipino people be cured, when the virus that is smart shaming is embedded deeply in their own culture and is perpetuated by those in power?
Comentarios