A Heritage Of Smallness

[alsuave]

Excellent article by Nick Joaquin that should be mandatory reading for all Filipinos. Some may disagree with the author's views about how colonialism affected the Philippines, but I think the article is spot on. Especially when you consider how much this country is against foreigners owning land and businesses.

 

"For the present all we seen to be able to do is ignore pagan evidence and blame our inability to sustain the big effort of our colonizers: they crushed our will and spirit, our initiative and originality. But colonialism is not uniquely our ordeal but rather a universal experience. Other nations went under the heel of the conqueror but have not spent the rest of their lives whining. What people were more trod under than the Jews? But each have been a thoroughly crushed nation get up and conquered new worlds instead. The Norman conquest of England was followed by a subjugation very similar to our experience, but what issued from that subjugation were the will to empire and the verve of a new language."

 

http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2013/05/nick-joaquins-a-heritage-of-smallness/

Edited February 25, 2014 by alsuave

[MikeB]

The last comment on the bottom of the page by "Ian" sums it up perfectly.

[Thomas]

Interesting.

But at least some of them others are trainable. My ex gf isn't a common Visayan, because she had allready at 27 years of age managed to get same size of land as her father - but it was on a low level = 2 hectares. From a very poor level she had reached that but determination, economic thinking and hard work, but she was still thinking common "small Filipin", thinking a sarisari is "big" business. But after a half year of giving her hints and repeetingly telling her to "think biger" when we discussed business, she reached thinking "Wholesale rice"  :)  

So not odd e g Chinese are so dominating in biger business in the Philippines. (As e g he who have built e g Cebu Pacific airlines and Globe telecom from scratch, starting as poor when his father died when he was still a kid. I don't know if it's true he was realy poor, his father was a businessman, so he had got some "business genes" growing up anyway.)

 

(("The Norman conquest of England"

It was the Normands. (=Danish Wikings took part of France a few generations earlier. That part got the name Normandie. The highest boss when they conquered France was called abroad "Rollo" from start named "Rolf" as grown up nicknamed "Gånge Rolf" ="Walking Rolf" because he was so big so no horse could manage to carry him  :lol:     A decentant of him, William the conquerer", took England in the battle of Hastings 1066. But much of that success was just luck, because it just happened other Wikings had made a try to conquer attack at the eastcoast just before that but failed. Then the English army got the news Normands had landed in the south, so they rushed march there, so the English army was both reduced and were exhausted when it reached there, so not odd they lost.   ((Btw the big fat Gånge Rolf is an ancestor to me, but we don't look alike at all :mocking:

[Americano]

Filipinos are small people so they think small. Some of their buses are so small that my wife and I are stuffed in tighter than sardines in a tin can. Sometimes I call it the land of midgets.

[Hewy09]

I agree some are so small that when I was staying with my wife's family in Samar a few years ago that I had a funny but painful experience.

It was local fiesta time and I had been out drinking and dancing with all the relatives. Decided to call it an evening and we were put up in a relatives home. After sleeping for a few hours I had forgot how low the doorways and ceiling were. I hit my head a few times on my way to the CR but the worst was on my way out of the CR when I stood up rapidly and took out a roof support and half the roof came crashing down. Was I ever imbarassed but my wife (gf then) was even more imbarassed. After waking everyone within earshot and having an uncle come to my rescue to dig me out I returned to bed as nothing could be done till morning. When I woke up in the morning I had a huge headache and blood covering my bald and now skinless head. Lol. Really it scalped my self good almost 3/4 my scalp was now scabbed over and was already getting infected. Just my luck. Any how we stayed a few more days but I was moved around to stay at other relatives with higher ceilings and concrete homes as I literally demolished half a house with my head. During my stay I helped to fix what I destroyed and I bought them half a new roof. Lesson learned don't drink and stay in unfamiliar places. Lol. At least the village has never forgotten about me and I am treated like a king whenever I visit. I'm sure they are all hopping I will renovate their homes with my head.

Just thought you guys might get a laugh or two at my expense. I know I have just writing this post.

Sent from my iPhone. buhay ay mahusay na! magsaya.

[MikeB]

"in the West, if you go out at seven in the morning you’re in a dead-town. Everybody’s still in bed; everything’s still closed up. Activity doesn’t begin till nine or ten– and ceases promptly at five p.m. By six, the business sections are dead towns again. The entire cities go to sleep on weekends."

Not true except in very small communities; it's certainly not the norm, at least not in recent times. The author of the article died in 2004 at 86, perhaps a bit dated.  

[robert k]

My Fiance is 5'9", the local doctor I saw for my skinned calf just called her Ms. Universe. Fiancee's dad is 5'9" and her brother is 5'10". When we were still just chatting online, fiancee told me, we're big people, even her mother is 5'5". I think their height may have something to do with diet, growing up on a farm and probably no small amount of spanish genes. :)

[Thomas]

I think their height may have something to do with diet, growing up on a farm and probably no small amount of spanish genes. :)

Yes, diet is a length factor according to historical research during many houndreds of years within SAME nationality,

and as you know are genes an other factor. (Spanish are "tall" compared to Filipins, but short compared to Scandinavians  :)

[jpbago]

The first comment by Gerry is recent and shows that nothing has changed and never will.

[alsuave]

Many of you are missing the point of the essay. It has nothing to do with Filipino people being physically small. It has everything to do with Filipinos thinking small and limiting themselves to small endeavors, small plans, small growth. If you think small, you will never achieve anything grand.

Edited February 26, 2014 by alsuave