Saturday, January 5, 2008
What are the WEAK characteristics of FILIPINOS?
While there are positive Filipino traits, of course there are also negative behavioral traits. Let us discuss them:
Extreme Personalism. Filipinos have a personalistic world view. It means that there is no seperation between an objective task and emotional involvement. Because of this, Filipinos have difficulty dealing with all forms of impersonal activities. As such, Filipinos are uncomfortable with bureaucracy, with rules and regulations, and with standard operating procedures. As a result, we have personal contact in any transactions and these are hard to turn down. Preference in giving work or service delivery is given to family, kamag-anak, friends, compadre, and other connections. Thus, extreme personalism leads to nepotism, lagayan, croyism and worst, to graft and corruption.
Extreme family centeredness. Our excessive concern for the family makes us ardently loyal that the larger community is neglected. This leads to factionalism, patronage and political dynasties. Thus, there is lack of concern for the common and this acts as a barrier to national conciousness.
Lack of Discipline. The Filipinos' lack of discipline comes in different forms namely:
1. we lack patience and are unable to delay gratification or reward, resulting in the use of short-cuts, in skirting the rules (as in Palusot Syndrome).
2. we are prone to commit ningas cogon, starting out project with full enthusiasm and interest which suddenly die down leaving the project unfinished.
3. we have a relaxed attitude towrd time which manifests lack of precision.
These negative traits often lead to wasteful work system, violation of rules, inefficiency and lack of commitment.
Passivity and Lack of initiative. Filipinos are generally seen as passive and lacking in initiative. We wait to be told what has to be done. We tend to show strong reliance on others like government and other leaders to do things for us. We also tend to show submissiveness to those in authority and do not raise issues or to question decisions, thus, we are oppressed and explioted. They tend to show no sense of urgency about any problem. Sometimes we are simply complacent.
Colonial mentality. Filipinos manifest colonial mentality in two dimensions:
1. lack of patriotism or an active awareness, appreciation and love for the philippines.
2. actual preference for things that are foreign.
Our Filipino culture is characterized by an openess-adapting and incorporating the foreign elements into our own image. Thus, its result is cultural vagueness or weakness that makes filipinos very susceptible to the total acceptance of modern man's culture which is often Western.
More so, manifestation of this Filipino colonial mentality is the alienation of the elite from their roots and from the masses. We too have basic feeling of national inferiority that makes us filipinos wanting to relate as equals of Westerners.
Kanya-kanya Syndrome. This traits refers to the selfish, self-serving attitudes that generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness towards others, paticularly one's peers who seem to have gained some status or prestige. A good example to show this is the talangka or crab mentality using the power of tsismis, intrigue, and destructive criticism to pull others down. This traits is also observed in the lack of sense of service amomg people in the government agencies. The public is made to fell that the service from the offices and from the civil servants is an extra work that has to be paid for. As a result, this kanya-kanya syndrome dampens cooperation, unity and community spirit.
Lack of self-analysis and self-reflection. We Filiponos, have the tendency to be flighty and to manifest superficial personality. This means that in times of problems, we tend not to be serious in looking deeper into the problems. We tend to lack of analysis and reflection.
Related to this characteristic is the filipino emphasis on form (maporma) rather than substance. The desire to use flashy sets, signature clothes, flamboyant accessories and other bongga features to reinforce porma.
Likewise, our lack of self-analysis and focus on forms is reinforced by an educational system that is more form than substance.
Extreme Personalism. Filipinos have a personalistic world view. It means that there is no seperation between an objective task and emotional involvement. Because of this, Filipinos have difficulty dealing with all forms of impersonal activities. As such, Filipinos are uncomfortable with bureaucracy, with rules and regulations, and with standard operating procedures. As a result, we have personal contact in any transactions and these are hard to turn down. Preference in giving work or service delivery is given to family, kamag-anak, friends, compadre, and other connections. Thus, extreme personalism leads to nepotism, lagayan, croyism and worst, to graft and corruption.
Extreme family centeredness. Our excessive concern for the family makes us ardently loyal that the larger community is neglected. This leads to factionalism, patronage and political dynasties. Thus, there is lack of concern for the common and this acts as a barrier to national conciousness.
Lack of Discipline. The Filipinos' lack of discipline comes in different forms namely:
1. we lack patience and are unable to delay gratification or reward, resulting in the use of short-cuts, in skirting the rules (as in Palusot Syndrome).
2. we are prone to commit ningas cogon, starting out project with full enthusiasm and interest which suddenly die down leaving the project unfinished.
3. we have a relaxed attitude towrd time which manifests lack of precision.
These negative traits often lead to wasteful work system, violation of rules, inefficiency and lack of commitment.
Passivity and Lack of initiative. Filipinos are generally seen as passive and lacking in initiative. We wait to be told what has to be done. We tend to show strong reliance on others like government and other leaders to do things for us. We also tend to show submissiveness to those in authority and do not raise issues or to question decisions, thus, we are oppressed and explioted. They tend to show no sense of urgency about any problem. Sometimes we are simply complacent.
Colonial mentality. Filipinos manifest colonial mentality in two dimensions:
1. lack of patriotism or an active awareness, appreciation and love for the philippines.
2. actual preference for things that are foreign.
Our Filipino culture is characterized by an openess-adapting and incorporating the foreign elements into our own image. Thus, its result is cultural vagueness or weakness that makes filipinos very susceptible to the total acceptance of modern man's culture which is often Western.
More so, manifestation of this Filipino colonial mentality is the alienation of the elite from their roots and from the masses. We too have basic feeling of national inferiority that makes us filipinos wanting to relate as equals of Westerners.
Kanya-kanya Syndrome. This traits refers to the selfish, self-serving attitudes that generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness towards others, paticularly one's peers who seem to have gained some status or prestige. A good example to show this is the talangka or crab mentality using the power of tsismis, intrigue, and destructive criticism to pull others down. This traits is also observed in the lack of sense of service amomg people in the government agencies. The public is made to fell that the service from the offices and from the civil servants is an extra work that has to be paid for. As a result, this kanya-kanya syndrome dampens cooperation, unity and community spirit.
Lack of self-analysis and self-reflection. We Filiponos, have the tendency to be flighty and to manifest superficial personality. This means that in times of problems, we tend not to be serious in looking deeper into the problems. We tend to lack of analysis and reflection.
Related to this characteristic is the filipino emphasis on form (maporma) rather than substance. The desire to use flashy sets, signature clothes, flamboyant accessories and other bongga features to reinforce porma.
Likewise, our lack of self-analysis and focus on forms is reinforced by an educational system that is more form than substance.
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