Sunday, November 16, 2008

what is the filipino dream?

we popularly hear the american dream, which is more inclined with the economic aspect of living in the land of milk and honey, not only among americans but even among people living outside the us. but then i wondered, here in the philippines, do we actually have a dream of our own? is there such a thing as a filipino dream?

yes, we do. as silly as it can be imagined.

40 years ago, the national dream of every filipino is to become an actor/ actress. it was rooted within the extremity of the fan culture in the country during the late 60s to the early 70s. it was something more than the japanese people are now. it reached its peak when it reached the phenomenal vilma santos and nora aunor rivalry, where the country was literally put into half: the vilmanians and the noranians.

vilma became the icon of the tisay fairness that was typically the common definition of beauty in the country even up to now. but she proved to the people that she is more than that. she excelled in her craft by giving out sheer talent in acting (again, its acting, not singing), the same reason why she was loved and still love by her audience.


on the other hand, nora aunor redefined the philippine film industry by proving that a young, typically looking girl, who was once selling iced water along train rails in the province can actually be big in the industry. thus, it gave hope to almost all typically looking filipinos.


i even remember myself when i was a kid saying that i also wanted to be an actor someday, regardless how embarassing it was. but who doesn't wanted to be one, right? now, i am thinking, is it still the dominating definition of the filipino dream?

if the philippine dream before was reflected on how the show, "that's entertainment" rated. today, we could no longer determine it by watching the same host's show, "walang tulugan." darn, it will definitely show us an entirely different scenario.

if you want to know how is it still holding atleast in the metro, just turn on your tv and switch your channel to the tons of reality shows we have. if you are lucky enough, you might bump into the audition episodes and feast yourself upon the long pile or even seas of people doing everything as in EVERYTHING to win a slot in the show. as an audience we just get tired of hearing all the well fabricated and sometime inconsistent stories of their lives and their common aspiration to lift their family from poverty--- the typical filipino drama. most of these people are stuck with the belief that the only way to help their family is to become a star. but with all the challenges that a common filipino struggles with his everyday life just to land a decent job, who can blame them, right?

nonetheless, i believe that the filipino dream of becoming an actor/actress already seized down. in comparison, with what it was before. probably, after the stardom of nora aunor, no typically looking filipino followed her. thus, the filipino dream shifted from becoming an actor/actress to the filipino diaspora of leaving the country.

accept it or not, today, most filipinos mindset of success is anchored upon leaving the country and having a job elsewhere. this is clearly manifested on the kind of college courses we have. as of the moment, nursing, engineering and maritime are the three most populated courses in the country; and all of which are in demand professions all over the world.

then i wonder, is this really our filipino dream? and how is it different from the american dream? there are just too many questions running in my head right now, that i could no longer decipher how my personal dream differs from both dreams. at the end, i just have to ask myself, why do we really have to tie everything about ourselves to america?

sigh.

19 comments:

Ely said...

Because we see America as the only hope. LOL. America means dollars. And perhaps, because we know that there are more Filipinos, who became successful by going to America, than by desperately following the footsteps of Nora and Vilma. Artista ngang nalaos, sa America ang punta, pano pa kaya ung ni hindi nakita sa harap ng camera.

jamie da vinci! said...

sadly, our colonial mentality has continued to leave us deluded that staying put is practically a dead end, economically speaking. brain drain truly has drained our country dry, to the point that we are left with only the residue of the incredible talent that the filipino has.

why do we only celebrate filipinos who succeed abroad and ignore those who do succeed here? are they not as noteworthy.

escapism and lack of ownership has been a sickness we all have been suffering. by leaving, we not only benefit the countries we enslave ourselves to but also, leave our crippled country even in a worse state of despair, allowing these opportunistic industrial countries to move in for the kill. it's a vicious cycle.

mikel said...

stp.

southdude said...

nice observation.

juanmiguel said...

a more pressing question would be, "who the filipino really is?" withouth identity, the dream can never be realistically forged.

JP said...

magaling magaling.

tama ang sinabi mo

lucas said...

i never dreamed to be an actor...hehe! but somehow i wanted to be an artist but not by acting on stage, movies, or television...

colonized na kasi ng america ang utak ng mga pilipino at kadikit ng amerika ang salitang kasaganahan...pero ewan ko lang din ngayon kasi apektado ang US ng krisis, di ba? hmmm...

peace out!

. said...

We are a nation of wanderers. Yun...

Anonymous said...

Ewan ko ba kung anu meron sa America. Been there and the only thing fun there are the tours. Nako. Try working. Kala nila masaya. Haha. Stupid.

Kris Canimo said...

yes, filipino diaspora. in search for a 'greener pasture', pinoy would left anything and everything behind.

not until they found a 'grimmer pasture', they will fly back home.

xxxborgexxx said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
xxxborgexxx said...

with all the crap around here, i still wouldn't wanna live anywhere else. live and die in the pinas. i can't last three weeks outside the country. i'd never leave if it was up to me, except that there are some things that have to be taken care of. what i can't stand is the inordinate pride of filipinos who have left and came back as if they owned everything. they start speaking in english even if they mess up with the grammar, they make silly demands, and make stupid complains. truth is, they were just damn katulong or waitresses or tellers or tagalinis ng quarters or tagahugas ng dumi ng mga matatanda. it's ok to be all these but please, spare me the arrogance. you didn't live the dream.

jericho said...

why do we have tie ourselves to america? hmmm... or why are we tied to america? ;)

escape said...

no more action movies in the philippines now. movie industry has gone down.

i too dreamed to be a tv kid host but it was only there.

gillboard said...

ni minsan, di ko pinangarap mamuhay sa amerika. bakit ka luluwas ng bansa, kung kaya mo namang kumita dito. Sabihin nating di ito malaki, pero kung matalino ka sa paghawak ng pera, pwede ka paring yumaman.

Niel said...

"...Filipino Dream is a simple one, and it revolves around the Filipino family and its well-being, not around material goods." - Sen Manuel Roxas

If ever a Filipino has to enter showbiz or leave the country, he does it for the good of his family.

Looking For The Source said...

nora or vilma? neither...

go for maricel soriano!

ha ha ha...

♥ N o v a said...

I can think of one person that is living the Filipino dream: Manny Pacquiao.

And I hope he defeats De La Hoya on December 6!

Anonymous said...

Bata pa lang ako feelingero na ako.
Gusto ko nang lumabas sa Tv at mag-artista. Naiinggit ako nun sa mga bata sa 5 and up tska sa for kids only. Feeling ko pag nag-artista ako mas mapapansin ako at makakatulong ako sa pag-angat ng estado ng buhay namin.
Ngayon, isip bata pa din ako pero nagive-up ko na yun. Isa lang siyang ilusyon. Di naman lahat nakukuhang artista, di lahat nakakapag-artista, at bagama't may katotohanang mabilis kang yayaman sa pag-aartista, hindi iyon ang sagot sa kahirapan.
=)