Of Emotion and Self Interest: Two Incidents
1,000 sq meters of reef destroyed One of the things I’ve learned is that Filipinos are emotional people and they have long memories. In terms of a prior blog, they store up a lot of “dissonance” from prior disagreeable moments and, given new cause, let anger rip. This can be seen in the emotional reaction … Continue reading
Prostitution, Tourism and Prostitutes
Exhibit A Let me piece together a few case studies in lawyerly fashion as I establish the foundation for the argument I’m going to make later. The first case was a tragic fire in a small hotel in Olongapo, near Subic Town, that killed seven people, three of them Americans whom I fairly or unfairly … Continue reading
Angry Maude Rants: The Surreal Philippines
Guest Article By Maude Garrison I must confess, dear readers, that this relentless study of Philippine ways and means from the vantage point of Western norms is becoming surreal. Jojo and I spend way too many meals discussing the cultural nuances of plunder. But I can’t get enough of it. Y’all do it different, and … Continue reading
Why China is a Real Threat
Chinese mob attacks Japanese car At the end of 2012, JoeAm identified four institutions that are interested in undermining the development of a modern Philippines. Here is a status report: The Anti Blog Sites are best ignored as they dissolve in the acids of their bitter view of the Philippines and Filipinos. The positive developments … Continue reading
Zen and the Art of Filipino Character Maintenance
It has been observed that Filipinos seem to live in the now, a wholly admirably quality of you have read “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle or are into Zen Buddhism. But it does make for a rather chaotic and reactive style. Face it, planning ahead is not commonly or skillfully done here. In … Continue reading