In week one, I raised the question of whether Filipinos who act, look, and talk like an American will ever truly be treated as an American. As week two winds down to an end, I want to proceed that question with why Filipinos even want to be American? Why would anyone benevolently assimilate to suppression after years of lies and war?
Benevolent Assimilation written by Zinn (2008) depicts multiple aspects of the US’s lies and betrayal to gain absolute control over the Philippines. In his piece, author Zinn states “that General Smith instructed him to kill and burn, and said that the more he killed and burned the better pleased he would be, that it was no time to take prisoners ... Major Waller asked general Smith to define the age limit for killing and he replied EVERYTHING OVER TEN.” (Zinn, 2008, pg.69) This concept to wipe out an entire population not only vindicated war, but a genocide. The men, women, and children of Samar were murdered and at the end of it all, not a single moros was left to live. This event is only one, of countless events, of betrayal of the US against the Philippines. This event is also one that is failed to be taught in the Filipino education system. Earlier this week, we attended a lecture at the Philippine’s Women University that was led by an Ateneo professor. In that lecture, he discussed the value of implementing a Philippines history course to educate students about the Spaniard colonization, but more importantly the Filipino-American relationship and why forgetting about the past is not acceptable. He elaborated on the ideas of social construction in the Philippines as being controlled by what Americans hold as standard. Evidence of these American standards are displayed throughout the country - light, practically white skinned models are advertised almost everywhere, as well as the use of the English language both to communicate and advertise.
In The Philippine-American War: Friendship and Forgetting, written by Reynaldo C. Ileto (1998), the author states that “the official ideology of the US takeover of the islands was “benevolent assimilation” - conquest constructed as a moral imperative to adopt and civilize the ‘Orphans of the Pacific.’” (Ileto, 1998, pg. 7) As a result of this assimilation, knowledge and learning of Philippine-American war heroes are negligible. For a war that lasted over three years, Ileto (1998) associates this lack of knowledge as a result of the war being fought against Americans. Americans have constructed the minds of the Filipinos to believe that “Mother America” has always been around to save and protect the Philippines. In implementing such a notion, schools since 1902 have been taught to eliminate any harmful theories that America was actually “the true oppressors of nations and the tormentors of mankind!” (Zinn, 2008, pg. 63) Professor Angel Shaw at the Philippines Women’s University spoke on this issue. She explained the fact that conversations regarding assimilation and the US in an imperfect manner just doesn’t happen - that singly is the problem. For a country with so much history and deceit, the honest facts are more valuable than ever and these facts - as presented in our readings - need to be taught in schools from a young age so the enculturation process is changed from American assimilation to embracing of the Filipino heritage. Rather than teaching children from a young age to aspire to live the American Dream, teaching them the truth of the Philippine’s history will nurture pride in who they are.
Continuing on to Mark Twain, in To the Person Sitting in Darkness (2002), he explains that the business of colonization has changed and the dark is no longer “dark enough for the game.” (Twain, 2002, pg. 61) The game has been played for so long that those in the dark “are getting to be too scarce.” (Twain, 2002, pg. 61) Resources are dwindling as consciousness of the business and game of colonizing are increasing - the light is starting to shine. There is no use for those in power to play the game of control if all that is left is the uncivilized, who impose no benefits of resources and are therefore useless to colonize. Trying to play the game with those both uncivilized and unprofitable prompts business to travel elsewhere, leaving those in the dark scarce. Twain’s (2002) reading was a challenging one to decipher. Though he references the dark as no longer being dark enough for the game, he led me to wonder if anyone is still left in the dark? And if so, why hasn’t light exposed them? I can only begin to answer these questions in regards to what I’ve witnessed these past two weeks. After speaking to some students at the University of Santo Thomas, my perception on Filipino studies changed. Before, I believed that Filipino history was one that was only discussed in American favor. After talking with the students, I learned that the Filipino-American relationship was in fact not always taught positively. And if this is the case, the light of truth is shining on the darkness of lies, so raising the question of whether or not Filipinos continue to live in the dark is a controversial theory. Majority of Filipinos have assimilated to American values. But if students are learning the truth of the past, then the light of truth should be eliminating the darkness, yet little action remains exercised to challenge why assimilation continues to happen - advertisements are key examples of that.
Earlier this week we also visited Intramuros and Jose Rizal’s thinking cell. While there we witnessed Rizal’s work, life skills, and last words. In 1889, Rizal expressed that “Men are born equal, naked, and without chains. They were not created by God to be enslaved ... nor adorned with reason to be fooled by others.” (Rizal, 1889) Rizal’s false conviction of rebellion and forming of illegal societies lead the people of the Philippines to protest affirmative action against their oppressors. The execution of such a God-willing and innocent person was tragic enough to realize that change was no longer to be compromised, but attained. The connection between each this week’s readings and Rizal reaffirm the notion that there is no friendship between the Philippines and the US as Ileto (1998) discussed, that the darkness that Twain (2002) talks about is one that is requires lighting through education, so benevolent assimilation as written by Zinn (2008) is a poor reflection of the consequences bestowed on the Filipino people as result of US manipulation.
All in all, my question of why benevolent assimilation exists doesn’t have as much to do with why Filipinos praise Mother America as their protector, but more with why there is a lack of education of the ideologies suppressed behind concealing the facts. As discussed at PWU and Ateneo, it’s the education that needs reforming. Without such revisions, benevolent assimilation will live on, as will the cheating belief that “Mother America” is the Philippine’s protector.
Discussion Question: Why would anyone benevolently assimilate to suppression after years of lies and war? What are the benefits?
Citations:
Ileto, R.C (1998). The Philippine-American War, Friendship and Forgetting. In Shaw, A.V. & Francia, L.H. Vestiges of war. (pp. 3-21). New York: New York Press.
Twain, M. (2002). To the person sitting in darkness. In Shaw, A. V. & Francia, L.H. Vestiges of war (pp. 57-68). New York: New York Press.
Zinn, H. (2008) Invasion of the Philippines. In A people’s history of American empire.
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