Knowledge Is Power: Blog 3

Bryan Agliam

Study Abroad 2k14

June 30, 2014

Third Andresen/Leah Panganiban

Knowledge Is Power: Blog 3

            Through our class presentations, our class “field trips”, our weekly readings, and social interactions, I have came up with ‘education’ as an overall theme that I believe connects my experiences, my curiosities, and our readings. I believe that the lack of education forces the “numbness” as Dr. Andresen would describe it or the “living under empire” mentality that President Kiko of Philippine Woman University imposed in one of our lectures that we are conditioned to think certain ways. In that I mean, we are conditioned to not realize our histories, why things are the way they are due to colonialism, and to simply put it, we often don’t question why Jose Rizal is the national hero.

            As Dr. Shaw presented her film Nailed, a class reaction of disgust and fear lit up the room. However, my reaction was a little different due to the fact that I have witnessed everything on that film. People’s reaction made me question as to how people think about Filipinos and the culture itself? Were these cultural practices contributing to the invention of “savagery”? Are people questioning about the spread of different religious beliefs due to colonialism resulting in the belief of “re-crucification”? Again, it goes back to the conditioning of individuals, the self-colonization if you will, where someone can be nailed on the cross for different days of the month and the only thing we get out of it is “why” and not find an answer.

            Constantino goes on to say, “Young minds had to be shaped to conform to American ideas, Indigenous Filipino ideals were slowly eroded in order to remove the last vestige of resistance” (Constantino 179). Thinking about Jose Rizal, there have been debates of whether he should be the national hero or should Lapu Lapu where he physically fought and defeated Magellan. In our education system, it frustrates me to not see these debates and individuals come up with their own interpretation rather than flooding our brain with just Jose Rizal. I believe both men played crucial roles in forming Philippines as a country and we should be educated about it. He further goes on to say, “the most effective means of subjugating people is to capture their minds” (Constantino 178). It is exactly why we are “numb” to certain things because our minds are subjected to the matters of dehumanization. Who would’ve known that Philippines holds a great amount of history such as the Aguinaldo shrine where the Independence was signed and if it was not for this study abroad, my identity as a Filipino American would reflect U.S. textbooks and stereotypes.

            Leading to U.S. education and how it is implemented in the Philippines, I highly wonder if it has the same influence on other U.S. colonized countries? Not just implementing the English language but also rather having “basic” histories if you will that is rather “universalize” for everyone. President Kiko stated, “Information is out there guys, and if you are really interested, you could find out”. I think that’s exactly the problem, the information is not given to us. Not only are we conditioned to believe certain fallacies, but we are also conditioned to not seek out information that is not presented. This may be a little contradicting to my argument of U.S. education hiding its’ history but I believe it strengthens my argument in a way that media and higher authority pick and choose what to display and I have learned that through Kawayan’s presentation. He says, “People just think I am tall foreigner with a beard until they see my film”. It is he, his father, Dr. Shaw, and many individual artists’ that dismantle the negative stereotypes and provide us with raw information.

            In the David and Okazaki reading, it goes on to say that, “Colonized mentality negatively affects the mental health of modern day Filipino Americans” (David and Okazaki 251). This quote really made me think about Dr. Shaw’s other film The Momentary Enemy and our “safe-space-open” discussion where many if not several students reacted with tears. It seems to me that they came on this trip having that colonized mentality—thus being numb to an empire they live in that this study abroad educated them in a way to not only think about the reality but putting things into personal perspective. According to Dr. Connie So, she says, “The longer an immigrant stay in America, the more mental problems they face”. I think this quote reflects the statement by David and Okazaki in a way to explain how inner colonization amongst Filipinos and other immigrants are affecting their mental and spiritual health. With the power of education, maybe that mentality will be dismantled as we seen the reaction of our fellow classmates and the hatred they have expressed.

            I think Anne Paulet says it best when she says, “The goals of Americanization was accomplished by constructing education in the archipelago along the lines of Indian education – as a lesson in morals and cultural values as much, if not more, than a lesson in reading, writing, and arithmetic” (Paulet 194). The colonization through educational systems has such power to create the numbness I have been talking about. When visiting Dr. Compamanes, not only did I observe the profound use of the English language but also the university itself. It is formatted architecturally and academically to somewhat look like an American institution. I wouldn’t doubt it that our curriculums in the states as far as history goes are quite the same. And I believe that is what Paulet is trying to tell us that Americanization has the power to universalize things through education to create this empire of numbness—thus not having to think outside the “box”. Through this form of colonization, it dehumanizes us as the oppressed to continually fall under an authority thus perpetuating different hierarchies.

            It is through education that builds an empire of consciousness that would lead to an experience of self-reflection. We have to “un-numb” ourselves and really think about why things are the ways they are in order to better understand our self-identities. One of my favorite teacher once said that the subject of history is the BEST subject. Not only does it help identify self-reality but it also incorporates all subjects. Think about it…

            After all this talk, writing and experience, I open all this up to my readers…As much “un-numbing” we do and self-reflecting and then later putting things into action, will we ever change the system[s] we are currently living in as the oppressed? Is it a waste of time? Is it for self-pleasure?