Week #2 Blog Tory J

          Our second week in the Philippines differed greatly from the first simply because we traveled much less. Instead of traveling 8 hours going from city to city we went to the much closer Intramuros. Compared to the long hike across the rice terraces of Batad, our tour of where Jose Rizal was executed and imprisoned felt very relaxed. The trip was less experiential but much more historical and classically educational. We were able to learn about the life of Jose Rizal and what exactly made him the “national hero” of the Philippines. For me, the way his life was presented was much more educational than what was actually presented. In other words, the way in which the museum showed the life and death of Rizal fit perfectly with the rhetoric that he is the national hero of the Philippines. Although I do not want to downplay the things that he did for his people, it is apparent that Rizal was in favor of equality within the existing system; that is, one that was built and perpetuated by a colonial relationship with Spain and the United States. Rizal was favored by American colonials for his peaceful political advocacy instead of more radical Filipino advocates. The fame of Rizal to me is reminiscent of the fame of Chief Sealth, whom the city of Seattle is named after. Chief Sealth was a half-Duwamish, half-Suquamish leader that negotiated with the United States in favor of existing as equals within a colonial system. As admirable as it is that one would rather have peace than war, I feel that when it comes to colonizers encroaching on the land of indigenous people, being more radical and resistant would avoid a lot of hurt in the future. After all, colonizers such as the United States of America usually have imperialistic goals that are above all a detriment to the people and the Earth. The articles by Twain and Ileto, and the comic by Zinn articulated this related to the colonization of the Philippines. Twain’s article offered an “inside” criticism on the United States’ deception of the Filipino revolutionaries and imperial settler-colonialism in general. I use the word “inside” because Twain is a famous author from the United States. His article “To the Person Sitting in Darkness” gives readers his perspective on United States imperialism and related themes such as benevolent assimilation and forced assimilation. He does so in a way that almost sounds sarcastic:

“There. Is it good? Sir, it is pie. It will bring into camp any idiot that sits in

darkness anywhere. But not if we adulterate it. It is proper to be emphatic upon that

point. This brand is strictly for Export—apparently. Apparently. Privately and

confidentially, it is nothing of the kind.Privately and confidentially, it is merely an

outside cover, gay and pretty and attractive, displaying the special patterns of our

Civilization which we reserve for Home Consumption, while inside the bale is the

Actual Thing that the Customer Sitting in Darkness buys with his blood and tears

and land and liberty.”

            It is clear that Twain had strong criticism for the actions taken by the United States. In his article he continues to bring forth these issues and relates them directly to the U.S. occupation of the Philippines.

            As Twain offers a more “inside” perspective on American imperialism, Ileto offers more of an experiential one; that is to say that he offers history from the perspective of those who were colonized and brings forth facts that are “swept under the rug” by the ubiquity and perpetuation of western knowledge.

            “Why is it so difficult to speak of the relationship in terms such as invasion, resistance

(so readily applied to the Japanese in World War II), war, combat, colonialism,

exploitation, discrimination? There are a number of explanations for this attitude,

but from a historian's perspective the "problem" persists mainly because a special

relationship with America has become an intrinsic part of the history of the Filipino

nation-state's emergence and development.

            The third piece that we were meant to analyze is a comic illustrated by Zane. Although this kind of work is not “classically” academic, I feel that it is an effective way to give readers at least a very broad overview of what happened during the Philippine-American War. It also offered real pictures of some of the brutalities that the United States was a part of during the war and brought up these issues in a way that was interesting and entertaining to read.

            This week was indeed an educational one; it was interesting to learn about the colonial history of the United States and the militarism that is inherent in Philippine history. One theme that I did notice that stuck out was that of invisibility. The readings focused on the deception of the United States, and gave testament to the ability for those in power to silence other voices and enforce/perpetuate mainstream knowledge. I can only help but wonder if this kind of issue is being met by resistance advocates, activists, and education reformists. Are any steps being taken to shift the educational paradigm of Filipino history from one that is born from a colonial mentality to one that is relative to the colonized? I find similar issues within the United States education system and United States history classes. We are taught constantly about the U.S. Presidents and the western expansion as a great thing; the rhetoric of manifest destiny is brought forth with biases that and irony, especially when being taught in all native communities like the one I came from.

Works Cited

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 the 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. (pp.53-72) NY: