Don’t get me wrong: I wanted Jessica to
win. In fact, as soon as I found out she is half-Filipino and has a legitimate talent in singing, I wanted her to win. Last night,
as every Filipino hoped and prayed for her to win, I hoped it so, too. It’s
just that the ridiculous news coverage really put me off. Once again, the
overwhelming Pinoy Pride has taken control.
Before I get to that one vital topic, let
me just discuss one more, seemingly unimportant problem that is actually bigger
than what the ignorant populace of this wretched archipelago might not realize:
Philippine journalism is run with people who shouldn’t even be in that field. Being
a journalism means you have to tell the truth, but how can you tell the truth
if you can’t even use words properly? Words are like crystal goblets containing
valuable wine while being valuable on their own; they’re not sacks of sand you
just throw around and pretend it wouldn’t matter.
I am, of course, talking about how local
journalists, namely the anchors of TV Patrol, consistently referring to Jessica
Sanchez as a “Filipino-Mexican.” It is understandable in that they are
referring to her race, but you don’t describe race in common language like
that. Most importantly, it distinctively sounds like they’re disregarding the
fact that Jessica Sanchez is American. Yes, my little brown fellowmen, that
gorgeous sixteen-year-old who looks exactly like us is American, and she is
nothing less of an American than her white male opponent. Just because she is
born of a Filipina mother and a Hispanic father (who is Hispanic White, by the
way, and hails from Texas, which is populated by a large Mexican population)
doesn’t make her any less of an American. Jessica was born in California, and her
mother is probably an American citizen by now rather than a permanent resident
(a.k.a. a green card holder).
Oh, the demonym abuse doesn’t end there,
people. Korina Sanchez, at one point, asked a reporter collecting information
all the way in Los Angeles, California, “Di kaya manalo itong si Phillip
Phillips dahil purong Americano siya?” Purong Americano? Korina Sanchez, don’t
you know such a phrase doesn’t exist and has no meaning? There is no such thing
as a “pure” American especially when you are referring to a white person! If you
call Phillip Phillips a pure American, what then would you call people like Taylor Lautner, or Chaske Spencer, or Julia Jones, or Gil Birmingham, or any of the other
black-haired, copper-skinned actors playing the Quileute lupine shape-shifters
in the Twilight movies? And for that matter, what then would you call people
like Beyonce Knowles, or Will Smith, or Jennifer Hudson? And while we’re at it,
do you think people like Jeremy Lin, or Daniel Dae Kim, or heck, Nicole Scherzinger
are not American because they’re not white?
More importantly, why do you jump to the conclusion that Phillips' would win just because he's white? HOW UNBELIEVABLY RACIST CAN YOU GET? Okay, it's true that there remains public inclination toward white males, which is possibly the same reason most Hollywood movies have white male action heroes unless the lead is Will Smith. But people, have you forgotten that the first American Idol was Kelly Clarkson, who is a white female, and her successor was Ruben Studdard, who is a Black male? Or maybe you didn't care because there is suddenly "one of us" who have gotten so far in the competition. Phillips didn't win because he is white; he won simply because more people voted for him because his fanbase (composed of rock and pop rock music lovers) were simply heavier than Jessica's.
More importantly, why do you jump to the conclusion that Phillips' would win just because he's white? HOW UNBELIEVABLY RACIST CAN YOU GET? Okay, it's true that there remains public inclination toward white males, which is possibly the same reason most Hollywood movies have white male action heroes unless the lead is Will Smith. But people, have you forgotten that the first American Idol was Kelly Clarkson, who is a white female, and her successor was Ruben Studdard, who is a Black male? Or maybe you didn't care because there is suddenly "one of us" who have gotten so far in the competition. Phillips didn't win because he is white; he won simply because more people voted for him because his fanbase (composed of rock and pop rock music lovers) were simply heavier than Jessica's.
I know what you’re thinking: oh, they’re
just making it easier for the less educated people to understand what they
mean. No, using language this way is not doing any favors for the masses. This only
makes them even more ignorant of the nuances of racial makeup in the United
States population. Some white people in America might actually not be American,
and many colored people born and raised in the United States are American,
granted that their parents are citizens of the United States of America. Most of
the Caucasian (white) population are actually descendants of European settlers,
making them essentially, and technically, not just American by birth but American
by virtue of being born from a long string of generations of Europeans (many
ethnic groups of them, for that matter) also born and raised in the New World
to escape oppression from Europe. Some white people in the US today are also of mixed race, meaning they may have at least one Jewish, Hispanic, or more commonly, a Native American ancestor. What does that make colored people labeled American?
Well, some of them are Americans in the same manner. However, in the case of
people like Jessica Sanchez—in fact, most Filipino Americans of her generation—at
least one of their parents are immigrants from the Philippines. Jessica is American
because she was born in America to American parents, regardless of race. American
is not an ethnic group; it is a nationality. The word describes people born in America
to American citizens; the word also applies for immigrants (regardless of race)
who applied for American citizenship. Native Americans (sometimes named
collectively along with Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians) are also Americans
by virtue of being born and raised in United States territory to parents and
ancestors who have been living there long, long before the white people ever
knew they existed in the 1500s.
Now that that issue is out of the way, let
me settle down the more important issue: the overblown obsession with Jessica Sanchez
and the overwhelming desire of having her as the new American Idol. Again, let
me reiterate: I share this desire because she is Filipino and is a good singer.
Before you call me a hypocrite, let me explain one tidbit I mentioned in a
previous blog entry: I understand that we Filipinos see anybody as a brother or
sister as long as they can trace their lineage to our precious archipelago. I share
this sentiment. Even now, I still wish Jessica won the competition because I also
believe that it is a tremendous honor to have “one of us” to have the title.
However, I do not approve of peculiar
claims I keep hearing both from these television journalists and the people
they interview and encourage. Pop singer Gary Valenciano mentioned at one point
that Jessica Sanchez “carries the banner of the Philippines.” Random interviewees
and reporters have dramatically proclaimed that having Jessica Sanchez win American
Idol would be the triumph of Filipinos in Hollywood.
As my iPod has been out of battery power
while my right earphone is damaged, I could only cringe and squirm in my seat
in the bus while I kept hearing those phrases and variations thereof over and
over and over. It was torture. It was torture because these people are either
misguided or totally ignorant. Either way, they don’t know what they’re talking
about.
When has Jessica Sanchez ever cared about
her Filipino heritage? For that matter, I have never heard any Filipino American
bragging about it, not even my American cousin, who is delighted about visiting
her parents’ home country but doesn’t really care about anything else about it.
If you ask me, this is not a problem. I also think that if Jessica doesn’t
care, neither should we. Nobody has to. While it is a big deal because if she
had become the newest American Idol, that would make her the youngest and the
first Filipino, and the first Asian, and the first Hispanic American Idol, Filipinos
need to stop claiming that such an honor is shared with us.
This isn’t even just pride anymore; it’s
egotism. This is not like a parent beaming over a child with accomplishment;
this is like a chained dog cheering over a long and successful struggle of a
wolf with a huge prey and then claiming that the success is his because a distant unknown ancestor was once a wolf. My little brown fellowmen, this competition, this
triumph, is not about you; this is about her. This is about Jessica and her
long and turbulent struggle to come this far in such a prestigious competition.
If you wanted to support her, why don’t you just support her? Why didn’t you support Jessica because she is a talented
singer and a sister for us? No, you did it because you feel the triumph can be
our own. It isn’t. Jessica is not a symbol of our country; she is an incredibly
talented individual who got where she is because of her skills and charisma. Most
importantly, she is only Filipino because of half of her genetic makeup; as far
as I can see it, she is 100% American.
