Essay on Colonial Mentality: Its Roots

Words: 1287
Pages: 6

Outline:
I. Colonial Mentality
A. Definition
B. Symptoms of colonial mentality
C. History
1. Cultures and practices shared by foreign countries
a. America
b. Spain
c. Japan
II. How colonial mentality is inherited by Filipino individuals
A. Denigration of the Filipino self
B. Denigration of the Filipino culture and body
C. Discrimination against less acculturated Filipinos
D. Tolerance and acceptance of historical and contemporary oppression of Filipinos
III. Effects of Having Colonial Mentality
A. To Filipinos
B. To our country
C. To other countries
IV. Reducing the quantity of Filipinos who have colonial mentality

Introduction: Do you recognize these brands of products: Adidas, Nike, Fila? Of Course you
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Mixed children by white men… are thought of as more valuable, precious, and better prepared for…society. This mentality isn’t new. Many of the elders… believe “White is right.” All white boyfriends, husbands, and mixed children are shown off as trophies” (expressed by a young Filipina American, as quoted by Bergano & Bergano-Kinney, 1997, p. 202).
The discriminating attitudes of some Filipinos hold against members of Filipino communities they perceive to display Filipino characteristics. Allport asserted that discrimination against less Americanized Filipinos is the discriminatory attitudes toward one’s co-ethnics may in large part be due to the minority individual’s strong desire to conform the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the dominant group, which may include the dominant group’s discriminatory attitudes and practices. Some Filipino Americans may ridicule less-Americanized Filipino Americans by tagging them with labels such as “FOB” (fresh-off-the-boat), “stupid”, and “backwards” (Revilla, 1997). Such a discriminatory attitude may reflect the belief that the only ways for Filipino Americans improve themselves is to Americanize (Rodriguez, 1997) and to associate only with American or Americanized people.
Another example of discrimination against less acculturated Filipino Americans is the perception that English proficiency reflects higher status and intelligence. Those who speak English with a Filipino accent are reported