One Discriminating Message Received (October 30,2007)

One discriminating message received
by: Maria Reylan M. Garcia

"I love it when people judge me negatively, especially the part where they find out they were wrong." This is a simple text message I happen to store in my inbox, because I believe this is one of the few of the millions of SMS sent by Filipinos each day which is not a waste of their peso.
A lot of people are guilty of making hasty conclusions resulting to false accusations. A lot are also guilty of prejudice.

Racial discrimination has long been a sensitive topic addressed by many international peace organizations that dreamt of eradicating cultural ethnocentrism, or the tendency of comparing and criticizing a different race from one's own.

Filipino doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers and even domestic helpers have planted roots of exemplary service to the international community. From the intense academic preparation for a degree of one's choice, to the laborious sifting of board passers in licensure exams, certainly what we import to other countries are among the best the Philippines has. Yet, I grieve on how the world pays back our hospitality, of how the world steps on our fingers after shining their shoes, of how they could discriminate us for being a Third World country.

Imagine, preparing such an appetizing banquet for a visitor, you polish your house with dozens of floor wax, took out all the best kitchen wares and utensils for the visitor to use, cooked all the delicious specialties you could think of. Then, your visitor pear-shapes the fiesta with a simple, "Your party stinks."

I had my share of discrimination. A while back when I was frail and weak, a group of people I called friends misjudged me and kept on pushing me down, poisoning me to the foul pit of depression, drowning me to an ocean of helplessness.

The bad part is, I'm no loser. I get high grades and graduate as top of the class. I share my notes with them; even homework. I had no regrets helping them and being a sincere friend. But what do I get? Sheer backbiting and getting a chance to play the game of one versus one hundred. I was the one, and the one hundred was after me. It came to a point when I gave up and accepted their accusations. But my will to conquer my fear is there. I have become stronger and realized that they were against me because they were jealous of me.
True, one has the urge to discriminate because he doesn't want the other one to get past him, to be better than he is. It's like running in a marathon; because he can't catch up with you he'll just do all the means to slow you down.

Actually, we Filipinos have much more than those discriminating fools have. Let me cite some examples. We speak their language while they can't speak ours. We hire our own nurses and doctors and amazingly they hire our own as well. We have values. So what if they have snowmen? We have thousands of islands and they only have one or a few.
I would be a hypocrite if I deny that I took up Nursing so I could go out of the country and give more financial support to my family.

But I will never forget my roots and the soil that nourished me. I'll defend my birthplace. I am and will always be proud of being a Filipino. Just as proud as I am of myself now, amid the continuing discrimination of other peers, the backbiting and issues they build against me.
That message I received is undoubtedly true in any way. You'll feel more delighted when people get the impression that you are dumb and idiotic but end up finding out you're the brains of your class. Rather than people already know you're smart, there's no thrill in its discovery.

The next time someone will look down on you, insult you, discriminate you or call you a loser, just smile and realize that someone is just jealous of you.
Those people pull us down because they can't push themselves up.

One discriminating message received.
Erase message?
Okay.

(For comments and reactions please send an email to reylangarcia@yahoo.com or an SMS to 09186363090. View http://www.theyoungvoice.blogspot.com)