Two topics that people need to avoid in polite conversation are religion and politics. Usually, everyone has a strongly formed personal opinion that is bound to clash with everyone else’s. This might lead to animosity, probably indigestion and slight hostility for the host (or hostess) for having invited such guests.
I myself try to stay away from these topics as much as I can in social situations. Safe conversations with acquaintances usually revolve around current events, celebrity news and the weather.
Since I have the liberty to talk about these things now, I will tell you why the Philippines is a fake democracy and a fake Roman Catholic country.
What is democracy? Democracy is quickly defined as the rule of the majority. Democracy was only introduced to the Philippines during the American period. The Americans quickly instated the Filipino elite into key positions in the government and left us to fend for our own. They had good intentions but misjudged the effect of our strong cultural roots.
During pre-colonization, the Filipinos were divided into tribes. Loyalties were reserved for family. What the colonizers failed to see is that this mentality has remained with us. We aren’t what we say we are but what we are. We are filed under a democracy but we see the same old dynasties installed in the political arena. Problems of the country remain unsolved while these ruling families plunder the country’s riches for their families’ sake.
In the topic of religion, the Spaniards used Catholicism as an excuse to rule over our ancestors. They used God as an excuse to ‘save’ us but in fact they were enslaving us. It was excusable three hundred centuries ago because that was all the rage back then—to accumulate foreign lands and dedicate it to their kings and queens.
In this day and age, I think it’s unacceptable to continue with this lie. There aren’t any ‘foreign’ rulers present in the country save for the leftover Spanish ruling class but the Catholic Church continues to feed the masses idiocy masked as the answer to all their questions.
I observe this in Sunday mass, which I’m forced to attend because of my parents’ own delusions in regards to religion. Most of the people in church don’t even listen to what the priest is saying. They just go through the ritualistic motions of the practice but don’t even know why they do it. Most are talking to their seatmates, looking at their watches or staring blankly into space. If you do listen to the priest, you only hear threats and warnings of hell said in a condescending way like a parent talking to an infant child.
Having shared these observations, I hope that it might elicit open thinking about the current situation of our country. It may not be as in-depth as some might require but at least they are new ideas that challenge the outdated status quo.
