An Identity from Fragmented Memories
A: 너 미쳤어?! Neo michyeo sseo?!
B: Ano yan?
A: You crazy?!
B: Crazy?! Sino? Ako?
A: …
A: Jusko, buang ka! Yan na lang!
The unexpected social change brought by the pandemic led us to replace the hard-wired routines that we tend to follow in school, work and most importantly, in our homes. We are adapting, but this comes with stress, exhaustion, and dissatisfaction. Thus, to help us deal with such feelings, we find coping mechanisms through the media. We invest time in watching Netflix, supporting our biases in K-pop, or even learning the expressions of foreign actors. Yet, these kinds of coping mechanisms infiltrate our perception of the Filipino cultural identity, letting us discern this question: Is our notion of our cultural identity already corrupted by the mechanisms that helped us emotionally?
I always had a passion for filmmaking, but I took it seriously in the middle of the pandemic last year. I watched a number of Asian films repeatedly, pondering questions about why this shot had to be in this specific angle and why this scene had to be in this specific setting.
However, every time I watched a film for the first time, I watched it without an objective in mind like what most people do — watching for the sake of entertainment. But, unlike them, I had to do it so I can be aware which part of the film captured the feelings I do not control, which will serve as a foundation when I will dissect the elements of the films in the future.
I watched popular media but not on Netflix. In fact, I never watched a series or film from Western countries on Netflix. Why? I had to deliberately choose the films I watched because I’m aware that they might modify my perception of what Filipino culture is.
At present time, I don’t know any friends who don’t subscribe to Netflix. I was even shocked when my Tita watched a teen romantic comedy film, “The Kissing Booth.” She said it’s interesting to watch films like that as she can dive into the social realities of Western countries and the millennial generation and ultimately, it helps her cope with the pandemic. Yet, having this habitual relationship with Western films can diffuse Western cultural elements to their own cultural identity and diminish their willingness to explore the cultures of their own country. If this continues, we are on a pathway where the culture from developed countries shapes the cultural identity of people from developing countries.
If you asked our generation, “What makes Filipino culture authentic?” They might provide spontaneous answers about the times they engaged with cultural experiences in the past such as the aesthetic fiestas they went to or the diverse food they ate. Yet, are we only considering these aspects in defining our culture, like how we laud films to be “great” based on their aesthetic visual effects or diverse casts? Are these vague perceptions the hard-wired memories that our generation knows of Filipino culture?
Now, I ask you: what expressions are you subconsciously using to converse with others? “ Buang ka?” “You crazy?” “Neo michyeo sseo?!” Whatever that may be, your answers might already be the reflection of how cultures from diverse places and countries molded your identity.
So, are you still a Filipino?
