I am an Internet junkie. Yep, like millions of people all over the world, I am hooked and have no intention of giving it up.

Let’s face it. This world has dramatically changed because of it and I dare not imagine what this world would be like without it. It has affected all facets of our lives; everything has become instantaneous and self-gratifying. News and events far and wide are dispatched in milliseconds; what happens in our backyards no longer stays in the confines of our backyards.

Voyeurs, peeping Toms and Sues, narcissists, newly surfaced experts pop up like wild mushrooms. Suddenly, everyone has an opinion; everyone has something to say. The freedom of speech has never been exercised globally and openly than now. It is refreshing and invigorating at the same time for now we all have a place to go where we can be heard and be seen.

My writing has benefited from the Internet explosion as well. Although my style has changed a lot - that could be because I’m older now and more forgiving, it has allowed me to do things beyond my wildest dreams. For starters, I am thousands of miles away from Bacolod but the Internet has allowed me to bridge that distance. Foremost, it has given me a unique playing field through this column that I fondly consider the crossroad where east meets west and vice versa.

Being here and having grown up there has allowed me such a unique perspective. The fusion of my past and present has allowed me to capture the best of both worlds and work on the rough edges that both cultures present on a daily basis.

I have my own misgivings along the way; sure, that’s pretty normal. But I have always embraced my position as an ethnic person in the United States. I strive to preserve what is inherently Filipino in me and play that out to the hilt while welcoming the chance to assimilate in mainstream America.

I am a believer that when one is in Rome, one has to do as the Romans. But what I am not is Roman. This is a bit tricky and quite difficult; after all, we are like chameleons, we easily adapt to our environment. But unlike the chameleons, we need to stay true to who we truly are and hang on to our identities wherever we are.

Every chance I get, I tell stories of my childhood - where I grew up, where I went to school and what life was like. I have no qualms giving my two cents in a social setting with my American peers when the discussion turns to the challenges of the Filipinos – graft and corruption, poverty, the wide gap between the rich and the poor, and other social ills that confront the country and her people.

The Internet revolution has allowed us to have a front-row perch at what’s going on all over the world; every country and every race is pretty much fair game. Even when I am here, it feels like I have never left. A few clicks and I am able to peek at Philippine politics, Filipino pop culture and every day life.

In the same token, access to American life is now just a few keystrokes away. Trends here and American pop culture have become the measuring stick by which emulators and copycats pattern their existence. What’s perceived as cool in the United States becomes the craze everywhere.

Above and beyond the obsession towards anything American and what’s huge here, my interest peaked upon realizing the double-edge sword that people flail when it comes to specific things like the English language.

Look at those foreign-born kids for example or kids who are bi-racial. They go to the Philippines to try their luck in show business. The first advice that they get is to learn how to speak Tagalog. But that rule does not seem to apply to politicians, TV personalities and artists. A lot of them would rather speak English more than they would want to speak Tagalog. I even read the pronouncement of one so-called celebrity who proudly told the Filipino press that her daughter, born and raised in the Philippines, couldn’t speak Tagalog.

In more than a few occasions, I also heard Filipinos say that Americans can’t speak proper English. To this I say, really? The last time I checked, English is still America’s native language and not ours. So, how can we be better at it? Proper English? As opposed to what, improper English? Where’s the latter spoken?

Then there’s our penchant to use the American slang whenever we can. There’s nothing wrong with that but there are quite a few instances when it does not sit right because it sounds forced. Take the “F” word for example. This swear word is a one-word mantra for millions of people here. True, we can stereotype and say that this expletive when spoken, even its derivatives – freaking and frigging, makes you sound cool or Americanized. What needs to be told is the fact that there are also a lot of people here who don’t even say that word.

Emulation is great for as long as you do not lose your sense of who you truly are as a person - in words and in action, for as long as you use it to better yourself and not to feel superior. In the same vein, a blue passport does not mean you denounce your being a Filipino and morph into an American. For me, it simply gives me a better leverage in setting a great example on how two cultures can best be lived by a person.

The Internet has allowed Americans and the American media exposure to our culture as well. It certainly has bridged the gap between cultures and widened people’s views on how other cultures live. When put to good use, it allows the nations of the world to unite for good causes or enjoy trivial pursuits like doing the papaya dance.

Last Friday, as I was heading out to go to work, I glanced at the TV and saw the Good Morning America gang do the papaya dance. I stopped on my tracks and watched as they attempt to do it. In the process, they talked about how this is a craze over there and how everybody, including the army, is into it. I stood there beaming and quite happy that an elite media group would even take notice. I was proud to hear that.

On the flipside, a few months ago, I went to a local Filipino cargo place here to ship off a box. In the course of our business deal, the lady who was taking care of me asked where Negros is. I told her, in a nice way of course, that she should know Philippine geography, first and foremost, because she is Filipino and second, because she is working for a cargo company. The fact that she is here is not an excuse either.

Again, emulation is one thing but to pretend that you are who you are not is sort of a cultural defecating act. Not cool. Go ahead and use the big words and throw people off but I’ll be darn, know a few things about your own country at least.

The United States is not perfect. Who is? It has its own problems and social challenges to deal with but the intrinsic beauty of this country still lies in her people and their being open minded and non judgmental. Being here has allowed an ethnic person like me and millions just like me to thrive without the fear of losing our identities. Being around the people inspires me to be at my best. Being here allows me to not place so much importance on social class and what your last name carries.

Dispelling the myths is not easy. This is something that a 19—inch monitor cannot capture either. But allow your horizons to be expanded every time you google something or visit American websites. It’s okay to obsess over the latest gadgets and gizmos but steer clear of that cultural punch line that’s almost embedded in our brains as Filipinos – world’s greatest imitators. On second thought, it is okay to embrace that moniker only if we emulate and copy the good stuff and keep everything else real.

Till next time, a daunting task can be accomplished by taking baby steps. Start your own charity to help alleviate people’s pain.

 

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