Ibarra is a Filipino American artist who makes poems or songs that are mostly about the problems that most Filipino Americans have. Two of her works that talk about the Filipino or Filipino American problems, the colonial mentality, were the ChingChong Asian and Who am I. Ching Chong Asian is about an Asian trying to accept her Asian American identity despite the difficulty in the situation. It describes battling in establish one’s identity despite discrimination and prejudice around, while Who am I Is about how Filipino history of being colonized affects the way the present generation think of themselves and other people.   

            In both of Ibarra’s works, the Ching Chong Asian and Who am I, it showed one of the biggest problems for Filipinos, the colonial mentality. Colonial mentality is a way of thinking that the colonizers are better than us, Filipinos. Colonizers are people who conquered other groups, in the case of Filipinos, it is the Spaniards and Americans. Like what Ibarra mentioned on her work, Ching Chong Asian, “when I was
thirteen and I couldn't accept why didn’t look more like my white friends”.  We look up to the colonizers as "idols" and copy them. Those who don’t fit with the criteria of having the looks and values of an American are looked down upon. Beautiful is defined by how you look and act. If you speak English very well, then you are well educated. If you have white skin and a nose like them, then you are better than anyone.  On the contrary, having the Filipino characteristics means there is less possibility of you achieving your dream. You may even experience discrimination in your own country. Individuals who are closer to the colonizers’ ways (education, language and religion) are viewed as more superior and valued than others (Nadal, 2012). Colonial mentality is an important topic not only for Filipino-Americans, but also for the Filipinos in the Philippines.
It is important because we became used to this kind of thinking without the knowledge that this isn’t right. We become more prone to identity crisis so that we even come to the point that sometimes, we try to deny our own race and we lose our ethnic attachment. We need to know what the colonial mentality is in order to decolonize.

2 Responses so far.

  1. Unknown says:

    hi can you help me arbout MOWUFO 2016 i like your writing we can open the filipino

    mind through music about colonial mentality help me in this competition the theme is

  2. Unknown says:

    Sure. Maybe I can help you with that, but I'm not that good of a writer XD

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