In which I talk about teeth. Then Osterizer. Then wriggly men.

So we have a question of whether or not Filipinos truly experience alienation, not having had a Great Depression or Industrial Breaking or some such. But then we did have three hundred thirty-three years of puff-chested Europeans forcing us into n layers of clothing, decades of ridiculously tall white men trying to get us to climb them for a high five and rid us of our dental tongue, four years of Not Tall White Men with bayonets and an even more dental language we could not comprehend, twenty-one years of a High Machiavellian who would only succumb to the pointy heels of his wife, a reputation for indolence, poverty, corruption, pollution, pathetic ambitiousness, mass rebellion, icky skin, and thank God we're a happy bunch of people.

Which is probably why they say we are never alienated. (Though Westerners may say that that is only because we do not know what the term means.) These things we have experienced have made us quite adaptable - resilient - people. Filipinos don't feel left out. We have a way, a quick way of blending in and becoming part of the crowd. And if we don't, there's always home. Filipino culture is a mixture of cultures, and this makes us able to belong in different ones. However, our diversity may also cause confusion, and some may find that they don't know who they are. And especially in our culture, people might think of each other as deviants.


Here is a test, if you are interested. :p

On a slightly similar note, being a person who's into fandom and slash fiction, I've experienced people looking at me like I'd just sprouted multi-coloured bat wings and telling me to STFU GEEK a lot (okay, maybe a little less of the second one; people do not enjoy making me hostile.) Six years of my life in my fandom (which I shall not reveal; I want it for myself mine mine mine! XD) have been spent in quietude from the Real World while my friends chatted merrily about Hollywood gossip, facial wash, and the cutest boy in class. I suppose, for people in the same "subculture" as I am, experiences such as these count as being alienated for one's interests and fantasies. I've seen a lot of drama about this actually, some of it more serious and due to all the stupidest reasons than the others, oftentimes from people "outside" the fandom, oftentimes as well from within. Personally, I am not affected. What I always say is that I like what I like, and I don't care what people say about what makes me giddy with glee.

Probably, alienation in this sense is a little (or a lot) silly. Maybe alienation should not even be an issue at all, if people suck it all in and laugh it all off. Life's a bitch. So slap it. Then walk away with a smug smile on your face, and go get a dose of your equivalent of pr0n.