Against the wall

Back in the days before the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) invented the pink open-air roadside urinal, a newly arrived Filipino in the US was said to have been “relieving” himself behind a wall when he was accosted by an American policeman. “Freeze!” barked the cop. “Don’t you know that’s against the law?” The Pinoy shot back with indignant innocence, “Of course not! This is not against the law, this is against the wall!”

I first heard that joke decades ago from the legendary comedian Bert “Tawa” Marcelo. Apart from Marcelo’s classic delivery, I guess that one reason why many Filipinos found it funny was because they could relate to it  many Filipino males have likely violated several walls (and some tires) at one time or another. Be that as it may, there are other similar jokes like it that are often cracked by Filipinos themselves. The scenarios may differ, but the theme is all the same in that the humor springs from some flaw or perceived weakness of the Pinoy. And while I do appreciate the fact that as a people we really do enjoy laughing at ourselves, I cannot help but think that these kinds of jokes are also comedic manifestations of our infamous inferiority complex.   

I ponder about this now as I prepare to go the US three weeks from now. I am going there with no intention, of course, of defiling any US street but rather to accompany my son who is a member of the Philippines Little Razcals, the Pony Baseball Asia-Pacific Boys 10u (10-years-old-and-under) champions. The Razcals are competing in the Pony Baseball 10u World Series in Burleson, Texas on August 3-6. They will primarily be going up against the various regional champions of the US whose players will all likely dwarf my son and his teammates. One of the worries of our team’s coaches is not something that the kids will need to overcome in the field but rather in the mind  that proverbial mental wall inside the heads of many Filipino athletes (except perhaps Manny Pacquiao) that they cannot win against foreign rivals, particularly those from the West.

There are, of course, many reasons for this defeatist mindset. Some of them have nothing to do with our athlete’s psyche at all. For example, there is corruption. Corruption in Philippine sports is cited by many as one of the key reasons why we can’t win. Because of the corruption of some of our sports officials, our athletes don’t get the proper allowances, training, coaching, and equipment that they need to do well. Worse, these same officials treat their sports like their own personal fiefdom where staying in power, and not the development of their athletes, is the most important goal. Observers sadly note that this is true not just at the national level but even with kids’ sports. Yet, apart from all of these other factors, it is also undeniable that many Filipinos automatically get intimidated by foreigners. One of our more credible sports officials said that we’re only cocky when we’re among ourselves but once face-to-face with our rivals, we get jittery right away even if, in reality, we’re better in a lot of aspects.

 Sociologists tell us that a large part of this unwanted trait can be directly traced back to centuries of colonial rule where the supposed superiority of our conquerors was constantly pounded into our being until it became ingrained in our blood. Our sports problem then is something much larger than any field, court, or arena. And while the occasional morale boost of a Manny Pacquiao knockout certainly helps, any long-term solution will have to start in Filipino schools and homes. First of all, our education should really impress upon our children the richness and uniqueness of our own language and culture. I know that this seems like an impossible task amid the relentless attack of western pop culture, but we Filipinos really cannot hold as a measure of cultural success being able to flawlessly look, sing, and dance like Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga. Until we learn to value who we really are as a race and as a people, then I don’t think we will ever be able to stand side-by-side as equals with other nationalities. As parents, we also need to encourage our children to be comfortable with themselves and to reassure them that they are good enough just the way they are so long as they give it their best shot. We need to build on their innate abilities rather than focus on what we believe they could or should be doing. 

When I mentioned to my wife the potential psychological problem the boys might face in Texas, she asked me if I believed that our son has any inferiority complex. I thought long and hard about that and came to the conclusion that he has none and that he is as confident and comfortable with himself as any other boy can be. The same is true, I concluded, with his other teammates, all of whom I have begun to regard like my own sons as well. I sighed at the thought that maybe I should be thinking more about whether I have an inferiority complex rather than my son and his teammates. That mental barrier or wall that we’re so worried about may be more in the minds of us adults instead of our children. If that’s the case, then I say we should piss on it. And if someone says that’s against the law, well then “Cuff me, man!”

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