Smart-shaming and Our Pinoy Culture of Anti-Intellectualism

There was not a day goes by that you cannot hear sneers and mockery by people around you

such as:

“Huwag ka na nga magsalita!”

“Eh ‘di ikaw na may alam.”

“Ikaw na ang matalino!”

“Na sa iyo na nga ang lahat!”

We most commonly pick up these set of words in a middle of a conversation when it supposed to
be an exchange of innovation, opinions, and ideas. When someone has something fascinating to
convey, the other party would raise their allegorical response as if the person who has uncommon
thoughts to share make them feel ludicrous and the whole conversation will perceived as smart-
shaming or as a threat to intellectualism. In the modern Filipino culture, instead of practicing the
culture of intelligence, most Filipinos seems to hold themselves back from intellectualism and this
trait make the Filipinos seemed moronic.

I am not asserting that we Filipinos are dumb or that we do not value knowledge or education. I'm
saying that as a culture, we tend to see high intelligence as a pessimistic trait because what may
seem as gentle, and casual commentary can stab the receiver’s feelings like a sharp-edged weapon,
making one doubtful about his or her academic capabilities.

Unfortunately, smart-shaming is considered a harmful notion that has been instilled into our
practice deeper than we actually know

Mr. Isaac Asimov once said that "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has
always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through
our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance
is just as good as your knowledge."

On the other hand, when someone starts to speak his or her mind, the Filipinos would attack
him/her to cover up their envy. A good example would be that of a stellar politician, who put
herself in hot waters for voicing out against the administration who governs our country during
that time. When she ran for a government position, negative stories have been spread against her.
Again, this just tells how the Filipinos badly treated those who were smarter than them
To sum it up, we must learn to respect one’s individuality and be united as a country to bring each
other up instead of pulling each other down because the success of one’s country is mostly consist
of its people willingness to work together in all circumstances.
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