A Scathing Filipino Canard: Culture of Smart Shaming
among the High School Students
The Researchers: Rhianne Andrei Ortega, JC Faith Salvador, Kate Garcia, ….
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
College of Our Lady of Mercy of Pulilan Foundation Inc.
I. INTRODUCTION
Smart shaming is an act of mocking or belittling some
one for their intelligence, knowledge, or intellectual cu
riosity. This kind of behavior can occur in various setti
ngs such as schools, social situations, or workplaces w
here people may feel threatened or insecure by someon
e else's intelligence or expertise. Smart shaming can ta
ke many forms, including sarcastic remarks, dismissive
comments, or even outright hostility towards individua
ls who demonstrate intelligence or display intellectual
pursuits. People who exhibit anti-intellectual behavior
often tend to not believe in scientific and logical facts.
The learners also tend to view knowledgeable people a
s aloof, arrogant, and elitist. This way of thinking leads
to the belief that intellectuals do not belong to the com
mon folks. Some people think that when someone spea
ks with knowledge or wisdom, it is equivalent to showi
ng off. The students feel as if an individual who speaks
with knowledge is insulting them. Perhaps, it is a sense
of competitiveness, a desire to prove the intelligent wr
ong, or old-fashioned resentment that fuels this behavi
or. It discourages people from embracing their intellige
nce or pursuing further learning, which can harm perso
nal growth and progress in society. Furthermore, anti-i
ntellectualism is often a result of the pro-ignorance sta
nce that some people take, and it is something that man
y smart people regularly have to deal with.
In Filipino culture, the concepts of shame and intellige
nce are connected to the reasons behind performing su
ch an act. "Hiya" or shame is a system that filters an in
dividual's need to be accepted into a group, which can
often result in anxiety and desperation. Many people li
ke to mock the intelligent, which is why it hurts the per
son being mocked. In the Philippines, where "thinking"
is often seen as a negative attribute in society, the issue
of smart shaming is widespread. Unfortunately, not onl
y in the corporate world, but also among students, disr
espect
and a lack of interest in intellectual pursuit and critical
thinking have become a common thread.
The most challenging assignments are usually given to
the top academic achievers. According to Addison (20
21) perfectionism, imposter syndrome, anxiety, and sel
f-doubt affect the majority of academic achievers. Cant
onjos (2019) says that students who are smart-shamed
suffer negative consequences on their self-esteem, such
as lowered self-esteem and increased insecurity about t
heir skills and knowledge. For this reason, in One Med
ia Down (2023), some individuals would yell, "Nosebl
eed!" whenever someone spoke English fluently. Some
one else's chosen insult is "Eh di ikaw na!" It is similar
to the study of Bunyi (2022) Filipinos joke a lot, somet
imes even sarcastically, and as a result, they are unawa
re of the consequences for an individual. This widespre
ad negativity about intellectual ability extends beyond
casual conversation and into more serious subjects, as s
een by some people's unwillingness to put their faith in
experts.
Over the last decades, smart shaming has been a contro
versial issue that has not been resolved in the Philippin
es as it was considered a "culture" Filipino got from th
e Spaniards. Throughout the years, even intellectual pu
rsuits have encountered smart shaming and the one wh
o smart shamed others. Based on the interview conduct
ed by Asian Boss, smart shaming occurs when people t
end to discriminate and stereotype academically intelli
gent and smart people. This happened not only inside t
he schools but also in the current situation of our daily
lives in the country since it happened due to those who
are uneducated, opinionated, and driven by emotions.
However, there is an urgent need to pursue this study a
s the previous studies discuss smart-shaming, its impac
ts, and the reasons behind its act, however, there is no
study yet that explores the victims' ways of surpassing
against the obstacles of anti-intellectualism. For this re
ason, the researchers take the initiative in discovering t
he lived experiences of academic achievers regarding s
mart-shaming and how they overcome it. This study so
ught to discover the ways in which academic achievers
overcome anti-intellectualism. To obtain all the essenti
al knowledge, data, and information, the research soug
ht to answer the critical questions as follows:
1. What effects does smart shaming have on th
e student's way of accepting the experiences of
being smart-shamed?
2. What are the different strategies used by the
learners to address and reduce the negative ide
as towards smart shaming?
The goal of this study is to know how smart-shamed st
udents cope and to provide support for students in addr
essing and accepting experiences of being smart-shame
d. Moreover, this study aims to comprehend the experi
ences of pupils who have been smart shamed in school.
In addition, this study intends to increase public aware
ness of the challenges encountered by the students who
experience smart shaming and to identify the fundame
ntal causes of the actions that constitute smart shaming.
The researchers aim to determine the methods, strategi
es, and how senior high school students cope with insta
nces of smart shaming, with a specific focus on identif
ying practical ways of addressing it and supporting stru
ctures that can reduce its negative impact on their ment
al health, self-esteem, and academic performance.
II. METHODOLOGY
The researchers employed qualitative research, particul
arly phenomenological research design which scrutinis
ed and focused on the lived experiences and pragmatic
practices that academic achievers do to cope with the s
mart shaming occurrence.
The study's core informants range from the age 16-18
years old in the Senior High School Students. Appraisi
ng a specific private school in the province of Bulacan
for the process of data gathering procedure to be condu
cted. The number of students affected by smart shamin
g who took part in the interview process is: 3 Senior Hi
gh School Students for the school year 2023-2024.
The researchers decided to conduct an one-on-one stru
ctured interview with the selected participants. The thr
ee (3) interviews will proceed with identical sets of que
stions that will be approved by the researchers' Practica
l Research adviser. The interviews will be assessed thr
ough the process of thematic analysis that will distingu
ish the narratives of the participants. The study will th
en discuss and provide the final findings of the intervie
w with precise and definite data.
The study used a qualitative research design, particular
ly a phenomenological research design that examined t
he practical strategies and lived experiences academic
achievers used to deal with the smart-shaming occurre
nce. It improves the data's efficacy and enables the rese
archers to identify objective viewpoints on their strateg
ies for experiencing its occurrence. Purposive Samplin
g was the sampling method employed in this study bec
ause the selected participants had the traits and experie
nces of being smart-shamed, which might yield detaile
d information. The academics were interviewed one-o
n-one by the researchers. The researchers asked each p
articipant privately while recording their answers on th
eir devices. The participant narratives were subjected t
o a thematic analysis procedure to detect recurring the
mes.
This study limits its coverage to the academically achie
ver in senior high school. The researchers chose the stu
dy's core informants based on their average grade of 90
or higher throughout the first semester, indicating that t
hey are academic achievers who may have undergone s
mart shaming due to their intelligence. The selection of
the participants are the senior high school students for t
he school year 2023-2024 only. The researchers emplo
yed the criteria to specify the lived experiences of the s
tudents who experienced smart shaming and the strateg
ies they comprehend to cope in smart shaming.