I remember discussing with my sister when we were in Bali and she was telling me about some movie called Eat Pray Love. It sounded like a stupid movie but she mentioned that the lady in the movie meets some attractive Latino guy in Bali and that encompasses the “Love” aspect of the film. I thought it was kind of strange to meet a South American guy in Indonesia but she said something that stuck with me. She casually told me that there is a decently large and growing ex-patriot community of Americans, other Westerners all over the world; including Indonesia. It is an obvious observation but it made me reflect about the Philippines.
Recently I went out to two parties. One of which was at the house of some decently well-off French guys inside a very strictly guarded gated community in the heart of the opulence that is Makati. It was a farewell party for a French friend of mine so I went down there with some friends. I usually dislike going to Makati because it is so far but it's been awhile since I was at house party where I can get some free booze. I didn't know any of those people and honestly wasn't really in the mood to mingle with a bunch of Europeans. I am somewhere a racist in that I always have energy to flirt with Filipino or Japanese girls but sometimes interacting with Europeans is tiring. I also was not so interested in these people because they represent something I really dislike.
I looked around at the young professional French people who seem to be involved in some lucrative business here. Some of the richest people in the Philippines live in Makati. These French expats seem to only hang out with other French guys. They know French bars which are full of the French. They probably do not bother at all to learn the local language. They sometimes have very beautiful Filipina girlfriends, at least for the duration of their stay here. That party had quite a few very sexy Filipinas who were clearly trying to get the attention of the young rich Frenchmen. My Filipino friend told me that a lot of these girls won't even talk to other Filipinos. Their preference for foreigners is so strong that they will not even have the courtesy to entertain a conversation with a Filipino guy. He was understandably irritated by this.
I assume there is a community of American, British, German, etc expats also which are equally exclusive. This whole expat situation gives me a weird feeling. I mean I technically am also an expat and I had a Filipino girlfriend. I do try to learn Tagalog but I am too lazy to really work hard at it. The prevalence of English-speaking people here makes it hard for me to be motivated to really study Tagalog. I never tried to reach out to other Americans here and actually I am not good terms with most of the Americans that I've happened to come across. I don't know why but there is sometimes inexplicable tension between other American guys in the Philippines and myself. In light of all of this, when I look at this French expat community I have a strong animosity for them. Perhaps we have different mindsets. I came to the Philippines to understand the place and the people. Those guys probably came here to get drunk all the time, go to the beach, and buy cheap prostitutes. I am not really being fair but going to a lavish French party in the middle of the wealthiest part of the Philippines left me feeling disgusted. While they drink and complain about how dirty and uninteresting Manila is I can't help but get the feeling that they regard the Philippines as still a colony. The vulgarity is really too much. The disparity in wealth forces Filipinos to serve the Westerners in something akin to neocolonialism. I know I am making a lot of unfounded accusations but I have had too many conversations with obnoxious people from Western countries who clearly do not hold any respect for this country. We have these people in America also. In the States our attitude is: “If you don't like it here, just go home.” I want to tell this to those people all the time. Filipino people are already hurt enough by foreign exploitation. They don't need the perpetrators to also be complaining that their food has too much salt.
The next night I went to dinner with a group of Japanese expats. In a sense they are the same as the Europeans. They have tight groups of Japanese which I think is largely due to the fact that they don't want to learn English. Japanese people are generally more discreet and respectful of foreign cultures than Westerners. I like that but I still can't help but see the same attitude in them. They move around the city with the utmost caution; constantly worried about their safety and only confiding in other Japanese. I sort of understand the paranoia of the Japanese because Japan is so unnaturally safe. The crime rate is so low in Japan that the Japanese seem to always expect the worst when they come here. Manila is modestly dangerous but I don't think it is much more dangerous than most American cities.
Am I fair to criticize these people that come here and seek security among people similar to them? Can I really judge these people? I am not sure but I can tell you that it really makes my stomach turn when people come here and don't have an ounce of decency to show respect to the country that has welcomed with open arms.
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