So, a half-Filipino half-Nigerian was offended by something written in the Filipino language and called the staff and restaurant as “racist” against Black people.
> Sa nakablack na nakaupo sa 14 kulot ang buhok kamukha ni black jack.
It literally translates as: The one in black sitting on 14 curly hair look alike of black jack.
Proper English translation: The one wearing black, on table 14, with curly hair, who is a look alike of Blakdyak.
This is the customer's rant on social media:
> This behavior was exhibited by one of their staff members, who took it upon herself to make remarks about my appearance based on my racial background. As an individual of Nigerian and Filipino descent, I know I’m different. But was the note necessary?
Read the English translation again and answer these questions:
Was there a remark about his appearance?
How about if we add, “based on my racial background”?
Was it possible that the staff knew he is half-Nigerian and half-Filipino that the customer has to mention it and how he knows he is different?
Maybe what he was actually offended about was being compared to Blakdyak (in note as “black jack”)?
> Blakdyak was a Filipino actor, comedian and reggae singer. He was known as ‘The King of Pinoy Reggae’.
A question to you, dear reader:
a. Would you be offended if what you're wearing was described?
b. Would you be offended if your hair was described?
c. Would you be offended if you were described as a look a like of a celebrity? (Granted, that celebrity is/was not an a*hole.)
Including the customer's description is not needed especially if they have a table number system any way. However, we do not know what concept the restaurant have.
I, myself, have been to some restaurants which describes their customers.
In one restaurant, they don't have a table number system. It is also their concept to share tables with others. The best way to avoid confusion was to describe the customer.
They don't take names for privacy reasons. Not even nicknames. (A customer can later argue it is not their name. And if a staff gave the nickname, there's a chance of offense or similarly, argue it is not their name.)
In another restaurant, there was an addition, I was compared to some celebrity (I don't recall). My date and I had a fit of laughter after reading it.
Here's an example of one such description about me:
Filipino: 'Yung nakaitim na short black hair.
“'Yung nakaitim” = Wearing [something] black.
In English: The one in black with short black hair.
If it was written in Filipino as: “Yung maitim”, then it can be construed as racist. The word “maitim” in this context is referring to a person's skin color or dark tone.
So, going back to the original issue.
> Sa nakablack na nakaupo sa 14 kulot ang buhok kamukha ni black jack.
EN: The person in black sitting on [table] 14 with curly hair…
If it was written this way:
> Sa maitim na nakaupo sa 14 kulot ang buhok kamukha ni black jack.
EN: The black person…
Or, worse:
> Sa nakablack na kulay kanal na nakaupo sa 14 kulot ang buhok hindi ata nagsuklay kamukha ni black jack.
EN: The person in black, as black as a canal sitting on [table] 14 with curly hair that wasn't brushed…
See the huge difference?
The original note in Filipino:
never mentioned nor implied anything about the customer's skin color.
has nothing to do with the customer being a black person.
Even impossible that the note was referring to him being half-Nigerian and half-Filipino.
The Black Jack (Blakdyak) “remark” was a complement.
Now this foreigner, we're assuming he is a foreigner because he obviously misunderstood Tagalog and he missed the context, is doing everything to sue the restaurant and the staff.
I'm sorry man. It is very clear that you misunderstood the note, and took offense when there was nothing to be offended about.
I pity that restaurant and staff.
This case is no different from foreigners, in particular those from the USA, who saw #KKK in the #Philippines and were offended.
Some of them uploaded videos calling Filipinos racists.
Some of them also had the audacity to “educate” Filipinos.
What's wrong? Missed context… again.
KKK was a revolutionary group that fought against Western invaders, in particular, Spaniards. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the American KKK.
Or, that #Twitter incident wherein a #Ppop group tweeted, “Hello Negros!” And every Western person on Twitter called them “racist” and “educated” them.
Guess what? Missed context yet again!
That P-pop group landed on Negros island, so obviously they tweeted, “Hello Negros!”
When you are from mainland US, and you land in Hawaii, do you say, “Hello Japan!”? ROFLOL.
Only a ‘fraction’ (guesstimate) of “educators” apologised to them. There were even those who defended themselves by suggesting to rename Negros island because Negros is offensive to the people of Negros. Like, uh, they're foreigners who never visited Negros, not even the Philippines, and they knew the people of Negros were offended? Puh-lease.
Anyway. This new case? It's very similar.
Missed context.
Misunderstood language.
And a foreigner trying to “educate” a native he clearly misunderstood.
Here's another thing most are not aware of: Mainland Chinese were an important factor, if not crucial, in the #Philippines fight against colonial invaders.
Andres Bonifacio, the father of Philippine revolution, and one of the founders of the #KKK , is often depicted as a poor farmer. This is very far from the truth.
Andres Bonifacio came from a rich, if not wealthy, family with a lot of connections. If I remember correctly, he hailed from a "Royal Class" clan, and his family was one of those who kept communication lines intact before and after they started the revolution.
Secondly. Starting a revolution requires a continuous flow of funds. Farmers cannot support a revolution. In addition, farmers will not even think of a revolution by themselves, family comes first. However, a rich or wealthy person is capable of thinking about it and starting it.
So, Andres Bonifacio a "farmer"? Not at all.
Third. What schoolbooks don't tell us (they refuse to update it too) is that mainland Chinese (meaning, pure Chinese from mainland China) were also involved. They mainly provided funds and armaments. The Chinese in the Philippines and Chinese from China, were in constant communication. They send funds and arms. Which then are channeled to support the KKK.
Yet during the 80s and 90s, Chinese-Filipinos, or #Tsinoy , were targeted for kidnappings and hate. To this day, discrimination still happens just because they're Chinese, even though they have nothing whatsoever to do with Communist China.
Who would expect #TeenVogue to be doing such good, deep journalism 👍
How the KKK Became a National Force
“The #KKK in the 1920s was one of the most powerful social movements among white Protestant Americans. While its members claimed they didn’t support bigotry and merely wanted to support American values, they held deep-seated nativist beliefs. In addition to virulent #Racism toward African Americans, they also held anti-#Catholic, #Antisemitic, and anti-#Immigrant attitudes.”
On December 30, 1896, he was walked from his prison in #Intramuros to Bagumbayan (later called: #Luneta and then #RizalPark) in #Manila. It's more or less 2 km by [modern] road.
The main/primary monument for Rizal is located 100m SSE of where he was shot by the #Spaniards.
The #Kahanist (Israeli #KKK)) Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for a ban on Palestinians harvesting olives near Israeli settlements in the West Bank and for the creation of "barren" zones prohibiting the presence of Palestinians in the vicinity of settlements and the main roads leading to them.
Stealing their land and wasn't enough, setting up apartheid walls and isolating them wasn't enough, now he wants to use the Hamas attacks to destroy more Palestinian farmland and homes in occupied #WestBank.
#Kahanist (Israeli #KKK)) minister #BenGvir congratulated IOF for capturing "Terrorist" and àHumanDights activist "who was sentenced for attacking an Israeli military" and for "Waging Cyber #Terrorism" and support of "Nazi fighters" and "Terrorists". He added 0 tolerance of terrorists and their supporters. This is it.
Do not expect any of the feminists, celebrities, ministers or members of the parliament to stand up and call for her release and condemn this faacist regime and their out of control occupation military.
Some will refrain because they are afraid, others because they don't care. In the mean time, Israeli occupation forces who received carte blanche from their faacist coalition government are destroying homes, roads, solar panels and taking 100s of palestinians into indefinite detention all over occupied #WestBank.
Thiis is the regime US and EU support, fund and arm.
Happy 125th Independence from Spain my beloved Nation, the Philippines!
(Which ironically, we're still using the name they gave us.)
For today's independence post, let's talk a bit about General Pío del Pilar.
The attached image is the KKK (Katipunan) flag used by General Pío del Pilar, the namesake of barangay Pio del Pilar, #Makati City.
His flag was called “Bandila ng Matagumpay” (en: “Flag of the Triumphants”) and was first used on July 11, 1895. (And his KKK faction was called “Matagumpay” (en: “Triumphants”)
Pío del Pilar was a force to reckoned with. He liberated , defended, and participated in many battles against the Spaniards. Some of these places we know today as Mandaluyong City, Las Piñas City, the Municipality of Pateros, Taguig, the province of Nueva Ecija, parts of Cavite province, and Calamba City (in the province of Laguna), to mention a few. (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%ADo_del_Pilar )
Fun facts:
General Pío del Pilar was born in Barrio Culi-culi, San Pedro de Macati.
Barrio Culi-culi is today's barangays Pio del Pilar and Bangkal.
While San Pedro de Macati is now Makati City.
His father was a farmer from Pasay City (one of the oldest cities in the country, and itself was a “kingdom” in pre-colonial times, named after Dayang-dayang (princess) Pasay, daughter of Rajah Sulayman of the “kingdom” of Maynila).
And his mother was an embroider from Mandaluyong City.