“In each of these attempts to mimic an alien culture that bore culturally different DNA from ours, over time, most had led to an eventual shift to one distinctly Filipino.

The term sounds racist. It smacks of bigotry and cannot be but derogatory and insulting. Unfortunately, for some of us, and perhaps for a good part of a previous generation long before nationalism became in vogue as a relatively young nation still had to deal with those parity rights written into our statutes, there remains a little truth behind the term, uncomfortable and degrading as it is on the surface.

The old term they used as a negative was “colonial mentality.” The examples are however plenty to the point of embarrassment. A conscious effort to be rid of it and aggressively swing to the other extreme where nationalism verges on the myopic and parochial was often resorted to. To this day, no balance has been achieved. Little brown Americans remain among us.

In the political arena, note those who relish negativeness on the Philippines appearing among American media. Never mind that for the most part, these were seeded by disgruntled Filipinos themselves.

Note some of our past and present forays into ludicrous mimicking.

Remember when a beauty contestant once said she only spoke Tagalog to the househelp?

More than a decade later when a famous American hamburger chain debuted in Manila, those behind the launch insisted on air conditioning turned on full blast to simulate a temperate environment. Students from upscale universities were recruited so that they might serve up “twang” American-accented Southern Californian English together with the triple requisites of “How a’you?” or “How ‘ya doin’?” and the parting “Have a nice day.”

Over time however, the chain had to yield to competition and it started offering a Filipino breakfast, a Filipino spaghetti and labelling following a Filipino nickname.

The same was experienced by a fried chicken chain that took years and two launches before it offered rice with mashed potatoes. It had taken years until the American palate would yield.

As late as the last 10 years, in an American diner-themed fast food, not only would both waiters and waitresses suddenly break into a rock and roll dance and boogie accordingly, but TV monitors would loop old baseball or American football games. When unavailable, the channels were tuned to CNN.

Never mind that they showed CNN’s international edition. And never mind still that as an American news network, CNN not only had extremely poor domestic ratings and was not their go-to news provider, but its agenda-based perspectives and constant breaking news on minutiae did not reflect mainstream America’s. In mimicking, substance surrenders to form.

In each of these attempts to mimic an alien culture that bore culturally different DNA from ours, over time, most had led to an eventual shift to one distinctly Filipino.

It is franchise marketing behind some of our examples. We concede that. Others might even suggest that the propensity for a foreign brand is an offshoot of latent globalization. Perhaps.

But the constant cumulative effect on an impressionable race sorely lacking a solid national identity can be seriously damaging especially where deep albeit denied fears of being inferior exist.

If indeed these are products of marketing, advertising and media, then the next question is, why have we become so vulnerable that some of us prefer all things foreign to our own? It is sad that many Filipinos are initially educated by advertising, marketing spins and agenda-based “blue seal” media. Sadder still when such miseducation leaves permanent biases that for a lifetime control our choices.

Note how some believe that CNN is more credible than ABS-CBN. Or that Western culture is better than our Filipino foundations. Or that English, as a language, is superior to Pilipino.

Sociologists suggest several reasons for this. Some are combinations and permutations of others. A common cause is a dissatisfaction and a deep denial of the Filipino condition. Rather than attempt to improve one’s situation, some surrender and perhaps unknowingly resign and wallow in their current condition, content to overlay it with false identities.