Beating the colonial ‘beasts’ at their game

After we came out with our “New Beast of Broadway” article, some readers asked us how they could “cure” themselves of their heretofore unacknowledged colonial mentality. Since it’s been ingrained in us since childhood, the “cure” won’t be easy to effect, but admitting to the condition is a good first step.

Next, we should vow to spend an equal amount of time and money on our foreign and local media, product and entertainment exposure. In time, however, the ideal ratio should be 70-30, in favor of “local.” That would be a radical shift, since the present ratio is the opposite, and sometimes even 80-20, in favor of “imported” productions and artists!

Key adjustment

The succeeding step after that is a key adjustment that may shock some people: Since colonial mentality believes that foreign is better than local, we should zero in on three “buzz words” that epitomize that self-demeaning bias, and expunge them or minimize their use.

We should do this consciously and with great resolve, because they have acquired a seminal power that has endowed them with much more importance than they should possess.

The three buzz or no-no terms are “Hollywood,” “Broadway” and “World-Class.”

The vaunted superiority and excellence of “Hollywood,” the American and international film industry’s “capital,” is implicitly believed in and even presumed to be gospel truth.

So, the mere suggestion that it be expunged or minimized may be greeted with livid disagreement and even derision. How dare we attempt to cut it down to size, when it’s been “proven” to be “true”?

Well, we’ve seen movies all over the world, and can state that great movies are by no means the exclusive prerogative of American filmmakers. Similarly memorable films have been made in Europe, Latin America and Asia, including some Filipino productions.

As for “World-Class,” its spurious potency has increased of late, especially now that the world is “going global.” When we inveigh against it, we run the risk of being accused of discouraging Filipinos from making it big on the global level—which is not our intention.

Attitude

We are trying to deprive the term of its excessive power, because it reflects the attitude that Filipinos are A-OK only when they meet “international” standards and win the approval of foreigners. This is a spurious standard, because other nations and races are not intrinsically superior to our own.

That’s why we propose that, in place of “World-Class,” we should popularize and extol “Proudly Pinoy.”

Our third and final caveat, against the so-called superiority of “Broadway” productions over their local counterparts, should concern and engage both Filipino artists and theatergoers alike, because foreign musical productions now outnumber local works three to one! Our preference should be the other way around, shouldn’t it? After all, this is our country, so we should be telling our stories – and singing our songs.

Factor

So, why are most musical productions here of the “Broadway” kind? Because, aside from the “colonial” factor, it’s easier to mount a show already tested and made a hit abroad, than to go through the arduous artistic challenge of writing, composing and mounting our very own homegrown musicals!

That’s the bottom line, so we urge our musical-theater artists to stop taking the line of greater convenience and least resistance, and live up to their roles as truly creative artists by creating our own works!