The Congratulations You're World-Class Badge Theory

A few disclaimers before we go on.

1. This is a Theory I named just yesterday so I could use it for my Thy Womb entry just briefly.
2. However, I've been thinking about this Filipino mentality for a while and only now am I putting it down in words.

The unofficial design prototype.

The Congratulations You're World-Class Badge Theory came about from that popular Pinoy belief that as long as you're deemed worthy by some famous foreign body, you are immediately deemed worthy by Filipinos everywhere. Alternatively, it is also the belief that being "world-class" is the only defining factor of anything Filipino-produced.

"World-class" is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "being of the highest caliber in the world". That's no longer the case. Today, "world-class" is the only thing  separating the wheat from the chaff in terms of Filipino art, music, film, books, etc etc, even in BEING FILIPINO AT ALL.

Why do we need the world to tell us we're good enough when we know that we're good enough? Is it because of us not knowing that we're good enough?

Look up "world class filipino" on Google and you're bombarded by all these articles detailing who "World Class Filipinos" are. You see the usual suspects, like Manny Pacquiao and Lea Salonga. These are people you should look up to - at least, they're people who've made it big in other nations.

I suppose this is what almost four centuries under colonial rule does to you. The Philippines forgets that she is her own person, that she can actually complement herself??? and that she doesn't need the endorsement of foreigners to feel accomplishment, and similarly go apesh*t in defensiveness when foreigners endorse her negatively?

I'm not saying it's wrong to use the word "world-class". That aspect is only on its overuse and my sheer personal annoyance at how many times people just have to use it. However, when deeming something Filipino "worthy" only boils down to being "world-class", when we actually have that chance to find ourselves worthy and independent of anyone else's opinion, we have to decide once and for all to put away "world-class" and start thinking "Filipino pride". That is, a pride that doesn't need the approval of any foreign nation. 

Chino on his article in antipinoy.com, entitled The Truth About World-Class Filipinos, says it best:

We have to recognize that to become World-Class Filipinos, we need to examine our place in the world, and humble ourselves in acknowledgment that cooperation with, not competition with or more especially hostility towards, other countries is the right attitude and the way to help uplift our own. We should develop ourselves in a way as not to live in a box, but to get out of this box and learn to live alongside others out of this box.

We're well past that stage when we look up to the Foreign Body with big brown eyes, asking, "Is this good enough?", throwing a good, ol'-fashioned kiddy tantrum-slash-hissy fit when it doesn't meet their approval and throwing a celebration when they do. Grow up, Philippines. You deserve so much better than that.

I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite Phil. Star Supreme articles by the lovely Cate de Leon, entitled Pinoy pride and prejudice:

I want our pride to be something that is already there when we groggily wake up in the morning; something we would talk about very sparingly because mentioning it is actually quite redundant. Basically, shut up and be. Selling is hard. Real swag is easy.

Redundant Links:
Pinoy pride and prejudice by Cate de Leon (@catedeleon)
The Truth about World-Class Filipinos by ChinoF
Whatever the heck this is (Worldclassfilipino.com)