I remembered how my economics teacher back in High School (she looks like Miriam Defensor Santiago) once said, "Well don't expect the rich to be the only people to give us a problem. Some of the poor even want to stay poor. It's the victim card mentality." Although she had moved away to Canada with her family, she was indeed a Pilosopong Tasyo of our day.
I have observed as an average nothing much kind of businessman that some of my laborers want to remain poor. While some of them take their jobs seriously to send their children to school, others don't. Now I am just assuming some things that poverty can be a choice. If you are born poor, it wasn't your choice but if you stay poor, it's your choice. Now not everybody can become rich but certainly, anybody can at least get out of poverty. You may not live in a luxurious mansion but at least, you live an a decent house in a safer area right?
Looking at how prevalent the victim card mentality is, it's highly possible that some Failipinos choose to remain poor. I remembered how I have a rich aunt who offered that lazy nephew of one of my laborers a job. The lazy nephew refused the job and preferred to be raised by his incompetent uncle because he doesn't want to work. The way things look like poverty sort of gives them a "sense of entitlement".
In what sense does poverty make them think that there's that "sense of entitlement". Which is easier earning - being a parasite never mind the host is poor OR getting a job? Getting a job means one must work for eight hours. Being a maid means living in somebody else' house and FOLLOWING THEIR RULES. Being a nurse means you must be willing to work in graveyard shift. Being a landlord means you have to check your accounts monthly and tend to tenant problems. Even if a landlord may have more time to go around but when his tenant gives a call, he must answer to it. Home businesses still require tending to even if you are staying at home rather than going out to go to work. So lazy people would rather remain poor because it's easier.
The reality can be true for Okay Fine Whatever families. Instead of being OFWs with a plan, they prefer to stick to loving incompetence/ignorance purposely for all generations. They love their state of being the Failipino and look down at enlightened Pinoys with contempt. A lot of OFW families seem to choose poverty. As a friend said the cycle is, "OFW relative arrive, it's time to bonga party... go back to poverty... go back abroad. It's a rinse and repeat cycle if you ask me."
Ironically, even if they choose to remain poor, some of them even have that expensive taste. Which is probably why some of them become Okay Fine Whatever workers abroad or get involved in criminal activities. I had my thoughts on the drug mules and what I hear about them. Some Pinoy friends of mine even mentioned that some drug mules take the job because it's "much easier raising parasites that way". Just think, being a domestic helper in Singapore isn't as much money as selling narcotics. Narcotics on the other hand easily net a profit. Even if these people stay poor, they can still buy all the nonsense stuff. Like with a shabu trade done, it's easy to buy a PS4, a MAC, etc. even if the family stays dirt poor.
Being poor may also mean one can also get to meet politicians and oligarchs if you are not filthy rich. People like medium-scale businessmen, office workers, programmers, clerks, secretaries hardly catch the eye of dirty politicians. If those rich oligarchs like Lucio Tan aren't the only ones to catch the attention of dirty politicians, it's the poor. Some rich oligarchs who have protection from the government even use the squatters' areas as show business areas. Like it's common to give sacks of rice, canned goods, etc. to the poor areas to make you look like you are charitable. Some of the crooked super rich businessmen (who got rich by unethical means and getting protection from an equally unethical government) take advantage to that fact. Being poor also means you get the chance to be on TV with oligarchs and politicians... while getting out of poverty means you may no longer get that kind of exposure.
The problem is as long as poverty is celebrated and the victim card mentality is upheld, what progress can the Philippines have? All I can say is go ahead and say I'm anti-Filipino because I'm of Chinese descent BUT the reality is, I love the country too much too ignore the problems that's bringing it down.
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