The Dysfunctional Pinoy Bandwagon VS. The Enlightened Pinoy

Ever heard of the bandwagon effect? It's defined by the Business Dictionary as, "A psychological theory where individuals will do something primarily because other individuals are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they will ignore or override. This effect has the capability to produce wide implications, but is most often seen in the areas of politics as well as in consumer behavior. For instance, in politics, individuals may vote for a candidate because he or she is most popular and the voters want to be considered as part of the majority. It can also be seen during bull markets and the growth of asset bubbles. It can also be referred to as herd mentality."

So what does that have to do with the Philippines? Unfortunately, there's been that ongoing civil war between enlightened Pinoys vs. Pinoys who love to ride the dysfunctional bandwagon. The problem today of the Philippines is that it's very common to use the Pinoy identity to enjoy one's blunder. It's very easy to call any Pinoy who wants to get out of the dysfunctional bandwagon to make a difference for the country. Those who love the dysfunctional bandwagon are going to appeal to their numbers by saying that anybody who doesn't join them is just a very stupid and subjective person. Isn't it any wonder why the Philippines got worse after EDSA-1? Let's try to talk about the typical Pinoy mindset that wants to ride the bangwagon of stupid people just because there are more people there.

The problem is that people want to fit in so they do anything to fit in the crowd. There's always the problem of wanting to please everyone even when almost everyone is stupid. This results in riding on a bandwagon full of morons rather than in a bandwagon where the intellectual Pinoys think. This is a result of the problem of majority wins. It's no wonder why Lee Kuan Yew said that the Philippines doesn't need more democracy but more discipline. Sad to say but Philippine democracy is ran by a dysfunctional sense of freedom by people who keep misusing the phrase, "But we're in a free country." to enjoy their blunder. For them, having reasonably strict rules and regulations are signs of a dictatorship. Just because we're in a free country doesn't mean there shouldn't be any rules to keep society in order.

Stupid people don't think they're stupid but they tend to think they're very smart people. Worse, some of these stupid people may also include well-educated people. They think everyone who disagrees with them are very stupid. They smart-shame people because they have the culture of anti-intellectualism. They want to "expose" people for being how "stupid" they are but in the reality they're the ones who're stupid. They still refuse to listen to constructive criticism even if it's given by a more qualified person. Let's face it didn't they just say, "But you're not an economist." or "You're not a lawmaker." Again, what's the guarantee that when a lawmaker or an economist speaks that they'll listen? There's a very low to zero guarantee that they'll ever listen. They may tell the person, "If you know so much why won't you run for office?" Then again, they just want to vote for more idiots instead of people who are more qualified. It still makes me sad to think that popularity and not credibility is what runs Philippine politics.

The bandwagon mentality may also explain why Filipinos are too resistant to change for the better. It's because they think that as long as they're many of them then the minority is always wrong. If that's the case then if the majority of people eat pagpag then those who refuse to eat pagpag should be considered as subjective morons. It's no wonder why people continue to stick through a culture of anti-intellectualism because they want to look smart and be considered smart and to become really smart means to get ostracized in an anti-intellectual society. That means smart Pinoys should just expect to be ostracized and be told to "go to another country" just so Pinoys who love to ride the stupid bandwagon that leads nowhere.

Part of the whole process of change also involves changing the way the majority thinks. Progressive countries managed to change the way the majority thought. Singapore used to be a crime infested, poverty driven city but when the majority's way of thinking changed they got better. I don't think it's impossible for the Philippines. That's why sites like CoRRECT and Get Real Philippines (though I disagree with sensitive issues) exist to help correct the dysfunctional mindset of Filipinos. You want change then start by jumping out of the stupid bandwagon. Stop thinking about whether or not something's done by the majority or not but focus on what's going to be good or bad.