Why are Filipinos so stupid?

[Moretorque]

I believe it has to do with the educational system back in the Philippines. It's still a third world country after all, people aren't getting the best resources.

There's your culprit right there! I've talked to my wife on many occasions on this topic and it's evident that what is missing is the "element to succeed and excel" in the Philippines. It's a country that is, for the most part, happy to be just good enough to get bye in almost every facet of life and that's truly sad.

I can also tell you that this creates HUGE and I mean HUGE levels of resentment for those smarter Filipinos that do escape Philippines towards their own country...my wife included. They feel cheated that they never had the ability to grow up on a society in which having the ability to flex ones mental muscles is rewarded/encouraged.

Many Filipinos that move abroad are able to climb the ranks of society using their brainpower because they are given an opportunity to succeed. So no, not all Filipinos are stupid.

The fact is Winston Wu is fat and ugly despite his bragging that Chinese genes are superior. Winston, you're a fat old guy who made a baby with a Filipino bargirl prostitute. That's nothing to brag about. You're fat Winston.

There's nothing wrong with being fat, Mr. Wu is intelligent enough to realize you need to be stocking up on calories so when our masters crash the economy he will have reserves to live off.

That is more than I can say for you, as soon as they cut the Filipino well fare off you will wish you could have learned from Mr. Wu and had eaten more because you look like your not even fit enough to make a pot of cat stew.

[Moretorque]

We Filipinos would rather have fun drinking alcohol and having tons of orgies than to advance the infrastructure of the PI or progress as a people.

I want to know where these orgies are.

Just look for the ghettos of children with no fathers.

[hammanta]

This is such a tough issue and I've written about it before. Overall I don't find Filipinos to be stupid - or at least don't find them to be stupider than Americans, which is sad since we have huge opportunities to be smarter and better educated. There are various forms of intelligence (book learnin' vs. common sense, for example) and I can't say that just because someone doesn't have a great deal of education that makes them stupid.

That being said, in my modest experience I think Filipino families do emphasize education. Higher education is tougher to obtain there (money) than it is in the US, but in the US almost every kid who gets a degree, spends half of his life paying off student loans - how smart is that!

As an older guy I went to college at the tail end of an era in which education was considered valuable in and of itself; that knowledge and dare I say wisdom was its own reward. That era is long gone. Today kids go to college to make money. I'm not sure that that makes them any smarter; in fact I'm pretty sure it does not.

Point being that a kid in the Philippines can get a high school or college diploma and end up unable to make any money. My wife got a BS degree and her goal was to work in a call center. That's as high as she thought she could aspire to financially. Me? I have no degree but work as a software engineer making a tad more than a call center girl

I don't have any easy answers, only questions. Are people stupider or just poorer. In the first world we are so used to equating success with money with smarts and power that we almost intuitively assume someone in the 3rd world is inferior and dumber.

I had the opportunity to go to a hospital in the Philippines last month after a minor accident. Got treated by a bright, young doctor. Was he smart and educated - hell yes. Am I richer by a large factor than he - again hell yes. Does that make me smarter? Nope but it's easy to come away with that impression and I bet a bright young Filipino doctor might aspire to taking his education abroad where the fruits of his education are more fruitful.

Again more questions than answers, but I will add one more. If Filipinos are so much dumber than us how come so many of us complain about getting cheated and scammed by them?

I agree. Here's my input though.

I feel it's merely a difference in the type of education that is emphasized and one's own interest in learning for the sake of learning. You mentioned how in modern day America, students are more worried about finding a job than they are with actually learning. I think this is even more emphasized in Filipino families. If a family is going to make the huge investment to send their child to college they want a good return on that investment. I've never met a Filipino/a with a humanities degree or a degree in an arts subject. They tend to undertake specialized degree programs like computer science, Pharmacy, Accountancy, Engineering, Nursing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, etc. Degrees that can hopefully guarantee a specific job. They can be experts in those specific fields but lack knowledge of just about every other subject. They aren't what we would consider a modern day Renaissance man. American colleges focus more on critical thinking and bridging gaps between fields, at least that is what my college focused on. My degree was more of a soft science but delved into various fields such as biology, economics, anthropology, history, and more, providing me with a solid foundation of multiple disciplines. Unfortunately "Jack of all Trades" degrees aren't as valuable now a days in America as they used to be. Even more so in the Philippines where influx of Multinational Corporations prefer specialized locals to do the jobs.

Aside from Education, culture plays a role to. Filipinos work a lot, especially if they are working for Foreign companies, leaving less time to get involved with other disciplines. They also tend to be less goal oriented. Americans are obsessed with future ambitions (making partner, getting promoted, getting a better job, buying that huge house or nice car) that we spend a lot of time trying to better ourselves and doing things to make ourselves more valuable in the job market. The average Filipina I know works 5-6 10+ hour shifts a week, comes home hangs out with friends or catches up on the newest episode of True Blood or The Voice. They work in order to have the "simple life." Most don't care about reading - for example - the newest book on Developmental Economics or the latest theories on Evolutionary Biology (unlike myself and some friends).

The difference is that it leads to more knowledge on our part, thus providing the misconception that we are more intelligent because we know more.

[chanta76]

I knew one Filipino guy who told me he thinks it's the Philippines food that makes them stupid. I kid you not.

[Dragon]

I beg to disagree, Pete. I have met a lot of very smart Filipinos/as who speak multiple languages, are worldly and refined and had college and professional development matching or exceeding that of an average American or European.

..... most Filipinos are never given an opportunity to develop themselves intellectually

I am just back from Philippines. When I saw my Filipina foster daughter the first time, 8 years old, homeless, in rags, suffering of malnutrition and other illnesses, never been in a school, severely mistreated and abandoned by her parents, I was thinking she will never pass even public elementary school - but she did, with only 1 year delay.

Later on, with the help of a tutor for 2 years, she passed a private high school, for the remaining 2 years, no tutor was required.
Now she is in the 3rd year in Sto. Carlos University, passed any exam so far.

It's about the money, even if intelligent children have the best parents, but their families have only a modest income, then higher education is not possible for them. Just too expensive, no ordinary Filipino family can pay for that.

Another serious issue in Philippines is health care. Private health insurance can be expensive even for young people, who are often jobless or on part-time, by far too much to pay for that. Pay cash or die early...

If you see my foster daughter now, you would not believe about her past.
Do not ask me how much I spent for my Filipina foster daughter during the last 12 years.

The Philippine government and the wealthy Filipino society are not much willing to do anything for ordinary people.
They are also not helpful to individual foreigners willing to assist their children living in poverty. They just don't care what is going on around them, they lost any feeling, any contact to poor people.

It took me years to regulate all required procedures, like the issue of personal documents (birth was never registered), removing custody rights of the parents by court order with the help of the welfare department (despite her parents did not object and considered their child anyway as abandoned), accepted by a private health insurance (was refused as too sick, underweight etc.), accepted in private schools (no marriage certificate of parents, no baptismal certificate), creating a home with a land title to get her away from a status as a squatter etc. etc. etc.

That's really interesting Yohan. So you're legally her father/guardian? Weren't they suspicious that a white guy wanted to adopt a little filipina girl? Were you married already?

[Ghost]

.

[Yohan]

That's really interesting Yohan. So you're legally her father/guardian? Weren't they suspicious that a white guy wanted to adopt a little filipina girl? Were you married already?

No, I am not legally her guardian. I am merely a 'sponsor'. Anyway she is now 20. Her behavior towards me (and also from me to her of course) never changed. It's really father/daughter. Cebu is not far from Tokyo, less than 4 hours by direct flight.

I do not want to have any obligation/responsibility however. - No adoption. I had some contacts with the welfare department, with courts, clinics, schools etc.

It's a good feeling to be welcome, but legally able to 'disappear' anytime if something is not working out as expected.

Everybody next to her considers me as her 'father' - not the real father of course - since over 10 years. Yes, I am married since over 35 years already here in Japan and I have 2 daughters, already adults.

I think the most important thing is you do something by yourself - never arrange anything with charities - religious or not - local or foreign - and other so-called do-gooder organizations. They are all corrupt and will misuse your money for their own administration and salaries for directors. - I prefer my own little 'social project'.

All money I spend is under my control. It's not only for her, paying for school fees, but also for some people next to her. Never cash, but I buy food, medicine, cheap clothings and such other useful items. Also shipping frequently used items (computer monitors, clothings, just everything not in use anymore) from Tokyo to Cebu for distribution, now many people nearby her home know me.

[Yohan]

There are many factors...That's why America was able to become prosperous via its work ethic culture, but then turn around and become misandrist. That's why Japan is "developed" but is not misandrist. That's why China is "developing" instead remaining so poor. That's why Philippines isn't "developing."

And notice how the climate tends to affect things as well. Tropical countries tend to be "undeveloped." I think there is something to that. Genetics plays a role as well, though it isn't so linear I think.

Yes, there are many factors to consider.
It's not only about climate or race, I think religion also has a huge influence.

Nowadays Muslim countries tend to 'go down' - this was not always like that, there were Islamic countries in the past better developed than Christian countries.

Buddhist countries are doing well, Japan, Thailand for example, but even poor Buddhist countries like Cambodia and Myanmar are 'moving up'.

Hinduism, because of its separation of people, shows up with a large gap between poor and rich.

I noticed that street gang criminality often related to drugs and alcohol, is mainly within Christian countries worldwide.
South Africa, Mexico, Philippines, but also Italy...

[publicduende]

This is such a tough issue and I've written about it before. Overall I don't find Filipinos to be stupid - or at least don't find them to be stupider than Americans, which is sad since we have huge opportunities to be smarter and better educated. There are various forms of intelligence (book learnin' vs. common sense, for example) and I can't say that just because someone doesn't have a great deal of education that makes them stupid.

I agree, there are lots of forms of intelligence, even sympathy/empathy are a form of "emotional intelligence", and one I believe most Filipinos can show in much higher doses than most Westerners.

If all Filipinos had virtually free education up to college, like we have had in Italy until a decade ago, the number of educated people who are ambitious and keen to prove their worth to the world would be so much higher, that you would see not only less maids and more doctors and engineers around the world (not just Singapore, HK and Dubai), but also a stronger middle class core back home.

Coincidentally, free education and subsidised health care are two of the biggest points in the political agenda of Muslim political candidates in Mindanao. Too bad the government is completely biased towards traditional Catholic families...but that's another story.

That being said, in my modest experience I think Filipino families do emphasize education. Higher education is tougher to obtain there (money) than it is in the US, but in the US almost every kid who gets a degree, spends half of his life paying off student loans - how smart is that!

As an older guy I went to college at the tail end of an era in which education was considered valuable in and of itself; that knowledge and dare I say wisdom was its own reward. That era is long gone. Today kids go to college to make money. I'm not sure that that makes them any smarter; in fact I'm pretty sure it does not.

Point being that a kid in the Philippines can get a high school or college diploma and end up unable to make any money. My wife got a BS degree and her goal was to work in a call center. That's as high as she thought she could aspire to financially. Me? I have no degree but work as a software engineer making a tad more than a call center girl

Couldn't agree more. What you say tallies up with what I saw in my visits. Like all Asian families, Filipino families would literally remove rice from their tables in order to save for a reputable college education for their kids, or at least some of their kids. You always have an "ate" (elder sister) who is sacrificed in the home, doesn't get a degree and has to work hard on her own business or a lowly job, so her savings can be pooled up with those of her parents and allow one or two of her younger siblings to get a degree or at least a diploma. Or sometimes the opposite: elder kids can go to college, than some tragical events happens to the family and they lose much of their earning power, which means it's the younger ones who don't get a chance to go to college.

Education has value, but also has a price. The US have a massive student debt infrastructure that allows, indeed encourages, students to take on debt, in the illusion that a quality job will command more money and allow them to repay their dues faster and more easily. This paradigm has worked until recently. Nowadays if you look at some job boards, I dare say I see far more IT jobs in the Metro Manila area than in the US!

I don't have any easy answers, only questions. Are people stupider or just poorer. In the first world we are so used to equating success with money with smarts and power that we almost intuitively assume someone in the 3rd world is inferior and dumber.

I had the opportunity to go to a hospital in the Philippines last month after a minor accident. Got treated by a bright, young doctor. Was he smart and educated - hell yes. Am I richer by a large factor than he - again hell yes. Does that make me smarter? Nope but it's easy to come away with that impression and I bet a bright young Filipino doctor might aspire to taking his education abroad where the fruits of his education are more fruitful.

Again more questions than answers, but I will add one more. If Filipinos are so much dumber than us how come so many of us complain about getting cheated and scammed by them?

Well, that one has an easy answer: p***y-induced self-delusion Nothing better than the illusion that a cute girl 20 or 30 years your senior is falling for you over a few text chats and pixelated Skype sessions, to lower a man's guard to embarrassing lows. Some women can scam because they're pretty, they can simulate well and they make massive leverage on that little delusion of ours.

Proof of that is that, when a man grows immune from those online scammimng tactics, he realises that finding a genuine woman online is much, much harder than he had dreamed of. And that's when, if he is still serious about it, he will start savings and fly to the Philippines, or Vietname, or China. Go and meet the ladies in person. Which doesn't reduce the chance of being scammed to zero, but makes it look much more obvious, whether a potential relationship is going somewhere or nowhere.

[Yohan]

...free education and subsidised health care are two of the biggest points in the political agenda of Muslim political candidates in Mindanao. Too bad the government is completely biased towards traditional Catholic families...but that's another story

Well, to be honest, it is not priority for the Philippine government to look after Muslims, who anyway want to create their own independent state within Philippines. This is a Christian, mainly Catholic orientated country.

I myself do not know about any Muslim country, which is really taking care of and is protective to its Christian or Buddhist minority population in Asia or Africa - not even one.

[Moretorque]

...free education and subsidised health care are two of the biggest points in the political agenda of Muslim political candidates in Mindanao. Too bad the government is completely biased towards traditional Catholic families...but that's another story

Well, to be honest, it is not priority for the Philippine government to look after Muslims, who anyway want to create their own independent state within Philippines. This is a Christian, mainly Catholic orientated country.

I myself do not know about any Muslim country, which is really taking care of and is protective to its Christian or Buddhist minority population in Asia or Africa - not even one.

So the ? becomes who is promoting the welfare and divide and conquer to destabilize the country. Do they practice fractional reserve lending with unbacked currency ?

[publicduende]

...free education and subsidised health care are two of the biggest points in the political agenda of Muslim political candidates in Mindanao. Too bad the government is completely biased towards traditional Catholic families...but that's another story

Well, to be honest, it is not priority for the Philippine government to look after Muslims, who anyway want to create their own independent state within Philippines. This is a Christian, mainly Catholic orientated country.

I myself do not know about any Muslim country, which is really taking care of and is protective to its Christian or Buddhist minority population in Asia or Africa - not even one.

The problem about Mindanao is that the Muslim regions (Bangsamoro) have already gotten full autonomy, but it was only granted officially in 2012. The ~3.5M Muslims living in Bangsamoro are relatively happy about their status, but the same cannot be said of those living in the neighbouring regions, South and North Cotabato, and the Davao provinces. Those are a minority and not considered worth a voice.

One of the many good things Mayor Duterte (from Davao City) has been doing is campaigning very robustly about transforming the Philippines government into a federal one, with full economic and political devolution to regions that are either rich enough to take care of themselves, or have such a different social/ethnic mix and require an autonomous government. Last I heard, he's no longer running for Presidency in 2016 but will continue to fight for federalism. Never too much of a good thing...

[Jester]

One of the many good things Mayor Duterte (from Davao City) has been doing is campaigning very robustly about transforming the Philippines government into a federal one, with full economic and political devolution to regions that are either rich enough to take care of themselves, or have such a different social/ethnic mix and require an autonomous government. Last I heard, he's no longer running for Presidency in 2016 but will continue to fight for federalism. Never too much of a good thing...

Love that guy

[It's.me.son]

My gf is Filipina, we have been together over 3 years. I have met a lot on Filipinos, and I can tell you for sure that most of them are dumb as bricks. I don't know if it's the disgusting food they eat, the poor education system, or just the fact that everyone around them are dumb. But they are, they are stupid people. They have no common sense and are horrible at math. they're also the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. But they are friendly.

[OutWest]

My gf is Filipina, we have been together over 3 years. I have met a lot on Filipinos, and I can tell you for sure that most of them are dumb as bricks. I don't know if it's the disgusting food they eat, the poor education system, or just the fact that everyone around them are dumb. But they are, they are stupid people. They have no common sense and are horrible at math. they're also the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. But they are friendly.

What was your GFs back ground? Would you be comfortable if she was smarter than you ? Most foreign men complain about this when it becomes obvious that they are picking at their own level, girls from bars or other desperate circumstances. My wife is a civil engineer and her father is a mining engineer.

To be fair to your comment, it's true, a lot of Filipinos are not so bright. It's a good thing for the Earl buttcracks prowling the Philippines...they might find a girl dumb enough to marry them.