A blunt conversation with a Filipina

[davewe]

My wife, that is. Rarely hear her this frank - it's refreshing.

https://youtu.be/qb61D2RS0_g

[pete98146]

Great interview! I think Cathy would agree with most of what Janet is saying

[Lorenzo]

Oh my, you got your hands full haha. So if I heard her right, she married you for your sperm to produce a pageant baby! LOL

Not sure I agree with the "Americans not working as hard as Filipinos". We do less manual labor in lieu of technical and white collar jobs, clearly she has not been directly exposed to the intense corporate America environment

[davewe]

Oh my, you got your hands full haha. So if I heard her right, she married you for your sperm to produce a pageant baby! LOL

Not sure I agree with the "Americans not working as hard as Filipinos". We do less manual labor in lieu of technical and white collar jobs, clearly she has not been directly exposed to the intense corporate America environment

In the Philippines women wanting "white babies" is incredibly common and definitely one of the strong motivators for Filipinas wanting Western husbands, even of the aged variety They not only want those white genes but actually believe that white genes trump their darker genes. When I tell Janet that there is certainly a good chance that if we had the baby the baby might look more like her than me (which IMO is a good thing) she completely rejects that notion because "everyone knows the white genes are stronger than the dark ones."

Her family cannot wait for her to have a white baby and it's easy to see why.Nearly all Filipino actors and models are white or lighter skinned and many are biracial. In her barangay a biracial baby will be a star! Her mother (who had 10 kids) tells us matter of factly that when we have a child we can feel free to drop off the child and she will take care of him/her - for six months or so.

And BTW, as strange as it sounds, this attitude is not just about economics. We have good friends expecting a baby in a few months. The Filipina wife is from a very successful family - dare I say flat out rich. Yet they too are just as open about their desire for a "white baby."

As to the Americans are not hard working comment, she works with low paid or minimum wage workers and so her view is based on young and/or unskilled workers. I would hope that if she had more access to corporate America and it's workaholic workers, she'd have a different view. But I do agree with her when she says that America is a land of opportunity, but you have to work very hard for that opportunity.

I have to say that overall this is a Janet that I was surprised to see. Perhaps it was the multitasking, perhaps she was in a mood, but she normally would only hint at these views - not state them directly. I thought it was cool and perhaps cathartic for her that she got it out.

[Lorenzo]

Oh my, you got your hands full haha. So if I heard her right, she married you for your sperm to produce a pageant baby! LOL

Not sure I agree with the "Americans not working as hard as Filipinos". We do less manual labor in lieu of technical and white collar jobs, clearly she has not been directly exposed to the intense corporate America environment

In the Philippines women wanting "white babies" is incredibly common and definitely one of the strong motivators for Filipinas wanting Western husbands, even of the aged variety They not only want those white genes but actually believe that white genes trump their darker genes. When I tell Janet that there is certainly a good chance that if we had the baby the baby might look more like her than me (which IMO is a good thing) she completely rejects that notion because "everyone knows the white genes are stronger than the dark ones."

Her family cannot wait for her to have a white baby and it's easy to see why.Nearly all Filipino actors and models are white or lighter skinned and many are biracial. In her barangay a biracial baby will be a star! Her mother (who had 10 kids) tells us matter of factly that when we have a child we can feel free to drop off the child and she will take care of him/her - for six months or so.

And BTW, as strange as it sounds, this attitude is not just about economics. We have good friends expecting a baby in a few months. The Filipina wife is from a very successful family - dare I say flat out rich. Yet they too are just as open about their desire for a "white baby."

As to the Americans are not hard working comment, she works with low paid or minimum wage workers and so her view is based on young and/or unskilled workers. I would hope that if she had more access to corporate America and it's workaholic workers, she'd have a different view. But I do agree with her when she says that America is a land of opportunity, but you have to work very hard for that opportunity.

I have to say that overall this is a Janet that I was surprised to see. Perhaps it was the multitasking, perhaps she was in a mood, but she normally would only hint at these views - not state them directly. I thought it was cool and perhaps cathartic for her that she got it out.

Because she was multitasking I'm sure it come out unfiltered from her in a pure and honest way.

Have fun making that pageant baby!

[HappyX10]

You have a sweet woman there Dave. Very modest but such astute observations:) Speaking bluntly from my own insecurities did you ever get these deep in the soul worries about when you brought her here she would look around and compare you against someone younger? I have 17 years on My Asawa to be. I get that gut check and its hard to shake.

[Break the chains]

Blunt isn't a bad thing. I'd rather hear honest opinions rather than what someone thinks I want to hear.

My wife is very open about her observations of my country too. It's amusing when she says there are lots many fat people in Australia, or that Australians are much better drivers than Vietnamese, or that it is - wait for it - far too cold in winter here. The perspective of someone outside looking in is usually priceless.

The 'pageant baby' comment was strange! But from I read here that's just a Pinay thing?

Nice video. I wish you and your wife continued happiness, OP.

[davewe]

You have a sweet woman there Dave. Very modest but such astute observations:) Speaking bluntly from my own insecurities did you ever get these deep in the soul worries about when you brought her here she would look around and compare you against someone younger? I have 17 years on My Asawa to be. I get that gut check and its hard to shake.

While I do tend to be a worrier and have insecurities, that just isn't one of my fears, although of course it could happen I suppose. I could give you a laundry list of things I do worry about but for whatever reason that's just not one of them.

[davewe]

Blunt isn't a bad thing. I'd rather hear honest opinions rather than what someone thinks I want to hear.

My wife is very open about her observations of my country too. It's amusing when she says there are lots many fat people in Australia, or that Australians are much better drivers than Vietnamese, or that it is - wait for it - far too cold in winter here. The perspective of someone outside looking in is usually priceless.

The 'pageant baby' comment was strange! But from I read here that's just a Pinay thing?

Nice video. I wish you and your wife continued happiness, OP.

Yes, the fat comments about Americans are constant. At first she was simply stunned and now just takes it as a matter of fact. It does gross her out.

[tamdrin12]

nice video... has she been Americanized after two years in the states... Or has her personality changed?

[davewe]

nice video... has she been Americanized after two years in the states... Or has her personality changed?

As you can tell from the video, there's a lot of things about the US she doesn't like - so I wouldn't call her Americanized. But yes she is changing; the type of change you would expect with maturity and a couple years of marriage.