Is “proud to be Pinoy” necessarily a bad thing?

Prior to his retirement, Manny Pacquiao’s televised fights brought the Philippines to a standstill–so much so, that the crime rate drops to 0% whenever his fights go live. The boxing champ and former senator definitely united people, offline and online.  

#PinoyPride is alive and well whenever someone with Filipino blood gets recognized internationally, whether it’s a boxer, a beauty queen, or an artista–but is it going too far?

What is #PinoyPride, anyway?

Many Filipinos feel a sense of national pride toward their country, culture, identity, and heritage. While that’s generally a positive thing, "Pinoy pride" can become toxic when it upholds a sense of superiority or exclusivity. 

Jessica Tracy, a professor from the University of British Columbia, co-authored a study exploring the two different types of pride: “authentic pride,” which stems from one’s achievements. “Hubristic pride,” in contrast, is rooted in status and insecurity–seeking validation, particularly from white audiences. As Filipina poet Gretchen Filart wrote:

It makes sense why the Filipina standard of beauty, in particular, is very Western–fair skin, long and straight black hair–which natural Filipinos don’t all have! This may also explain why Filipinos are enamored with half-Caucasian celebrities.

Those who hubristic pride also tend to have lower levels of empathy, exacerbating prejudice against groups who are “different.” This sense of pride, Tracy further writes, can lead to racism. 

After the Philippine team lost to Iran in the finals of the 2013 FIBA Basketball World Cup, disgruntled Filipino fans posted hate comments on the Iranian team’s personal Facebook profiles. The opposing team members were called “terrorists” or mabaho (foul-smelling), even contrasting the two teams as #Puso (heart) and #Putok (body odor)--a common insult Filipinos make against East Asians.

This behavior only creates the impression that Filipinos are indeed “proud”--in the negative sense of the word. 

Nationalistic pride vs. “Pinoy pride”

What, then, is a healthy expression of patriotism, and not, say, taking credit for other’s achievements? Or, at worst, bullying people of different cultures?

Perhaps one way is to support local businesses and artisans; another is to pass on good values that benefit others. Celebrating one another’s triumphs isn’t necessarily wrong, more so if it’s highlighted in different forms of media–but being Filipino is not reason enough to wear it like a badge of superiority. 

Learning to embrace and take pride in our achievements need not be at the expense of our dignity as Filipinos. Upholding an authentic form of pride may take time, but at least it’s empathic and non-divisive–values that ring true to our values, until today.