Critical Commentary on Critical Western

The Indigenous Filipino Frames that were tackled include: Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Pilipinolohiya, and Pantayong Pananaw that are all focus on the Filipino as being the subject of the study, and not as being the other. One of the main goals of the Indigenous Filipino Frames is to regain the lost culture replaced by the western ideologies that dominates in the Filipino culture and society. Basically, it aims to develop a nation that is united through interconnecting the diversities and differences present in every part of a nation. In line with this issue, it is questionable if this kind of objective is attainable, and even possible.

Attaining a one true united nation is hard to obtain. It is unimaginable considering that the country is really divided in three parts, and that will never change. People from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have their own cultural identities that are preserved since the beginning of time. And not only that, the social classes between the rich and the poor will not be easily resolved or even find a solution to it. No group of people or social class will agree to have a one common way of life. The issue of hybridity will always rise due to the dynamic interplay between the insider construct with outsider constructs.  

Another issue that may be a problem is the use of a one common language. Since, the country has a rich multi-cultural system, as well as multi-dialect, it will be hard to establish a one common language that could be use by everyone. Though Tagalog is the first language of the country, it actually does not apply to all. People from the Visayas and Mindanao are are not comfortable in speaking the Tagalog language. The Tagalog language used in the Luzon area is somehow biased or one-sided; this may have the tendency to marginalize and even oppress someone who is not used in speaking the language. Using the Indigenous Filipino Frames, one can assessed that not all Filipinos do fully understand the discussion of the Sikolohiyang Pilipino using the Tagalog language.

The second issue is the issue of language. Sikolohiyang Pilipino uses different terms to identify the Filipino value system, but the majority of these terms are in the language of Tagalog. By only using the language spoken in one area of the country, this can marginalize those who cannot understand Filipino, and build more disparity between the capital and the provinces. I suggest that the terms of sikolohiyang Pilipino be translated in every dialect so as to achieve total understanding.

The third issue is the issue of origin. According to Mendoza, all of frames originated from the University of the Philippines, the number one university in the Philippine. UP, being the pioneers of this study has already set the standard, such as the methods, the language, and other aspects of research. This is problematic, because other academics are required to follow to their rules. Other schools that are found with in the indigenous society are still marginalized, but now not by westerners, but by their own countrymen. Schools like University of San Carlos in Cebu or University of Mindanao should be given the chance to create their own Sikolohiyang Pilipino in honor of their own culture and language.

Critical Commentary on Critical Western Culture

There are five schools under the critical western theories: Birmingham School of Cultural Studies, Frankfurt School of Thought, Post-modernism, French Cultural Studies, and the Feminism-Queer Theory.

In postmodernism, believes that reality is not simply mirrored in human understanding of it, but rather, is constructed as the mind tries to understand its own particular and personal reality. I think postmodernism is a lot more concerned about each person's perception about things rather than what the general people perceives.

On the other hand, Birmingham’s main idea is based on everyday politics. It basically emphasizes on the reciprocity in how cultural texts, and even mass-produced products are used, inquiring the valorized division between "producers" and "consumers" that was clear in cultural theory like Adorno’s and the Frankfurt school. 

On the opposite side, the Frankfurt School offered the idea that social movements can be become a source or an outlet of people to fight for their own rights. When social movements are formed, the gap between high culture and mass culture can unite and be formed as one. In addition, I learned about the four (4) theorists of the Frankfurt School : Marx Horkheimer, Theodore Adorno, Herbert Marcuse and Jürgen Habermas.

I learned that according to Horkheimer, knowledge is consisted of propositions that are formulated to correspond to facts, and hence be regarded as true. That is very interesting and I think is very true. I sometimes question what I read in the internet and I try to filter everything.

I learned that Habermas pushed thru the theory that all people are equal and they have the right to express their feelings freely. I strongly agree with his theory. In a democratic country like ours, we are all deemed as equals and as much as I want to say that we feel this always, sometimes it is not the case. 

My favorite school of thought among the critical western theories is the Feminist-Queer Theory. Queer Theory is the approach to literary and cultural study that rejects traditional categories of gender and sexuality. Personal is Political. Nowadays, the LGBT community is being heard in the community but decades and decades before being queer was said to be a disgrace in the community. There are a lot of TV shows that now has gay men and women which only means that bit by bit, they are being accepted by this generation. The Feminist theory aims to study the nature of gender inequality and to promote women's rights, interests and issues. Just like queer men and women, straight women weren't accepted as much as they are now. Before, women were considered unequal with men. They weren't allowed to do things that men can do. Luckily women now are not being discriminated. Yes, there still are a few gender discriminations happening here and in other parts of the world but thankfully there isn't as much.

Lastly, the French Cultural Studies was rooted from Historiography and Existentialist philosophy. Similar to the Feminist-Queer Theory, the French Cultural Studies also focus on the individual. The Annales School of Historiography also known as the New History emerged before World War II. It gained momentum right after the World War. It is the opposition to the prevailing positivist orientation of French historiography. Mikhail Bakhtin is my favorite theorist from our presentation. Like others in the French tradition, he wished to preserve the uniqueness and plurality as well as the potential for novelty and innovation present in the forms of everyday social life. He focused his attention on the prosaic character of everyday life. He also said that there is no single language because people creates their own like the Jejemons and the Conyos.