Laziness

When I was sitting on my porcelain throne this Sunday morning, I had some interesting thoughts. I read the papers, I watch TV, I go to college and all I hear is that Filipinos are lazy. "You students are lazy." "People in this country are lazy." "Don't give money to the blind beggar with no arms. He's just lazy." That's just observation and the stereotype is that Filipinos are regular "Juan Tamads" but I'm going to go the extra mile and try to explain why people are this way. After thinking long and hard about it, I thought of three reasons why people are lazy. I know a thing or two about laziness so here you go.

The first reason is that people are too damn cheerful and content. If the Social Studies books and Magazines are to be believed, Filipinos are one of the most nauseatingly happy people on earth. So happy in fact that Filipinos just smile through all the hardships, injustices and bullshit they have to deal with on a daily basis. Yes, it seems people here are content to just sit around convincing themselves that, "It's not so bad." Well, It is that bad. Why can't we be more like those fat Yankee Americans who complain and bitch to their government when it isn't doing it's job right? Now, that kind of attitude would spur a little progress instead of laying back and taking it, eh? Even admitting there's a problem is a step forward. We really should stop smiling, get angry and use that anger energy to improve our situation like demand our own incompetent government to shape up or show some initiative and fix the problem on our own.

The second reason is simply selfishness. Filipinos and people in general naturally tend toward things that offer the greatest good for the least effort. Pretty simple, nothing wrong with this per se, but it is important to define what one means by "good" and the whole "least effort" thing. For who's good exactly? Mine? Yours? If you do things for your own self-interest, you will inevitably lean towards laziness. "I won't help my neighbors fix their roof because it's their problem not mine." "I don't want to help, I'd rather watch TV." Oh, I know about this. I'm not some self-righteous douche, I'm as guilty of this as everyone else and screw you if you think you're innocent.It's important to have long-term goals to work for other than immediate gratification. Being community oriented and doing good for society first is a kind of proactive medicine for laziness. Where is that Bayanihan spirit? Well, bring it back morons! We need to drop the "least effort" part, nothing worthwhile in life is easy. Man, that was deep.

Lastly, is that there is little incentive i being industrious. Unlike the previous two which you could fix in yourself this one is a cancer of society. Let's face it, Philippine society frowns on overachievers. Good old crab mentality at work. I have seen people work their asses off yet corrupt pricks who cheat the system get more money than they will ever make. People work hard for years for that promotion but the boss man picks a useless , boot lick, suck up, crony yes-man over you instead. Some people study hard very hard yet more people just cheat and get away with it. You do your homework but people end up copying it off you in the morning. Culture is hard to reverse and this is probably the reason why so many good men leave for greener pastures abroad. They are unappreciated. What we should do, is punish the corrupt and reward hard work and honesty. I could not type that last part with a straight face. I don't know if this is ever going to happen. People are too content with the status quo and frankly, people like to cheat because it requires little effort compared to the hard way.

Slow People

I could not update last Monday even though I planned to. The DSL went dead on me for some reason. As a result I had to hold all the hatred and bile in me until now. I'll keep this short and sweet.

You know what I really hate? Slow people. No not retards, but people who walk slow. Everyday when I walk down the college halls I run into these morons. It's always three girls and a gay guy. THREE GIRLS AND A GAY GUY. They just strut slowly down the hallway taking their sweet time while me and other more important people have to wait for them to haul their worthless asses. Goddammit, I really hate these people. Their always talking about meaningless shit too. Did you hear about the ...blah blah yadda yadda. Bullshit. They are always laughing and giggling, going on like clucking chickens. Not a damned care in the world. I wish I could waste other people's time as well as these idiots.

Maybe I'm too cruel. Maybe they don't notice what terrible assholes they are being. But I don't see how it's possible not to notice a long line of people behind them who all want to kill them. So we do what our "polite" society tells us to. We say "Excuse me." Still they don't fucking get it! They just move an freaking inch to the side! What am I, a contortionist? Blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda. Man, I just really wish society would just give up this courtesy thing just once and allow us to simply ram these people down instead of asking to be excused like in China or something. It's much more efficient really. Blah blah blah yadda...BAM!

These slow people just don't think of others. My message to these people is to be alert. Please make way for people who actually want to make something of their lives. Granted sometimes I block the way myself but at least I HAVE A BRAIN to perceive when others are waiting for me to move unlike these slow people. Maybe they are retarded. Hmm.

Everything In Life Is At The Mall

Whenever I need something or anything at all, It seems I wind up going to the mall.

I don't like going to the mall especially when it gets crowded. I hate crowds but there's always a crowd in the mall. Yes, the mall. Malls are everywhere. Every major city in the country gotta have a mall. You aren't a city yet if you don't have at least one mall. Forget department stores, what you need is a real mall. Malls with fountains, arcades, food courts, electronics, hardware, dildo stores and so on. Your mall has to have everything to meet the needs of the average moron consumer.

You see, if I need to have my picture taken, they have all the photo shops in the mall. If I need to watch a movie, I go to the mall. I can't avoid going to the mall at least once a week. That's how those corporate assholes get you. They make it so that if you need a good or any kind of service, you must first make a pilgrimage to the mall, the magnificent temple to capitalism in our consumer culture. You must then make the valid offerings of gold (or plastic) and submit yourself to the ritualistic torture of riding escalators and waiting in line. It seems the mall is the center of the universe. People even go to church...in the mall! Why, today, I saw mass being held there. Mass, as I was taught, was a sacred ceremony where Christians worship as one people, as one community to God. Was. I don't see how mass is so sacred when next to the altar is a McDonald's logo in plain sight. Maybe it's not Jesus we're worshiping here but the Hamburglar. Malls also have little plazas where people can just relax and smoke cigarettes trying to look cool. Malls have become recreation centers in place of public parks. Even senior citizens take their goddamn morning walks in the mall.

It is intriguing to me. It's a perfect business model. People tend to bring friends and family when they go out or make laag-laag. In the mall, there is something for everyone especially families. Baby Tommy is lovingly dumped in the daycare center, Junior goes to the Arcade to waste money, Big Sister Kikay goes to the hairdresser or whatever, Mommy goes shopping for clothes too small for her while Daddy waits outside the store for Mommy while contemplating suicide. It's all good and money is to be made. Let the entire family hear mass in the mall, maybe grab lunch afterward and put another thousand pesos in Ayala's fat wallet. Kaching!

Gentlemen, I like capitalism and I'm amused with this love affair people have with malls. There are malls for the trendy rich airheads and malls for cheap "price conscious" working class assholes. Forget the poor losers and their miscellaneous sari-sari stores. The mall is where the heart is. Go now. BUY. CONSUME.