Blog 6: What's so funny?

They say that laughter is the best medicine; most Filipinos believe this saying. It is evident in our nature that we are joyful and optimistic, we always see the humor in everything. Politics? Check. Tragedies? Check. Calamities? Check. Show-business scandals? Check. It would seem that with almost all aspects and topics of life, Filipinos will crack a joke and indeed will find it funny. It could also be said that Filipinos always look at the bright side because of our personality. In any moment, there would always be a Filipino laughing or smiling.

In an article titled The humor that is Filipino written by Bernadette Sembrano in the site PhilStar, Sembrano narrates a small comparison from her own experience of the new year's eve in China and new year's eve in the Philippines. She states that the optimism and joy is really on a different level in the Philippines. She states an example of Filipino humor creativity.

"Last week,  I visited a six-year old boy named Buboy, whose face was deformed when a firecracker Goodbye Philippines exploded on New Year’s day on his way to the sari-sari store to buy coffee for his father. His older brother Jeff said, “We were so happy last night. Now we do not know how we will be able to cope.” Another boy, 10-year-old John Vincent, lost both his hands when he picked up the firecracker Bin Laden.

Even the names of our firecrackers are reflective of our Filipino humor. What happened last New Year’s Eve to the victims is a clear example of fun gone bad." said Sembrano.

It would seem that everything is a joke to us Filipinos. This illegal fireworks are even humorously named after terrorists based on their firepower. This can be taken as an example of creative humor of Filipinos even in the face of danger. They know that it's dangerous and risky to use these kind of fireworks and they even make more powerful versions and then they named it after terrorists; well, because, you know, it's funny; and Filipinos dig funny stuff.

Although, some Filipinos just don't get it. No, most Filipinos don't get some things that are meant to be jokes. In the article titled Why can’t many Filipinos tell truth from satire? written by Marguerite de Leon in the site Rappler, the author points out several examples of Filipinos "not getting the joke" on satire posts. These posts even went viral and started social media debates. The netizens didn't know it was satire or even did not know what satire is. The author even gave out some possible reasons of why Filipinos can not comprehend or understand satire.

Estrada apparently introduced himself as “THE sexy senator from the Philippines,” and that the bulge on his chest was the result of intense [sic] workout regimen he undertook months prior. -  ‘Jinggoy Estrada Arrested After Trying to Smuggle Money Inside His Breasts to US.’

"A population that can read and absorb satire properly is, at the heart of it, one that enjoys the benefits of a good education. Thus, the fact that satire continues to be received so naively here is a sign – however unusual – that education is not being valued enough, or being valued correctly, by those who manage it.

We need to change how young Filipinos are taught. We need to change how we see the act of educating others." said De Leon.

Indeed, De Leon points out a sad reality in our education system. Many of our so called "teachers" just teach according to a manual or strictly according to the textbook. Critical thinking isn't welcome. Students are supposed to give textbook answers. I agree that this is one of the many possible reasons that Filipinos cannot comprehend and understand satire. It's supposed to be humorous and funny, yet our so called culture of humor doesn't seem to appreciate this kind of jokes. Are we really stuck to slapstick comedy and cheap corny jokes? This greatly reflects the awareness and the intellect of us Filipinos.

In conclusion, Filipinos know how to make jokes and know how to laugh, but is the nation going to be glued there? With the introduction of satire and other forms of comedy, most Filipinos seem to fade, some even believe it and cannot find the joke. Is our intellect really not on par globally? Sure, there are smart and intelligent people in other respective careers, but understanding other types and forms of media should be welcomed as this reflects our nation as a whole.