“But…I’m not Chinese…” – Dante Basco in The Debut
Ok, so maybe that quote won’t make it to the top 100 most memorable movie quotes of all time anytime soon (heck, this is probably the first time it’s ever made it onto any website for...anything), and maybe it’s not an experience that every Pilipino shares, but being mis-Asian-ized by others is quite a typical occurrence for a people whose ethnicity has always been defined (or undefined) by its mixed-ness. If you’re like me and sport a relatively pale complexion, were born to a nanay (mother) that looks like the Pilipino version of China, and hold a large percentage of Chinese blood in your heritage– then you probably know well the confused looks of people who see your face, see your Hispanic last name, yet sadly fail to see that you are, in fact... just Pilipino.
From Indonesian, to Chinese, to a semi-tan Taiwanese native, to half-Black half-Korean, to mistakenly being recognized as Disney's famous cartoon character, Aladdin - I've gotten it all. As someone who has been around all sorts of Asians – Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indonesians – I’ve noticed that within the Asian community, Pilipinos are seen as a special case, an exception, when it comes to categorization. We’re considered Asian, yet we’re also unique to the entire group. I’ve typically asked my friends questions such as, “Is he Asian?” and the typical response would be, “No, he’s Pilipino.” Clearly, the terms ‘Asian’ and ‘Pilipino’ are not as directly synonymous to one another as it would be for other ethnicities. “AZN” is a term more reserved for every other Asian race but the Pilipino people, as we have seemingly carved out our own unique cultural identity, yet also seem to be lost in the thick of things regarding such an identity.
Then there's the whole other issue of whether or not we even want to be referred to as 'Asians' in the first place, for I've come across many Pinoys who would rather stray away from that labeling and be called 'Pacific Islander' instead. It's interesting because, while Pilipinos are labeled Pacific Islanders, Japanese and Taiwanese people (who also live on islands in the Pacific...or I might just be blind), for some reason, are excluded from this particular grouping. Is it because Japanese and Taiwanese people better fit the look and feel of 'Asian-ness' than Pilipinos do or are we just confusing the term 'Asian' with 'Oriental' - 'Pacific Islander' with 'Not Asian'?
To our credit, the larger Asian community around us has truly begun to recognize and embrace our people as being some of the most talented artists and entertainers in the world (especially with Pilipino artists practically owning YouTube and America’s Best Dance Crew), helping turn the tides of the stereotypical stigmas that have forever been attached to Asians. In fact, many of my friends jokingly refer to Pilipinos as the ‘black Asians’ who continually set the standards in singing and dancing for the larger ethnic onclave. But in spite of all this, the larger question still remains – are we really Asian? Do we fit into any one specific category or are we clearly just our own ethnic group?
We’re such a mixed people and we’ve always been defined by the diversity in our blood and the exoticness in our looks - but can we truly be called Asians? All Pilipinos either have some Indo-Malay blood, Hispanic blood, or Chinese blood, and a whole bunch of other bloodlines within their heritage, truly making us a people of many colors. You’ve all undoubtedly heard of the many levels of Pilipino-ness, from Chinita (paler skin, more Asian-looking eyes) to Mestizo (more Hispanic-European looking) to Moreno (darker-Malay features), and how Pilipinos, like the Spanish, can cover many bases of ethnic appearance. For those who don’t consider Pilipinos to be Asian, what happens to those Pilipinos who clearly look Chinese and have Chinese blood in their heritage? Are only the Asian-looking Pilipinos allowed to be considered a part of that group? Should Pilipinos just be regarded by whatever ethnicity they look like (Chinese, Hispanic, American, Hispanic-Chinese – we’ve all gotten some kind of variation)? Or should Pilipinos just be labeled Pacific-Islanders to avoid any further confusion?
In the broad scope of things, maybe it really isn’t such a big issue that needs heavy debating. It doesn’t make sense for us either way, for our culture has never been defined on such terms - we are a people of many colors and cultures (you can see it just by eating our food) with a long history of colonial oppression and international relations to draw from (from Spain, to Japan, to the United States). What makes us special is that amidst all the cultural amalgamation and mixing we’ve experienced as a people, we’ve still managed to come out of it holding a very clear sense of Pilipino-ness that no drop of mixed blood, mixed look, or miscategorization can take away. All I know is that at the end of the day, when I hear that accent and those F’s become P’s, when I smell that spam crackling with a good lump of white rice waiting on the side, and when I see that magic mic set and ready for an onslaught of spit and high C’s, I know that I am surely Pilipino. Bubble in all else that apply.
[Here is a very enlightening video by Pilipino-American vlogger, Jokway, that answers the question of whether Pilipinos are really Asian, providing added insight on what it means to be Pilipino and further examining how we as a race fit into the whole scheme of things when it comes to the touchy subject of ethnic labeling]:
It’s Asian-Pacific Heritage month – let your voice be heard! What do you think about Pilipinos being considered or not considered as part of the Asian enclave? Does it really matter? Tsismis na!
Comments
I would like to add in my earlier comment that Southeast Asian born Chinese consider themselves SOUTHEAST Asian, not East Asian. Would they be "Pacific Islanders" too?
Where now do we draw the line? o.o
Interesting! So when it comes down to filling out forms and applications, what box do you check off, Asian or Pacific Islander? It had always bothered me in trying to figure out which one I HAD to categorize myself as. I've come to notice nowadays that more forms and documents offer "Filipino" as category by itself, probably heeding to the uncertainty/ambiguity/indecision among us. But for those that don’t give me that “Filipino” option, I personally choose whatever I feel like at the time. Is it bad to be considered Asian? Why is it better to be considered Pacific Islander? It’s unfortunate that we have to choose one or the other because our ethnicity has become such a melting pot of many different cultures it’s one that should stand on its own.
I admit that I can't help but feel pretty cool when that paper has a box with just "Filipino" next to it.
The problem with this debate is that there isn't enough anthropological data about this. Not enough Filipinos going into that field I guess. But speaking with a friend that has been doing this research for years, we have ties to both.
My conclusion, it's both. We are both.
Now I don't know why it is I have felt rejection from both identities, Asian/Pacific Islander, but we are all populated by the same original settlers. The Austronesians that populated most of the Southeast Asian and all the Pacific Islands. Language-wise we have similar words. If we look into our indigenous cultures, we can see the similarities with both Pacific Islander and Asian.
The Sarimanok can be traced to Maori mythology. The tattooing style found in most indigenous tribes in the Phils. have similar patterns that can be found in many Pacific Islander styles. No one is biting off each other, but our ancestors came from the same place. We also have settlers from the Malay race. And all the Chinese and Indian traders that have come through the Phils, establishes the Asian. The Phils has very diverse people and unique because we have this incredible mix of races and inhabitants. We have to accept that it's mixed.
We seriously have to allow people to define themselves, because of the lack of information that is available out there. Until we can solidify our ancestral roots, people will still be in this limbo... as for me, We are both.
First of all, I have problems of "Asian" being an described ethnicity, much more a 'race'. Technically, an Asian is someone who hails from the continent called Asia. And Asia is very diverse. Arabs and South Asians are technically "Asians". However, they are classified by anthropologists as Caucasoid. In other words, Caucasian. Second, Asia is very diverse. There is no such thing as "Asian culture" but what exist are Asian cultures.
And for the "Pacific Islander" argument, recent studies show that Austronesians actually came from mainland Asia (China area), moved southward.
The confusion about "are Filipinos Asians" I think stems from the western thinking that Asia is homogeneous. Or that an Asian must be strictly Japanese/Korean/Chinese. Speaking of Japan, I've seen arguments online as to why Filipino should be Pacific Islanders - because it's made up of islands. Well, Japan has many islands too ad geographically, they're closer to the "Pacific Islands" than the Philippines is. Wouldn't that make the Japanese "Pacific Islanders" too? I think another stereotype of your typical Asian would be the use of chopsticks. Out of the many countries in Asia, only Japan/China/Korea use it.
Personally, I pick Asian if Filipino is not available. Academically, Filipinos are considered Asians.
Another thing, maybe the confusion stems from the term used by some military personnel. A lot of them still use PI to refer to the Philippines. That term is so 1930's. It hasn't been used in the academia since 1946.
In my 5 years in America I've been called a Pacific Islander only once. Most of the people that I actually met asks me right away "are you Filipino." As for the question whether if one is Filipino enough, I say your Filipino when you know your one even if you don't look like one.
simply. i just say filipino.
where i live, i'm surrounded by mainly mexicans and whites. people call me 'thats asian girl' or 'filipina' or my guy friends, 'asian sensation' i would label myself as pacific islander because somewhat, it has some truth to it. although Japan and Taiwan are obviously considered 'asian' i allow people to label me as asian because its just much more easier to explain than pacific islander or going into depth as to how filipinos are not asian. simply enough, i say filipino. &let those who wish, to call me asian. so much easier in my opinion.
dude haha. I just found you freaken right away. hhaa I can't believe you actually replied! ;p
i like how it posted three times cause im killing time at school &these computers are so slow):
p.s. This was a great article! Thank you for establishing this discussion.
Growing up in a racially diverse neighborhood of Mexican Americans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Cambodians, and Samoans, your heritage isn't exactly a hot topic on the playground. However, when I moved to California's Central Valley, I was immediately aware that I stuck out like a sore thumb. Because I looked "Asian" to many, that's what I became to them. And when some of my classmates heard I was Filipino, they wisened up and reasoned, "No, no, she's a Pacific Islander." And back and forth they would debate, while I would sit idly by and reflect on what being either REALLY means.
And now as I sit here typing this, I realize it means NOTHING. We are Filipino, that is all, and if one wants to identify him or herself as Asian or Pacific Islander, that is entirely up to them and how they were raised. We already have our own bubble to fill in for the SATs and Census...do we really need to debate a useless category?
Also, I've always believed something that DOES need to be discussed is why some Filipino-Americans are so adamant to be called "Pacific Islanders" and actually get offended when they are referred to as "Asian"? Why is being called "Asian" a bad thing? Has anyone else ever noticed this? Or am I just the only one who has friends with identity crises?