AND BETTY'S BACK...
Oh my god. Would you believe the audacity of this woman? She emailed me back with an even bigger shocker.
Carlos,
Everyone is entitled to his opinion, we live in a free country after all! Do you have contact numbers for a tour guide that doesn't inject his into his program?
Thank You,
B***********
(The letter is printed as is. I think she meant to add "opinions" after the word "his" in the second sentence.)
Betty,
You are simply incredible.
First you insult the script I've written as being prejudiced, then call me anti-American, then now come back to ask for the contacts of OTHER TOUR guides?
Hello? Do you see something wrong here?
If you really were not interested in learning ALL THE ISSUES surrounding Philippine history, both the good and the bad, why did you even bother joining the ayala museum class? It seems you already know all you want to know. But since I am a nice guy - not really - I will give you the names of my personal favorites in order of my preference anyway.
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_celdrantours_archive.html
But no matter who you call, the facts will never change:
The United States (note I said U.S. - as in the government - and not Americans as in the people) destroyed Intramuros and DID NOT rebuild it. The United States killed almost half a million people in order to take the Philippines over in the early 20th century and the United States was not the saviour of the Philippines because The Philippines never asked to be saved in the first place.
Carlos
The Tour Guy who does these tours as a vocation and as an extension of his art.
I am NOT a travel agency.
Carlos,
Everyone is entitled to his opinion, we live in a free country after all! Do you have contact numbers for a tour guide that doesn't inject his into his program?
Thank You,
B***********
(The letter is printed as is. I think she meant to add "opinions" after the word "his" in the second sentence.)
Betty,
You are simply incredible.
First you insult the script I've written as being prejudiced, then call me anti-American, then now come back to ask for the contacts of OTHER TOUR guides?
Hello? Do you see something wrong here?
If you really were not interested in learning ALL THE ISSUES surrounding Philippine history, both the good and the bad, why did you even bother joining the ayala museum class? It seems you already know all you want to know. But since I am a nice guy - not really - I will give you the names of my personal favorites in order of my preference anyway.
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_celdrantours_archive.html
But no matter who you call, the facts will never change:
The United States (note I said U.S. - as in the government - and not Americans as in the people) destroyed Intramuros and DID NOT rebuild it. The United States killed almost half a million people in order to take the Philippines over in the early 20th century and the United States was not the saviour of the Philippines because The Philippines never asked to be saved in the first place.
Carlos
The Tour Guy who does these tours as a vocation and as an extension of his art.
I am NOT a travel agency.
| |
posted by carlosceldran @ 4:12 PM
25 Comments:
I couldn't agree more ... the USA is not the saviour of the Philippines, the Philippines did not ask to be be saved.
Isn't it strange, the same thing is happening to other countries?
PS. I am not anti-American but I dislike some of the decisions of the US government.
Carlos,
The sad thing is, Betty is making me even more anti-American with her close-minded and hegemonic view of history.
While there are exceptions, I'm sad to say that I have to face the same narrow-minded, condescending view from Americans (of every race and sex) over here in China.
I've actually been told by an American that Asia is lucky to have been colonized because otherwise, we would be no better than apes.
I guess he conveniently forgot that he was in a country that had five thousand years of recorded civilization. Or perhaps it just didn't count because no white people lived there.
Anyway, Carlos, your tours are great and your blog is a pleasure to read, I recommend both to everyone I know.
Keep it up!
Betty, Betty, Betty, I warned you about opening your mouth and inserting your foot.
Not only are you blinded by your being American and ignorant; but, you've just proven to be ill-mannered, graceless and tactless.
PLEASE go home.
T
Ooooooh! I'll get on this tour some day soon.
I don't want to get started on the U.S. and its feeling "messianic" and "the world revolves around me" shit. I can't even finish watching all those "end times" movies without telling myself, "They really feel they are the only ones in this earth. Like meteors always have to fall on them first. Or get attacked by aliens first. And mostly in New York." Then I engage my husband in a stupid discussion of where I would rather have aliens attack first?
But I digress. Please Betty. Don't rewrite our history! Don't even think!
Betty, I believe you havent much time till your white, know-it-all(republican?) ass will be a minority in the world.
1.3 billion chinese, 1.08 billion indians, 1.3 billion islams, all of whom are still reproducing at a healthy rate..by 2025 the world will be populated by Asians..Scared?? RUN but you cant hide!
the US feel so superior that they think they can get away with rape. Look at the current issues betty boop!!!!
props to you, carlos for responding to this ignorant bubblehead with grace and intelligence. kung ako siguro yan, pinasalvage ko na yan. haha.
i wish more of us would stand up for our nation, our culture and our history the way you have. even if it's just to one ignorant bubblehead at a time.
keep on walkin'!
hey carlos!
when i get back to the phil I will make sure to see you and your historic tours!
to betty,
ho-hum another misguided tourist. ho-hum
-staunch defender of the philippines-
Oh dear. Americans! For a while I thought some of them are just stupid or plain ignorant. I am afraid they can be both pala at the same time. And in one person at that.
Guys, I hate to rain on your parade but Betty speaks some truth. It seems we Pinoys love to quickly blame others (Americans usually) for our sorry plight. Lets quit the America bashing. It makes you look too pinoy.-- MandM
i beg to disagree. government is our favorite scapegoat. it's mine, at least. :-P
I bet that these people who like to bash the white folks would at the blink on an eye jump at the chance to go to the United States.
Carlos, you are so easily slighted. Are you gay?
anonymous, why do you care? are you hitting on him?
I bet those people who defend the bashing of white folks are precisely those who at a blink of an eye do jump to go to the United States -- where they find that white folks have no patience for brown people no matter how sipsip they are.
I'm lesbian.
Sipsip(ass kisser) is a universal trait. There are no strangers to this, including you.
Carlos, good answer. You seem to have a good sense of humor.
There are many ways to present history, no matter whose truth it relates. It is a question of perception and style. Based on your responses to Betty's letter, there is belligerence and arrogance in yours. You seem to be making more out of your tours than what it's meant to be.
I am curious to know: Did you ask permission or at least warn Betty that you will blog her letter?
Come to a tour first. Only then can you judge if it's belligerent or arrogant. Don't base your opinions on the comments you read here - even mine. That's like judging a book you have never read or hating a person you have never met.
I didn't tell Betty anything (although Im sure she'll read it at some point), because Betty is not her real name. Only she can link herself to this post if she chooses. Who knows? Maybe I made Betty up. Besides, I wasn't really annoyed by the fact that she found my stuff offensive, I was more annoyed by the fact that she wasn't listening and based her opinions on the little that she heard or chose to hear. I'm sure that if she was more attentive, she would realize that I presented every side and not only the views of the the "victim" and "oppressor".
And guys, c'mon. I hate answering "anonymous" posts. Have the guts to put a name behind your words. Even a fake one.
Carlos, when I come home and visit Manila, maybe with my Kano friends.
My comments are about what I see about this subject in your blog, nothing more. It's a comment not a judgement.
Let's not waver and say maybes. wyswyg has a better footing.
Anonymous is more for convenience not guts. A fake name is, well, fake.
Stay loose.
Oh hello. Oops. Ya. Actually, it's just that I have really bored family and friends who try to screw with my head via anonymous posts which is why I don't answer many of them. Sometimes I even wonder if the anonymous posts are all the same person talking to himself. One should never underestimate the power of the idle hand.
Hey anonymous!
"It's a comment not a judgment" Sure, when you ask whether the blog author is gay? Come on. Why do you want to know or care? What relevance does it have? Unless a) you're homophobic and b) you're trying to undermine the blog author by making implications. I call bullshit. It's very much a judgment.
You're anonymous but I've got ya pegged: a Catholic school-bred (holier-than-thou judgmentalism plus sophistry) ex-Filipino now Fil-Am (mixture of superiority to Filipinos & deference to Americans). It's a type -- the kind of idiot who refuses to acknowledge she's one -- and it's one of the types that keeps our country from progressing (along with priests & trapos).
Whats a wyswyg? A better footing? Just wondering.
People, please! Some decorum naman! Carlos answered Betty's comments with substance, yet so many of you quickly resorted to ad hominem attacks on each other and on him and on Betty. The blog has quickly become parang pagmumurahan sa celebrity TV shows.
wyswyg = what you see is what you get
Ah. Cool. Thanks.
this is more fun than reading those moronic columnists in the local newspapers
Thank you. But then again pulling my teeth out without anesthesia and squeezing pure lemon juice onto it afterwards would be more fun than reading those moronic columnists too.
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