I am not much of a fan of boxing. Occassionally, I’ll sit beside my partner Rob at home to support his love for boxing and UFC. But most of the time, I am eagerly waiting for the fights to end so I can change the channel or I am either sitting there cringing at the sight of blood or bickering about the politics of these brutal sports that often pin people of color against each other while waving money and all sorts of other material things at them as though they were animals. I haven’t even begun to mention the loads of gender stereotypes this sport just breeds. But to be quite honest, I really don’t know much about the politics of sports but I see what I see – almost every sport have treated their players as though they can be bought and sold. And yes they are often bought and sold. Whether it’s to matches, traded to different teams or that Arrid Extra Dry commercial – they are bought, traded and sold. Sadly, it is often at the expense of their own lives and well-being.
However, even knowing all this, and as contradicting as this may sound – I still somehow have some sort of respect for boxing and UFC. And it’s not because of the excitement by the techniques of left hooks and uppercuts. To be honest the punches gives me too much awful memories of my own days of experiencing violence growing up. The respect that I give to this sport and the kind of “understanding” that i have when I see people go crazy over the bloody sports is because of what it means to our communities – people of color communities. It becomes more than just a sport, or a match for money or a match for the title when boxers from our communities like Muhammad Ali, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquao fight in the ring.
As a Filipina-American growing up in America, long before ABDC and the Jabbowockeez existed, i hardly ever saw any Filipino (a)’s on television. If I did, it was often stereotypes of a Filipina as a maid or a prostitute or a mail order bride. Or you’d often just hear derogatory names, terms all in bad context whenever the Philippines or Filipino’s were ever mentioned. Often times you’d just see Filipino’s acting in other Asian roles as Chinese or Japanese when you knew they were Filipino. Or you would know that Lou Diamond Phillips, Nia Peeples, Nicole Scherzinger were all born of Filipino blood but you hardly heard them ever talk about it on television or interviews, or if at all. My point is, I never really did see my brown skin on television. And if they were on television, it was almost as if they were ashamed to even admit they were Filipino because the industry limited them into characters that were anything else but themselves. Characters that often deem and oppress our Filipino people.
So, when someone like Manny Pacquiao steps out onto the ring – he becomes so much more than just a fighter. He becomes our hero. A hero that represents the thousands upon thousands of Filipino’s in the States and in the Philippines that have been waiting for someone to represent them more than just on TV but to win a championship that proves so much more than “boxing”, but a championship of surviving. While I don’t know what Manny Pacquiao’s political views are, I do know that he is no different than what Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith and John Carlos meant to the black community. Manny Pacquao knows what his celebrity status means for his Filipino people, which is why he makes the efforts that he does to give back to our Filipino people. Unlike what comedian Adam Carolla recently stated about the Philippines being “nothing but “Manny Pacquiao and sex stores”, Pacquiao knows that the Philippines is more than just that… which is why he fights so diligently, swiftly, quickly and passionately. And he does this for us.
I am not trying to romanticize Pacquiao, or place him up on a pedastal because although i respect that many of our people view him as our hero I personally don’t view him as an icon. I view him as another brother from our homeland doing what he needs to do to survive, doing what he can do for as long as he can for his people. Just like the rest of us should be doing. Especially now more than ever, because of racist, sexist, ignorant comedians like Adam Carolla who think it’s funny to poke fun at the expense of third world countries like the Philippines.
Adam Carolla
Someone like Adam Carolla wouldn’t understand why Manny Pacquiao means so much to us, simply because everyday he can look at television and see people with the color of his skin not having to resort to boxing to make a name for themselves. Carolla wouldn’t know that the Philippines is so much more than just sex stores because people with the color of his white skin purchase more than 5,000 Filipina mail order brides yearly into the United States. Adam Carolla wouldn’t know the beautiful islands of our country because it is rare to see when imperialist countries all over the world suck all our resources dry. Of course, Adam Carolla would find this all funny, because he has the luxury to never live this life. He has the luxury to never have to walk down daily the slums of the Philippines looking for food to feed his children. He never has to sell his body and be used as a commodity as does the 150,000 young Filipina women who are trafficked into prostitution in Japan.
But there are so many privileged Adam Carolla’s and Desperate Housewives Teri Hatcher Comedians in the world, aren’t there…? So many comedians who think they can get their ticket into fame with racist and sexist jokes. To me it’s just another way for the white supremacist to tear us down – take one of our known shining heroes like Manny Pacquiao and take one of largest known thing our country struggles with like sex-trafficking and prostitution — and blast it upon the rest of the world by making fun of it….. Yeah, just another way of tearing us down.
But what people like Adam Carolla doesn’t know is that we are all Manny Pacquiao’s as we are all our mothers and our sisters and our daughters trying to survive from sex-trafficking. And my people are strong, we are survivors… and we have fought a million wars for thousands of years. We have fought being invisible, we have fought racism, sexism, homophobia, colonialism, imperialism, and all kind of isms and oppressions….. we have done more than just boxed.. and wrestled. we have nursed, we have doctored, danced, sung, beatboxed, break’d, tagged… and DJ’d our way through —- we have held our fists in the air…. letting you all know that we exist… that we are no longer invisible… and that it’s going to take a lot more than just the petty ignorant jokes to take us down. Because we’re here… we’ve been arrived… and we will survive you. We always have.
Below is a note good friend Kevin Nadal, PhD sent earlier requesting everyone to sign a petition against Adam Carolla. It also includes a link of his derogatory, racist jokes.. – pls take the time to read and sign.
Thank you for your time DJ Kuttin Kandi
============================================
Dear Kababayan, Friends, and Allies,
Radio host and comedian Adam Carolla has recently made several
disparaging remarks about Manny Pacquiao and Filipinos. He has
insinuated that Filipinos “pray to chicken bones” and that the
Philippines is nothing but “Manny Pacquiao and sex stores.”
As a community, we must stand up again and let it be known that we
will not allow such hateful words to be made about our community.
These messages of hate help to promote the negative stereotypes about
Filipinos and Filipino Americans and we must put an end to it.
And please forward this to your colleagues, family, and friends.
Sincerely,
Kevin Nadal, PhD
I AM RAISING A CALL TO ACTION AGAINST CBS CORPORATION TOMORROW,
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2010 AT EXACTLY 9:00 AM EST (12:00 pm PST)
These are the numbers in which you should call:
CBS Corporation
CBS Headquarters51 W. 52nd StreetNew York, NY 10019-6188 212-975-4321
complaint line: 212- 975-5005 Investor Relations
51 W. 52nd StreetNew York, NY 10019investorrelations@cbs.com1-877-227-0787
ALSO PLEASE FILE A COMPLAINT TO THE FCC AGAINST ADAM CAROLLA’S SHOW on
KACE through IndustryEars.com
An Open Commentary To Adam Coralla’s & Teri Hatcher Comedians Who Like to Poke Fun at My Filipino People….
However, even knowing all this, and as contradicting as this may sound – I still somehow have some sort of respect for boxing and UFC. And it’s not because of the excitement by the techniques of left hooks and uppercuts. To be honest the punches gives me too much awful memories of my own days of experiencing violence growing up. The respect that I give to this sport and the kind of “understanding” that i have when I see people go crazy over the bloody sports is because of what it means to our communities – people of color communities. It becomes more than just a sport, or a match for money or a match for the title when boxers from our communities like Muhammad Ali, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquao fight in the ring.
I am not trying to romanticize Pacquiao, or place him up on a pedastal because although i respect that many of our people view him as our hero I personally don’t view him as an icon. I view him as another brother from our homeland doing what he needs to do to survive, doing what he can do for as long as he can for his people. Just like the rest of us should be doing. Especially now more than ever, because of racist, sexist, ignorant comedians like Adam Carolla who think it’s funny to poke fun at the expense of third world countries like the Philippines.
Adam Carolla
Someone like Adam Carolla wouldn’t understand why Manny Pacquiao means so much to us, simply because everyday he can look at television and see people with the color of his skin not having to resort to boxing to make a name for themselves. Carolla wouldn’t know that the Philippines is so much more than just sex stores because people with the color of his white skin purchase more than 5,000 Filipina mail order brides yearly into the United States. Adam Carolla wouldn’t know the beautiful islands of our country because it is rare to see when imperialist countries all over the world suck all our resources dry. Of course, Adam Carolla would find this all funny, because he has the luxury to never live this life. He has the luxury to never have to walk down daily the slums of the Philippines looking for food to feed his children. He never has to sell his body and be used as a commodity as does the 150,000 young Filipina women who are trafficked into prostitution in Japan.
But there are so many privileged Adam Carolla’s and Desperate Housewives Teri Hatcher Comedians in the world, aren’t there…? So many comedians who think they can get their ticket into fame with racist and sexist jokes. To me it’s just another way for the white supremacist to tear us down – take one of our known shining heroes like Manny Pacquiao and take one of largest known thing our country struggles with like sex-trafficking and prostitution — and blast it upon the rest of the world by making fun of it….. Yeah, just another way of tearing us down.
But what people like Adam Carolla doesn’t know is that we are all Manny Pacquiao’s as we are all our mothers and our sisters and our daughters trying to survive from sex-trafficking. And my people are strong, we are survivors… and we have fought a million wars for thousands of years. We have fought being invisible, we have fought racism, sexism, homophobia, colonialism, imperialism, and all kind of isms and oppressions….. we have done more than just boxed.. and wrestled. we have nursed, we have doctored, danced, sung, beatboxed, break’d, tagged… and DJ’d our way through —- we have held our fists in the air…. letting you all know that we exist… that we are no longer invisible… and that it’s going to take a lot more than just the petty ignorant jokes to take us down. Because we’re here… we’ve been arrived… and we will survive you. We always have.
Below is a note good friend Kevin Nadal, PhD sent earlier requesting everyone to sign a petition against Adam Carolla. It also includes a link of his derogatory, racist jokes.. – pls take the time to read and sign.
Thank you for your time
DJ Kuttin Kandi
============================================
Dear Kababayan, Friends, and Allies,
Radio host and comedian Adam Carolla has recently made several
disparaging remarks about Manny Pacquiao and Filipinos. He has
insinuated that Filipinos “pray to chicken bones” and that the
Philippines is nothing but “Manny Pacquiao and sex stores.”
Hear more about his hate here:
(Warning: This is vulgar and may not be suitable for children).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOSqFWwdtAE&feature=player_embedded
As a community, we must stand up again and let it be known that we
will not allow such hateful words to be made about our community.
These messages of hate help to promote the negative stereotypes about
Filipinos and Filipino Americans and we must put an end to it.
Please read and sign the petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/FilAmAC/petition.html
And please forward this to your colleagues, family, and friends.
Sincerely,
Kevin Nadal, PhD
I AM RAISING A CALL TO ACTION AGAINST CBS CORPORATION TOMORROW,
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2010 AT EXACTLY 9:00 AM EST (12:00 pm PST)
These are the numbers in which you should call:
CBS Corporation
CBS Headquarters51 W. 52nd StreetNew York, NY 10019-6188
212-975-4321
complaint line: 212- 975-5005
Investor Relations
51 W. 52nd StreetNew York, NY 10019investorrelations@cbs.com1-877-227-0787
ALSO PLEASE FILE A COMPLAINT TO THE FCC AGAINST ADAM CAROLLA’S SHOW on
KACE through IndustryEars.com
————————————————————————————-