Don’t get crabby!
February 13, 2002 | 12:00am
Why do Filipino fishermen never have to put a lid on a bucket filled with alimango, alimasag, or talangka, collectively known as crabs? You know the answer. Because as soon as one of them starts to climb out, the rest of them will quickly reach up and pull it down. Crabs, whether they come from salt water or fresh water, are all the same. They tug downward others who struggle to climb out to freedom.
Crab mentality is one of the worst attitudes of Filipinos. We become talangkas. We reap success at the expense of others. We sabotage another to make sure that we don’t feel guilty for not achieving what another person is reaping. People who do better than us, who are more intelligent, richer and more famous, and have garnered more rewards and recognition in the same field as ours become the objects of jealousy and hate. They become competitors, clear targets of criticism whose vulnerabilities are triggered, and whose weaknesses are highlighted. The talangkas bash the character of rivals, whom they criticize for the way they speak, dress up, move, or make decisions. Motivations are questioned, accomplishments are downplayed, and positive intentions are spun negatively.
The talangkas look at themselves with no imperfections. No others are better than they are. They neither recognize nor applaud great ideas, talents and unparalleled skills of others. They derive happiness by exposing what seems to be bad about their nemesis, while projecting their self-proclaimed glory. What they do is take a list of negatives, mix them with twisted assumptions, and deliberately pass them on, either by word of mouth or mass media, as gospel truth. They promote themselves as bearers of good news, when in fact, what they bring are hatred and bad faith. Worse, they oftentimes distort information, and make them sound believable.
No less than our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, warned us against the crab syndrome, a social malaise, where personal gains take precedence over mass benefits. It is a sad realization that the struggle against ourselves continues. We are focused on our personal agenda that we fail to set our sights on a national goal to bring progress and development to our country. Wouldn’t it be great if we march to the same music in uniform cadence, and move forward with security, prosperity, and economic freedom in our heads?
How do we eradicate this cancerous cell in the bloodstream of Filipinos? As a start, the Filipinos must be willing to learn why we behave like crabs, and from that awareness develop positive values that will replace the self-defeating attitudes attached to "crabby" practices. Easier said than done, yes, since this will require patience, education, self-control, discipline, humility, and a major overhaul of our mental paradigm. For the impoverished among us to become more comfortable, we have to change ourselves by following the model of the rich, rather than pulling the rich down to the pit of poverty. As US President Abraham Lincoln said, "You cannot fight poverty by eradicating the rich."
We can learn from the simplicity and industriousness of some of our enlightened Tsinoy brothers and sisters, whose utmost preoccupation is a relentless effort to better their lives. Their proactive attitude especially on how to succeed is worth emulating. "Their collectivity is inspiring, no nitpicking tendencies, no crab mentality to waste their energy on. They are unmindful of other people’s lives, for theirs are more than enough to focus their ful
Recently, a coalition of multi-sectoral citizens groups, composed of Kompil, Youth For Christ, Singles for Christ, Joshua Generation, Laya Movement, Clamor, Alliance for Alternative Action, Urban Poor Groups of Mandaluyong, Smokey Mountain and Muntinlupa, Spirit of EDSA, ABS-CBN Foundation, Foundation for Economic Freedom, among others, launched the "Anti-Talangkaan Movement (ATM)," an organization of like-minded individuals which seeks the cooperation of all sectors of society and urges everyone, especially the politicians, to put a stop to political bickering and maneuvering. Such actions, according to the ATM convenors, are only pulling our country to greater depths of intellectual, cultural, and financial poverty. The group believes that government machinery is not working fast enough to meet the development needs of our nation because of politics. That is why even the most simple and basic demands of the ordinary Filipinos are not being met.
The ATM asks President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her cabinet, and the opposition, the congressmen and senators of all parties, to strongly resist the temptation to pull one another for selfish interest and act, instead, in the national interest. It strongly reiterates that many politicians are shamelessly attempting to use the economic crisis and the poor to push their personal agenda. The ATM calls for national cooperation and unity in order to bring real development to the people. In these times, our culturally embedded crab mentality, is as evil as treachery.
To popularize its initiatives, the ATM uses the campaign line, "Politika, Awat Na!," which will be projected via public service announcements, and merchandising materials–car stickers, flaglets, T-shirts, flyers, buttons. It will likewise use the enter-educate approach by producing an advocacy song ––Talangkaan, the lyrics of which were set to the melody of the hit song, Problema Na Naman.
Talangkaan na naman, suyang-suya na ako.
Nananakit na ang tenga ko sa awayan ninyo.
Intriga na naman, talangkaan na naman.
Sadyang wala na bang katapusan
Walang tigil na siraan.
Talangkaan na naman, sukang-suka na ako
Nananakit na ang tenga ko sa tirahan ninyo.
Talangkaan has its devastating effects. Let us cut it off from our system. Let us give ourselves a chance to settle down, and put our energies together to move this country forward. Let us be ants instead and build a team, and build structures out of the ground. In our willingness to cooperate and work together we will thrive. And with God’s grace we will succeed.
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