Jejemon: the most pinoy thing
listening to a jejemon song while on a jeep and you wouldn’t need that much brainpower to understand the meaning.
I’m sure he had more to add but his explanation was cut short when I had to go home and ride a habal-habal.
The habal-habal ride got me thinking. From my previous article, I said to own being Filipino but when I was presented this idea, I cringed. I am a hypocrite.
And then, I realized. He’s right. Jejemon is the most pinoy thing these days. Think about it. It’s like a litmus test. Filipinos would either hate it or love it. There is no in between. You’ll love it because it speaks to you or you hate it for deeper reasons.
I hate it because it’s “baduy”,“jologs”, unclassy, pedestrian, and every other word synonymous with “masa”. I hate how its lyrics is overly simplistic. I hate how it leaves something to be desired. It has so much to be improved on and yet little to be proud of. I hate how it’s ubiquitous; you can’t seem to escape from it.
Notice anything? These are some of the very same reasons why it is so hard to own being a Filipino. Somehow, being pinoy is equated to being masa. Being masa is a state that we should get out from. But aren’t we masa? Don’t we work six times a week so we could pay the bills and enjoy a few weekends? Don’t we eat “bulad” for breakfast before going to work? Don’t we have a hard time making ends meet? When do we start appreciating who we are, what we have, and improve on it?
The next time you hear a jejemon song, listen to it from beginning to end and try not to cringe. Promise? I’ll do the same.