There was a time when to be Filipino – as distinguished from the colonially-ordained ‘Filipino’ – was to be a procrastinator, an indolent and a dissembler. But to procrastinate under a colonial master was to undermine his regime; to be indolent was to obstruct his aims, and to dissemble was to confound him.”

–President Ferdinand E. Marcos, 1981

Indolent Indio is a collective of bitter people who have had their minds poisoned by reading too many books, thinking too many thoughts, believing in too many ideals, and taking too much drugs and now think they are smarter than everybody else. And really, that’s all right. Everyone, even the village idiot, thinks he is smarter than everybody else. Said village idiot must admit, however, that we have collectively read more books and taken more drugs than he ever will.

We make fun of Filipinos and Filipino culture not because we think Western culture is superior. We are Filipinos and are as much a part of Filipino culture as everyone else. Hating that would mean we hate ourselves too. (We do hate ourselves, but that has nothing to do with culture and everything to do with being assholes.) We love this country as much as any of you (unless you are a foreigner).

We do reject treating Filipinos and Filipino culture as unassailable.  Our politicians are immature, our TV stars are politicians, and our nation has the self-esteem of a washed-out supermodel, and no number of platitudes and feel-good slogans can solve that. Granted, no number of dick jokes and awful puns can solve that either, but someone has to point out when the emperor has no clothes on. Not to embarrass him, but so he’ll put something decent on. And then we’ll also make fun of that.

“Whatever y’all. I’m outta here. Talk amongst yourselves.“–Tour guide, performance artist, and civil society figure Carlos Celdran