Is Christmas Toxic Positivity a Cause or an Effect of the Philippines' Lack of Progress?

Lessandra

When it's Christmas, it's so easy to think of the song of the late Andy Williams, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". The music itself reeks of toxic positivity, whether one likes it or not. It's a shame, really, because December 20 was also the anniversary of Asia's Titanic, the sinking of the Doña Paz! We live in a society that somehow never learns from its mistakes, like a person who's stuck in gambling debt, is still hoping to get rich gambling. Despite all that, Christmas toxic positivity still abounds in the Philippines. We still have a lot of ongoing bad habits, such as starting Christmas in September and then doing last-minute Christmas shopping during the week of Christmas. That's why every time I drive on the road on Christmas, I tend to shout, "Isn't it any wonder why the Philippines never improves?"

The term Noche Buena has evolved over time. For some, it's simply the Christmas dinner. However, some people still want to practice it in almost the same way that it was taught during the Spanish colonial period. The Noche Buena is eaten after the midnight mass, well, supposedly. Because today, when Noche Buena is served, it is served during dinner time. However, some Filipinos, from what I heard, believe that the Noche Buena needs to have an abundant table to "bring in Christmas magic", never mind that Christmas is anything but magical. Google "Christmas time disasters" and tell me, where was Christmas magic in all of that? Did singing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" prevent the Christmas-time disasters?

There's my on/off negative attitude towards Christmas, as an adult. A child could easily wish that it was "Christmas every day", which somehow makes the Christmas classic Christmas Every Day a necessary lesson in the form of fiction. There would always be the feasting and the gifts. I always felt that if I outlawed Christmas, maybe the Philippines would become a better country. As I mentioned earlier, the roads are always that crowded on Christmas. Blame it on the last-minute Christmas shoppers who have had all November to do early Christmas shopping but refuse to do it. Not having money for Christmas shopping can often stem from a lack of discipline, such as wasting one's paycheck on one's wants instead of prioritizing one's needs.

Christmas toxic positivity, as an effect, not a cause of the Philippines' lack of progress

However, there's one truth I realized or need to remember every Christmas. The truth is that it's practically stupid to discipline every single Filipino as an economic plan. I remember writing in MS Word more than a decade ago, my plan to create gulags (concentration camps) to put pasaways (incorrigible people) into, to reform them as proper citizens. However, the big issue is, "Where am I going to get money to create the gulag, even if I were the president? What's the return on investment in that one? The truth is, I'd become a skeleton or even dust before every single Filipino is disciplined. It's because if one must look into the problem, Christmas toxic positivity is an effect, not a cause, of the Philippines' lack of progress. The slogan "It's More Fun in the Philippines" (which was copied, by the way, from Switzerland) should be viewed as a cover-up, not the cause, of a lack of progress in the Philippines!

The Counseling Directory gives this thought on why people engage in toxic positivity:

The main reason why people engage in toxic positivity is because they want to avoid certain feelings and emotions that are deemed negative. Toxic positivity is a defence against feelings that would make someone feel vulnerable. These feelings cause unpleasant physical sensations due to the physiological changes that take place in our bodies in response to them; this is why they are experienced as negative.

Because if we want to face it, the Philippines' lack of progress can create a toxic environment. The Filipino First Policy has continued to create more negative effects. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines' Article XII still continues to make it difficult to amend protectionist laws, to withdraw and apply them when need be. Any global rise in protectionism is usually done through legislation, not through enshrining it in the constitution. For example, tariffs are used to regulate the economy when it's already overheating. There's always the need to implement certain protectionist measures. However, it's best done through legislation, not the constitution. For example, Israel has a restrictive economy but only in the sense that moving money in and out is strictly monitored. However, such laws are within legislation and not ownership equities. These all create an environment of desiring to escape, but not all Filipinos have the means to escape.

Back in elementary school to high school, I remembered how often I cried, wanting to escape this "cesspool of a country". Many people wanted to take nursing, but for what? It's because many Filipinos tend to wish for greener pastures. Reflecting back on why I wanted the BS Information Technology degree, which, by the way, has lots of mathematics, and I'm not good at mathematics, is because of my desire to finally say, "Adios, Philippines!" I realized I wasn't cut out for it. Even after the Mathematics and Computer Science department had formally helped me navigate to a different path, I still thought about how I could never get the degree legitimately. It's because the diploma mill will never create the knowledge that I need to run computer systems or the necessary mathematics skills to keep it flowing right. I still thought about taking an MBA because I wanted to once again say, "Adios!" to this "cesspool" of a country. Worse, it was really me thinking about either the USA or Canada, and that I would never return ot the Philippines.

In short, an environment that encourages desiring to escape the norm can expect toxic positivity to abound. It makes toxic positivity the norm because when the pain skyrockets to unbearable levels one can easily switch to the opposite extreme of the fight or flight response. The response is a 24/7 thing, such as saying, "If life is bitter, just add sugar to it!" Christmas isn't the cause of the toxic positivity. Instead, Christmas is merely an amplifier of toxic positivity in the Philippines. In fact, for the Spaniards to keep the Philippines under control, they used the bread and circuses tactics. The use of Spanish-created fiestas was to distract people. Any research on the Noche Buena reveals a lavish feast of sorts. The original Noche Buena was eaten after a midnight mass, and people feasted until morning. That's probably why DTI Secretary Cristina Roque's PHP 500.00 statement got so much backlash. People want a lavish feast. The PHP 500.00 noche buena may sound stupid, but I find it a creative way of saying, "Don't have a feast if you can't afford to have a feast."

During Christmas, it's easy to get distracted by the festive idea about it. Spain may have ceased to be an empire, the Philippines is now a sovereign state, but some bad ideas that should've died with the Spanish Empire, somehow still remain. Christmas becomes the time of expecting nothing but "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Of course, again, Google "Christmas time disasters" and you'll find out that Christmas has done nothing to prevent disasters. The cheerless Christmas of the Second World War should be emphasized. That may explain why the Christmas countdown starts in September instead of December. That may explain the Pinaskohan Mentality as a form of escapism. Things go sour, and people might say, "Oh my! Christmas is still so far away! If only it were Christmas every day, and the world would be at peace all the time." Of course, such thinking is just stupid because war still continues, even during Christmas!

The cycle still continues even when Christmas is over

This may explain why more and more Filipino refuse to make financial New Year's resolutions. If toxicity is the norm, then toxic positivity becomes the norm. They would have the mentality of, "Let's eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow, we may die." After all, the Philippines' prevalent problems of a lack of services, a huge income inequality, joblessness, etc., continue to create the cycle of intense misery. When people are put in an environment of intense misery, it creates a cycle where politicians can use Bread and Circuses to keep people compliant. 

People tend to follow crowds a lot, which is why it's important to create that healthy environment, or fight for it. That's why even when January comes, some people refuse to learn. Some even get used to the mentality that "Utang (debt) is life, so why erase it?" Such people may have already considered it enjoyable to hide from the ruthless loan sharks that roam around by January. For them, they have been too used to the vicious cycle of financial irresponsibility, debt-driven lifestyles, it becomes "completely normal to them". Of course, some people have gotten so used to blaming the rich because it's easier to do so than to be financially responsible. Then again, how can I expect Filipinos to become financially responsible if the unemployment rate is still considered high in terms of numbers?

The reality would always be that toxic positivity in the Philippines should be viewed as a symptom. It's because Filipinos barely have the resources for a better life. The body is frequently put into a fight or flight response almost 24/7. But give Filipinos more job opportunities, better services, etc. then the desire for escape will no longer be the norm. Toxic positivity may not become zero but at least, it will no longer be the norm!