[axaxs]

No, I understand it perfectly. And it's BS. I'm not usually confrontational here, but please, stop. Make a twitter post about awful me, where you'll probably find validation, but don't try to paint me as bad innocently here, please.

My wife, a dark villager, is a starkingly beautiful person, who knows everything. Hole in your shirt? She'll sew it. Found an unknown plant? She'll identify it and tell you how to grow it. I had a weird bump on my arm that wouldn't go away...she said it's an infection and cut it out...and now it's gone. I could probably list a hundred remedies she has.

She's the most amazing person in the world I've ever met, please don't treat me like some carpet bagger or colonist. I ran the entire thing by her before posting, and she, as a person with experience in both worlds, agrees.

But, we'll leave it to you, a presumably white person, to tell us both how to feel. So please, educate us.

[danans]

> But, we'll leave it to you, a presumably white person

Bad presumption. I'm 100% not white. I passed no judgement on you or your beliefs, but rather on your ethnographic writing tone. You seem intent on making that about your family, which is irrelevant to my comments.

[silisili]

That's a fair statement, and you're right about that. I used it more as a defense than an intellectual debate, and I apologize. My only intent was to show how much I love the people I'm 'generalizing', as not to show bad intent. But it was, admittedly, a bit of an overreaction.

I understand the colonial tones, but bear in mind those folks always have something in mind. Slavery, resource extraction, invasion. I have absolutely no ill will or intentions, which I hope makes some difference. I truly find beauty and interest in people's differences.

[danans]

Thank you for the open minded and decent response. Based just on what you've written, I have no doubt that you are a person with genuine admiration for the peoples you have encountered.

I hope that my comments about your writing tone can help others better understand you as you are and not the way you say you are often perceived.

[seirim]

I have to agree with the other commenter, your characterizations sound patronizing and your generalizations are incredibly unscientific and anecdotal. Just because you like Filipinos doesn't mean anything when you're drawing conclusions that just sound ridiculous. Source - foreigner who spends a lot of time working and living in the Philippines.

[silisili]

yes - it is unscientific and anecdotal. I admit as much. My opening comment was asking to learn more.

I wrote nothing more than generalizations based on -my- observations. It's not meant as a fact, and obviously doesn't fit every person

Patronizing? Please.