Filipinos in the Global Media: Promotion thru Parallel Media (Part I)

I just watched an episode of “The Simpsons”. It is the one where Homer learns about the signs of the apocalypse and tries to warn the world of the impending reckoning. In his analysis of when the world will end, Homer takes into consideration several factors including, and I was surprised to hear this, the number of Filipinos in the bible (which obviously is none).

I am not offended by the remark, if that is what you are thinking. I am actually amused to hear that Filipinos are now known well enough for a series such as the Simpsons to actually make a reference to us.

Taken together with the reference made in “The Desperate Housewives” series (this one is definitely derogatory) and “The Jimmy Kimmel show” (this one I’m not too sure), and it makes me think that wow, we are starting to penetrate Hollywood.

Perhaps such is only natural. The Filipino diaspora, the gradual dispersion of the Filipino people to the world, has been hard at work over the last couple of decades. In the United States, Filipinos are now the third largest immigrant-sending country, right after mexico and china. There are now manila towns all over the world and Tagalog is said to be considered as the 14th most populous language in the world. With such claims in mind, it is no wonder that foreign media cannot help but reflect the Filipinos and their influence in modern day culture.

But numbers is not the sole name of the game. Technology plays a huge part as well. Considering how media fuels media, parallel mediums, such as movies and the internet have served as a catalyst of influence. Content in movies and the internet have also began featuring aspects of Filipino life. “The Great Raid” although sorely lacking in marketing prowess and hype, was a Hollywood movie that featured not only a Filipino plot but also a handful of Filipino actors. YouTube has become a global platform for Charisse Pempenco and the dancing inmates of Cebu, one that effectively catapulted both to international fame, as well as an Indeed, as more Filipinos permeate one medium, it becomes easier for them or other Filipinos to penetrate another.

However, to be seen is just half of the equation. In the quest to showcase Filipinos to the world, we are not only getting help from parallel media and the performers, but the audience as well. (to be continued)

- Elgene L. C. Feliciano

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_American
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_people