tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post3253911913269097664..comments2023-04-26T17:27:01.571+08:00Comments on To the Tale, and Other Such Concerns: On Being NationalistSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-24535524078773842272007-10-06T08:54:00.000+08:002007-10-06T08:54:00.000+08:00My own take on the subject.<A HREF="http://villageidiotsavant.blogspot.com/2007/10/filipino-science-fiction-part-1.html" REL="nofollow">My own take on the subject.</A>Dom Cimafrancahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060486314112462681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-2457267054625701452007-09-26T21:48:00.000+08:002007-09-26T21:48:00.000+08:00Alexander, Banzai Cat: I suppose that there's some...Alexander, Banzai Cat: I suppose that there's some sort of innate responsibility there, something that pushes us to write for the sake of nationality. But I don't think that it's the first and foremost thing that drives us to write. It's neither the base urge nor the primary motivator. I'm inclined to think that it is little more than -- as Alex mentions -- an insistent twinge of guilt. As far as nationalism goes, I don't see why we should owe it anything at all.<BR/><BR/>For the record, though, I <I>do</I> see it as a challenge. Despite what sparse background I have, I do dream of being able to write a uniquely Filipino story. I'm just saying that there's a fine line between being nationalistic enough to consider your stuff to be "Filipino fiction", and just plain writing.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-48262243298867771502007-09-26T12:13:00.000+08:002007-09-26T12:13:00.000+08:00hehe sean the only thing I can say is that: you're...hehe sean the only thing I can say is that: you're being too harsh on yourself. :-)<BR/><BR/>put it this way: I feel the same way about feeling superficial. But then, I discovered my imagination was far richer than my real life and hence, that's why I'm writing these stories. Except that I thought that writing Filipino stories would be a lot cooler. :-)<BR/><BR/>In the end, I think, it's all a matter of choice of what you want to write.banzai cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11163422172627686782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-21701091127739530842007-09-26T11:31:00.000+08:002007-09-26T11:31:00.000+08:00Hiya Sean!I understand the desire to write "whatev...Hiya Sean!<BR/><BR/>I understand the desire to write "whatever-the-heck-I-want", however I do also have this sorta guilt when writing (possibly because I spent almost a decade of my life in the U.S.) that pushes me to want to write about something / someone Filipino in it.<BR/><BR/>So, am I recognizing that there's a responsibility there SOMEWHERE? Yeah, I guess that at one level I want Filipino fiction to be recognized FIRST as good, but then I also want to be able to communicate aspects of my experience / knowledge / opinions on what apsects of Filipino life and character are.<BR/><BR/>Still, I think I restrict these to "texture" or "subtexts" when I write, rather than elevating the filipino-ness to "theme" level.Alex Osiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851139031311819958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-73076125724370401042007-09-25T01:01:00.000+08:002007-09-25T01:01:00.000+08:00Ida: To be honest, I don't know. I'm not even sure...Ida: To be honest, I don't know. I'm not even sure if there's a point in there somewhere.<BR/><BR/>What I do know, however, is that my situation right now is so confusing that I've abandoned all pretense at labeling it. As far as I know, I just write. Why some people persist in trying to pinpoint a national identity for writers or genres, I don't know.<BR/><BR/>And no, I'm not a twinkle-toed ballroom dancer. I don't even know what that is, apart from the fact that it sounds tiring. :)<BR/><BR/>Banzai Cat: It's a passing knowledge, unfortunately, which means that it has about as much exposure as the pork in a can of pork and beans. As it stands, I feel that I can't work most of my "Filipino" experience into a story right now -- I think it's <I>that</I> superficial.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-22609267924278467772007-09-24T11:07:00.000+08:002007-09-24T11:07:00.000+08:00hehe ironically, we as writers write but what we d...hehe ironically, we as writers write but what we do afterwards gets examined by critics with a microscope. so this is just talk on what we do... but we do what we have to do and damn the consequences later.<BR/><BR/>likewise, your situation is interesting in that it avoids all the much-talked about descriptions of what RPSF (to give it a shorthand) should be. however, i do think you give your environment short-shrift. granted this talk could denegerate into nature vs nuture but even though your upbringing is strictly chinese, you can't escape the Philippine background of that upbringing (like static noise). the fact that you mention the Santacruzan gatherings and pabasas means you know more about the Filipino experience as compared to Chinese in China (or other countries). i suppose you could say you're a stranger in a strange land. *wink*banzai cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11163422172627686782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-34382373537935797542007-09-24T07:38:00.000+08:002007-09-24T07:38:00.000+08:00Wait... Maybe it's just me, but I didn't get the p...Wait... Maybe it's just me, but I didn't get the point of your entry. Did you mean that you don't want to be labeled as a "Filipino writer"? Or that there's no such thing as "Philippine Speculative Fiction" so the genre should just be called "Speculative Fiction"? Or that, naming genres and labeling writers, should be free of nationalistic biases, or stuff like that? And, are you really a twinkle-toed ballroom dancer? /:)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the birthday greeting, by the way. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com