CEArts 1: Philippine Popular Culture (Video Transcription)

Philippine Popular Culture: An Overview

Philippine culture is what makes the Filipinos different from the rest of the
world. Philippines is very rich in historical and cultural heritage. It consists of
various traditions and cultures due to different influences from previous
colonization deriving mainly from the culture of Spain and America. Despite all
foreign influences, Filipino culture has been retained. Wherever you go, the
Filipino culture and values are very evident. It has been largely appreciated and
even applauded in many parts of the world. With the modern style of living, we
are all part of a popular cultural phenomenon. No matter if you want it or not, it
influences us every day in various ways; through your beloved smartphone, tv, or
even communication between people.
What is popular culture? Popular culture is the accumulation of cultural
products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, cyber culture,
television, and radio that are consumed by the majority of society’s population.
Popular culture has mass accessibility and appeal. The term popular culture was
coined in the 19th century or earlier.
The most common pop culture categories are entertainment, sports, news,
politics, fashion, and technology. Terms such as “going viral” are new pop culture
and not only the term but the viral product itself.
According to Lumbera, popular culture in the Philippines was created and
used by the Spaniards to the native Filipinos or indios via plays and literature to
get the hearts of the natives. The colonial origins of popular culture found in the
Philippines can be traced by looking at salient developments in Philippine
literature. The advent of American colonialism brought popular culture to the
Philippines. The liberal policy regarding the printing press soon through radio,
television, and film which increased the circulation of popular cultural forms.
In today’s new era, popular culture reveals the modern characteristics of a
modern society. Popular culture produced in east and southeast Asia often
reaches a global audience and impacts the popular cultures of many parts of the
world. New media have become essential to the production, circulation, and
consumption of popular culture.
Here are some examples of popular culture in the Philippines. HUGOT.
Hugot is life. Hugot is basically the deep lingering emotion brought about a
person’s circumstance and experience usually from heartbreaks and adulting. The
term evolved into the practice of coming up with the saddest lines out of the
mundane that evokes a particular experience. MILK TEA. Milk tea is the new
coffee. The milk tea fad for instance became widespread, thanks to social media.
Plenty of shops have been operating but it’s only recently that they gained so
much popularity. Milk tea entrepreneurs also come up with the catchiest names
to standout. TELESERYE. The daily dose of teleserye or prime time tv series are
often criticized for their seemingly endless storylines. For example, Ang
Probinsyano. Hello, Mr. Coco Martin.
Popular culture comes and goes along with the shifting beliefs and
activities. They’re technically inessential but they give color to the ordinary and
add flavor to the humdrum bustle of life.
Why is it hard to define Philippine pop culture? It’s because Filipinos adopt
what they like from all over the world. Some like the things in Korea, others like in
Japan, and yet others are all about America and Hollywood. The most beloved
media figures influencing pop culture are not those in the mainstream media but
young people online producing content for YouTube, Tiktok, and IG.
Why do we study Philippine popular culture? Popular culture deserves
academic recognition. People often forget that popular culture is a collection of
ideas that permeate in the lives of a society and has a significant impact on the
way we view the world around us. Pop culture has so much to offer. Studying pop
culture reveals the underlying assumptions and power structures as well as the
philosophical and moral structures of the society that produces those cultural
products. The importance of popular culture is only increasing the development
of technology. Social media has expanded our media consumption along with the
depth of what pop culture is.
According to a blog published by SecEd, utilizing popular culture in the
education system not only encourages healthy assimilations of diverse and
cultural influences but also inspires interest by making subjects relevant to
students. Studying pop culture teaches us something new by challenging us to
critically consider the society we live in.
Why do we need to preserve culture? It is important to preserve one’s
culture because culture is the representation of a lifestyle and identity of the
people in a country.
What is popular culture?
Pop culture can be simply defined as traditions, beliefs, values systems, or
material cultures that are being practiced by the majority of the population. On
the surface it may sound extremely simple but upon closer scrutiny, one would
realize that there is more to popular culture than just a set of practices.
Etymologically speaking, the words that comprise pop culture are eminently
relative and arbitrary. Popular pertains to things, concepts, or persons enjoyed,
liked, or admired by most people in a group. If we are to examine the definition of
popular, we will certainly realize that what the word connotes is devoid of
constancy. This seems to be the part of our human nature to have a change of
heart in terms of the things that we like, the things we enjoy doing, and the
people we admire. The Tamagotchi of the 90s, the Boybands of the early 2000s,
and the Crocs of the not-so-distant past are some tangible examples.
On the other hand, culture was defined as the way of life of a specific group
of individuals at a particular time. The definition of culture also lends itself to
being a highly malleable word. Culture moves alongside humanity’s inconstancy,
thus making the culture of a particular group of people ever changing as well. And
the very wide discrepancy in terms of values and attitudes between a “Boomer”
and a “Millennial” is one fitting example of it.
High Culture vs Popular Culture
It may seem obvious that there are a multitude of cultural differences
between societies in the world. Afterall, we can easily see people vary from one
society to another because people are distinguished from each other and also the
society. It’s natural that a young woman from rural Kenya would have a very
different view of the world from an elderly woman in Mumbai, one of the most
populated cities in the world. Due to the poverty in Africa, the African woman
may have an ugly or negative view of the world. On the other hand, the woman
from Mumbai which is a rich city may have a beautiful or positive view or
perspective of the world. Additionally, culture has its own internal variations.
Sometimes the differences between cultures are not nearly as large as the
differences inside cultures. The best example for that is the Christianity in the
Philippines with different denominations. There’s a cultural belief which is
Christianity and yet there are different subcultures like Catholicism,
Protestantism, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Non-Trinitarian.
Do you prefer listening to Opera or Hip-Hop music? Do you like watching
horse-racing or Nascar? Do you read books of poetry or celebrity magazines? In
each pair, one type of entertainment is considered high brow and the other is low
brow. Our sociologists are using the term high culture to describe the pattern of
cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in the highest-class segments of a
society or what they call the elites. People often associate high culture with
intellectualism, political power, and prestige. So, in America high culture also
tends to be associated with wealth. High culture can also be considered as
expensive and formal such as attending a ballet, seeing a play, or listening to a live
symphony performance.
The term popular culture, on the other hand, pertains to the pattern of
cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in mainstream society. When you say
mainstream, it means what is normal in society or what you normally see in a
society. Popular culture events might include a parade, baseball game, or the
season finale of a television show. Rock and pop music, “pop” is short for
“popular”, and part of popular culture. Popular culture is often expressed and
spread via commercial media such as radio, television, movies, the music industry,
publishers, and corporate ad websites. Therefore, popular culture is the common
culture in a society or what we usually see, observe, or experience in a certain
society.
Unlike high culture, popular culture is known and accessible to most
people. You can share a discussion about favorite football teams with a new co-
worker or comment on American Idol when making small talk in line at the
grocery store. But if you tried to launch into a deep discussion on the Greek
classical play Antigone, few members of US society today would be familiar with
it. It’s also the same here in the Philippines. We usually talk about popular culture
such as the most famous songs, movies, and prime time tv shows in the
Philippines. It’s easier to discuss about popular culture rather than high culture
because the majority knows more about popular culture.
Although high culture may be viewed as superior to popular culture, the
labels of high culture and popular culture vary over time and space.
Shakespearean plays, considered pop culture when they were written, are now
part of society’s high culture. Five hundred years from now, will our descendant’s
associate Breaking Bad with the cultural elite? How about Moira Dela Torre’s
songs? What do you think?
Folk Culture vs Popular Culture
You may think that folk culture and popular culture are polar opposites.
Folk culture consists of traditional materials such as myths, legends, folktales,
ballads, quilts, and much more which are shared among members of closely-knit
groups that are based on region, race, ethnicity, religion, or occupation. Folk
culture changes very slowly over time that’s why we call it traditional.
On the other hand, popular culture consists of popular materials such as
movies, televisions, comic books, and pop music which change quickly over time.
There’s a new number one hit song or a new show with buzz it changes almost
every week or certainly every month.
But folk culture and popular culture share one very important element.
Both of them rely heavily on formulas and conventions. For example, how does
almost every folktale begin? Once upon a time…whatever the language, there’s a
formulaic opening and a formulaic closing. Something like, “…and they have lived
happily ever after…” And if you try to vary the formulas too much in folk culture,
you can end up in trouble. It’s much the same with popular culture. Hollywood
movies and popular television programs have formulaic openings and closings
usually they lived happily ever after or come back next week or see the sequel.
And the programs themselves have highly formulaic plots and settings; Westerns,
detective and crime shows, war films, science fiction, musicals, and more. If the
producers try to vary the formulas too much, audiences reject those products. So,
the big question is why? Why do folk culture and popular culture share these
same characteristics? It’s because they serve the same three primary functions.
First, amusement. We enjoy watching and hearing these stories. Second,
education. And that is the informal education that occurs outside of the
classroom as we learn about this big mysterious world and the people who
inhabit it. And third, maintaining the stability, solidarity, and continuity of
ourselves, our families, our friends, and our cultures. Because these stories rely
on formulas and conventions, they serve as solid foundations even though they
are fictional. We need the anchors that folk culture and popular culture provide,
especially at times when the world around us may be distressing, threatening,
and all too real.

Credits to:
Angelica T. Ignacio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvdKlJQ6gvU
Edward John Padilla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z2lki9BmXg
Levy Richard Isidro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfbqeh4-7x0&t=70s
James Deutsch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGHsSs-cru0