Respect
There's been a lot of talk lately about foreigners not respecting Filipinos.
This goes both ways.
Today I went to a 7-Eleven to buy some drinks. The store had a few tables and about ten teenagers (they looked around 13 or 14).
A boy in my aisle said 'hey bro.' I'm 60, and Filipinos are supposed to have great respect for their elders. So I simply said, 'I'm not your bro, you can call me Mister or Sir.' He said nothing.
Then a girl I couldn't see yelled out 'Sir, buy me food' (these kids were all well dressed, not street kids), and I ignored her.
Then as I walked out of the aisle, one of the girls was standing there and said 'hi daddy.'
So I told her that's short for sugar daddy, and that I'm not her sugar daddy or anyone else's. Which meant she was calling herself a prostitute.
Everyone looked shocked.
Then I said, why do you think it's okay to say whatever you want to a stranger just because he's a foreigner?
And I followed up with, what would your parents think about what you're doing?
Of course, once they were called out, it was all silence.
I shook it off and enjoyed the rest of my day. Most of my interactions with Filipinos are positive, but it feels like a double standard is forming. The foreigner always has to be respectful, while for Filipinos it's optional.
I'm tired of this kind of behavior, which happens far too often.
I think it's more of a teenager thing than a Filipino thing.
I think you need to pick your battles. Getting into a petty argument with a bunch of drunk teenagers who called you 'daddy' at the local 7-Eleven isn't exactly a hill I'd die on.
60 years old and fighting for your life in the 7-Eleven snack aisle because a 13-year-old didn't call you 'Sir.' The fragility is lethal.
Telling a kid to call you Mister or Sir is crazy.
Honestly, you sound miserable as hell. Keep your misery back in the US. Don't go to other countries and try to change their culture.
My 7-Eleven visits haven't been that confrontational… I go in… buy my Cloud 9 or Choco Mucho and leave. Not sure how I'd handle what you went through. I'd probably engage back in a disarming, slightly challenging way… smiling, observing, with body positioning and language… with subtle kindness.
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