Our colonial
mentality is very evident now more than ever. Everybody seems to look up on the
western culture: wanting to imitate and to emulate. Everything western seems to
be luxurious and most of the time, legit western products are only for the
elites and those with high social status. In fact, all the mimicry is even
enough for the Americans to call the Filipinos as their “little brown
brothers.”
While I am a proud Filipino, I
cannot deny that there are some points when colonial mentality strikes me --those
days when I crave for an Iphone, when I am more comfortable in listening to
foreign music than OPM just because I think foreign music is “cooler” than
ours, and many more.
This video of Hans Rosling shows
that not too long from now, this point of view will be altered. It is not
anymore a world controlled by the western powers but a world with weight of
powers balanced on east and west.
As said in the video, the Asian
power is not new to the world. Asian countries have once been the superpowers
especially before the colonization period. There is no reason why would not
Asian countries be powerful countries because they have the richest land in
terms of resources. Look for oil, raw materials, hard wood, fruits, variety of
edible sea creatures, spices; name it, and you will find it in Asia . In fact, it is not the first time for me to hear
predictions that Asia will be, one day, greater than America
and Europe . However, what made me afraid about
that happening are the wars that would probably come out because of countries’
selfishness and desire for power. Given these predictions, America
and Britain are probably watching Asian
countries’ every move: looking for possible threats and fouls. As feared by the
speaker, it is a big question now if India and
China are ready for wars against the countries
that have been the superpowers and been used to the mightiness and glory for
years.
Nevertheless, this prediction
showed by Hans Rosling not only motivated India
and China to strive harder but also shed light
to other Asian countries and indirectly told them that it is possible for them
to have their economies grown like merciless tigers. It shows that as India and China make
their ways to power, they are also giving other countries, like the Philippines , hope to aim high as well.
As for the video itself and
Rosling’s way of delivery, it is very informative and entertaining at the same
time. His unconventional way of graphing made it more comprehensible for laymen
viewers like us. The separation of “bubbles” also gave accurate information and
more weight on what he is emphasizing. In general, the video is advisable to
watch esp. to those students doing research on the world’s economy.
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