“Kabayan, sibuyas, piso tumpok, ilan bili mo?” – says the Indian at the vegetable market.
Here in Dubai, many non-Filipino vendors speak fluent Tagalog when talking to Filipinos. They know all Tagalog names of the fruits and veggies they sell. Of course, they’re doing that to attract buyers. And even though we don’t buy all the time, we are amused by the gesture.
Taxi drivers say “Kumusta ka?” Officemates greet us “Magandang umaga!”
KFC had their “Kabayan meal,” Taza added chicken Inasal to their menu, Dunkin Donuts introduced Ube donuts using Tagalog words. Dubai Police covered their patrol cars with, “Manatili sa bahay” stickers for their COVID-19 campaign.
But no one here ever said, “Let’s cancel that Indian, nagta-Tagalog para bumenta;” or “Let’s unfollow Dunkin, they’re exploiting our ube flavor to make money;” or Let’s report Dubai Police, kunwari concerned sa Pinoy!”
Part of creating content or any business project is knowing your audience. You cannot succeed without a target market strategy. One of them, EMPATHY.
So why point finger at the creator if you are the one vulnerable? If something turns you off, simply don’t buy. Don’t subscribe. It’s just not for you. Let them continue their creation, and you control your action.
Why are we so good at making issues from supposed non-issues?
At a time when the world wasn’t looking at us, we plead. We wonder why we don’t get inclusion on the global stage When people say unfavorable remarks about our race, even in fictional TV shows, we cry foul.
I guess we won’t ever be content with whatever content.
