Rock the Vote

Note: Some of you probably got in the e-mail that I was going to perform spoken word at the Rock the Vote Open Mic Night. So the night before, I spent three hours working on my piece. When my sister got home, I read it out loud to her. But when I finished, I realized I no longer wanted to read it. I felt like I was attacking my own ethnicity more than encouraging us to vote. But in case you were wondering what I could've read, here it is :] It's not finished, and I'll note the part where I stopped working on it.

---

You probably weren’t expecting an Asian to come up here, let alone a Filipino
As smart and as hard working we are stereotyped to be, we typically wouldn’t speak out for show
Maybe you’ve noticed how we can be passive or not so verbally expressive
Or maybe very opinionated by but not so outspoken
Ask most of us why we do what we do and most of us will tell you
“It’s for family”, “it’s a Filipino thing” or “I don’t know”

But in our defense, most of our parents were raised punished for speaking out
Hence, a small explanation that has influenced our lack of opinion
So as children most of our parents remained silent and obedient
Going with the flow, doing as told without any intentions of being different
Now those same mannerisms have trickled down on us - the children
And so most of us live with that same satisfaction of what we’re given
But ever since I’ve recognized this unspoken acceptance
My heart has grown anxious but at least it’s made all the difference

For a long time, I’ve been fighting against this silent conformity
I’ve been fighting with my mom and those who are a lot older than me
I’ve become everything but traditional, cordial or superstitious
Family-oriented, reserved or religious
When I really have a passion for something, I’ll definitely make it show
And if there’s an unsettling feeling in my heart, I’ll let everyone know

So now the time to vote is just around the corner
Now the time to speak up is more important than ever
I want to speak up and with those who share my ethnicity
But who keeps up with our nation’s issues or foreign policies?
Most Filipinos my age couldn’t care less
It’s hard to find people who’ll help me progress
In learning more about that’s going on
Who has the passion among my fellow Filipinos to express their opinion and help me generate my own when most of them would rather excel in academics and strive for stable lives?
It’s just hard to find people my age and my ethnicity that have enough opinion to help educate me
Obsessed in being studious or being too occupied with our own problems
most Filipinos are oblivious to what’s happening around us

Like how recently Supplement 6897 passed
Or the possibility that S1315 may rid the Filipino American war veteran’s amendment
But I know most people don’t understand
what those numbers stand for and how it affects some Filipino grandparents
Hell, I don’t even know that much.

It’s not just the passiveness that our parents have cast our generation
But how some of us are well off, supported and showered with materialism
Why develop a mind when everything you want is yours?
The thought of critical thinking already sounds like a chore.
It’s just too much thought for when we have better things to do like greed over our own problems.

[At this point, I asked my sister to listen to me read this aloud. When I finished I realized that I no longer wanted to read it. I didn’t finish it either, but here’s the rough draft of the ending.]

But my friends, this is college now
This is a time were we, as Filipino Americans, as the youth, as the second generation, have the opportunity to find or make something out of ourselves
This is our time, our freedom to attain what we really want in our lives
Unless we want to live in passiveness or conformity,
I believe the first step to finding or creating ourselves is to generate our own opinions
Think critically and not just settle for what we have

A good friend of mine told me that instead of making the excuse that we don’t know, we should really make the effort to know
Let’s go beyond our elements
Let’s open our minds
Let’s express ourselves
Let’s not continue to be the Filipinos afraid to raise our hands in class
Let’s speak up and out
Let’s vote
Even if we’re scared of expressing ourselves in front of many people
Voting is one of those few opportunities were we could state our opinions and no one else will know

I’m going to take advantage of this up coming elections
My upbringing, family, ethnicity and culture won’t define me or hold me back
I am more than this
I want to be more than this
I will be more than this
And it starts with my opinion, my voice, my vote