The use and misuse of ‘colonial mentality’

Global problem: Many countries that endured colonial rule have performed much better than the Philippines in controlling Covid-19, says the writer. — Reuters

THE term “colonial mentality” is one of the go-to phrases for Filipinos to explain certain aspects of our culture and collective experiences, from the preference for things that are “imported” to the very desire to go abroad.

In my own ethnographic fieldwork, I hear people use the term to explain the desire of many Filipinos to whiten their skins, evincing the frequent use of the term to explain our beauty standards.