Filipina Eurogamy: Skin

Color as a Vehicle of
Psychological Colonization
Report by:
Farida Vergara
Matthew Uy

Author: Ronald E. Hall

Professor of Social Work at
MSU
Notion of skin color as
critical dynamic of mental
health
Bleaching Syndrome give
light on color discrimination
Expert on topics of racism
and skin color
10 books on skin color and
over 100 papers on same.

Racism is no longer an issue of black

and white

Why he writes this book?

Self-Image
Awareness and Academic Perpetuation
Let people see his book as a mirror, not
criticism nor something to minimize social ill
Emancipate people from the negative
mindset of racism

Question!

Who is the Author (with

middle initial) of the book
we are discussing? What is
his expertise?

Man originated from Africa

Greeks on Color
Agatharcides: Ethiopians do not
astonish Greek because of their blackness
and their different appearance
Allport: 4 year olds are curious and
appreciative of differences of racial
groups

Greeks Admired Black

1. Herodotus to Africans: Most handsome of all men
2. Philodemus: Sunburnt-Skin... May I love such a Plilaenion,
golden Cyprism until I find another more perfect
3. Asclepiades to Didyme: Gazing at her beauty I melt like wax
before the fire. And if she is black, what difference to me? So
are coals when we light them, they shine like rosebuds.
4. Theocritus to Bombyca: honey-brown and charming; violets
and hyacinths are dark but are the first flowers chosen for

Ethnocentrism and SNI

Ethnocentrism
Habitual disposition to judge foreign people by
the standards and practices of ones own culture or
ethnic group
Harry Hoetink: Somatic Norm Image
Characteristics which a group considers ideal

Genesis of Discrimination

Envy

Superiority

Small hints built up

Oxford dictionary: Derogatory meaning
of Black
Deeply stained with dirt, malignant;
pertaining to or involving death,
deadly; baneful, disastrous, sinister...
foul, iniquitous, atrocious, horrible,
wicked... indicating disgrace, censure,
liability to punishment, etc.

Small hints build up

Imagining things in the dark. No sight, there is
something unknowable and scary. Therefore,
the dark is more potent

Missionaries exacerbated denigration

Cornelius Rudolf Vietor

Displayed shocking pictures of Africa and its people without
even visiting Africa
Unjust Justification
Unsuccessful Colonization
Misrationalization of 1854 missionary: The devil has
exercised unlimited dominion over them for so long that
they have become his slaves and have sunk into beastly
and hellish conditions
Subculture development

Question!

Term coined by Harry

Toetink referring to
characteristics that a group
considers ideal

Christian Mythology & Racism

Racists
Trapped in at
mindset of to
dominate or be
dominated as
there was clear
tension there.

Guilt is
suppressed
because of the
mind set of this
discrimination is
progress.

PSYCHOLOGICAL COLONIZATION

History

Lasting Effects
Social hierarchy evolved among the locals that had
not existed
Manila phenomenon

Light-skinned, mixed race offscring of Filipinos

occupied positions of power and economic
advantage
system of social and cultural stratification based on
race

Social Status
Status equality between men and women preceded Western
influence
Western colonization complicated Filipina social status
aspirations of Filipinas became hierarchical

Western Psyche
Men: pose great threat: focus of need to be
controlled
Women: white respectable virgin on one
spectrum vs. fallen vamp

Migrant Filipinas
Obsession with whiteness
Discrimination
Although they make significant contribution to
two cultures, remain impoverished and
economically dependent

 Sustained not only through belief in

superiority, mechanisms for differentiation
Use of stereotypes, which leads to avoidance
Use of legal barriers and norms
Isolation of the colonized group

Biracial Offspring
Composed of a separate identity that
Americans and Filipinos have little or no
experience with
Confused identity
Consciousness of distancing from stigmatized group
Involve a creation of new group

BLEACHING SYNDROME

Internalization of Western Ideals

(1) WEB DuBois
Double Conciousness
(2) Mead: Generalizaed Other
taking attitude of the dominant. One learned to become
an object to the self, to have an identity, know the self
through role-taking and reflection of others
(3) Norton: Dual Perspective
Apparent that migrant Filipinas attain a good sense of self
alternative generalized other

Bleaching Syndrome
Applied to migrant Filipinas. Grew out of idea that every
individual has aspirations and wants to improve his situation
in life
Theoretical tool: describes logically the complex process of
Western migration and its impact upon socialization of victim
groups
Universally applicable, convey unique circumstances of
migrant groups attempting assimilation into the mainstream
of an alien society

 Genesis: rooted in old beauty creams and folk preparations

used by people of color to lighten skin.
Webster: bleach verb which means to remove color or to
make white
Syndrome- consist of grouping symptoms behaviors
that occur in conjunction and make up a recognizable
pattern
Historical folklore + English terminology literally define it

Bleaching Syndrome
involves the conscious and systematic process of selfdenigration and aspiration to Western norms at expense of
psychological health.
a conscious awareness of cognitive and attitudinal levels of
the similarities and differences between the dominant
Western mainstream and the dominated Filipina migrants
a self-denigrating process of orientation that requires a
disparity in power.
essential fact of human experience regardless of where it is
acted out or applied.

Question!

Highest form of human

development according to
Maslow?

References
Hall, Ronald E. Filipina Eurogamy. Quezon City, Philippines: Giraffe Books, 2001. Print.
Hall, Ronald. 'Dr. Hall's Skin Color Clinic'. Professorhalls-colorclinic.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Hall, Ronald. 'MSU Professor Ronald E. Hall On Racism In The 21St Century'. professorhalls-colorclinic. N.p.,
2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Hall, Ronald. 'Ronald E. Hall, Ph.D.'. diversitybestpractices.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Menke, Henk. 'The Bleaching Syndrome Of Ronald E. Hall'. Colorfoundation's Weblog. N.p., 2009. Web. 8
Jan. 2015.