There are so many top list in the cropping up Philippine blogosphere nowadays and it’s a good thing because it allows us to discover the yet un-discovered. It also gives us a different perspective, depending on who’s creating the list and what that list represents.
However, if you regularly visited all these lists, you will see almost the same trend — the same names keep making it on the top, except for several bloggers who wanted to keep their identity a secret (nobody even knows what’s Bryanboy’s real name or if he’s really just 17).
There’s also one other very distinct similarity — not one of these top lists includes Filipina blogger and columnist Michelle Malkin. I just read her on Business Week just now being listed as one of the 14 top earners in the blogosphere.
So, I went over and checked her Wikipedia entry:
Michelle Malkin (née Maglalang) (born October 20, 1970) is an American columnist, blogger, author and political commentator. She is a social and political conservative who makes frequent guest appearances on national syndicated radio programs and on television networks such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and C-SPAN. As well as her written blog, she posts regular video blogs. Her syndicated column “appears in nearly 200 newspapers nationwide.”
Malkin was born in Philadelphia to Filipino parents, Dr. Apolo and Rafaela Maglalang. Her maternal grandfather fought under General Douglas MacArthur.[2] She grew up in Absecon, New Jersey, and graduated from Oberlin College. In 1993, she married Jesse Malkin, a Rhodes Scholar and RAND Corporation economist. They have two children.
Clearly, she’s Filipina of Filipino descent. She also blogs about the Philippines and links to other Filipino bloggers. She’s also in Technorati’s Popular 100 list, number 11 to be exact, so I’m pretty sure a lot of people know her.
But why isn’t she on our list?
Because she’s an embarrassment, not just to Filipino-Americans, but to all Asian-Americans. I prefer to believe she doesn’t actually believe all the sh** she says. Like most of the Fox News babies, they’re just using the notoriety to make money. A lot of money. But then again, what did you expect from neocons, really?
Wonderful post… I could possibly make full use of of the info.Thanks You.
I SENT A HER A MESSAGE re: ASIAN RACISM and her BITCHINESS. (Sorry for the typo. katamad ayusin eh.)
I just found out yesterday that you are indeed part Filipino. What I don’t understand about you is that you are placing us Filipinos in a very unlikely position as far as racism is concerned. As a matter of fact, my young nephews and nieces have been telling me that they are being harassed and picked on re:â€Are you related to that RACIST Malkin girl on the tv? Mom mother told me she said that Asians unable to speak English are dumb are you her sister? You guys have the same flat nose and ugly eyes.â€
Now, if it isn’t clear for you. I hope this message makes it clear enough: STOP BEING A STEREOTYPICAL AND UNETHICAL WOMAN, FILIPINOS WOULD’VE ROOOTED FOR YOU BUT INSTEAD YOU’RE JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON TV MAKING FILIPINOS LOOK HILARIOUS, OR DEEMED STUPENDOUS BECAUSE OF YOUR RIDICULOUSLY IMMORAL CHARACTER.
You might think you have what it takes to be called “MISS SMARTY-PANTS†for being able to speak English very well, but guess what. YOU ARE NOT EVEN A NOTCH HIGHER THAN POOR FARMERS IN “OUR†COUNTRY. Just because you were born or raised in the US doesn’t mean that you got what it takes to be on par with other people on the HIGH SOCIETY or whatever A SMARTY PANTS like you want to call it.
If I were you, I’d go to BREMBO right now and consult my mouth for needing A brake installation SO YOU CAN control what pops out of your ridiculous mouth. Just so you know, so many Filipinos hate you right now and are not proud of you, I MEAN WHO WOULD BE PROUD OF THEIR “FEL-LOW†KABABAYAN WHO THINKS THAT PROBABLY HER RELATIVES WHO CANNPT SPEAK ENGLISH WON’T UNDERSTAND HER OR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIVE A GOODLIFE FOR BEING ACADEMICALLY INCOMPETENT? YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF YOU RACIST PRICK!
That’s all for now.
P.S. DON’T YOU SASS ME WITH YOU ENGLISH BECAUSE ‘M PRETTY SURE I CAN HANDLE YOURS. I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SET EVEN A SINGLE FOOT IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT ATLEAST WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO DO SO, I’M STILL WELL EDUCATED AND I CAN VERY MUCH SPEAK ENGLISH AND PROBABLY HAVE “A GOOD FUTURE FOR BEING ABLE TO SPEAK AND READ ENGLISH VERY WELL.â€
Oh, and one more thing. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO OUR COUNTRY. You should’ve put your brain to good use. YOU WAR FREAK.
Gotta love the effort you put into this blog :)
Michelle Malkin is nothing more than an Asian Uncle Tom..she has noticed the backfiring from the Asian-American community from her neo-con rhetorics and now she’s trying so hard to “get in touch” with her Filipino-ness to the point that it glows fakeness. She’s a hardcore bitch, a long lost-cost and she should never be accepted back into our community.
…michelle malkin is an idiot and i am embarrassed that she is a filipina
There was one time that I’m actually excited to see Michelle on Fox but then she lost me after she fumbled on the immigration topic.
She’s all about being controversial now.
As for her speaking her mind, It is one thing to be courageous, but it’s another to be badly informed. We’re over the shock value now, all i see is bitching
NO Way!,, she will never be on our list
she’s a racist! she disgraces US immigrants that are from asia!..
Michelle deserves credit for her courageous stand on issues whether you agree with them or not!
Great, passionate comedian, and I bet she doesn’t even know it.
Fox News ownz the Comedy Central for being the funniest thing ever seen on US broadcast television.
Too bad neo-cons and rednecks think its real news.
Comment 48 is in line with my view on comment 40…
Who cares if she’s not on the list, it’s a free country for her not to join. She’s still Filipino by race, although maybe American by citizenship and identity.
Technorati’s and even Ratified.org’s ranking has always been one of the better ways to rank blogs, because it doesn’t need self submission.
That’s right BryanB.. I’m sure this is the first time you’ve heard of that concept before, or you wouldn’t be dumbfounded and shocked that there could be such a thing.
Responsibility indeed is something not to take lightly, because it is this responsibility that holds up a nation’s humanity, or else as The Ca t puts it, there will be anarchy.
Freedom is not a right that you can use just so you can wildly go around lambasting everyone and anyone just because you disagree.
Hitler had the freedom to commit genocide, but we don’t condone nor do we agree that it is true freedom. That freedom is false because it lacks the human responsibility that freedom entails.
If you can’t understand what the following means,
Then take a rest from the keyboard and do some thinking.. It simply means there is no need to generalize the entire Filipino race as unethical in order to forward your agenda. That my friend is irresponsible.
@Michael,
Ann Coulter would also be lambasted by the Neo Conservative if only she wasn’t being used as their unofficial pitbull..
@Andrew
You are right to observe that Michelle is an Ann Coulter wannabe.
On a side note, almost all atheist blogger that I read lambast Ann Coulter regularly.
I’ve read somewhere that Sassy Lawyer dislike her also.
Ok, I’m only apologizing for digressing.
“I think BrianB erred in attributing malice to Malkin’s exclusion in these lists and should apologize for it”
Yuga threw the ball and I swung. So what if it’s a homer? Don’t blame the messenger. A hundred years of shallow demcoracy would make any people ethically uninclined.
“Freedom with responsibility.â€
Correct, because freedom without responsibility is chaos and worse, anarchy.
Freedom of expression does not give you the right to slander people. Thus the libel and slander charges.
Michelle Malkin is a Republican and is therefore a believer in assimilation rather than in diversity of culture in a melting pot. The moment you get that US citizenship, you are no longer what you were, Asian, African…you are an American without hyphen.
Even before her popular blog, Filipinos in the US expressed their disgust in forums to this plain looking lady who has nothing but contempt for her third world country.
Nice pictures of Michelle Malkin.. astounding.
I’ve known of her existence for a long time. I own a list if that qualifies as the kind of ‘list’ Abe meant, but Michelle isn’t there. Why? It’s a user-submitted list. If Michelle doesn’t want in, I couldn’t care less. If you don’t want in, fine by me! That doesn’t make you any less Filipino, or by BrianB’s scandalous contention, ‘unethical’.
on a lighter side… try googling michelle malkin and see the results. i think i saw a michelle malkin scandal picture on their image search preview results. hahaha!
BrianB may have a valid point in saying that Filipinos are generally “unethical” but the discussion is getting too off-topic and out-of-hand already. Frankly I think the insinuation that Michelle Malkin was not included in these lists because of “cliquishness” and ultimately because of Filipinos’ “lack of ethics” is quite a long stretch of imagination. I believe it’s simply because of ignorance; I think only a few local bloggers are interested enough in U.S. politics to read Malkin’s blog and know that she actually has Filipino roots. Heck, I was only aware of this issue only know and it seems Yuga only learned of it recently, as well, and to think he’s already in the loop. I think BrianB erred in attributing malice to Malkin’s exclusion in these lists and should apologize for it.
That said, if the only criteria for being called a Filipino blogger is that the blogger has significant Filipino ancestry (maybe at least 1/2?) or is a Filipino citizen, then that blogger should be classified as such and included in these lists. Malkin falls under this definition and should be included, unless she opts out.
Michelle Malkin once retorted to a guest that called her Asian that “I’m not Asian, I’m American.”
I guess that says it all. If she doesn’t even identify herself with her general ethnicity, I don’t think she wants to identify herself with her specific ethnicity either.
So the point is moot. She doesn’t want to be identified as Filipino, and would probably be pissed if we put her on the list, so why argue about it?
Re BrianB on Filipinos being unethical: yes, we are unethical bastards, and that’s why we are poor. The Philippines and the Filipinos will go nowhere because they are such. Forever and ever amen.
Happy now?
And can anyone tell me what the heck does this mean?
“A social observation need not be general in order for it to be valid.”
I mean , You’re NOT a 60-year-old man
You’re a funny guy. You’re like the Catholic Church. Yeah, you say you believe in freedom of speech but then you turn it around by saying people should be responsible for what they say. “Freedom with responsibility.”
Are you this kind of guy, Nick? Does your brain work this way? When I said polite, I wasn’t quoting you. You are polite. That is an accusation. Freedom of Speech doesn’t go with responsibility, Nick. No one is responsible if no one gets punished. Philippine politicians are very good examples of that.
And don’t lecture me, friend. You’re a sixty-year-old man. You don’t like what I said just say so. Don’t presume to teach me how to speak or act. And I mean it. I’d rather you make a general statement too.
But going back to Malkin, some maybe even most will not agree with her extreme rhetoric that she usually utters, but the decision is not with us with regards to having her on the top lists.
Because these things are voluntary.
Only lists that don’t need the participation of the owner can have that say. lists such as ratified.org, may be such a list that is within the purview of this discussion.
Again, you can make that generalization, it doesn’t make it any more valid.
Politeness shouldn’t even be your focus with regards to the corrupt elite, because it isn’t the politeness that leads to that corruption in the first place, nor is it the extraction of that politeness that leads to the end of corruption.
Indeed, politeness is a friend to the decent, but is not needed for any social commentary.
But then again, you overlooked one thing, I didn’t say polite, I said responsibility.
Responsibility leads to credibility in social commentary, what trust can we have in your statements, when they aren’t even valid?
I didn’t say polite, I said responsible.
He, I’m not as polite as you, nor do I want to be. Politeness, if I may make another general observation, is the friend of the corrupt elite.
But with regards to Malkin, it doesn’t matter really whether you think she should be on the list.
Most top lists need scripts to be installed into the respective blog in order for tracking to work.
So, it is not our choice, but the choice of Mrs. Malkin herself to join any of these lists.
To join or not to join, that is the question.
A social observation need not be general in order for it to be valid.
The validity of the statement comes from the statement not whether or not that person is a foreigner.
My rebuttal, as you can read, mentions nothing about who you are, but is focused on what you said.
Whether you were a foreigner or not, I take exception not on who says it, but what that person said.
Of course, there is a need for social observations, but it need not castigate the majority, in order to further your agenda.
We get it. There is corruption, there are ethical problems, there are problems even with crime, and poverty..
But these are not exclusive Filipino problems, by which your comment makes it sound to be.
This is the responsibility that we must take upon ourselves. Not self censorship, but self responsibility.
To say that we need to improve our ethics in general would be more responsible than saying that Filipinos are unethical. Both are social commentaries, only one is a responsible commentary.
Nick,
You think I’m just ranting? I’m talking about professors, bosses, colleagues, TV hosts, intellectuals, columnists. Once I actually angered a famous columnists in one of our broadsheets. He didn’t mention my name but he lambasted me with way too much specific information thrown in (e.g, my alma mater, the magazines I’ve published in, my province, and even rhymed my name with a pseudonym he created). I wrote a letter back to the paper, sent it to the editor in chief, the section editor, the columnist himself. And what happened. Nothing. I even had a lawyer call them.
You think I’m generalizing. Well, I am. Of course I’m generalizing. Nick I apologize but your statement (And yet, if I can find just one Filipino who is ethical, your statement would already be shot down.) doesn’t make any sense. We’re not talking about Newtonian laws here. This is a social observation. Of course there will be exceptions. Pag social observation na tinatawag majority lang nang tao ganyan eh ano na yan valid na generalization na yan. Di ba?
And problema sa iba eh pag foreigner ang nag kokoment sa filipino valid ang comment na yun at mas accepatble pa kesa kung pinoy na nakatira dito at matalino din ang magbigay nang observation.
BrianB, what gets on my damn nerves is people such as yourself, who must, and do, write in general terms..
describing Filipinos as unethical. And yet, if I can find just one Filipino who is ethical, your statement would already be shot down.
Indeed, it is not right for anyone, to use discriminating language in order to further their own agenda.
To say that this specific person, Malkin, is unethical, may be the correct statement, and more appropriate for this situation, but to castigate an entire race, in a commentary, it’s as if you know each and every Filipino who has ever lived.
This definition could be any person that is unruly…
Not necessarily that of a Filipino.
I’ve seen Malkin on television, and the sad thing about having neocons as bloggers, or any political extremist as pundits, is that they cannot back off even when they know they’re wrong. They have to pander to their audience’s political leanings lest they be ostracized for having a separate opinion…
I do agree on what AnP said both on that Malkin’s blog doesnt really require her to write about being Filipino and this cultural identity.
I am a Filipino and even grew up in the Philippines but to be honest I don’t feel like culturally Filipino and it is even funny that I felt more at home or fit-in in a foreign country which I am living presently now.
I think there is nothing wrong about it coz people have different identities (culturally or whatever) no matter if we are of the same race or not.
sorry that’s “forced earlier in her career to face the prospect”
Yuga was talking about a list, not Pinoy Top Blogs, in which case a link to said list was in order.
Malkin, I believe, is just a regular gal (Filipino or otherwise) who was faced earlier in her career with the prospect of starving as a journalism graduate. I’ve listened to her on YouTube and read her blogs on occasion, and I can’t believe half the things she said or wrote about are heartfelt. She’s found a role in the conservative U.S. media and is filling that role brilliantly (I’ve mentioned she’s kind of a conservative pitbull). Honestly if you listen to her, no person is that stupid or that narrow-minded. It’s a job and it’s making her a lot of money.
About Pinoy Top Blogs. seriously, who cares about it? The winners get a lot of traffic because of it but other than being a business tool, it doesn’t really serve as an accurate map of Filipinos on the blogosphere, does it?
BrianB: hinay hinay lang. Even if you’ve had bad experiences, it still is not good to generalize.
And I think that Abe is trying to be fair by posing this entry. So… sino nga ba dapat ang kasama sa listahan?
To BE Filipino means that the person in question feel like he/she belongs to this cultural identity. I know of a handful (including Malkin) who do not really belong to that list, at least in my opinion. It’s not being cliquish. It’s just trying to identify if these people really do fit the definition of FILIPINO.
which list are you talking about? if it’s pinoy top blogs, isn’t it the case that you have to join voluntarily?
btw, the second anniversary of pinoy top blogs came and went with no comment from its creator =)
About her being omitted. Filipinos are not very ethical people. They let emotions and personal preferences get in the way of principle, policies, rules, etc. She’s a Filipino blogger definitely and should be the number one on the list.
Note: I’ve experienced this lack of appreciation for ethics by other Filipinos all my life so I know what I’m talking about. If you guys want to put up a list of Filipino Bloggers and include all bloggers of Filipino descent then you should definitely include Malkin. Who cares if she eventually mocks that list. And please stop rationalizing the omission by saying, “But she doesn’t really mingle with us pinoys. Wah, wah, wah.” For Godsakes! I’ve lives in this country my whole life and there’s nothing that pisses me off more than this cliquish attitude. Cliques are nice, by all means have a barkada but barkadas is not the be all and end all of existence. You all need to deal with other people fairly and ethically. Even if someone pisses you off. Just ask him to go out to the parking lot or something, but don’t bend the rules because you hate him. THis is uneducated, primitive behavior and believe me when I say, I SEE IT EVERY DAY.
Malkin? You’re kidding. She’s a Republican bulldog, and half of what she say, I believe, is insincerely felt. She’s trained journalist but probably couldn’t find a job in the liberal media (too much competition) and found herself a nice little career as a conservative journalist.
Abe,
on a side-note, do you know if there’s been a glitch in WordPress lately? I haven’t been receiving or been able to Pingback other blogs as of late..
I know Manuel linked to this post recently, but he also doesn’t show up on the comment thread..
Rickey, I don’t know if being a bitch should be a filter for not having her on the list.
But I do agree about her bitchyness… on Par, or even greater, than Coulter herself.
Caterina Fake always mentions that she is half-Filipina. She even agreed to be featured on PINOYexpats.
Michelle Malkin (at least that is what I have observed but I could be wrong) does not seem to talk much about her Filipino-ness.
Although… I have to say that what she blogs about is irrelevant of her ancestry so she does not really have to talk about being Filipino on her blog.
Gene, kwento ko sayo pagnagkita tayo. ;)
Oooooh. So who are these “couple more bloggers” pray tell? :)
has her head too far up the Republican party’s ass, hoping she’ll become white and blonde once she pulls it out.
jon.
bwahahaha. :D
Looks like that answers my curiosity — she’s been intentionally omitted from our lists. :D
If that’s seems to be the criteria or filter, then I know a couple more bloggers just like her who shouldn’t make it on the list but is always on the list. :D
Michelle Malkin is genetically Filipina.
That’s it.
She clearly disinherits her Filipino descent, stated that she was proud that a security officer at the FBI Headquarters asked her if she’s actually American, and has her head too far up the Republican party’s ass, hoping she’ll become white and blonde once she pulls it out.
Not very different from many Filipinos locally though.
This is like asking why “New York” or “London” or “Paris” don’t appear on the list of favorite vacation places of homeless street children in Calcutta or Manila.
This actualy begs the question: what makes a blogger Filipino? It’s not just citizenship but also heritage. And maybe pride in your Filipino heritage, if you’re not a Philippine citizen? Ms. Malkin said that she is not “Asian,” but American. It seems she wouldn’t take being included in our lists too kindly.
@Yuga, point taken. but i don’t she’s that SEO savvy enough to do a “John Chow”.
@Paul, i beg to disagree. Yes, she is displeased but does she have to stretch it at the cost of cowering and calling us a “pitiful nation”.
Ederic and Sparks, both of you took her remarks out of context. From the same Townhall article you linked to:
She was displeased at what our government did in Iraq but she was certainly proud of her Filipino ancestors.
I do know she is an Ann Coulter wannabe. That says everything. LOL.
Physically, she looks very Filipina.
@ Hari Skwatir
Scratch that. Should have been “of Filipino descent”.
Politics aside, I’d put her in the same category as Caterina Fake of Flickr (half-Filipina), apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas, Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls (Filipino/Hawaiian/Russian), actor Rob Schneider (1/4 Filipino) or even designer-blogger Bryan Veloso.
There are several other bloggers in the list who we aren’t sure are Filipino citizens (due to naturalization, maybe) but are included.
In any case, those reasons in the comments didn’t cause her to drop off the Technorati Popular 100 — why would other lists exclude her blog? Unless of course she was gaming the system like John Chow.
Just curious if the real reason was because despite her popularity in the US, she’s not as popular in the Philippine blogosphere. Was the omission of her blog intentional or just an oversight.
“Clearly, she’s Filipina.”
On what basis??
Hey, having filipino/filipina parents doesn’t necessarily mean that you are one. that’s a given.
Why isn’t she on our list? Sa tingin ko it’s because she’s not mingling with Filipino bloggers online. That’s where one should start diba? I know if I hadn’t interacted with some Filipino bloggers I wouldn’t have been able to get to know the other Filipino bloggers.
Plus – yeah, I think the preceding comments to this point make sense. :D
Why isn’t she on the list?!?!?
Because, in her column entitled “The Mollycoddling Milksops of Manila” (after the Philippine pull-out from Iraq when Angelo de la Cruz was held hostage), she said:
” I never thought I’d say this, but I’m deeply, mortifyingly ashamed of my parents’ native land. “
Sa tingin ko, hindi Pilipino ‘yang si Michelle Malkin. May lahing Pinoy, pero hindi Pilipino. Yung mga magulang niya siguro, oo, pero siya, hindi.
Namumuhay na siya bilang Amerikano. Hindi naman yata siya nakibili ng produktong dual citizenship.
At isa pa. bakit natin ituturing na isa sa atin ang isang taong ikinahihiya ang ating bansa?
Sabi niya sa isang artikulo sa Jewish World Review, “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m deeply, mortifyingly ashamed of my parents’ native land.” (
Ang tawag niya sa Pilipinas ay “my parents’ native land”.
Pero tanungin n’yo rin si Malkin. Kung itinuturing pa rin niyang Pilipino ang kanyang sarili, sino ako para tumutol?
“But why isn’t she on our list?”
Because she’s a bitch.
She’s a wannabee Republican attack dog. She’s embarrassed herself so many times on TV no one invites her to guest anymore. She accused John Kerry of shooting himself during the Vietnam War without evidence — and she’s supposed to be a “journalist”.
But do put her on your list since it will obviously piss her off that she is being associated as a Filipino.
To add: http://michellemalkin.com/about/ –
“I’m a Philly-born, South Jersey-raised alumna of Holy Spirit HS and Oberlin College.”
She wants nothing to do with the Philippines. This is the same woman who cats as Bill O’Reilly’s stand-in.
The only time she mentions the Philippines is when they are being ‘moonbats’ and ‘weak’ in the face of ‘Islamofascists’ (sorry but anyone who uses that word has no clue what fascism is).
no.11?!!! Wow! Overtaking Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki’s blog.
She must be good and will become one of my favorite bloggers but second only to Yuga. :)