So What If I'm From UP?*

I have experienced being prejudiced as a result of being a UP graduate. Yes, prejudiced. Discrimination that is not corporate in nature, but personal. Something not harmful but irritating nonetheless. Discrimination coming from acquaintances, sometimes from friends.

The most common negative term I heard directed toward UP graduates was mayabang (boastful). Agreeably, some UP grads are mayabang, but that was a case of differences among people rather than differences among colleges. It is never right to generalize. However, all UP grads are proud to have graduated from UP, especially those whose parents worked doubly hard (or worked hard themselves) to get them through college or those who have spent so many hours just to pass that math subject. I myself am proud to be a UP graduate, perhaps the only accomplishment I can be proud of. And this was not so much of the education taught me, but the lessons in life learned and people from different cultures met. I thought of UP as a mini-Philippines, the people, the politics, with a slightly different social pyramid.

That we are proud to be Maroons should not be held against us. That we somehow have our own language should not be a bother to others not from UP. Be proud of the college you came from and the “language” you have learned. If you chose not to be proud, do not take it against us UP grads. It is your choice, it is not our fault.

Over a conversation at Sarah's (inside UP Diliman) with a group of people I've recently met (classmates for 6 sessions), my theory of discrimination against UP grads was validated. I started a discussion on which is the best TV network in the country, not for argument but as a joke to one of my classmate who's working with one of the two networks. Beer can really spice up things, and the joke became a “heated” argument, with the group divided into two networks and one neutral. And somehow, which in my opinion was beyond the discussion, someone exclaimed that UP grads are close-minded, and I surmise that this was because I did not fold to his side, in which case he would also be close minded. Another told a story of a cousin who was a UP grad and who was “ostracized” because most cannot stand him. “He always argues,” I think was my classmate's words. Instead of following up on this line of thinking, which seemed pointless to me, I asked why people tend to generalize UP grads and, of course, nobody knew why.

Most people think that UP is full of activists, militants, and rebels. I beg to differ. I say UP is full of people who are socially aware, and as far as I know, only a small percentage of the entire UP population go to Mendiola to rally. I am not saying that it is wrong, but that not everyone does it.

People believe that UP grads exude that air of confidence, so is this the reason I often get sarcastic comments whenever I do not know things? For example, when someone asks me what a certain difficult word means and I do not know, that someone would shake his head and say, “I thought UP students are intelligent,” or something like, “you're from UP, how come you don't know?” Argh. I couldn't let such derogatory remark simply pass, so I'd say, “do you expect me to know the whole dictionary?”

It's as if some people are always on the lookout of UP grads' errors, even trivial ones. Hey, we are not robots, and we do not want a contest or a competition. If voicing out our minds mean showing off, then all opinionated people are egotistic, which is hardly the case.

As I understand, it is not the UP grads in general who are insisting to place themselves above the others, but it is the people who are placing UP grads above themselves, hence the unnecessary perception of UP grads having “superiority complex.” Yes, we are proud of our alma mater, but I know that there are so many gifted people outside the university. UP taught me that there should be equity and harmony in society. That there should be understanding and tolerance of differences. And that there should be liberty of mind.

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*So I'm from UP. Do you have a problem with that?