rant · moment 10 of 22

Comparing the Philippines to a US Colony

from No Friends of Anyone · #29

Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.

2 min

Tim and Ray riff on how confused Americans are about the Philippines' relationship to the US, then discuss Duterte's fixation on eradicating drug addicts as a political strategy.

In this bit7 moments
  • 25:03Nobody even knows if the Philippines is part of the US or not, the relationship is so entrenched.
  • 25:22Tim on the colonial ambiguity: we conquered them in World War II, or something, but it's all very fuzzy.
  • 25:37The Philippine president is interesting because he really doesn't like drug addicts.
  • 25:54He believes drugs are tearing the country apart and the next generation of Filipinos will be hopelessly damaged.
  • 26:15Tim's take: as a president, having something to fight against—drugs, enemies—gives you a clear purpose and justification for violence.
  • 26:36You need someone to drag in front of cameras to show off seized drugs and prove you're winning the war.
  • 26:47South Korea got mad at the Philippine president for attending a birthday party thrown by a rogue police chief.
Mentioned here

PhilippinesPuerto RicoSouth Korea

All 22 moments in this episode →