In the late 19th century, the United States acquired both the Philippines and Guam; however, this proved to be unbeneficial for the native inhabitants of those territories due to the effects of colonialism. In Colonial Pathologies, Warwick Anderson discusses the ways in which colonialism complicates health initiatives by marginalizing the Filipinos and conducting sanitary “experiments” that proved ineffective. Similarly, Leilani Ganser’s article, “In Guam, the Gravest Threat Isn’t North Korea—It’s the United States”, discusses the negative impact that the United States military has had on the people of Guam in the past and in the present. The United States has oppressed the local population in the Philippines and has also poisoned the natural
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military pursued sanitary initiatives that violated the Filipino’s right to privacy. The Bureau of Science along with the Army Board began taking samples of Filipino stool because Americans believed that only Filipino stool was contaminated with bacteria. According to Anderson, “the work meant invasion of the accepted rights of the home and of the individual… and those found positive were subjected to isolation, separation from family, loss of earning capacity, etc.” (Colonial Pathologies, p.108). The collection and examination of stool samples magnified the already existing hostile attitude toward Filipinos, and to make matters worse it did not have a relevant contribution toward the sphere of public health. This example not only illustrates how Americans targeted Filipinos for something that was out of their control but also supports my argument that the influence of the United States had detrimental effects on Filipinos. Furthermore, one can assume that the hostility toward Filipinos along with the marginalization that they experienced made them reluctant to change, thus complicating the health initiatives (or reforms) that the Americans wanted to …show more content…
In the Philippines, Americans oppressed the Filipinos and even took extreme measures—such as collecting and examining their stool for bacteria. This sanitary “experiment” increased the hostility toward Filipinos and complicated health initiatives. In Guam, the U.S. military is responsible for damaging the health of the people by polluting the environment with carcinogens. Thus, one can conclude that colonialism is the origin for the later events that had irreversible damage to the local people of the Philippines and
military pursued sanitary initiatives that violated the Filipino’s right to privacy. The Bureau of Science along with the Army Board began taking samples of Filipino stool because Americans believed that only Filipino stool was contaminated with bacteria. According to Anderson, “the work meant invasion of the accepted rights of the home and of the individual… and those found positive were subjected to isolation, separation from family, loss of earning capacity, etc.” (Colonial Pathologies, p.108). The collection and examination of stool samples magnified the already existing hostile attitude toward Filipinos, and to make matters worse it did not have a relevant contribution toward the sphere of public health. This example not only illustrates how Americans targeted Filipinos for something that was out of their control but also supports my argument that the influence of the United States had detrimental effects on Filipinos. Furthermore, one can assume that the hostility toward Filipinos along with the marginalization that they experienced made them reluctant to change, thus complicating the health initiatives (or reforms) that the Americans wanted to …show more content…
In the Philippines, Americans oppressed the Filipinos and even took extreme measures—such as collecting and examining their stool for bacteria. This sanitary “experiment” increased the hostility toward Filipinos and complicated health initiatives. In Guam, the U.S. military is responsible for damaging the health of the people by polluting the environment with carcinogens. Thus, one can conclude that colonialism is the origin for the later events that had irreversible damage to the local people of the Philippines and