It’s something that every white male in the Philippines is familiar with…the smiley jeepney driver waves and yells out “Hey Joe!” as he drives by. This is an expression left over from WWII, a “term of endearment” for American soldiers (think “G.I. Joe”). It’s certainly not meant as an insult, and Americans seem to love it. However, how do other foreigners feel about it?
By Nathan Allen
Being an American who has lived all around the country for 3 years, I’ve heard “Hey Joe” hundreds of times. More recently, I noticed that tourism has started picking up. I began to see more and more white expats and travelers in the Philippines – most of which are actually not American. Let me tell you, they don’t always like being mistaken for Americans.
They’re Not All Americans
When I explained this to a taxi driver I befriended in Legazpi, he told me a story about Honda motorbikes. He said that back in the 70s and 80s, everybody in the Philippines wanted to have a Honda, because the quality was so good. A bit like “Xerox” becoming synonymous with “copy machine”, soon, “Honda” became the slang word for “motorbike”. Everybody just started calling their motorbike their Honda, regardless of if it was actually the brand Honda or not.
I was a bit confused by this story, because it almost seemed like he was saying that Americans were the “best brand” of white people. Haha…well, I don’t think British, Australians, and Dutch people would appreciate that much. Essentially, I guess he was saying that “Joe” is just a friendly term used to address any white guy.
I’m wondering if perhaps it shouldn’t be.
To me, it’s hard to argue that the word “Joe” should be used for all white guys. Given its roots, it is in fact a very