Colonial Pathologies

I found it odd how Americans in the Philippines tried to use hygiene, or lack of hygiene as justification for the inferiority of the natives. Then how because of the Americans tried to civilize the Filipino’s mainly by reforming Filipinos’ personal hygiene habits and by implementing other measure that would improve hygiene, specifically through the “sanitary pail” and latrines. I find this interesting for two reasons. First of all, it’s odd that by modifying hygiene practices, the Filipinos were being colonized in a very personal matter. But I also find it interesting, that as Filipinos began to practice these habits and welcome hookworm treatment and the building of latrines, people began to lament the extent to which Filipinos were just imitating the colonizers. It just seemed that no matter what Filipinos did or how they reacted, they had immense difficulty coming out father ahead. And health just became on mechanism which Americans could just to justify their prejudices, first by denouncing Filipinos hygiene and then by claiming all Filipinos are healthy carriers.