Tsinelas

Garcia, Kimberly G. August 24, 2012 ENG 10 WFW5 Concept Paper (Final Draft) 1,910 dustup Juan Dela Cruzs Flip Flops The capacity to think introspectively to wonder active the military gentleman within is ane that is unique to mankind, and one that has led to age-old seem for identity. Perhaps more intriguing than questions about the physical atomic number 18 questions about the world that cannot be seen, only when that is felt in every picture of life. This unseen world comprises things that may seem mundane, such as beliefs, principles, traditions, and culture, but those be an essential break of the fabric of human nature.This unseen world is the world of identity. Because the Philippines be a diverse group, this question is of great interest. What is distinctly Filipino, and what does this translate to in terms of who the Filipino is? To answer this, at to the lowest degree in part, an artifact of culture must be found that transc terminates regional boundaries and socioeconomic condition. This object, albeit in varying forms, is a quite essential part of the Filipino house exert. And for a people of an island nation, it has execute an extension of the clay itself.This penning aims to draw insights about Filipino identity from an object so familiar, so simple yet one that has been a part of every Filipinos life the tsinelas. It defines the tsinelas as not only a fasten footwear in the Philippines but as well a reflection of what world Filipino is. In construction, basic golosh slippers be very simple. The body of these rubber shoes is nothing more than a comfortable bushel the foot rests on the sole, which is secured to the front area of the foot in one of two ways.The handed-down design includes a simple band that spans the bakshis of the foot in the area between the instep and the toes. Attached to this band is a short loop that fits neatly between the big and second toes. The reheel of the slipper is left open, allowing it to flop as the individual walks (What are hawkshaw Slippers? ). This gives the tsinelas its unique oblong look with a y-shaped band. It usually comes in diametric sizes and colors and also in a variety of designs for those who love cartoons and for those who unavoidableness the face of their pet actor or actress on their footwear.Flip flops are a common sight in the markets of the Philippines. The reason for their popularity is because they are both punk and well-provided to wear especially in a country of close and dry seasons, where it is too hot to wear socks and shoes and where it is too ill-fitting to gestate wet shoes and socks during the rainy season. The origin of the tsinelas dates back to the employment trade among other nations. This footwear was brought long ago to the Philippines by the Chinese merchants, but the name tsinelas evolved from the word chinela (slippers) came from the Spaniards.Since then, it has do the staple footwear among the Filipinos disd ain the fact that there were other forms of footwear before the tsinelas was introduced. For instance, bakya and abaca slippers are also uniquely Filipino footwear. The bakya, which is made out of thick wood with a band of flog or some other homogeneous material attached to each end of the sides of the body with a nail, has been deemed uneasy and inconvenient for everyday use compared to abaca slippers and tsinelas.Nowadays, it seen only paired with traditional Filipino clothes or costumes. Abaca slippers, which is made out of abaca, a species of banana plant which are harvested for their strong fibre called Manila ganja (Abaca 1), are cheap and are highly praised for their durability and lightness, characteristics footwear should learn. Why then are these not the staple footwear in the Philippines? Unfortunately, the abaca is difficult to process and most of the abaca the country produces is exported.Abaca slippers are also difficult to find in the markets compared to the sl ippers, and they are more overpriced than the tsinelas. Ergo, the tsinelas got its position as the staple footwear of the Filipinos. However, these fall in more significance than just being a form of footwear. Tsinelas or rubber slippers are an integral part of Filipino culture, pervading aspects uniform well-disposed status and practicality, as well as, a tool of discipline and a prop in uniquely Filipino games. The tsinelas plays an integral role in every Filipinos youth.It does not only serve as a watercraft finished which the youth can achieve their dreams but it also serves as two important objects in molding their characters. The tsinelas serves an object of discipline and aid for Filipino children. Much like the bamboo stick that the old Chinese man uses to threaten or spank the bad children with in the movies, the tsinelas is also the favourite tool of the Filipino adult to discipline a child with. The tsinelas has been utilize by adults to spank, preferably the but tocks, of children as punishment for something that they tolerate done wrong.When a child starts to throw a tantrum, the adult would take off his/her tsinelas and hold it in one hand. Then the child suddenly turns quiet, as if the tsinelas was a magical silencing tool. The tsinelas move arounds an object of fear among the Filipino children because of such circumstances. However, the youth name managed to turn the tsinelas as something that they fear into something that they can readily play and watch fun with. It becomes a prop in uniquely Filipino games.These types of games become a common sight in the streets of the Philippines, whether in the province or in the city. The most famous of these games is the Tumbang Preso or Chinelas Lata where each player brings a slipper which they use to topple a can in the pith(a) of a circle, the objective of the player to lend back to the slipper and lower to the other side of the base without being caught by the guard who also brings t he can back into position (Tumbang-Preso 2). Another one is the Shakay where the circle is small and playing field is smaller in size.The rules are the same as softball. The player uses feet to play the slipper thrown toward the player and score (Games 2). Pinoy thresh about flops do not only hold significance in a Filipinos childhood. They still continue to hold significance through adolescence and adulthood and play a role in domestic and social life as well. The tsinelas has been used by so many generations that it has become a part of social culture. For instance, the branding of flip flops has turned them into a subtle status symbol.In the past, the wearing of tsinelas was regarded as something the people of low status would wear outside the stem. However, as Lauren Dado, a well know Filipino blogger, asserts Whats incredibly interesting about this whole slipper madness is that two years ago, if you decided to wear tsinelas to a school like Ateneo, people would look down on you or think you were sorry or somethingmy school imposed a dress code on the tricycle drivers that could go in Ateneo, and one of the no-nos was- you guessed it- wearing of slippers (Sinelas, Tsinelas, or Chinelas? ).Moreover, the tsinelas was seen by many Filipinos as something as should not be haggard in hotels or big malls because is presents a street look of the poor to middle degree Filipinos. In fact, the term bakya caboodle, which is a term set forth as the larger population that consists of citizens of the lower class, is now referred to as the tsinelas crowd. But the term tsinelas crowd has evolved from the term bakya crowd, in a way that the tsinelas crowd now refers to street protesters, so called because of the cheap rubber slippers that are worn by them (Patajo-Legasto 421).Recently, the tsinelas have transformed from being a form of low status into a form of high status. The tsinelas have evolved to become a fashion trend and more are victimisation the western te rm flip flops to refer to the tsinelas. According to Smith in The maturation of Flip Flops They have since evolved from beach walks to concrete pavement and have taken on a more preppy look. Not only do men wear them at the beach but also when red to the mall or dining out with friends. The revolutionary sandals like the Lacoste Palison leather footwear are now classier and savvy (par. ). Indeed, the tsinelas has now become a fashion craze resulting to many brands that are now out in the market. A few years ago, the most common tsinelas was the Beachwalk slippers, the cheapest ones that can be bought from the stores that are usually white in body color with different rubber strap colors such as red, blue and discolour that is below a hundred pesos or even the infamous island-dweller Tibay ng Orig slippers. Who would have thought many brands of tsinelas- or in this exemplar the most proper term would be flip flops- would emerge?Who would have thought that one day there would be a tsinelas that is expense one thousand pesos or more? The emergence of expensive brands of tsinelas (flip flops), such as Havaianas and Crocs, led to the evolution of the tsinelas from a footwear unworthy of being worn to the mall to a footwear worthy of being worn in malls, at fancy beach resorts, and even in hotels. Although there are still cheap tsinelas out there, it is not looked down upon as much as before. The tsinelas remain an essential part of the most advise Filipino things the home.It does not only play a part in our social life. The tsinelas has been the footwear that most Filipinos seek comfort from at home after wearing shoes for a whole day. At the end of the day, the first thing that is done is to taking off the shoes and displace on the tsinelas. In a classic Filipino home setting, the tsinelas are aligned from biggest to smallest at the bottom of the staircase or near the door. As each member of the family comes home, they replace their shoes with their tsine las, which also becomes a convenient way of finding out if a family member is already home.There are always extra tsinelas for guests and visitors. The tsinelas is also used as way of demonstrate hospitality to guests. The tsinelas is offered to the guest by the owners of the home, often insisting that the guest should reach his shoes to be more comfortable. It is also deemed unusual for Filipinos if a mortal wears his shoes all day at heart the house. It is as if the Filipinos have created a rule of no wearing shoes inside the house that it is indispensable for every member of the family to have a tsinelas.The Filipinos also have created a new classification of tsinelas, the tsinelas panlabas or tsinelas for outside the home and the tsinelas panloob or tsinelas for inside the home, which is strictly imposed in many homes in the Philippines. Pinoy flip flops have also been a way to show love and respect to the elders. nearly Filipino children were taught to deliver the tsinela s to their parents and/or grandparents as soon as they get home. This is one of the most unique traditions that Filipinos have.In conclusion, Juan Dela Cruzs flip flops, the tsinelas, is something uniquely Filipino. The tsinelas become more than a reflection of individual taste or class they are a mirror of the Filipino people. It becomes a reflection of Filipino ingenuity and practicality. Works Cited ABACA (Musa textilis). Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species. cropsforthefuture. org. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. Dado, Lauren. Evolution of Flip Flops. Sinelas, Tsinelas, or Chinelas?. Ang Sapatos ni Juan dela Cruz. Blogspot, 15 Jan. 2008. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. Games Played by the Native Children in the Philippines. Uupcc. org. n. d. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. Patajo-Legasto, Priscelina. Philippine Studies Have We Gone beyond St. Louis? Quezon City The University of the Philippines Press, 2008. 421. Print. Smith, Diana. The Evolution of Flip Flops. Ezine Articles. Ezinearticles. com, 23 J an. 2011. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. Tumbang-Preso. Tagalog Lang Filipino Culture. n. d. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. What are Rubber Slippers? wiseGEEK Clear Answers for Common Questions. wisegeek. com, n. d. Web. 4 Aug. 2012.