(CL) Do Colonialism and Slavery Belong to The Past?

Colonialism is defined as "direct political control of a people by a foreign state ... which thus implies a degree of foreign command and political control whether or not settlers are present." (Edkins and Zehfuss -- Global Politics: A New Introduction 2009)

I think colonialism should belong to the past, especially with the present capitalization on the independence and freedom of states. But with that definition, the Philippines seems to still currently be living in the past. There is, after all, such a thing as neo-colonialism.

We are a people continually controlled by a colonial mentality that began as far back as the Spanish colonial period and was completely emphasized by the American period of "preparation for independence." By the way that the Americans of that period practically painted themselves in gold, they were able to instill in the Filipino people a mentality so subjected to the public opinion in America.

This is not only in the Philippines. Countries are still emulating colonialism, in the way that they claim to be intervening for the other country's "good" and then they expect some sort of compensation for it, whether it simply be in the patronization of their goods.

The same is true for slavery. It may have been legally abolished but that doesn't mean that it doesn't still happen under the government's nose.

Slavery, although not quite phrased in the same way, still exists in human trafficking, some OFW cases, and pay order brides.

The last is the one that confounds me the most, because I don't understand how any person can subject herself to a future with somebody overseas who she doesn't even know. But the fact remains that they do it for the financial security that can be offered by it, regardless of the work that comes with it. Then there's those certain Overseas Filipino Workers cases where some experience "employment" without pay, without food, with abuse, both physical and sexual.

And the first is still existent simply in the prevalence of the events for the cause such as the MTV EXIT concert, where they advocate against human trafficking of children and people who don't know any better at the time of their consent to being sent to another place.

I even had a personal encounter with someone who was trafficked. During an outreach program in Luneta park, we came across a woman who had been "recruited" by someone who went to their province to work in Manila. When she was brought to the house, she worked and worked and for some reason, unknown to her, was not getting paid. She didn't realize it for some time, but she had been sold to her "employer." With no money, and no way out, the only thing she was left to do was run away and live on the streets of Manila, hoping to God to earn enough money to go back home to her province.

Colonialism and slavery SHOULD belong to the past... They shouldn't have belonged anywhere at all... But unfortunately they did exist and still do prevail in less privileged societies just trying to provide a means to live.