This word is gay slang and cannot be found in standard Filipino dictionaries.
okray
dissing, mocking, cackling at
okrayin
to speak of rudely, unflaterringly
Possible standard Tagalog synonyms: panlalait (derision), pamimintas (finding fault, criticizing)
It’s been surmised that this Filipino cultural trait of pang-ookray (rudely deriding people) came from the centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines, when the Spaniards were looking down on Filipinos, always haranguing about how backward the natives were. Then when the few rich natives were educated in the Spanish manner, whether in Spanish-run schools or overseas, they acquired this penchant for rudely dissing their fellow countrymen. Eventually, the habit trickled down to the masses, as most foreign mores did.
This form of sarcasm is almost considered a legitimate form of self-expression in contemporary Philippine society, especially when the object of mockery has done something stupid, even if what happened was an honest or clueless mistake.
In the case of mocking public figures or celebrities, it can also be argued that this is a way for people in the lower classes to release their resentment towards the elite, whether they’re famous actresses or rich politicians. In such a society where it is practically impossible for the poor to rise out of poverty and acquire the wealth of the powerful whom they’re exposed to everyday in the media, the only way to make themselves feel better is to be verbally critical, especially on social media.
mapamintas
wont to criticize
= critical
mapangmata
wont to look down on people
Most well-adjusted Filipinos know not to take to heart this sort of criticism; however, there are periods of stress when even those born into celebrity just snap. A recent example of such a reaction was the supposed responses of KC Concepcion in late May 2016 to a series of comments posted by one user on Twitter. The critic was such a nobody and didn’t even have a profile pic uploaded, yet it’s been reported that the daughter of mega-celebrities (and a celebrity in her own right) was stung by the tweets and that what she subsequently posted was a defense against what was said about her by the anonymous basher.
MGA KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG
okray / ukray: parang okra (pangit)
