DISQUS

jp 吉平 · 2 years ago

I think it says a lot that in a satire of priviliged white society, the first thing a decadent white woman would do when the diagnosis of menopause is even considered is to lash out against the Philippine medical education system.

Moral of the story: racism hides right behind the curtain of fertility and youth.

Does anyone treat white Americans this way? God help you if you ever mention the failures of white society to the white people.

Actually, I blogged a while ago about the satire of white society's ethnocentricity present in Geico's caveman commercials.

I wonder what the "desperate housewives" writer was thinking when they wrote that line...

Confuse_Us · 2 years ago

I was struck by the off-handed way that this type of ingrained ignorance expressed itself. What it shows is that the realities of Asian life are invisible in this culture, and that the struggles of an entire community can be offhandedly degraded for the sake of comic convenience. How many careers of Filipino doctors and nurses will be damaged in some way by this unconscious moment of weak scriptwriting?

jeff · 2 years ago

Although I do find the remark as going a bit overboard, it is common knowledge that Recto used to be a fake diploma manufacturing mill. So it isn't fully baseless.

:: jozjozjoz :: · 2 years ago

An apology!

'Desperate' apology over Philippines slur
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071004/ennew_afp/...

For Jeff · 2 years ago

That area of Manila is a chinatown. Now youve to seperate real filipinos from chinese.

Mike Roma · 2 years ago

To Jeff:

Mag-Pipilipino ako para di ako maintintidhan ng mga putang-inang puting yan. Ano ka ba naman! Ang gago mo, kaya parati tayong target ng mga lintek na puting yan eh di nga tayo marunong magkaisa, ipaglaban ang tama, at magbuklod kung may tagalabas na yumuyurak sa dignidad natin bilang Pilipino. At talagang lantad na walang alam sa paksang pinag-uusapan. You cannot be a doctor with a fake diploma! You need to pass all the tests the US will throw at you before you can practice medicine, and from what I remember, a fake diploma will never help you pass the NMAT, the US Medical Licensure Exams,hell even practice medicine for three week for crying out fucking loud! C'mon man, ipaglaban mo ang lahi! wag mo nang ipagpatuloy yung maling ehemplo ng mga nakalatanda sa atin! Tang ina naman!

Mike Roma · 2 years ago

To Jeff (again):

Sorry man to be harsh at you, but we need to get our act straight, and you do deserve a good whoopin!

nemogbr · 2 years ago

Unfortunate choice of words. Perhaps the people descended from the Asian continent becomes an easier target compared to people of African extraction?

Then again the series does deal with, a bunch of suburban housewives, whose prejudices have not been called into question.

NotsodesperateFlip · 2 years ago

I think flips should take jokes as jokes. Jokes abound in the Philippines, too. A convicted drop-out former president who's been the brunt of jokes take jokes in stride in his palatial jail - similar to Escobar's self-made jail in Colombia. That's right guys. Flips imprison corrupt government officials in palaces - so that the incumbents if convicted with similar charges get to chose their palace jails, too. Going back to this convicted president, this guy reportedly replied when his doctor said he will apply local anesthesia to his wound, "Money's no problem. I can afford imported anesthesia."

Where in the world doctors would downgrade themselves as nurses just to get to the US? Where in the world medical board toppers surprisingly come from low-end diploma mill med schools? Where in the world med students have to re-take board exams even if they passed the first one? Only in the Philippines because of money and corruption. Money really gets you around in the Philippines. It's not what you know but whom you know (you can bribe).

A mother brought her child to a Flip pedia. "What wrong with the kid?", the flip doc asked. The mother says the kid's not been eating. The flip doc replied, "... maybe he's not hungry." - as his findings.

You can't blame Flip docs and nurses if they see their American patients as zombies or cadavers they used to dissect at their low-end med schools. It's green bucks they're after, you know and nothing more. They're just like any US migrant who would do anything in their country just to get to the Big Apple or anywhere in America.

Anyway, ABC's apology is merely a marketing ploy and they're laughing their hearts out of this brouhaha.

Claire · 2 years ago

Wow, thanks to NotsodesperateF for sharing his/her universal expertise in Filipino politics, medical practices, education and especially for the anecdotal gem. What a constructive comment, you dimwitted jackass. Hahaha. Joke joke!

Mike Roma · 2 years ago

To not so desperateFlip:

Wow! ang daming tangang kababayan ko talaga! Why don't you come home and make a difference in your homeland?!

Tama ka nga, Flip as in totally dude..get a life.

Ben Santos · 2 years ago

http://www.petitiononline.com/NadalAss/petition...

Please sign my petition! Show everyone that not all Fil-Ams are humorless twats like Kevin Nadal. He is NOT the voice of the Fil-Am community, much less the Fil-Am medical community.

The show is SATIRE. The show is FICTIONAL. The line was a JOKE.

It's DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, not the CONSTITUTION.

It'S TERI HATCHER, not (insert name of some you think is more credible --and
less annoying-- than Teri Hatcher here).

Protesting/petitioning Fil-Ams (and to anybody else giving this thing the time
of day): GET OVER YOURSELVES.

(Please place tongue firmly in cheek before signing.)

Alistair Baptista · 2 years ago

A keener editing process and a bit more caution on the part of the writer's could have avoided backlash from insulted fans. How this could be broadcast, especially after the US govt looking terrible after "Sicko" amazes me. I wish the network's public relations department the best in trying to make amends for this faux pas.

Nancy Sequeira · 2 years ago

hello every1
im not a filipino but i can relate to the issue as being an indian in a western country-- i witness such situations on a regular basis-- it amazes me when a cultures state that they treat every1 as equela yet they nikname those that do not shere their culture! we indians are reffered to as "curry people" here in Australia-- !
so i truly support this cause & i understand how demeaning it can be!
cheers to u alll!

Cecille · 2 years ago

It bothers me to think that NO ONE in the show, whether the writers or the producers suggested that it should be deleted before taping or airing. we filipinos have continued to acquire increasing levels of education over the years and the remark made on the show can't and will not be considered a mere joke. we filipinos are one of the smart, hard working and industrious people in this earth and this is an act of pure discrimination!

Confuse_Us · 2 years ago

It was nice to see that ABC apologized and showed remorse for their "error" in allowing this situation to occur, but only after the Filipino community raised it's voice in protest. It made me wonder exactly how effective are Asian-American activists efforts to change the way the media portrays Asians. On the surface we had a victory - the T.V company backpeddled and said and did all the right things to publicly show remorse, yet negative media portrayals of Asians continue to be the overwhelming norm. I wonder if East-Asian activists are placing too much emphasis on reacting to media slights, and should shift their efforts to tackiling anti-Asian prejudice in the places where it is most openly exhibited. It seems to me that American schools are places that foster anti-Asian prejudice and I would argue that this is the place where non-Asian children learn that they can disparage and attack everything Asian with impunity. It seems that most of us have experienced some form of racial abuse, whether physical, verbal or psychological, at some time during our school lives. Am I mistaken? I don't believe that I've ever heard of our activists addressing this issue. Would we accomplish more by tackling the issue of the racial insensitivity that our kids may experience in their daily lives?

nemogbr · 2 years ago

I would have to agree with "NotsodesperateFlip". They have apologised for the slight and the free advertisement has been wonderful for the series.

May I also point out that certain posters should type in English?
I consider it rude when other people converse, in another language, in front of me. How would they feel if someone started posting in another language?

I grew up in Britain and read of Pinoy Doctors becoming Nurses to get into this country.

It doesn't help matters when people say come back to the Phils and make a difference in your homeland. They most likely have relatives that they are helping with remittance money.

Confuse_Us · 2 years ago

Nemogbr

I grew up in Britain as well. Anglo-Fils are (or were) an uncommon sight when I was coming up. Not so much nowadays though.

nemogbr · 2 years ago

I saw the last Dispatches programme last week and the only mention of Filipinos were in regards to the NHS. No other mention of Orientals.

Not sure whether that is good or bad. Are we too much of a minority that we don't get a mention?

Confuse_Us · 2 years ago

nemogbr

I think that the East Asian community in the U.K is overlooked in general. I believe that the majority of East Asians come from China(Hong Kong) or Vietnam and those communities have generally been politically and socially passive when it comes to addressing their issues (I say that without judgement). When I was coming up no-one even knew what a Filipino was - light skinned Filipinos were "chinks" and dark skinned ones were "Pakis". Some people even thought that these terms were acceptable ways of addressing us. There was and maybe still is a lot of ignorance about our community. I left the U.K in 1992 looking to broaden my horizons, England at that time was a rather depressing place to be.

lotai · 2 years ago

I personally know of Filipinos here who studied medicine here in the Philippines but did not graduate. They are now illegals in the United States and run illegal medical office and perform surgeries there. Their dipomas they display are fake bought on Recto Street, Manila.

Confuse_Us · 2 years ago

".....fake (diplomas)...bought on Recto street,Manila".

What does this have to do with the disparaging of Filipinos who HAVE completed their medical studies, passed ALL of the examination requirements to practice medicine in the U.S and are LEGITIMATELY qualified to be medical practitioners?

Hanapin mo ako · 9 months ago

People not from the Philippines do not know. Period. Huwag ka mag-post kung hindi mo alam.