Topic: Desperate Housewives

[Tampalos]

some sensible blogs about the issue:

http://www.pinoymoneytalk.com/2007/10/03/desperate-housewives-racist-remark/#more-590

http://www.sassylawyer.com/2007/10/02/desperate-housewives-on-philippine-med-schools/

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/10/03/desperate-housewives-insults-filipinos/

my take: it is not wrong to feel insulted or feel angry about the joke, it is not wrong to lash out against the joke...

but there's such a thing as taking it too far (and by that, i mean some who are demanding more than just a simple apology, like a full recant, or a boycott or banning of the show or for scholarships)... and taking the joke out of context...

[Klaus Weasley]

I like what one of the posters said: Who are we to decry that joke when we ourselves continually make racist, homophobic and misogynistic jokes in our own comedy shows?

[Tampalos]

I like what one of the posters said: Who are we to decry that joke when we ourselves continually make racist, homophobic and misogynistic jokes in our own comedy shows?

precisely, how many times did our comedy shows milk the regional/ethnic stereotypes na palaging ginawang katawa-tawa ang mga probinsyanos, aetas, bisaya, etc.?

i'm bisaya and i feel very insulted, maybe i should be demanding that all Pinoy comedy shows be banned...

geez... double standards... i wonder if people realize this...

[thegoodbyeguy]

'AMERICAN' is not really a 'race' per se. It's more of a nationality. The only REAL Americans are the Native Americans. Americans are generally composed of different sorts of races: English, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish, Russian, German, etc. all mixed together. Not to mention the African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics.

Doesn't Desperate Housewives makes slur against the white race every week depicting white American women as adulteresses, ditzes, sluts, b**ches, etc.?

   Ok

[sechiong]

asus.... nag-over-acting pikon naman ang ibang mga pinoy, gusto palaging meron panibagong issue pinag-uusapan...manalamin nga kayo!!

[Huddaf]

I guess looking at it from a 3rd party point of view...

1. I think we (Filipinos) are partly to blame on this because of all the diploma mills we have in Recto. We all know that it would bit us it the a** one day.

2. I cant think of any 

Still that doesnt give them the right to belittle, much more humiliate us.

It's the patriotic sense in us that drive us to overact. We'll i am not a doctor but i am a Filipino. So I sympathize with my countrymen... and women. 

[Tampalos]

here's another insightful post from a doctor herself:
http://tesstermulo.com/2007/10/03/the-desperate-housewives-episode-controversy-the-unpopular-perspective/#more-911
If you’re one of those who may have stopped at reading the statement by Susan in which she demands to see her gynecologist’s diploma because she’s not satisfied with the diagnosis and already made up their mind that the TV show has just insulted Filipino health care professionals and Filipinos in general, let me ask you for some of your time before you sign-up for that petition or go screaming “Boycott Desperate Housewives! Racist Americans!” or something to that effect. I will not try to convince you not to feel insulted, as you are feeling now, because it would be futile to tell one person not to feel something that he’s genuinely feeling. Rather, I’m wishing that you’d listen to what I say, no matter how different it is from your perspective. And still hoping perhaps, from the additional information, you might just change your mind.

If you’re one of those who think that some people have made unnecessary fuss about this issue, then I also wish that you’d continue to read on.

To continue the story, the gynecologist is a Harvard graduate and diagnosed her as being in menopause. However, later, we’d find out that Susan’s actually pregnant, hence the diagnosis was wrong. Moral of the story? Even a Harvard medical school graduate can make a wrong diagnosis. No matter how much we are under the impression that graduating from such schools automatically makes one a good doctor. No conclusion was formed in the episode that Philippine educated doctors is equal incompetency.

[Ikiru]

i think the statement is more on the state of SOME phil med school and not an outright
(a) condemnation of the philippines/filipinos
(b) condemnation of filipinos in the medical profession
(c) condemnation of philippine med schools in general.
- only those from SOME phil med schools who frequently figures in shady dealings to advance their agenda more so their status. we even have a label for them in these shores: DIPLOMA MILLS.

i think this is more related to the recent nursing board scandal wherein it really cast doubts on the integrity especially of the board passers. the incident caused a stir not just locally but also internationally, knowing the stakes affects them directly also. now we're reaping the effects of that indiscretion... and we're more mad with "desperate housewives" than say, the gapuz and nursing board people. twisted logic, twisted priorities really!!!

Just my 2 cents from the point of view of a medical educator. I tend to agree with gearhead. I see this remark as an offshoot of how our standards in health care education and licensing have been perceived lately. I am boiling mad not so much at the Desperate Housewives people but at the so-called "educators" in the Philippines who have chosen to profit from the global demand of Filipino health care providers, setting up health care courses but with substandard training programs and facilities. I have been furious at those who have made a mockery of the licensure exams, selling false hopes to improperly trained graduates who then pass the boards and earn the license to practice, but in reality are so incompetent they are "licensed to kill". I am seething mad at the government that is practically pushing health care graduates out of the country, creating a very lucrative export industry out of our health care workers (remittances are now the #1 revenue earner that funds our budget) at the expense of the national health situation (a national health crisis is looming because we will end up having not enough health care workers for the whole population).

[Klaus Weasley]

It's been confirmed: ABC will edit out the line from all subsequent airings and the DVD release.

[frootloops]

I just hope she doesn't get SICK! 

[deweyfinn]

Apparently, for some senators an apology is not enough:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=92508

I think this is overkill already. U.S. TV shows make jokes at the expense of a lot of countries and even at the expense of themselves. They always make fun of how fat Americans are, how dumb their president is, how you can get diarrhea in Mexico, how France is rude and snobby, how New Jersey is a toxic waste dump.

We're just not used to such things, I guess. We're way too thin-skinned.

Obviously, you just have to tune in to Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien to find out.

Moreover, how many times have they both ran jokes about PC tech support being outsourced to India-based companies - yet there has been no outcry among the "Desis" in the US ("Desi" refers to overseas Indian communities)

@blitzkrieg: Good point there - we should take a good long look at our own racist selves; ads for whitening creams and derma clinics whose spokespersons are usually genetically gifted half-Caucasians, gags which ridicule gays, probinsyanos and short/fat people.

As for me, it shouldn't affect me even if I'm a longtime fan of the series.  Let's more forward and stop being abusado.   

[ralfy]

Some more essays by de Quiros:

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=93112

and MLQ3:

http://www.quezon.ph/?p=1534

http://www.inquirerbloggers.net/current/2007/04/25/the-wily-filipino/

[chingko]

It's been confirmed: ABC will edit out the line from all subsequent airings and the DVD release.

Does this mean any Tivo recording of the entire original episode become a collector's item?

[Klaus Weasley]

Imagine if all the countries in this list acted like us:

http://conan.kary.ca/

[deweyfinn]

Imagine if all the countries in this list acted like us:

http://conan.kary.ca/

Hmmm....why are Hongkong and Singapore not included in Conan's hate list?

[Cosmo]

have you heard of this?

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=e186f2a155f7dbf96f0a583c268f4fe1

[pchin]

My gosh...a $500M class suit?? 

[RNIverson]

This should make us infamous again    I thought they only wanted an apology 

[Quitacet]

My gosh...a $500M class suit?? 

Masyado na yata tayo manipis na mga Pinoy.

I understand what happened with the Malu Fernandez incident but this? I think some people are overreacting.

mabuti na lang sa HOUSE M.D., hindi nagdemanda ang mga Indians when one episode showed a patient who got leprosy virus from visiting India.

[pchin]

This should make us infamous again    I thought they only wanted an apology 

Yeah, previously I read one report that said the apology wasn't in proportionate daw even ABC agrees to pull out the segment in airing & DVD release...guess that's still not good enough for some people..

I think some people are overreacting.

True eh...esp the $500M is really over exagerated...

[bumblebee]

Last I checked, Desperate Housewives is a comedy show. Good luck with the $500M suit. Remember that religious guy and Hustler's publisher?

[voj]

pag nagkataon, magiging open season na ang panlalait sa pinoy pag tinapon na ito sa kankungan ng US courts based on the principle of freedom of expression.  :'(

kay buti-buti at nakakuha ng apology kung ano-ano pa ang gusto.  Akala siguro mag-se-settle ang ABC kaya may balak pang may kumita 

Masama nito baka i-blacklist pa ang mga pinoy na nasa entertainment industry ng US pag itoý nagpatuloy.  Imbes na pinoy character i-twist na lang to become malay, indonesian, etc dahil too much hassle baka may magbalat-sibuyas na naman sakaling may lumusot na politically incorrect.

[DVD_Freak]

in my opinion..this is just overkill.  even if they win the lawsuit...it might strain our relationship with the US.  and it might have a backlash effect on pinoys working in different parts of the US.

[deweyfinn]

in my opinion..this is just overkill.  even if they win the lawsuit...it might strain our relationship with the US.  and it might have a backlash effect on pinoys working in different parts of the US.

All that for just a mere TV show?!?

How super-babaw naman.

[Klaus Weasley]

All that for just a mere TV show?!?

How super-babaw naman.

Americans are not above that. A woman filed a lawsuit against CBS because of the Janet Jackson Superbowl nipple accident. Apparently, seeing a breast partially covered by a nipple ring for a split second caused her "emotional pain and distress". 

[allanmandy]

I wonder to whom the $500M will be awarded in the infinitesimally slim chance that the amount is won? R1 DVD subsidies for all Pinoys! Hehehe!

[Quitacet]

Americans are not above that. A woman filed a lawsuit against CBS because of the Janet Jackson Superbowl nipple accident. Apparently, seeing a breast partially covered by a nipple ring for a split second caused her "emotional pain and distress". 

Wow. Can I sue our politicians for causing us economic and social pain and distress. Better yet, Let's make it a class suit.



On the issue: Conrado De Quiros made a powerful argument in the posted link of his article in this thread.

[RNIverson]

somewhat related 

[Mr. Hankey]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jmKoqq5XN37i9unAyOBCl5s6SlZwD93R30781

'Housewives' actor injured in motorcycle accident
By DERRIK J. LANG

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A hospital spokeswoman says "Desperate Housewives" actor Gayle Harold is in critical condition following a motorcycle accident.

USC Medical Center spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said Harold was awaiting further tests.

Publicist Nancy Seltzer said Wednesday that Harold fractured his shoulder, and "Housewives" creator and executive producer Marc Cherry said he apparently has swelling on the brain but was expected to recover.

Harold plays Jackson, the boyfriend of Terri Hatcher's character, who plays a pivotal role in the fifth season's eighth episode.

Cherry said Harold was scheduled to be on set before the Tuesday accident, which was first reported by TMZ. Selzer said no one else was injured.

Associated Press writer Solvej Schou contributed to this report.

[dorian_gray]

Bump because of Julie Benz's character, the lesbian ex-stripper.