Philippines: “Desperate Housewives” Apologizes Over Racist Slur

Desperate Housewives

At the moment, Technorati counts 499 blog posts on the racist slur in the season opener of the television show “Desperate Housewives“.

That's an awful lot and is yet another example of the progressive and forward advance of Filipino bloggers, especially after the bigotry of Malu Fernandez which got her pilloried and scorned for — well — her bigotry against her own people.

Read the online petition, now signed by 51,830 individuals, that sums up the protesters’ arguments. The specific scene in the popular TV program posted on Youtube has been viewed more than 81,000 times.
Let's listen to Pinoy Blog Machine, a Filipino doctor educated in the Philippines:

I am offended, because I learned my profession in the Philippines, and I refuse to be told that all my hard work and sacrifice amounts to nothing more than mediocre, if not questionable. Specially if these impressions come from those who fail to see from my end, or at least check, and don’t know what they are talking about. My textbooks came from the US of A, if saying so is any help to Teri’s understanding.

I can’t even speak for the millions of Filipino medical workers in America and all over the world, whose professionalism and skill have made them prime catch. And what of the thousands of foreign students who come in droves to train in the Philippines?

Even as she apologized from veering away from her blog's fashionista bent, glamdeal.com took on the insult:

Sure, compared to USA, the American’s educational system may be better if not the best. But our doctors, nurses, and caregivers are among the best in the world; thousands of them serving, treating, and taking care of the US people.

I’m honestly not a fan of the show but I know a lot of Filipinos who are. Some say the show is a hit because of its mature and “intelligent” approach to the audience. Now with that, I guess we should all review what is mature and what is intelligent.

The rude remark was just a sign of irresponsible entertainment. Racism is never a witty and funny way of entertainment. If this is one of the show’s desperate ways to get ratings, then they’re getting one hell of controversy here.

The Broken Bow is also concerned and sees an opportunity for Filipino doctors to prove themselves:

Althought there might be some truth in the statement especially when placed side by side with the nursing exam debacle last year, I still find it offensive because it somehow committed the fallacy of over-generalizing. The fact is that there are a lot of great medical practitioners from the country and they must not be brushed aside especially when they outnumber the few who are otherwise. As for the said few, this might serve as an eye-opener and a signal to prove to those who are unimpressed that they are wrong to be so.

GMANews.tv's Pinoy Abroad surveyed the blogosphere while in uproar. Blog Addicts also covered the burgeoning blog rebellion.

At the other side of the fence is The Sassy Lawyer who says:

Is it a racial slur? It may be a jab at Philippine medical schools, not Filipinos in general. Heck, not even Filipino doctors. And some people are already making it out as an insult against Filipino health workers IN GENERAL. My goodness gracious me…

Its not a racist slur, says The Anti-Niche Blog, but it's still offensive.

The office of the President of the Philippines also expressed displeasure and demanded an apology, even if Mrs. Arroyo herself is embroiled in her own scandals. The secretary of health also chimed in.

“Desperate Housewives” producers from ABC-TV today issued a one-paragraph apology hoping to calm the storm, but others have rejected it and have demanded a more appropriate apology that may be seen by the millions who watched the assailed episode on TV. Says the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, a US-based group that plans to picket the ABC-TV studios:

The simplistic nature of ABC's apology only insults our community even more. It is not proportionate to the damage it has caused. It is basically just a one-paragraph response, not just to the 2nd largest immigrant group in the US, or a third world country, but ALL foreign-trained medical practitioners in this country. This country thrives on the quality skills of foreign-trained doctors and nurses, and Filipino nurses are among the cream of the crop. We all deserve a decent, sincere, and proper apology.

Let's see what happens next.

UPDATES (5 Oct. 2007): The offensive portion of the “Desperate Housewives” that has roiled many will be deleted, according to a news report.  This comes at the heels of an announcement from Filipino-American group NAFCON that a top ABC-TV executive has agreed to meet them before a scheduled picket at the ABC-TV studios in Manhattan.

57 comments

  • kmpmd

    In whatever angle I look at it, it is blatant bigotry. Here in the Philippines, I have friends who think that people are over reacting but majority of us felt that it was a malicious script meant to malign filipinos in the medical field. I believe that the actress has an even greater responsibility since she was the one to deliver the line. If Ms. Hatcher knows what is ethical and what is not, she probably wouldn’t have delivered the line.

    What what with the speech of peace and equality when all the while you people have never learned the very lesson of 9-11.

  • kmpmd

    In whatever angle I look at it, it is blatant bigotry. Here in the Philippines, I have friends who think that people are over reacting but majority of us felt that it was a malicious script meant to malign filipinos in the medical field. I believe that the actress has an even greater responsibility since she was the one to deliver the line. If Ms. Hatcher knows what is ethical and what is not, she probably wouldn’t have delivered the line.

    What with the speeches of peace and equality when all the while you people have never learned the very lesson of 9-11.

  • jealika

    to pighter pilot:
    Our doctors no need to query their diagnosis, they are precise and good with their treatments and judgements…..have you heard that simple c-section and appendectomy in other countries results to death?….you should be fair and try to know the realities in the hospital or in the medical area….did you know that some of the presidents’ personal physicians are filipinos ?….they graduated in our medical schools….and if they go to other countries to work they pass their exams w/flying colors…..other doctors in other countries did not even have in their curriculum of pharmacology ,physiology , microbiology , anatomy subjects and the like on their pre med schooling….in our country even nurses has this curriculum….just letting you know….our medical people will not be recruited all over the world if we are sub standard…and if we are, how come in your exams for qualification, filipinos are of the top with passing marks?

  • love one's nationa

    You cant say that we are over reacting because your not the one whose affected maybe its too childish but this our own way of form keeping you discriminators in stepping down the nation that our heroes defended from molesters and business-addicts that destroyed our country thats why we have poverty….funny but did you still have the dignity within you..

  • Karce

    The line on the episode was not a joke! A joke is supposed to be funny that wasn’t.

    Some people think that we are over reacting but we’re not. We are just not tolerating this insult to our medical community. For if we are to tolerate this Americans will continue to joke about our medical community.

    If our med school is sub standard then why are other countries recruiting them? It’s simply because that doctors and nurses who graduated here in the Philippines can compete to those who graduated in the US.

    Regarding the apology it still was not enough. I know that the apology was issued but its still did not repair the damages. People will still have a bad image of our med community.

  • Glenn

    Ok enough already. Move on.
    If they changed the word from Philippines to Puerto Rico, would you still be offended?
    Face it, American media makes fun of EVERYBODY… including themselves.

    Mabuhay Pilipinas.

  • Reality Check

    just so we can remind ourselves, kindly check if your ancestors where really native americans to call yourself american. maybe we have forgotten how many immigrants from europe and other parts of the world came to the americas. Check if you’re native to actually call yourself american. Remember how so many american indians died on their own lands so long ago.So don’t be so insensitive as to drive away others from the land that you yourself just inherited through your ancestors that were not exactly from america at all!

  • ARCELI MORALES

    THE FILIPINOS ARE SENSITIVE PEOPLE AND THEY DO NOT MAKE FUN OF OTHER CULTURES.REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE. CLEARLY, THIS IS RACIAL DISCRIMINATION. SOME SAY IT IS JUST A SIMPLE JOKE BUT YOU FORGOT THAT THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A BAD JOKE. YOU DO NOT MAKE FUN OF OTHERS. THIS PLAIN STATEMENT HAS A VERY BAD CONNOTATION. FILIPINO NURSES AND DOCTORS COMPRISES THE LARGEST NUMBER OF FOREIGN SCHOOLED PROFESSIONALS AND HELPED IN THE ECONOMY OF THE US. WE DEMAND A SINCERE APOLOGY. ARCELI,RN

  • It maybe a racist remark and it was wrong for them to say that on the show.
    The Philippines needs to sort out its own house before shouting about this, as a English man living in the Philippines I can honestly say I have never been to such a racist country, try being white in this country it is hell, every time you walk down the street you get Hey Joe and Hey f**k you man, shouted at you not once but over and over again, it is even worse for blacks I know of a black man that has a filipino girlfriend, he came here once and people shouted at him non-stop stared at him and made comments about him being dirty, he has vowed never to set foot in this country again, he now pays for his girlfriend to fly to Hong Kong and meets her there.
    The sad thing is the Philippines needs investment and tourists to help it grow, but with so many racists they are stopping both of the above, I have worked out how much this racism is costing the country in lost investment and tourism and it is about $65 billion a year, this works out at over 60,000 peso for every man woman and child, this is enough to provide free schools and even free health care.

  • Ben Brillantes

    A lot of the reaction has been mostly emotional than rational. However, I found an interesting perspective on the subject from another Filipino blog here:

    http://asbb-foreignexchange.blogspot.com/2007

    Some food for thought to digest, certainly.

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