Skip to content

Feelings Towards Desperate Housewives Slur Episode

desperate housewivesI thought an apology was enough to placate the hurt feelings of our Filipino countrymen over that Desperate Housewives Episode on Some Med School in the Philippines. Today , Friday (October 5, 2007) at 6:00 PM, there is a planned demonstration/picket at ABC Studio, located at 77 West 66th St. between Columbus and Central Park West. To protest ABC’s wholesale defamation of Philippine-trained medical professionals, a plan of action has been undertaken in some Fil-Am communities.

1. Many Fil-Am communties throughout the US, like the Northern California National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) regional chapter, are meeting to undertake local mass actions against ABC and the Disney Corporation because of this attack on their community;

2. In San Francisco, the NaFFAA are forming a Philippine Anti-Defamation Coalition working with members of the Philippine Medical Society, the Philippine Nurses Asociation, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (California Chapter) and other groups and individuals who were educated in the Philippines and who feel that the ABC [tag]Desperate Housewives[/tag] episode will have a profound negative on the public perception of them. They are planning on engaging in creative actions that will impress on ABC the gravity of the slight inflicted on the Filipino community.

3. Benj cites an indignation letter from the members University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America.

Eric Gamboa, MD, doctor-member of UPMAS even said here: How many of you have been asked by your patients “what med school did you go to?” I have. Lotsa times. It seems that if you’re not White or if you even have some hint of an accent that you’re not as good as the American grads. SO wrong.

So is this taking it overboard?

No.

It is their right to take action over their feelings just as much as some have the right to sneer at their “over-sensitivity”. We need to respect their feelings. We need to allow enough room for others and ourselves to have and work through our feelings.

Some call it “going through the process”. We can allow room for feelings. We don’t have to take all our feelings and others’ feelings, so seriously while we or others are in the process of working through them.

If today’s rally is their process, it is for a valid reason that is close to their heart

As some of you might know, many of the Philippine-trained doctors are conservative Republicans who are not involved with the Fil-Am community because their high income lifestyles insulate them from the concerns of the rest of the community. This issue is bringing them out and making activists out of many of them. It is making them get a glimpse of the kind of racial profiling that the disadvantaged members of the Fil-American community suffer on a regular basis.

If some of our Filipino brothers take further action other than an apology, let them. It is their process. Let their feelings flow and trust that the flow is taking them to the right direction.

20 thoughts on “Feelings Towards Desperate Housewives Slur Episode”

  1. Noemi,
    I am not an avid follower of DH, I sometimes watch it just for fun. A lot of their antics amuse me. I had a look at this particular scene on youtube and guess what? Susan (the character of Teri Hatcher) is menopausal…she can be forgiven for her blurbs..she said ‘some’ and I have to admit that some medical schools in the Phils are a bit dubious…even I personally prefer to go to a Filipino doctor who graduated from such and such…this is just human nature. we do want to have the best for ourselves..I just hope that this indignation energy over a simple remark from a fictitious tv series, be more directed to productive causes like…helping a research foundation towards improving the quality of life of people in the philippines..I don’t think that a public apology will improve a lot of impressions about some Filipino professionals. I stress the word ‘some’ and Susan did not say ALL…yeah- I am defending Susan as her character is very similar to mine..hehehe..
    this is just my opinion..have a great weekend, Noemi

  2. If only the same Filipino communities hold indignation rallies and write a petition to stop extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. I accept the actions taken by ABC. Unlike the Manila Standard, ABC came through with a positive response to a big blunder.

    We rise up whenever a sector of the Philippine society is undermined yet we sit idly by and remain apathetic to the injustices that pervades our country. I hope they show the same enthusiasm in condemning the crimes GMA’s administration continue to commit.

  3. I hate it when people cite other problems when dealing with a totally different issue. THIS is the issue now.

    As some of you might know, many of the Philippine-trained doctors are conservative Republicans who are not involved with the Fil-Am community because their high income lifestyles insulate them from the concerns of the rest of the community. This issue is bringing them out and making activists out of many of them. It is making them get a glimpse of the kind of racial profiling that the disadvantaged members of the Fil-American community suffer on a regular basis.

    Hahahaha. I loved this part. So true.

  4. So much so on the DH brouhaha. Why don’t the Flips produce a sitcom to get even. They can call it “Desperate Housemaids” and get Ai ai delas Alas to host the show or make a movie “Desperate Houseboys” and get Joey Marquez and his super expensive “walis tingting” to star on it. It is only a matter of time Pinoy producers and directors will explot the brouhaha and make cheap movies to regale the cheap Philippine moviegoers whose genre are mostly toilet jokes. This is the reason why “Eat Bulaga” is the Philippine longest running sitcom.

    Anyway, a joke is a joke. Flips should take it as a joke coming from a sitcom and not from serious Brockaw / Rather TV commentary shows. Flips should vent their ire on Howard Stern, instead. Howard Stern show makes fun of flips or any migrant race. The DH pun is quite mild compared to the comments made on Howard Stern shows.

    My advice to Flips is to get over it. They should place themselves in the shoes of their former president who was recently convicted of corruption and plunder. He is luxuriously languishing at his palatial resthouse serving as his jail – another judicial Flip joke. This guy was at the receiving end of jokes even when he was still in power as college dropout president – still another joke. When his doctor told him he will apply local anesthesia on his to-be-operated knee he replied “to hell with it, get an imported one from the US. Money’s not a problem.” – another joke.

    The Philippine Congress and Senate are sitcoms composed of actors and teen-agers. Need we say more.

  5. I made my stand in this subject and thank you for visiting Ate Noemi. I won’t be surprised if there will be a class action lawsuit. It’s an American way of life.

    Some people took it lightly because it was done in such a shallow and stupid show but like I said it’s not just because it’s watched by people who are entertained by gossipy shows that we should take it lightly, there is a machine behind it. A TV network who set policies, it’s those policies that need to be questioned. That’s why I have a dot Org because when I started with dot Com, the different affiliate companies have very strict policies about racial discrimination among other things. I could not even touch my beliefs. I’m sure that the TV advertisers have the similar kind of policies and they too can sue ABC for breach of contact- if they have it in their TOS. It was the pilot episode for the season. Prime time TV advertisement, we are talking of millions of dollars per 30 seconds. Producers are accountable to the TV networks. TV networks are accountable to their advertisers as well as their audience.

  6. Hello Noemi, thank you for your comments on the DH issue. Thank you for saying “let them.” I know that others are not offended by the mistake that DH made. My feelings are valid and it makes me more mad when people, fellow Filipinos included, think I am being ridiculous and a hypocrite. As a mother of a 17 month old toddler in America, I care about how society will accept him. I want to raise him as a person who will love and accept others, differences and all. Standing up for Filipinos is one investment i can make for Julian’s future.

    While it is true that we are all guilty about making fun of others and our own, I am still allowed to speak up when majority of us are insulted….

  7. @vicky and @schumey- yes there are more important issues but it seems this issue affected a group to take up action.

    @benj- I like how you explain the DH issue. Not too emotional or off the issue.

    @genghis- it affected feelings of the ones concerned. Soon, they will let go of it.

    @KK- I see the point of those affected. It’s the wide reach of the show that might “misdeducate” public. Heck, it’s not just the diploma that makes a doctor.

    @Jeannie- yes I truly understand both sides but are inclined to be more sympathetic towards the doctors affected. I admire that you spoke your mind on the matter even if some thought it was so insignificant. Your feelings are very valid.

  8. While it is true that we are all guilty about making fun of others and our own, I am still allowed to speak up when majority of us are insulted….

    Of course. It makes perfect sense. People who argue the opposite don’t have a grasp of logic.

  9. I’ve heard that a class action suit will be filed. I’m eager to see the results of that suit, and what precedent it will set in the US legal system vis-a-vis racism. Especially because it will not only impact the Fil-Am community, but it will be a milestone of sorts in further defining “hate crime” if it indeed is one.

  10. @benj- very well said

    @Jon- am also curious. A lot of money will need to be spent to pursue that class suit. They might actually have the money to do that. I read in their site that a lawyer discouraged them to file the class suit. I bet an enterprising lawyer will offer to be their lawyer.

  11. Hi Noemi, am a regular viewer of DH, and I find nothing wrong with the comment. We all know the Recto diploma mills and not to mention the recent nursing board exams’ cheating. Kahit dito sa Manila, some patients really ask where the doctors graduated and even look on the diploma hanging on the doctor’s clinic (like what I do) esp. before going into surgery.

  12. I find is very sad that Filipinos are not as disturbed by their own Filipino racism as they are disturbed by american racism. Back here at home, nothing changes. Recently, a guy used that “n” word to insult my friend who has is a morena.

    I now wonder, what if Teri Hatcher was a black woman? Many(not all naman) would probably use that pejorative “n” word against her.

    I’m not saying that Filipinos should not stand up and fight against racism just because they practice racism. What I’m trying to say is that why don’t we ourselves try to abandon our equally racist habits?

    The other day, I was watching an episode of GKNB a few days ago. One contestant was asked by Edu about the name of her children and she explain why her daughters name was THEA instead on THIA(a concoction of her and her husband’s name). What did she say? “Kasi kapag Thia, parang Bisaya”. Knowing that GKNB is not live and just taped, why did ABS-CBN not delete that part(kahit yung part lang na yun, interview alng yun ni Edu and not the actual game). I am not Bisaya but I am appaled how Visayan discrimination is still stuck in the consciousness of many of our kababayans.

    Are we now heading toward the double standard path? Makes me also think if those people who cried foul against racism are actually against racism? Fighting racism is two way(it takes to two tango as they cliche says): you will not allow others to insult you because of your race AND you won’t insult other people because of their race.

    Maybe, it’s just me why that “parang Bisaya” statement caught me — I have a Visayan friend who now works in taipei and I myself have indigenous blood and because of it, I have experienced first hand discriminating statements from fellow Filipinos

  13. Hello Miss Noemi, since my comment is under moderation. Pakiedit nalang yung line na ito..dapat

    “What I find very sad here is that Filipinos are not as disturbed by their own Filipino racism as they are disturbed by american racism. Back here at home, nothing changes. Recently, a guy used that “n” word to insult my friend who has is a morena.”

  14. @Rowena- I watch Desperate Housewives too. The US based filipino doctors are affected by it mainly because they live there. I don’t look at the diplomas of doctors because in the first place, I only go to doctors recommended by friends.

    @ Kris- I am bisayan but I don’t have a bisayan accent. Most bisayans I know just laugh ithose jokes off. I don’t speak for all the bisayans though. When the joke is among ourselves, it’s not that bad but when it involves another race spewing words against us, it comes out very insulting.

  15. that’s why i dont watch those stupid TV shows. it shows arrogance and ignorance at the same time. the screenwriter seemed to be out of touch of reality. fyi, some people here prefer filipino doctors and nurses because of their expertise and caring attitude towards their patients.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *