"The producers of Desperate Housewives and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offence caused [by the insulting remark] in the season premier," ABC Network said in a short statement of apology obtained by ABS-CBN North America News Bureau.
ABC Network added: "There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines."
There you have it, they apologized. Of course, it was done after realizing that Filipinos are not going to let it pass. Mga kababayan, there may have been overreactions, just like some of the anti Malu Fernandez comments. However, had you kept silent about it, would they have taken it back? Nah, I don't think so.
That's the price of liberty -- blood, sweat and tears. We are a nation because our forefathers fought for it. We will continue to become one for as long as we continue fighting for it.
I remember an accounting professor who once said, "Zealously protect your grades. Do not let any dumbass professor give you anything lower than what you deserve. Any failure to do so will become very regrettable, eventually." Looking back, it was just a grade in a minor subject, but he's right. A failing grade will become a permanent mark that will haunt you every time somebody looks at your transcripts.
In the same manner, had the Filipinos done nothing, that remark would forever have been etched in the minds of those who watched and will view that episode even after we are all gone.
Zealously protect your country. It's the only one that you have. But may I remind everyone, a little bit, to watch your actions for it defines you as a person. Do not overreact.
"Can I check those diplomas 'coz I just want to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines.
PS:
- I was blog hopping when this piece caught my eye. It's not written by a Filipino, by the way. "There have been many high-profile cases of bigoted and offensive remarks coming from Hollywood, including the Michael Richards' n-word rant and Isaiah Washington's homophobic insult. However, the Desperate Housewives comment is different. The hateful remark made against Filipinos was written into the script! It wasn't just a heated rant or an off-handed insult. The comment went from the writers to the editors to the actors, which says to me that no one felt this was insulting or problematic… and that's a problem!"
- By the way, there's an online petition that has generated 40,059 signatures as of this writing.
This post ends here. No need to click the "Read More!" link for now. Thanks
23 comments:
"Looking back, it was just a grade in a minor subject, but he's right. A failing grade will become a permanent mark that will haunt you every time somebody looks at your transcripts."
Seriously, my professional life doesn't revolve around my transcript, dotted and crossed with many 0.0s (I'm from DLSU) and barely passing 1.0s. My career has been defined by what I have done to improve myself afterwards.
So this should be taken as a challenge -- find out why Philippine med schools were demeaned that way, acknowledge problems that are there, for real, and find ways to improve on the problems that do exist.
You're also right. Just because they apologized doesn't mean that there was no basis to their comments.
The cheating in the nursing board exams might have triggered the whole controversy.(?)
I have a different take on the cheating issue. Will post it in my next article. By the way, though I agree that there's probably some basis for the comment, I stand by my belief that we should protect our image if we are being demeaned as a race and most specially if it is uncalled for. I take pride in my school and my accomplishments attest to the quality of education that I got. However, I will never let a failure of any schoolmate brand all of us as inferiors. I will not allow the younger graduates be branded as such.
Pwede ba yung basta sorry nalang? Eh kung puro sorry, uulit ng uulit yang mga yan yurakan tayong mga Pinoy tapos sorry ulit? hello?
Avid fan pa naman ako ng Desperate, mukhang Desperate nga talaga sila.... iboboycott ko na yang walang kwentang series na yan. F_ _ _:(
Ay na carried away ako, re your comment, mukhang cancel nga ang election, pag ayaw ni GMA, walang magawa mga alipores, di mabale ang gusto.
Pwede ba yung basta sorry nalang? Eh kung puro sorry, uulit ng uulit yang mga yan yurakan tayong mga Pinoy tapos sorry ulit? hello?
As long as it's not us eh marie? If it isn't us it's okay to make fun of some other race or person eh? Whoopsy doo! What a hypocrite!
they shouldt belittle anybody or any country..it will be a very sensitive issue..philippines is right to demand an apology from them..some more this desperate housewives has been viewed by many people around the world..it can give bad name to philipines..
I am a Filipino and the apology is not sincere, after all that is the American attitude, they are users, the Desperate Housewives producers, ABC and actors have shown their bullying attitude toward the Filipinos, They think they are the best race in the world (probably not), I am not wondering now that they have the worst history of family breakdown since they have now RACIST HOUSEWIVES in addition to DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. I will boycott their shows as my personal way ( everyone has his /her own opinion) of protest, they should learn their lesson now
Yang ang typical responses nang Kano kung nagkamali sila. "SOrry sorry, bla bla bla." Then they think all is okey. But damage has been done.
Mali rin din natin kung sa bagay kasi maraming mga fly-by-night at diploma mills sa atin . But I m for this outrage towards ABC this time. Cheers
As for Teri Hatcher, she looks more of mestiza hispanic, hindi ito puti. ANyways she is palying a dumbheaded wife. That explains everything.
NaBITAG sila sa mga Kababayan. Yey!!
Just because they said sorry, it doesn't mean they really are. (Not that there's really something to be sorry about) TV is a money-making business, they just did that to shut us up. I bet they're annoyed as hell... and I don't blame them.
Waking up to a headache is bad enough. Reading uncalled for derogatory remarks makes it much worse. Please don't throw personal insults at one another. Stick to the topic.
To: anonymous...
You're the exact reason why some race look down on us Filipinos. You're mature enough? huh! really, if you are then you won't be acting this way. I mean we are not forcing anybody to have the same feelings as we have right now (specially if you don't have any idea on how hard Medical courses here in the Philippines). Remember that there's a thin line separating satire and insult.Get that you moron!.
There's a big hypocrisy and double standard about this, really.
We're easy to declare that the Americans are the most racist in the world and like one of your earlier commenters, it's insincere.
But, Filipinos failed..gravely failed to look at themselves, their own media. Isn't it that for decades, many non-tagalogs particularly the indigenous people and the Bisayas have long been complaining about the Tagalog media making fun of them, depicting them as stupid people, making fun of their accents, but has it stopped?
No. Not at all. Will probab;y take another 100 years because makign fun of other people but is Filipino entertainment but if people do the same to us, 'it is not right'. But if it's us who's making fun of other people 'they're too sensitive'
In fact, the same err was done in Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo. Implying as if speaking Bisaya makes you a second class citizen and speaking Tagalog is what makes you a true Pinoy.
The difference between ABC is that when they learned we were offended, they issued an apology, the promised to remove the said scene fromt heir DVD copies.
But the Pinoy media? Despite the complain, they still continue their own racial slurs not only towards foreigners, but worse, towards their own people.
Now, what about Michael Vs and Roy George's mocking of the Indian people(from India?).
Aside from that I strongly believe that the line was misinterpreted. Had the Filipinos seen the WHOLE episode, they'll find out that it's not the Phil. Med schools that they are mocking, but Harvard. Hello, the ending was the Harvard grad doctor MISDIAGNOSED Terri.
The danger of not showing the whole context
i feel ashamed that i am a filipino now :(
and people start laughing at me at work
and my girlfriend just dumped me
why they did that, why ???
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