The Desperate Housewives Slur Against Philippine Med Schools (Filipinos tend to be doormats and other comments)

Taken from an article in E! Online:

I don’t watch this show, but it seems you can’t sit in a dark room by yourself, without offending someone. We have become such a touchy-feely society, that someone is almost guaranteed to be offended at anything shown somewhere in the world. If you don’t like it, change the channel. All this complaining is keeping lawyers in new Mercedes. I’m waiting for the backlash, because sooner or later there will be one. azkobushi on 10/04/2007 11:45AM

I agree with azkobushi. This whole political correctness thing has gotten way out of hand, particularly in the context of off-handed remark on a TV show. bnbliss on 10/04/2007 11:57AM

It was a freakin joke people – lighten up for crying out loud. jalee27 on 10/04/2007 11:58AM

If you all were Filipinos, you would be singing a different tune. I agree that the network and the shows producers SHOULD apologize. If we get targeted for saying a racial slur here in the US, it’s not okay and we get slammed. So, why is it okay for derogatory comments to be made about individuals in other countries? If it’s not okay for the African Americans, Hispanics, etc., then it should not be okay for people from a different country. Why is it necessary to put down people from another country to make a freakin’ joke. It’s not at all funny. evanettie on 10/04/2007 12:26PM

If the word “Filipino” was replaced with Gay or Muslim or Black or Latino, I am sure the entire USA will be in an uproar. Why is it that the very people who cry against discrimination (like the Democrats) will remain silent on a racial slur like this? The answer: Because Filipinos tend to be doormats John217 on 10/04/2007 12:47PM

Wow. I like sick/stupid/morbid/wrong or right humor as much as anybody but this ain’t funny. R on 10/04/2007 13:30PM

This is totally absurd. I’m from Mississippi. We’re always the punchline for any comment concerning poor people, stupid people, fat people, racist people, etc. If Susan had said, “Let me check these diplomas and make sure you didn’t go to school in Mississippi” there certainly wouldn’t be some big outcry for an apology from ABC. Not because there is any truth to the inference to be drawn from her statement, but because it’s not a big deal. It’s a tv show. Perhaps she should have referenced Virginia College or the DeVry Institute of Technology instead. K-How on 10/04/2007 14:52PM

Then perhaps “Susan” should have said Mississippi instead of the Phillipines, since it’s not a big deal to you people. It’s people like you who would make those kinds of inferences to begin with K-How. There’s no need to make “jokes” about an innocent country and/or their people who have absolutely nothing to do with the trainwreck that is known as Desperate Houseswives or any other TV show for that matter. It was uncalled for and, again, everyone involved with the scripting of that particular segment should apologize to the satisfaction of their country and their people. evanettie on 10/04/2007 15:54PM

It is really insulting. I don’t think it is a shallow outcry. It just show that Filipinos are united enough to not tolerate such satisfaction of a joke for the sake of integrity and rsepect of one’s profession. No one deserves such treatment. This is a time for sensitivity in the case of writers. We know how to make a stand and we Filipinos are very known for that… MD_FIL on 10/04/2007 16:00PM

It was not a racial slur, but it was insulting and offensive because there was no truth to the statement at all. It was a baseless comment that of course people will offense too, especially if you’re someone who’s obtained a medical degree in the Philippines. dc222 on 10/04/2007 16:08PM

Even though it may appear to be a minor incident, I believe the Filipinos are right to object. It is a form of stereotyping. A better line would have been, “You better not be certified by one of those online scams.” laflisa on 10/04/2007 16:11PM

Puhleeze! Get a life, people. This world has become too thin-skinned, with “activists” chomping at the bit to get their 15 mins. It didn’t offend me and I’m Filipino. You know what offends me? And I can, and have called this scenario on a few occasions: A Filipino person will spot me in a crowd, come over and ask me if I’m Filipino. I’ll say that, yes, I am. The next question is usually, “Do you speak the language?”, as if it’s the equivalent to a secret handshake. When I say no, more often than not, I immediately become a second-class citizen who isn’t worth conversing with. I have witnesses. That’s offensive. laughingatyou on 10/04/2007 17:47PM

botox and silicon filled desperado w…ewives desperate to insult hardworking minorities, it is so skanky! light on 10/04/2007 18:55PM

To: “laughingatyou”…. you obviously have a world of your own. you don’t have to be a Filpino to experience all these BS. C’mon, it’s probably an ice breaker or something.. even Americans or other nationalities who goes to the Philippines get’s asked that “dumbed” question. Whether you like it or not, you’ll always be a Filipino even if you don’t speak the language or have a green card. duh! Going back to the issue, regardless of anyone’s profession or race, one should not be feeling superior towards another. I am not a med school freak or anything but it sure does hurt if someone would just belittle what I have achieved. These writers apparently are insensitive… talk of ignorance. Chic on 10/04/2007 19:45PM

I’m as big a flag waving right winger as anyone I know but sheesh Americans can be insensitive. It isn’t a “percieved slur” Ms Hall, It’s a direct and classless slur. If you were a college graduate and someone denigrated your degree/school publicly it would probably anger you. Adding in the Filipino part of it implies ALL Filipino med school grads are incompetent. If you still don’t get it, substitute “Jew” or “Black” or womans med school and see how it reads. How about cueing that outrage? harhar on 10/04/2007 19:50PM

I want to be neutral and non-biased as much as possible, but I watched the show, and on my opinion it was a little derogatory. I am american caucasian mom and my doctor is a filipino who was raised and studied there. I have a huge respect for him, and he will not be here if they did not passed the US board exam. They studied a great length and took a lot of effort studying ang a lot of perseverance. I don’t think it was fair they mention the word from philippines. It’s a little racist for me the way it was made as a joke. I felt so bad I said my apology to my doctor. Who is a filipino and whose very inteligent than most of us who are so lazy to study and be a productive citizen of this country. There, I said my piece. My apology to all filipino doctors who was offended by this. BE_JUST_BE _FAIR on 10/04/2007 20:09PM