Desperate Housewives Insults Filipino Doctors
A racist remark from the show Desperate Housewives aired on September 30 resulted in Filipino Americans to start an online petition demanding apology from ABC and the show.
The Scene
When Susan, played by actress Terri Hatcher, was told by her doctor that she might be hitting menopause, she remarked,
“Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines?”
Update: ABC and the show’s producer already made an apology.
Check out the youtube video at this link
Related Links:
Petition against ABC
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Oct 4th, 2007 at 7:27 am
In my opinion, those lines were said because some Filipinos used fake papers to work abroad. And also, as what have the line said, “…I just want to make sure they’re not from some med school in the Philippines,” it is true that only a small number of Medicine schools are competent enough to the standards of Medicine. And I just can’t understand why this is a great fuss since I have seen a lot of movies that has bad jokes about Filipinos but no one seem to care. Was it because Filipinos in the field of Medicine are affected by the joke?
By the way, im a Filipino. Bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan wag magalit.
Oct 4th, 2007 at 9:44 am
no its because the producers generalized the med school standards of the Philippines. they couldve said something like, i want to make sure theyre not taken from the streets of the philippines..
Oct 4th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
they think they know it all..huh!
Filipinos are smarter than them in many ways. And HELLO!!!! where in the world they hire medical staffs? in the Phils, right? The writer should’ve think many times before submitting that Mother f&*%$# script!
Oct 4th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
The producers of Desperate Housewives already issued a public apology. Check this out:
http://rhodilee.com/producers-of-desperate-housewives-and-abc-issue-public-apology/
Oct 4th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
actually….there are lots of great med school in the philippines. how come i have a lot of classmates who are foreigners? and most of them are americans.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:26 am
and my personal comment (rainnenaj)
I understand everyone’s sentiments for I was angry, insulted and hurt as a filipino too. But they already ask for apology and I guess our message against their mockery has been heard loud and clear. People makes mistakes and they did……..as a catholic country we must learn to forgive.
they are wrong to say those things because we take pride of our medical professionals all over the world but part of it is true because indeed there’s some pinoy’s who are making fake transcript of records and diplomas to work abroad. so, i guess we filipinos just had a taste of our own medicine. i guess the moral of this event is to learn from our mistakes.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 6:20 am
Response to this seems a little melodramatic, no? How is it when Americans make jokes about Canada, it’s just another funny joke about Canada? When it’s directed at a generally non-white country, it’s racist?
I appreciate that racism is alive and well in the US, but I think this is one of those “cute” little jokes that could easily have been poking fun at America’s ignorance of other countries.
If anything in the US is flourishing these days, it’s censorship.
If Canadians took every American joke lobbed in their direction seriously, they’d all be in therapy.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 8:30 am
I agree with Mr. Anonymous… take a grip… it’s just a joke… i’m a filipino too….
Oct 5th, 2007 at 8:57 am
MASYADO KAYONG MA-PRIDE !!!
DIYAN KAYO MAGALING EH.
YOU PEOPLE ARE TOO PROUD !!!
KAYA WALANG ASENSO ANG PILIPINAS
PURO KAYO YABANG !!!
Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:35 am
It was a nice move for ABC 7 to issue an apology but it did not repair the damage done because the apology was aired in the Philippines. Apology accepted, yes, but repair the damage done. The Americans, immigrants and people around the world where the Desperate Housewives shows are being shown will still have the wrong notion that Philippine Medical Schools do not meet the standards required to practice in America and that Filipino Doctors are just second rate physicians in America.
Should we just be satisfied with this after all this uproar? ABC 7 should issue such apology over all American TV networks in America and not just in the Philippines. I did not even know that the apology was issued until a friend emailed me this.
Thank you very much.
BOYTEE
Concerned Filipino in Maplewood, New Jersey, USA
‘Desperate’ apology over Philippines slur
Thu Oct 4, 6:46 AM ET
MANILA (AFP) - Makers of hit US television series “Desperate Housewives” have apologised for a slur against Filipino medical workers that caused an uproar in the Southeast Asian country. The apology was sent to Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN’s bureau in the United States and aired in the Philippines on Thursday following protests by the Manila government.
“The producers of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere,” cable news channnel ANC quoted the statement as saying.”There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines,” it said. The episode showed actress Teri Hatcher, who plays Susan Mayer, asking during a medical consultation to check “those diplomas because I want to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.”
The apology was made a day after chief aide to Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said the line of dialogue appeared to be a “racial slur.” Philippine Senators said the apology was not enough, and urged their Foreign Affairs Department to lodge a formal protest with the US government. “I am mortally offended by the statement because it betrayed the racial prejudice and denigrates the excellent performance of world-class Filipino doctors in the US,” said Senator Miriam Santiago, whose sister a doctor is working in Los Angeles.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
[...] about at Desperate Housewives Insults Filipino Doctors - rhodilee.com, - Last Updated - 2 minutes ago Follow This Story Change Your [...]
Oct 5th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I’m glad that the Filipino community is not allowing ignorant writers and insensitive actress to insult the Filipinos without consequence. What I would like to say to the director, writers and the actress !*#@! ~!#$)%^&(*(+??-=/
Oct 5th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Regardless if it’s some or all med schools in the Philippines, the integrity of our medical community had been questioned by one statement that obviously was not thought about by some who don’t know what they are talking about. It’s a pity…and I pity them.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I pity the way they prepared the script. Obviously they don’t know what they are talking about…my brothers are both doctors and they didn’t come from “some” med schools in the Philippines…but regardless if its some or all med schools, it doesn’t really matter for our Filipino doctors have values instilled in them that no other doctors could ever come close to…
Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
ang hirap kasi sa kanila mga insensitive knowing naman na halos lahat nang medical practitioners sa tate eh mga pinoy pa… pero wag naman natin lalahatin ang mga kano. di naman nila tayo masisisi kung magalit di ba kasi tao rin tayo nasasaktan.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
The statement of Susan (Teri Hatcher) regarding doctors completing their medical degree in the Philippines has created quite a stir among the Filipinos as well as other minorities in the US. I would not want to be defensive knowing that many of the best doctors in the US and around the world are produced in the Philippines. While, I understand that the scripted comment was probably meant to elicit some comic reaction about any doctor’s perceived incompetence no matter where they are from (including those who graduated from Harvard Med School), the singling out of “Philippine med schools” was most insensitive, derogatory and very clear prejudice of all minorities in the US as a whole —doctors or any other profession for that matter. I deem the Desperate Housewives’ writers should be more responsible in ensuring that the quality of dialogue in the show is at the highest standards, lest these desperate housewives come out to be “dim-witted” and down right uninformed, instead of portraying them as fun and endearing everyday people despite their eccentricities. The show’s dialogue goes beyond Philippines —– it is a flagrant belittling of not only the Philippines but other nations and minorities as a whole. And however else you want to view it, the statement is TOTALLY CONDEMNABLE. On reflection, this event is even more embarrassing for Americans who could be dragged in a generalization as plain “ignorant” who don’t think ouside of their little box. As a matter of fact, Americans should be protesting more than the minorities on this mistep by ABC.
Perhaps, it is time for Desperate Housewise to close shop or maybe to desperately seek audience who will be on board with them in putting down minorities? That is not very funny, isn’t it?
Oct 6th, 2007 at 5:48 am
I agree that the phraseology used in the DH show is derogatory toward our Philippine medical professionals. And I am happy that we Filipinos have strongly expressed our aversion towards the issue. Indeed it is right to educate some of the Americans to prevent them on giving offensive remarks in the future.
But consider this……
I’ve been watching the show for a long time already and the character of Teri Hatcher as Susan has always been a klutz. And I guess the script was written because of the character’s personality which is suppose to be funny. And that’s what the show is all about……it’s a comedy. Though I agree that the scriptwriters should have been more responsible enough not to mention “Philippines” on the script and this uproar should have been prevented but it’s too late to do that right???!!!
So they apologized to the Philippines yet it is not enough. And I wonder if we are getting too far with this issue and starting to become melodramatic.
The problem has been acknowledged and has been duly addressed by the producers of the show. I guess that’s enough because if we don’t stop were just fuelling the anger of the Filipino people. We accuse them of being racist but have we asked ourselves on how far are we of becoming one??!!
People make mistakes because nobody is perfect. We all make jokes and we hurt other people feelings because of our ignorance. We all have to learn to recognize our faults to be forgiven. If we all take jokes seriously we will all be in therapy. And if we don’t learn how to forgive I just can’t imagine how chaotic the world can be.
Oct 7th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
check this out and know what americans think about this issue:
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1905887/posts
Oct 8th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
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.
Oct 9th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I am a Filipino and I am not a fan of this show. I don’t see the line as racist. In fact I think it does reflect the sad fact that the Philippine medical academic system needs to work harder to gain more trust from foreign patients. It’s a wake-up call for us. In fact I am more ashamed of what a lot of my people are impressing on the perception of foreigners. Sad to say many Filipinos talk too much.
Let us reflect on this. There must be something wrong with what we are doing with our medical academic system making shows like this would care enough to make comments about Philippine med schools.
In my opinion, that segment of Desperate Housewives is actually a constructive criticism.
Oct 10th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I am a philam who lived in the Phil for a long time in my grand moms place. My dad is American and my mom is a Filipino. I am a graduate of BS Mathematics in University of the Philippines. I guess this school is not just some of the schools in the Phil. and graduated my masters in the same university. though I’m not part of the med schools of the Phil, but the fact that I am a graduate of a university in the Phil I am totally hurt, but mind you I am in the highest rank of officers in a telecommunications company in this country where I have contributed too much of ideas in the business of this American people as the Business Planning Manager….
I just wanna ask the script writer with these questions; from what school did you graduate? Are you competent enough to make that kind of joking?
I am just expressing what I have in mind. My mom is doctor that graduated in a university in the Phil but she has been regarded as the best doctor in the hospital that she is working in. she is one of the reasons why some Americans are still alive at this time…..
I even believe that the best doctors in the world are Filipinos.
Oct 11th, 2007 at 7:54 am
“I even believe that the best doctors in the world are Filipinos.”
I strongly disagree.
Oct 15th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Yes, I think I have to agree with what this guy says on his blog:
http://asbb-foreignexchange.blogspot.com/2007/10/final-word-in-desperation.html
———————————————
I will end my commentary on the whole issue by simply asking why we
think it is perfectly alright for us to do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QusLouQhEfo
and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDQJGIFzV1Q&mode=related&search=
and even for one of our most respected politicans to say this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBEuhLlNYTY
but when anyone dares to poke fun at a segment of our population like
this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYB4H0Po0A0
everyone immediately cries racism and discrimination?