October 13, 2007
SFist Photo: Asian Americans vs. ABC Disney
Clang, clang, clang goes the cable car as it passes by scores of pissed off Asian Americans in front of the Disney Store in San Francisco's Union Square.
It all has to do with what lovely local Teri Hatcher said on a recent edition of ABC's Desperate Housewives.
The offending line of dialogue from the show:
“Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? ‘Cause I would just like to make sure they are not from some med. school in the Philippines.”
Ouch.
This is a huge story in the Philippines and now it seems it's getting bigger in San Francisco. Details after the jump.
The short version of this controversy is here and a longer version is here. KGO's take is here.
The touristas seemed interested.
ABC Studios has apologized:
The producers of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines. As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting sensitive and respectful image of all communities featured in our programs. [Palliative cliches in original.]
It's not entirely obvious that there was no "intent to disparage." Obviously, the intent of the offending line was to show the character in denial and lashing out by attacking the credentials of the physician.
Shame, Disney, Shame.
The apology is not enough for local Senator Leland Yee:
ABC’s Desperate Housewives Desperate Attempt at Humor Offends Community
Thursday, October 04, 2007
SACRAMENTO – Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) issued the following statement regarding the offensive comments recently broadcast on the ABC show Desperate Housewives:
“As a Senator who represents the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines, I am appalled that the producers and writers at ABC found this type of humor acceptable. As a human being, I am disheartened to see that these stereotypes continue to permeate our airwaves and entertainment media. This desperate attempt at humor is offensive and has no place in our community. Filipinos, including those trained outside of the United States, have made invaluable impacts on the medical field, and should be valued, not disparaged. While I am pleased to see the network issue an apology, I encourage them to do so publicly during the show’s next broadcast and work with the community to heal the wounds caused by this insulting reference.” Contact: Adam J. Keigwin
So there you have it. It's ABC's right to air the show the show the way they want and it's the Filipino American community's right to launch a boycott. Aint that America.
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Pilipino Ka Ba
;)
What the Filipinos are pissed about, is an unjustified disassociation with the western world.
What the writers meant (and what we understand them to have meant) was "non-industrialized south Asian country with more relaxed medical standards". One doesn't have to be a nativist to believe all medical credentials are not equal once one leaves the United States.
Had Teri Hatcher said "Laos" or "Cambodia" we wouldn't be having this argument, and neither would anyone in Manila.
Well, ok, Philippines. We get it. You're even better than Taiwan or Japan. You're free market, largely Christian, and your government really, really loves George Bush. You're in the club. We're sorry Hollywood went off-script. It was one show. We apologize. You're our fourth favorite, right after Britain, Israel, and Canada.
Geez. How do you say "don't get your panties in a twist" in Tagalog?
While we're at it, how do you say "context" in Tagalog? As I understand it, Hatcher's character is supposed to be a bit of a ditz, so wouldn't it make sense that she would be ignorant of the outside world?
I admit, "the Philippines" is an odd choice for the punchline to that joke. Nowadays I'd expect it to be about online universities.
Now I really want Teri's character to be saved in a future episode by a brilliant Filipino surgeon.
Lighten up folks, we have wayyyyyy too many people in our society feeling offended, the last thing we need to do is add Filipinos to the list. Political correctness sucks, who the hell started this crap anyway? Could it be some uptight liberals? Look what you have created, douchebags!
Teri Hatcher didn't say it, her character did. That's an important differentiation. Offensive words were put in the mouth of a character who is, uh, pretty offensive. Don't people regularly get murdered on that show? Why aren't people pissed about that?
Oh yeah, cause scripted TV shows aren't real.
It was a slur, albeit one in a make believe world of TV. It still matters.
It's like saying, "I hope I don't get one of those Jew doctors". Or how about "..like one of those morons you see at Disneyland" [Is moron PC?]
Shoulda said, "Hope it's not one of those internet doploma doctors."
I'm off to Daly City for Lumpias.
Teri Hatcher said it. That we can all agree upon. If her character killed somebody, then Teri Hatcher wouldn't necessarily be a murderer.
Their flyer said that 125 million people watch this show. Sounds like a lot.
The half billion dollar lawsuit gambit might result in a few new hires and a round of mandatory sensitivity re-education for hundreds at the Mouse House.
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=e186f2a155f7dbf96f0a583c268f4fe1
You're wrong. It was not an ethnic slur.
"Jew doctors" is an ethnic slur. And had Hatcher's character said "Filipino doctors" that too would have been an ethnic slur.
But that's not what she said. She said "... from some med. school in the Philippines." The aspersion was cast on the degree. The implication was that it's easier to get accredited by the medical establishment of the Philippines than in the United States. It's a slight against the caliber of education in the Philippines, NOT against the Filipinos themselves.
It's much easier to get awarded a medical diploma from a developing country, where the quality and duration of training is lower. That's why Americans don't fly to the Somalia for heart transplants.
The writers were guilty of geo-economic ignorance, not bigotry. Again, had she mentioned almost any other South Asian country, this wouldn't even be a point of controversy. Go ahead and tag them for cultural insensitivity, but to call the writers of Desperate Housewives racists is to water down the meaning of the word.
It was a slur against filipinos. How many non filipinos go to Phillipine Universities?
Even if technically not a slur against people [vs. a degree], it is being taken as such evidenced by the picketing.
I avoid all these PC gyrations by never watching the garbage shows that are on TV. Well, I do watch a couple of the IFC series on Sun eve. In those sex and drug filled shows they insult and mock everyone equally.
I guess the big question is: What crosses the line between just being a joke versus being considered racist?
Take this for example:
Comedian George Carlin makes a joke about a family newsletter where the family says that the son was able to get into dental school. Carlin's punchline: "Yeah, in the Philippines; on his fourth try."
Does something like this cross the line as similar as the line that was written for Teri Hatcher to read?
Personally, I would say that Hatcher's line was not exactly appropriate to use. But at the same time, I would not use such an extreme reaction.
Lastly, here's something to ponder about: Is it OK to make racial jokes about another ethnic group and to your own? What factors make it acceptable or not?
(This writer has a B.A. in Asian American Studies)
Yeah, the intended effect had nothing to do with being Filipino, but with going to a medical school that is considered disreputable of of low-quality. Sort of like "Hollywood Upstairs Medical College".
The thing is, picketing a Disney store in Union Square isn't sending a message to anyone. Hell, Disney just owns ABC and even the network probably had little to nothing to do with it. The person they're pissed at is just a writer on the show. Find out who wrote the episode and go picket his house. Or just don't watch it.
As for Leland Yee he's a state senator who's also rabidly against video games to the point that he's gotten national exposure for it. Who gives a shit what he thinks? I can't vote the guy out of office vast enough.
Amen. Futhermore the fact that ABC/WAG is making fun of medical schools of the phillipines, drivers in Djibouti, or Dentists in England (which happens all the time) should never be addressed on the floor of the State Senate.
The second biggest problem I have with this is that the protesters have conflated a comment by a fictional character as being a meaningful indictment of their country, its medical establishments, and their very self-worth. Which is dumb.
But this pales in comparison to the fact that Desperate Housewives is considered popular enough to warrant protesting.
This is the yawniest yawn I ever did yawn.
But seriously, Filipinos rock. No doubt there.
wait till they start making fun of the university of phoenix or the academy of art, then we'll have a real problem with them in this town
;)
If they had to protest this, why not do so at channel 7 (KGO) studios instead of the Disney store? That would make the protest more obviously against ABC instead of Disney...
In the preview for the next episode (did I just admit I watch DH?...), a gay couple moves into the neighborhood, and Terri's character says something like "I watch a lot of cable so I'm open-minded to things like this". I think it's all supposed to indicate general suburban closed-mindedness.
Never would have seen them at the Ch. 7 studios, for one thing. Beef against ABC, picket the Disney Store - that's not crazy.
Sen. Yee has a more nuanced view of video games than is generally imagined. Might have a bit on that soon.
I wonder if Senator Yee ever played a violent video game. It is FUN!
GTA, Scarface, The Godfather, they are all very entertaining games versus that weak crap like Mario.
Wait, isn't Mario a violent game too? It encourages you to kill turtles and eat mushrooms (which might kill you).
I love the sign that says "'Desperate Wives' TV Show No Class"! Oh, good one! That'll really hurt the show and its viewers who thought this was serious theatuh.
I respectfully disagree, mariconsoy, when you say, " It was a slur against filipinos. How many non filipinos go to Phillipine Universities?"
She said it to a white doctor. The implication was not that he was somehow secretly Filipino, but that he's not good enough to succeed in an American university. I saw it when it aired, and I thought, "Gee, I'm sure there are a couple of decent med schools in the Philippines." I don't see how race enters into it, unless you take the implication further to suggest that Filipinos are somehow racially unable to succeed in training doctors.