By: Emil Guillermo, Oct 12, 2007, ASIANWEEK
The sad part about the Desperate Housewives slur on Asian Americans of Filipino descent is that few people got it: not the perpetrators from ABC, and incredibly, not even some Asian American watchdogs.
But the Filipino community felt the sting, and that’s all that matters to make a simple throwaway line unacceptable.
In case you were watching PBS’ The War (which had great Filipino stories), here’s the cause of the latest media transgression.
On the Sept. 30th episode of Desperate Housewives, the Teri Hatcher character is about to see a doctor and says, “OK, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”
Ouch. And right on the eve of Filipino American History Month, the month we celebrate the first time a Filipino ever step foot on America, just off California’s Morro Bay on Oct. 18, 1587.
After all this time, people are still ignorant about Asian Americans of Filipino descent.
What is known is the typical cultural shorthand that informs the ignorance of writers at Desperate Housewives and then reinforces the collective ignorance among TV viewers.
That’s how stereotypes fester and become part of the accepted bigotry of modern America. You can’t make a joke out of Filipino med schools unless you believe in the inferiority of everything Filipino.
That such a line could get past the standards officials at ABC is truly amazing.
Using the math principle of substitution (all you APAs should know that one), if the show featured a Passover Seder, you wouldn’t hear stereotypical Jewish jokes bandied about, I assure you.
More frustrating, the true butt of the joke here is not the Filipino but the white American.
They’re the ones not smart enough to find a spot in a U.S. medical school and desperately seek a placement anywhere they can.
But the Desperate writer didn’t know that Filipino medical schools generally are among the best foreign schools, and that Filipino doctors educated both here and in the Philippines are among the most respected in the world.
Other countries do have medical schools that fall well below the U.S. standard. Remember when Reagan invaded the tiny country of Grenada in the ’80s?
The only Americans there were medical students not smart enough to get into a U.S. med school.
EVEN ASIAN AMERICANS MISSED THE MARK
But here’s a truly frustrating thing: when I contacted MANAA, the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, I figured it would be leading the fight against the networks.
Incredibly, even MANAA, which has fought Hollywood for years on these sorts of issues, didn’t feel any outrage.
When I contacted Guy Aoki, the MANAA guru, he e-mailed, “You’ll probably hate me for saying this, but we didn’t think it was a big deal. If they mention any foreign country, people descended from that country are going to be upset. We have no idea about the caliber of doctors from the Phillippines [sic], only that there are a lot of Filipino nurses. Besides, we don’t usually get involved when foreign countries are involved.”
Now, I love Guy Aoki, have publicly praised his efforts in general and still want to work with him.
But his reaction is troubling because I’m sure he’s not the only non-Filipino who felt that way. To many, Filipinos still don’t rate on the “offend-o-meter.”
Fortunately, Karen Narasaki, another legendary community advocate who works with a coalition of media diversity activists, recognized the slur and helped in the peacemaking between ABC and the Filipino community last week. The network has agreed to remove the slur from all repeats and DVD compilations.
But that’s not enough. Removing the slur sounds like a nice gesture, but it only erases the incriminating evidence.
It doesn’t deal with the insensitivity.
It whitewashes the episode and shines up ABC’s image, like it never happened. ABC is left smelling like a rose.
And the Filipinos? To ABC and to the millions who bought into the slur in the first place, we smell the same as ever.
Nothing is done to restore our lost esteem.
In fact, ABC merely erases us totally from memory and returns us to our natural state — invisibility.
It wouldn’t be an issue if there were simply more references, positive or benign, just not negative. For now, that’s all there is.
That’s why the protest should continue — at least through Filipino American History Month – until ABC truly makes amends. Me, I’d like to see a Filipino on Desperate do something heroic — like teach Teri Hatcher’s character a lesson. I’d volunteer for that.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Fight vs ABC unites feuding Filipinos in US
By Nimfa U. Rueda (Inquirer)
Posted date: October 09, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- The increasingly heated campaign against a perceived slur against Filipino doctors on a recent episode of “Desperate Housewives” has shown that Filipino Americans, when united, are capable of highly coordinated action.
There had been differences among Filipino-American groups over campaign strategies, said Arnedo Valera, legal counsel for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon). Valera led a group of Filipino-American community leaders who held a dialog with Robert Mendez, ABC television network’s senior vice president for diversity, on October 5 in New York City.
But in the end, divergent groups came together in achieving one goal -- to defend the reputation of Filipino health professionals and make a statement against racism. “We have agreed to stand united with respect to (our) demands and plans of actions,” said Valera, a Washington DC-based lawyer who also serves as executive director of the Migrant Heritage Commission.
“We are taking this great opportunity to join forces and show our strength as the second largest minority group in the United States,” he added.
While the militant Nafcon leads a boycott of the network and its parent company, Walt Disney Company, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa) plans to sit down with Mendez, in a second round of talks, on Tuesday.
Nafcon spokesperson Rico Foz said they decided to call for a boycott and escalated protest actions after facing a tough stand-off with Mendez on their demand for a broadcast apology. This decision was backed by a progressive group within Naffaa, led by California-based lawyer Rodel Rodis.
“The Filipino community needs to apply continuous pressure on ABC,” said Rodis, who is also spearheading efforts to form an antidefamation committee and preparing a class action suit against ABC.
Posted date: October 09, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- The increasingly heated campaign against a perceived slur against Filipino doctors on a recent episode of “Desperate Housewives” has shown that Filipino Americans, when united, are capable of highly coordinated action.
There had been differences among Filipino-American groups over campaign strategies, said Arnedo Valera, legal counsel for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon). Valera led a group of Filipino-American community leaders who held a dialog with Robert Mendez, ABC television network’s senior vice president for diversity, on October 5 in New York City.
But in the end, divergent groups came together in achieving one goal -- to defend the reputation of Filipino health professionals and make a statement against racism. “We have agreed to stand united with respect to (our) demands and plans of actions,” said Valera, a Washington DC-based lawyer who also serves as executive director of the Migrant Heritage Commission.
“We are taking this great opportunity to join forces and show our strength as the second largest minority group in the United States,” he added.
While the militant Nafcon leads a boycott of the network and its parent company, Walt Disney Company, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa) plans to sit down with Mendez, in a second round of talks, on Tuesday.
Nafcon spokesperson Rico Foz said they decided to call for a boycott and escalated protest actions after facing a tough stand-off with Mendez on their demand for a broadcast apology. This decision was backed by a progressive group within Naffaa, led by California-based lawyer Rodel Rodis.
“The Filipino community needs to apply continuous pressure on ABC,” said Rodis, who is also spearheading efforts to form an antidefamation committee and preparing a class action suit against ABC.
Letter to ABC President from Dr. Legaspi
October 7,2007
Mr. Stephen McPherson
President, ABC Entertainment, ABC Television Series
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-0001
Dear Mr. McPherson,
On behalf of myself and all my Filipino colleagues in the medical community, I express our extreme displeasure and outrage at the inappropriate and uninformed line in last Sunday's episode of "Desperate Housewives". When Teri Hatcher disparaged the validity of the medical degrees from the Philippines, you and your network scarred the reputation of the Filipino educational system and insulted each and every Filipino-American who has dedicated their lives to serve those in medical need. Writers as talented as those employed by ABC should be witty enough to devise a clever line that conveys the character's dismay without denigrating one of the largest and most talented sub-populations in the United States. While freedom of speech is one of our fundamental rights, blatant racism strikes against the very fiber of the United States, where equality and racial tolerance are pillars of our great society..
Please be aware that the line has greatly offended
1. Philippine trained physicians
2. Filipino-American Professionals
3. The Philippine Educational System
AND the millions of patients who have received first-rate professional care from Filipino doctors.
Filipino-Americans are sometimes referred to as the "Invisible Minority". However, be aware that in the United States, there are at least 22,000 Philippine-American physicians, who have earned the trust and loyalty of their patients. These doctors have served thousand, even millions of Americans combined, not to mention as physicians to U.S. Presidents Bush and Clinton (under the care of Rear Admiral Eleanor Mariano) and former President Ronald Reagan (Dr. Honorato Nicodemus was his anesthesiologist when he got shot in 1981). Moreover, there are about four million Filipino-Americans living in this country, accounting for 21% of the Asian-American population. Among Asian-Americans, we possess the highest median household income. We patronize each and every one of your advertisers and represent a large component of your viewing audience. If need be, we can bring our collective efforts together, informing advertisers that we shall no longer purchase products and services that pay a network that supports racism.
Mr. McPherson, I commend you and your network's first steps towards rectifying this matter by issuing a public aplogy and removing the offensive line from any future airings of the episode in the medium. However, given the gravity of the insult, you must agree such measures alone are terribly insufficient. We believe that a real dialogue between you and leaders of the Filipino-American medical community should take place as soon as possible, such that we can discuss proper remedial steps. We also ask that the copy writers and /or actress directly involved be sufficiently sanctioned either through monetary penalty or another equally effective measure.
"First, do no harm" We swear thin in our medical profession. Please respect our culture and our education.
Sincerely,
Amante G. Legaspi, M.D.
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Far Eastern University
Dr. Nicanor Reyes Shool of Medicine Alumni Foundation, USA
Past President, Association of Philippine Physicians
President, ChesapeakeVirginaMedical Society
Copy:
Ms. Anne Sweeney (Co-Chair, Disney Media networks & President, Disney ABC Television Group)
Mr. Marc Cherry (Creator & Executive Producer, Desperate Housewives)
Mr. Mark Pedowitz (President,ABC Studios)
The Honorable Willy Gaa (Ambassador to the United States, Republic of the Philippines)
Mr. Libertito Pelayo (Publisher, The Filipino Reporter)
Mr. Stephen McPherson
President, ABC Entertainment, ABC Television Series
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-0001
Dear Mr. McPherson,
On behalf of myself and all my Filipino colleagues in the medical community, I express our extreme displeasure and outrage at the inappropriate and uninformed line in last Sunday's episode of "Desperate Housewives". When Teri Hatcher disparaged the validity of the medical degrees from the Philippines, you and your network scarred the reputation of the Filipino educational system and insulted each and every Filipino-American who has dedicated their lives to serve those in medical need. Writers as talented as those employed by ABC should be witty enough to devise a clever line that conveys the character's dismay without denigrating one of the largest and most talented sub-populations in the United States. While freedom of speech is one of our fundamental rights, blatant racism strikes against the very fiber of the United States, where equality and racial tolerance are pillars of our great society..
Please be aware that the line has greatly offended
1. Philippine trained physicians
2. Filipino-American Professionals
3. The Philippine Educational System
AND the millions of patients who have received first-rate professional care from Filipino doctors.
Filipino-Americans are sometimes referred to as the "Invisible Minority". However, be aware that in the United States, there are at least 22,000 Philippine-American physicians, who have earned the trust and loyalty of their patients. These doctors have served thousand, even millions of Americans combined, not to mention as physicians to U.S. Presidents Bush and Clinton (under the care of Rear Admiral Eleanor Mariano) and former President Ronald Reagan (Dr. Honorato Nicodemus was his anesthesiologist when he got shot in 1981). Moreover, there are about four million Filipino-Americans living in this country, accounting for 21% of the Asian-American population. Among Asian-Americans, we possess the highest median household income. We patronize each and every one of your advertisers and represent a large component of your viewing audience. If need be, we can bring our collective efforts together, informing advertisers that we shall no longer purchase products and services that pay a network that supports racism.
Mr. McPherson, I commend you and your network's first steps towards rectifying this matter by issuing a public aplogy and removing the offensive line from any future airings of the episode in the medium. However, given the gravity of the insult, you must agree such measures alone are terribly insufficient. We believe that a real dialogue between you and leaders of the Filipino-American medical community should take place as soon as possible, such that we can discuss proper remedial steps. We also ask that the copy writers and /or actress directly involved be sufficiently sanctioned either through monetary penalty or another equally effective measure.
"First, do no harm" We swear thin in our medical profession. Please respect our culture and our education.
Sincerely,
Amante G. Legaspi, M.D.
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Far Eastern University
Dr. Nicanor Reyes Shool of Medicine Alumni Foundation, USA
Past President, Association of Philippine Physicians
President, ChesapeakeVirginaMedical Society
Copy:
Ms. Anne Sweeney (Co-Chair, Disney Media networks & President, Disney ABC Television Group)
Mr. Marc Cherry (Creator & Executive Producer, Desperate Housewives)
Mr. Mark Pedowitz (President,ABC Studios)
The Honorable Willy Gaa (Ambassador to the United States, Republic of the Philippines)
Mr. Libertito Pelayo (Publisher, The Filipino Reporter)
Monday, October 8, 2007
ABC's Desperate Housewives' 09/30/07 Episode Slandered Philippine-educated Physicians
By: Roman P. Mosqueda, Esq.
Hollywood actress Teri Hatcher, as Susan Mayer Delfino in ABC's Desperate Housewives, in its September 30, 2007 episode, said: "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some medical school in the Philippines."
In the October 03, 2007, letter of Dr. Virgilio R. Pilapil, President of the Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA), to Mr. Mark Pedowitz, President of ABC Television Network, based in Burbank, California, he correctly observed: "The obvious implication that leaps out of the comment is that Philippine medical schools are not of good quality and so are their graduates."
Dr. Pilapil further corrected the statement: "These are definitely not true because Filipino physicians in this country have never had such a reputation but are instead well respected and trusted by the people they serve because of the excellent medical care that they provide on top of their very compassionate attitude."
Disparaging racial stereotyping? No doubt about that!
Actionable slander in California? Yes, for the reasons in the following legal brief.
Elements of Slander Under California Civil Code:
Section 46 of the California Civil Code defines slander as: "a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered and communicated by radio or any other means, which charges or imputes that a person has committed a crime, has an infections or loathsome disease, or is impotent or unchaste, or which tends to directly injure a person's business or professional reputation, or which causes, by natural consequence, actual damage."
The first element of actionable slander in California is the making of false statement. Section 46 of the Civil Code as applied by case law requires that a publication must contain a false statement of fact to give rise to liability for defamation. Also see California Jury Instruction No. 7.04.1.
For the definition of slander to be meaningfully applied, the statement must be capable of being proved false or true, according to Savage v. Pacific Gas & Electric, (1993) 21 Cal. App. 4th 434, 445, 26 Cal. Rptr. 305, 313.
Whether "some medical school in the Philippines" are below accepted standard of quality, and their medical graduates poorly educated and trained are capable of being proved false or true, in the opinion of this Author.
The second element of actionable slander is the oral publication of the defamatory statement. It cannot be disputed that the oral statement of Teri Hatcher was broadcast on television on September 30, 2007 in ABC's Desperate Housewives' episode.
The third element of actionable slander is sufficient allegation of slander of or concerning the plaintiff. Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 460, a complaint for slander is sufficient (not susceptible to demurrer for uncertainty), if it pleads that words were spoken of and concerning the plaintiff without pleading the underlying facts.
Thus, if the statement contains no specific reference by name or clear implication to plaintiff, the complaint fails to state a proper claim for defamation, even though it pleads that the words were of and concerning the plaintiff. See Noral v. Hearst Publishing, Inc. (1940) 40 Cal. App. 2d 348, 353, 104 P.2d 860.
In the statement of Teri Hatcher, although no specific reference by name was made, there is clear implication to Filipino physicians educated in some medical schools in the Philippines, in the opinion of this Author.
The fourth element of actionable slander is slanderous statement. In the determination whether a statement is defamatory or slanderous, California courts look to what is explicitly stated, as well as to what insinuation and implication can be reasonably drawn from the communication. See Pulver v. Avco Financial Services , (1986) 182 Cal. App. 3d 622, 637-38, 227 Cal. Rptr. 491, 499.
Under California Jury Instructions 7.01, "(t)he defamatory nature of a false and unprivileged publication must be determined by the nature and probable effect of the publication on the mind of the average listener. Consequently, if the average listener would regard it as a defamatory publication it may be slanderous on its face even though it is also susceptible of innocent meaning."
But remarks that a reasonable person would understand, by its nature and context, to be a joke or a parody cannot support an action for slander. See Polygram Records, Inc. vs. Superior Court (1985), 170 Cal. App. 3d 543, 216 Cal. Rptr. 252, on monologue by comedian Robin Williams could not support an action for slander.
In this case, Teri Hatcher is no Robin Williams. And even if she or the scriptwriter(s) meant it to be a joke, no fair-minded person could construe her statement as a joke. But even if considered a joke, humor will not necessarily preclude responsibility for defamation. See Amo v. Stewart, (1966) 245 Cal. App. 2d 955, 962, 54 Cal. Rptr.3 392, 396.
Demand For Correction, Refusal, And Damages:
Under Section 48a(1) of the California Civil Code, if the slander was published in a radio or television broadcast, the plaintiff may recover no more than special damages, unless a correction is demanded in writing within 20 days after becoming aware of the alleged slander.
If the radio or television broadcaster fails to properly comply with the demand for correction within three (3) weeks after such demand for correction was served on the broadcaster, that is, no correction was broadcast, or such correction was broadcast but not in substantially as conspicuous manner as was the statement claimed to be defamatory, plaintiff is entitled to recover general, special, and exemplary damages, under Section 48 a(2) of the Civil Code.
Conclusion:
In the experience of this Author, many of the defamation complaints he has filed in court were settled, but at least one resulted in plaintiff's judgment; and the defamation cases he has defended were dismissed. But serious defamatory statements especially involving a large group of persons should be corrected by more than just mere apologies.
******
(The Author, Roman P. Mosqueda, has personally litigated several defamation (slander and libel) cases. He filed a libel complaint with the Norwalk Superior Court just last month. He has also represented several defendants in libel cases, including a case involving the wife of a Philippine Consul General, which was dismissed by the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
He is proudly married to Dr. Mariedel R. Leviste, an internationally-renowned Board-Certified Internist and Dermatologist and authority on ethnic skin with her own skin products. She is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, College of Medicine, in the Philippines.)
Hollywood actress Teri Hatcher, as Susan Mayer Delfino in ABC's Desperate Housewives, in its September 30, 2007 episode, said: "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some medical school in the Philippines."
In the October 03, 2007, letter of Dr. Virgilio R. Pilapil, President of the Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA), to Mr. Mark Pedowitz, President of ABC Television Network, based in Burbank, California, he correctly observed: "The obvious implication that leaps out of the comment is that Philippine medical schools are not of good quality and so are their graduates."
Dr. Pilapil further corrected the statement: "These are definitely not true because Filipino physicians in this country have never had such a reputation but are instead well respected and trusted by the people they serve because of the excellent medical care that they provide on top of their very compassionate attitude."
Disparaging racial stereotyping? No doubt about that!
Actionable slander in California? Yes, for the reasons in the following legal brief.
Elements of Slander Under California Civil Code:
Section 46 of the California Civil Code defines slander as: "a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered and communicated by radio or any other means, which charges or imputes that a person has committed a crime, has an infections or loathsome disease, or is impotent or unchaste, or which tends to directly injure a person's business or professional reputation, or which causes, by natural consequence, actual damage."
The first element of actionable slander in California is the making of false statement. Section 46 of the Civil Code as applied by case law requires that a publication must contain a false statement of fact to give rise to liability for defamation. Also see California Jury Instruction No. 7.04.1.
For the definition of slander to be meaningfully applied, the statement must be capable of being proved false or true, according to Savage v. Pacific Gas & Electric, (1993) 21 Cal. App. 4th 434, 445, 26 Cal. Rptr. 305, 313.
Whether "some medical school in the Philippines" are below accepted standard of quality, and their medical graduates poorly educated and trained are capable of being proved false or true, in the opinion of this Author.
The second element of actionable slander is the oral publication of the defamatory statement. It cannot be disputed that the oral statement of Teri Hatcher was broadcast on television on September 30, 2007 in ABC's Desperate Housewives' episode.
The third element of actionable slander is sufficient allegation of slander of or concerning the plaintiff. Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 460, a complaint for slander is sufficient (not susceptible to demurrer for uncertainty), if it pleads that words were spoken of and concerning the plaintiff without pleading the underlying facts.
Thus, if the statement contains no specific reference by name or clear implication to plaintiff, the complaint fails to state a proper claim for defamation, even though it pleads that the words were of and concerning the plaintiff. See Noral v. Hearst Publishing, Inc. (1940) 40 Cal. App. 2d 348, 353, 104 P.2d 860.
In the statement of Teri Hatcher, although no specific reference by name was made, there is clear implication to Filipino physicians educated in some medical schools in the Philippines, in the opinion of this Author.
The fourth element of actionable slander is slanderous statement. In the determination whether a statement is defamatory or slanderous, California courts look to what is explicitly stated, as well as to what insinuation and implication can be reasonably drawn from the communication. See Pulver v. Avco Financial Services , (1986) 182 Cal. App. 3d 622, 637-38, 227 Cal. Rptr. 491, 499.
Under California Jury Instructions 7.01, "(t)he defamatory nature of a false and unprivileged publication must be determined by the nature and probable effect of the publication on the mind of the average listener. Consequently, if the average listener would regard it as a defamatory publication it may be slanderous on its face even though it is also susceptible of innocent meaning."
But remarks that a reasonable person would understand, by its nature and context, to be a joke or a parody cannot support an action for slander. See Polygram Records, Inc. vs. Superior Court (1985), 170 Cal. App. 3d 543, 216 Cal. Rptr. 252, on monologue by comedian Robin Williams could not support an action for slander.
In this case, Teri Hatcher is no Robin Williams. And even if she or the scriptwriter(s) meant it to be a joke, no fair-minded person could construe her statement as a joke. But even if considered a joke, humor will not necessarily preclude responsibility for defamation. See Amo v. Stewart, (1966) 245 Cal. App. 2d 955, 962, 54 Cal. Rptr.3 392, 396.
Demand For Correction, Refusal, And Damages:
Under Section 48a(1) of the California Civil Code, if the slander was published in a radio or television broadcast, the plaintiff may recover no more than special damages, unless a correction is demanded in writing within 20 days after becoming aware of the alleged slander.
If the radio or television broadcaster fails to properly comply with the demand for correction within three (3) weeks after such demand for correction was served on the broadcaster, that is, no correction was broadcast, or such correction was broadcast but not in substantially as conspicuous manner as was the statement claimed to be defamatory, plaintiff is entitled to recover general, special, and exemplary damages, under Section 48 a(2) of the Civil Code.
Conclusion:
In the experience of this Author, many of the defamation complaints he has filed in court were settled, but at least one resulted in plaintiff's judgment; and the defamation cases he has defended were dismissed. But serious defamatory statements especially involving a large group of persons should be corrected by more than just mere apologies.
******
(The Author, Roman P. Mosqueda, has personally litigated several defamation (slander and libel) cases. He filed a libel complaint with the Norwalk Superior Court just last month. He has also represented several defendants in libel cases, including a case involving the wife of a Philippine Consul General, which was dismissed by the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
He is proudly married to Dr. Mariedel R. Leviste, an internationally-renowned Board-Certified Internist and Dermatologist and authority on ethnic skin with her own skin products. She is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, College of Medicine, in the Philippines.)
Class action suit vs ABC network planned
By Nimfa U. Rueda (Inquirer)
Last updated 06:41pm (Mla time) 10/08/2007
LOS ANGELES -- A Group of Filipino-American doctors said they plan to file a class action suit against the big ABC television network to rectify a perceived slur against Filipino doctors aired on the popular soap “Desperate Housewives.”
“A multimillion-dollar lawsuit for public defamation and damages is in order,” said Dr. Eustaquio O. Abay, in an e-mail to California-based Fil-Am lawyer Rodel Rodis. “This is the only way I believe we can compel ABC to make a high-profile apology to the Filipino community.”
The doctors and allied Filipino groups said they were not satisfied with the brief apology issued by the network, or with the response they got during an hour-long meeting in New York City on Friday with Robert Mendez, the network’s senior vice president for diversity and talent development.
The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon) is demanding that the program broadcast its apology during the show’s next episode, conduct cultural sensitivity training workshops for network staff, produce more shows depicting Filipinos and other minority groups in “prominent, positive roles,” and support Filipino-American projects that will strengthen diversity awareness.
According to Rico Foz, spokesperson for Nafcon, Mendez had told them that a broadcast apology on the “Desperate Housewives” show was unlikely.
“(He) told us, ‘It’s going to be tough’” but added he would discuss the demands with the network management, Foz said.
“I don’t think they [ABC] are taking us seriously,” added Foz.
Abay said the remark made in a recent episode by the character played by actress Teri Hatcher tarnished the reputation of Fil-Am doctors educated in the Philippines.
In the controversial scene, Hatcher’s character tells her doctor: “Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”
The online petition against the controversial remark in “Desperate Housewives” has now generated over 100,000 signatories.
Last updated 06:41pm (Mla time) 10/08/2007
LOS ANGELES -- A Group of Filipino-American doctors said they plan to file a class action suit against the big ABC television network to rectify a perceived slur against Filipino doctors aired on the popular soap “Desperate Housewives.”
“A multimillion-dollar lawsuit for public defamation and damages is in order,” said Dr. Eustaquio O. Abay, in an e-mail to California-based Fil-Am lawyer Rodel Rodis. “This is the only way I believe we can compel ABC to make a high-profile apology to the Filipino community.”
The doctors and allied Filipino groups said they were not satisfied with the brief apology issued by the network, or with the response they got during an hour-long meeting in New York City on Friday with Robert Mendez, the network’s senior vice president for diversity and talent development.
The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon) is demanding that the program broadcast its apology during the show’s next episode, conduct cultural sensitivity training workshops for network staff, produce more shows depicting Filipinos and other minority groups in “prominent, positive roles,” and support Filipino-American projects that will strengthen diversity awareness.
According to Rico Foz, spokesperson for Nafcon, Mendez had told them that a broadcast apology on the “Desperate Housewives” show was unlikely.
“(He) told us, ‘It’s going to be tough’” but added he would discuss the demands with the network management, Foz said.
“I don’t think they [ABC] are taking us seriously,” added Foz.
Abay said the remark made in a recent episode by the character played by actress Teri Hatcher tarnished the reputation of Fil-Am doctors educated in the Philippines.
In the controversial scene, Hatcher’s character tells her doctor: “Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”
The online petition against the controversial remark in “Desperate Housewives” has now generated over 100,000 signatories.
DESPERATE APOLOGIES
Telltale Signs by Rodel Rodis, Esq.
When Terri Hatcher’s character in “Desperate Housewives” flippantly remarked in the premiere episode of the 4th season of the hit TV show that all physicians who receive their diplomas from “some med school in the Philippines” should be viewed as quacks, it exposed not just the anti-Filipino bigotry of the producers, scriptwriters and cast of that ABC show but the absence of the Filipino community’s clout in Hollywood.
Certain groups in Hollywood have clout. If the “Desperate” writer had used Israel instead of the Philippines, he would have been immediately denounced as anti-semitic and his offending script dumped in the garbage along with him. If the script attacked the integrity of African Americans, the writer would have received the Don Imus “nappy-headed hos” award and be gone in a New York minute.
If the script denigrated someone’s sexual orientation, then people will cite the example of actor Isaiah Washington who used the “F” word to describe fellow actor T.R. Knight in “Grey’s Anatomy”. The producers of the ABC hit show compelled Washington to publicly apologize for the homophobic slur and to educate himself about gay issues. After he did all that, ABC fired him from the show.
The offending script of “Desperate Housewives” was probably written about ten months ago before it went through a vetting process with the writers, producers and the director of the show, as well as the cast, commenting on it, before shooting of the episode was done around April or May. After it was edited, it was then shown to the ABC executives who approved it and readied if for showing on September 30.
Throughout this whole 10-month process, not one person in the ABC chain said “Wait a minute, folks, this isn’t right, we’re maligning every Philippine-educated physician in the US. What are we saying here? That they’re all quacks, that they can’t be trusted to make a proper medical diagnosis about menopause?”
Not one of them even sought to show the script to Alec Mapa, a Filipino-American actor who has a recurring role in the series, to get his reaction. If they did, he would have told them, as he did after it aired: "It's unfortunate that the Philippines was used as a punch line. My family is filled with doctors and medical professionals. I know first hand from them, that the medical schools in the Philippines are top notch.”
After the offending episode was shown, ABC was besieged with angry phone calls, emails and letters from Filipino American viewers throughout the US. An online petition drafted by Kevin Nadal drew 30,000 signatures in 48 hours (130,000 in 5 days).
In response, ABC predictably issued the most insincere apology a PR hack could have written. "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," the ABC statement said.
The PR person’s apology showed incredible ignorance of the issue. The integrity of the “medical community in the Philippines” was not disparaged, it was the Filipino “medical community in the US” that was defamed by the “brief reference” to their quack credentials.
As Manila columnist Conrado DeQuiros explained, “it doesn’t just cast aspersion on—or worse doubts, which affect employment opportunities of—Filipino doctors, it does so on Filipino professionals generally. What applies to the diplomas of Filipino doctors applies as well to the diplomas of Filipino engineers, accountants and lawyers. Left unprotested, a single line like that in a hugely popular TV series can do more harm by the incalculable power of suggestion than whole reams or airtime of diatribe in a newspaper or talk show.”
What kind of harm can this show that is watched by more than 125 million viewers in more than 75 countries do?
One physician, Dr. Arsenio Martin, a pulmonary and critical care specialist who has a diploma from “some med school in the Philippines”, wrote to say that he regularly sees terminal patients and knows that family members try to get the best specialist they could find and they find him.
“If that patient dies because of his or her terminal illness, the family members will either accept it or second guess themselves… If you try to inject negative things in their minds, like what Terry Hatcher did, then they will forever torture themselves wishing they had called another physician or, the worst scenario, they will file suit against that Filipino doctor.”
When ABC’s anemic apology failed to mollify the Filipino community, ABC was compelled to dispatch Robert Mendez, its Senior Vice President for Diversity, to “reach out” to the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). According to NaFFAA’s Jon Melegrito, Mendez wanted “to assure the Filipino American community that ABC takes our concerns seriously and is taking the necessary steps to make amends.”
Based on just one telephone conversation with Mendez, Melegrito announced that “ABC is making a good faith effort to seriously make amends, and that Mr. Mendez is sincere in wanting to open a dialogue with us.”
But others were not so quick to accept ABC’s promises as they recalled a similar promise made by ABC in the past over an episode of Frasier where Filipino women were referred to as “mail order brides from the Philippines.” Filipino community protests over that offensive remark resulted in a similar public apology by ABC and a similar promise to remove the offending dialogue from the scene. ABC reneged on the promise and the offensive remark was left intact in the DVDs and in the endless syndicated reruns of Frasier.
Over the past week, pickets by Filipino American groups in Burbank, California and in New York and Washington DC caused Mendez to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Filipino community leaders in New York on October 5. In that meeting, Rico Foz, a spokesperson for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon), asked ABC to broadcast its public apology during the show’s next episode. “It will be tough,” Mendez said (“In your dreams” is what he meant).
Foz also demanded that Mendez arrange a meeting with Marc Cherry, the producer of “Desperate Housewives”, to discuss their concerns. He wanted ABC to initiate cultural sensitivity training for its network writers and producers and for ABC to produce shows that depict Filipinos and other minority groups as "prominent, positive role models." The group also demanded an explanation on how the bigoted remarks in the episode got past everyone and wanted to know what ABC will do to ensure that such ugly scenes will never happen again. Mendez promised to discuss these demands with the network management.
To ensure that ABC will follow through on its promises, continuous pressure by the Filipino community must be applied. Pickets of ABC offices and a boycott of Disney products will focus ABC’s attention to the problem. We will not be fooled again.
Folks can send letters to Mr.. Mark Pedowitz, President; ABC Television Network; 500 S. Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-4551; email: abc7@abc.com) or sign the online petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/).
Send comments to Rodel50@aol.com.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Fil-Am show of force on ‘Desperate Housewives’ controversy
By Rita M. Gerona-Adkins (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Posted date: October 07, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Filipinos all over United States are getting organized and showing force to protect their communities from discrimination.
While this development is obviously an offshoot of the "Desperate Housewives" controversy -- wherein a scene in one episode disparaged medical schools in the Philippines -- the idea of an anti-defamation action group is seen by some as a welcome watchdog on behalf of Filipino-American community interests.
The breadth and spontaneity of protests made feasible by YouTube and the facility of on-line communication have produced record-setting results.
As of this writing, a total of 84,865 individuals have signed the on-line petition on http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/petition.html.
The on-line Filipino petition also was first in the top list of 27 on-line petitions, outranking protests against violence in Burma and alleged killings by Blackwater contract guards in Iraq.
In the flurry of passionate, and even angry, comments circulated through e-mail, letters, phone calls and the on-line petitions, the disparaging remark about Philippine medical schools, albeit made through a fictitious television character, raised a sense of irony from some observers.
"Filipino doctors with training from Philippine medical schools have for so long supplied health care throughout the US, without which the bulk and quality of medical care here would not be easily maintained," Dr. Alex Fangonil, immediate past president of the umbrella organization Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA) and who practices urology in the metropolitan Washington area, said.
"Of course, there is still prejudice out there," he added, acknowledging the comment as an insult.
The APPA, with its current president, Dr. Virgilio Pilapil, who practices in Illinois, has also issued a memorandum of protest and call for an apology from ABC.
According to the American Physicians Association, based on the Census in 2005, there were 19,000 Philippine-trained practicing physicians in the US
A study made by AMA also shows that the Philippines ranks second to India as the top suppliers of doctors fulfilling the demand in the US, and outranks all other countries in supply of dentists and nurses.
Rules and procedures may have been changed, but there is still a constant need to increase the underserved populations in America's rural areas, not to mention the burgeoning urban areas, plus the need to fill the supply of medical and paramedical personnel in the war fronts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
This demand could not have been more evident than a big sun-bleached, faded billboard displayed on a seaside highway toward Cebu City, with the face of US President George W. Bush and the words "We welcome doctors, nurses, caregivers, and IT technicians in our country!"
As for the question of quality of Philippine medical schools, according to the International Medical Education Quarterly Volume 1, No. 2 Summer 2003, "Medical schools in The Philippines have been the source of a large number of physicians who come to the United States for graduate medical education and the practice of medicine."
The publication further notes: "Currently, there are 32 Philippine medical schools listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED), 30 of which are operating and 2 of which are closed. Three of the currently operating medical schools have been identified by the Philippines Commission on Higher Education as 'Centers of Excellence' and one as a 'Center of Development' based "on their track record, performance in the licensure examination and excellent faculty… The Centers of Excellence are at the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and the Cebu Institute of Medicine. The Center of Development is at Xavier University."
It also noted that the "first medical school established in the Philippines was the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Santo Tomas in 1871."
Of further interest, especially to ABC and its search for dramatic diversity materials, is the fact that Harvard University's Medical School was first integrated in 1937 by a Filipina, Dr. Fe del Mundo, who, as a scholar admitted to the prestigious medical school for some graduate courses, forgot to remind the then-all male department such irrelevancy as the fact that she is female.
ABC has agreed to remove the offensive scene in the September 30 episode of "Desperate Housewives" from future broadcasts and DVD editions, according to Jon Melegrito, communications director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).
The ABC latest move was made in a telephone call on Oct. 4 by Robert Mendez, ABC vice president and director of diversity strategies covering the Disney-ABC Television Group, which includes the ABC Television Network that launched the popular Desperate Housewives weekly series.
Recounting the telephone conversation with Mendez to this correspondent, Melegrito said that ABC wanted to assure the Filipino American community and NaFFAA that ABC would make this change. He issued on Oct. 5, a NaFFAA press release on the ABC move.
"He said on the phone that ABC is taking immediate steps to wipe out the offending scene from all DVD editions and rebroadcasts," Melegrito said. "This means that future airing of this program will not include this offensive scene."
The controversial scene involved a comment by Susan, the fictitious character played by actress Teri Hatcher, asking her gynecologist after she was diagnosed as nearing menopause, the question, "Can I check those diplomas because I just wanted to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines."
The Sept. 30 premiere showing of the fall drama-comedy series raked in an average of 19 million viewers, the series' largest-ever audience and topping the list of other television favorites with a very wide margin, according to the Nielsen report.
The comment impugning the quality of medical schools in the Philippines, and in effect the abilities of Philippine-trained physicians practicing in the US, was viewed as uninformed, derogatory or racist by Filipino American advocacy organizations and individuals as well as by the Philippine Embassy and its consular offices in the US and some government officials in the Philippines.
Responding to the mounting barrage of complaints initially triggered by a New York-based Filipino American artist's complaint and on-line petition, ABC made a brief statement -- reported earlier in the Philippine Daily Inquirer -- stating ABC's "sincere apologies" and that it had "no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines."
ABC had also sent an official apology to the Philippine government through the Department of Foreign Affairs, according to media reports.
The apology, however, was viewed at large as not sufficient. There were angry comments about suing the network.
But recognizing the opportunity to make corrections and other initiatives in improving the image of Filipinos and other immigrants through a face-to-face discussion with the television network's officials, in particular, Mendez, who is responsible for advancing diversity in ABC network's programming, NaFFAA agreed to meet with ABC.
"I think it would be more effective to discuss with them in a reasonable manner than in doing an adversarial approach," Melegrito explained, but added "until other measures are deemed necessary."
To arrive at some consensus for action, a conference call among NaFFAA members and other interested parties, was also held early morning of Oct. 5, according to Melegrito.
At this writing, a delegation initiated by NaFFAA met on Friday with Mendez at ABC's West 66th Street address in New York City. Led by NaFFAA Executive Director Doy Heredia, the delegation also involved representatives of other advocacy groups, notably the D.C.-based Migrant Heritage Commission, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, a militant coalition based in New York; and the Philippine Forum.
A demonstration was also held on Saturday, Oct. 6 in front of ABC offices in the district.
The meeting was intended to discuss measures that could avoid similar cases in the future as well as specific steps to improve the television network's treatment of images of immigrant and minority communities.
In the West Coast, there is also a plan to form an anti-defamation coalition composed of NaFFAA and other associations involving Filipino and Filipino American physicians, lawyers, nurses and other practitioners of other professions.
Note: The writer is based in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, with e-mail rgeronaadkins@yahoo.com.
Posted date: October 07, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Filipinos all over United States are getting organized and showing force to protect their communities from discrimination.
While this development is obviously an offshoot of the "Desperate Housewives" controversy -- wherein a scene in one episode disparaged medical schools in the Philippines -- the idea of an anti-defamation action group is seen by some as a welcome watchdog on behalf of Filipino-American community interests.
The breadth and spontaneity of protests made feasible by YouTube and the facility of on-line communication have produced record-setting results.
As of this writing, a total of 84,865 individuals have signed the on-line petition on http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/petition.html.
The on-line Filipino petition also was first in the top list of 27 on-line petitions, outranking protests against violence in Burma and alleged killings by Blackwater contract guards in Iraq.
In the flurry of passionate, and even angry, comments circulated through e-mail, letters, phone calls and the on-line petitions, the disparaging remark about Philippine medical schools, albeit made through a fictitious television character, raised a sense of irony from some observers.
"Filipino doctors with training from Philippine medical schools have for so long supplied health care throughout the US, without which the bulk and quality of medical care here would not be easily maintained," Dr. Alex Fangonil, immediate past president of the umbrella organization Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA) and who practices urology in the metropolitan Washington area, said.
"Of course, there is still prejudice out there," he added, acknowledging the comment as an insult.
The APPA, with its current president, Dr. Virgilio Pilapil, who practices in Illinois, has also issued a memorandum of protest and call for an apology from ABC.
According to the American Physicians Association, based on the Census in 2005, there were 19,000 Philippine-trained practicing physicians in the US
A study made by AMA also shows that the Philippines ranks second to India as the top suppliers of doctors fulfilling the demand in the US, and outranks all other countries in supply of dentists and nurses.
Rules and procedures may have been changed, but there is still a constant need to increase the underserved populations in America's rural areas, not to mention the burgeoning urban areas, plus the need to fill the supply of medical and paramedical personnel in the war fronts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
This demand could not have been more evident than a big sun-bleached, faded billboard displayed on a seaside highway toward Cebu City, with the face of US President George W. Bush and the words "We welcome doctors, nurses, caregivers, and IT technicians in our country!"
As for the question of quality of Philippine medical schools, according to the International Medical Education Quarterly Volume 1, No. 2 Summer 2003, "Medical schools in The Philippines have been the source of a large number of physicians who come to the United States for graduate medical education and the practice of medicine."
The publication further notes: "Currently, there are 32 Philippine medical schools listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED), 30 of which are operating and 2 of which are closed. Three of the currently operating medical schools have been identified by the Philippines Commission on Higher Education as 'Centers of Excellence' and one as a 'Center of Development' based "on their track record, performance in the licensure examination and excellent faculty… The Centers of Excellence are at the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and the Cebu Institute of Medicine. The Center of Development is at Xavier University."
It also noted that the "first medical school established in the Philippines was the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Santo Tomas in 1871."
Of further interest, especially to ABC and its search for dramatic diversity materials, is the fact that Harvard University's Medical School was first integrated in 1937 by a Filipina, Dr. Fe del Mundo, who, as a scholar admitted to the prestigious medical school for some graduate courses, forgot to remind the then-all male department such irrelevancy as the fact that she is female.
ABC has agreed to remove the offensive scene in the September 30 episode of "Desperate Housewives" from future broadcasts and DVD editions, according to Jon Melegrito, communications director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).
The ABC latest move was made in a telephone call on Oct. 4 by Robert Mendez, ABC vice president and director of diversity strategies covering the Disney-ABC Television Group, which includes the ABC Television Network that launched the popular Desperate Housewives weekly series.
Recounting the telephone conversation with Mendez to this correspondent, Melegrito said that ABC wanted to assure the Filipino American community and NaFFAA that ABC would make this change. He issued on Oct. 5, a NaFFAA press release on the ABC move.
"He said on the phone that ABC is taking immediate steps to wipe out the offending scene from all DVD editions and rebroadcasts," Melegrito said. "This means that future airing of this program will not include this offensive scene."
The controversial scene involved a comment by Susan, the fictitious character played by actress Teri Hatcher, asking her gynecologist after she was diagnosed as nearing menopause, the question, "Can I check those diplomas because I just wanted to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines."
The Sept. 30 premiere showing of the fall drama-comedy series raked in an average of 19 million viewers, the series' largest-ever audience and topping the list of other television favorites with a very wide margin, according to the Nielsen report.
The comment impugning the quality of medical schools in the Philippines, and in effect the abilities of Philippine-trained physicians practicing in the US, was viewed as uninformed, derogatory or racist by Filipino American advocacy organizations and individuals as well as by the Philippine Embassy and its consular offices in the US and some government officials in the Philippines.
Responding to the mounting barrage of complaints initially triggered by a New York-based Filipino American artist's complaint and on-line petition, ABC made a brief statement -- reported earlier in the Philippine Daily Inquirer -- stating ABC's "sincere apologies" and that it had "no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines."
ABC had also sent an official apology to the Philippine government through the Department of Foreign Affairs, according to media reports.
The apology, however, was viewed at large as not sufficient. There were angry comments about suing the network.
But recognizing the opportunity to make corrections and other initiatives in improving the image of Filipinos and other immigrants through a face-to-face discussion with the television network's officials, in particular, Mendez, who is responsible for advancing diversity in ABC network's programming, NaFFAA agreed to meet with ABC.
"I think it would be more effective to discuss with them in a reasonable manner than in doing an adversarial approach," Melegrito explained, but added "until other measures are deemed necessary."
To arrive at some consensus for action, a conference call among NaFFAA members and other interested parties, was also held early morning of Oct. 5, according to Melegrito.
At this writing, a delegation initiated by NaFFAA met on Friday with Mendez at ABC's West 66th Street address in New York City. Led by NaFFAA Executive Director Doy Heredia, the delegation also involved representatives of other advocacy groups, notably the D.C.-based Migrant Heritage Commission, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, a militant coalition based in New York; and the Philippine Forum.
A demonstration was also held on Saturday, Oct. 6 in front of ABC offices in the district.
The meeting was intended to discuss measures that could avoid similar cases in the future as well as specific steps to improve the television network's treatment of images of immigrant and minority communities.
In the West Coast, there is also a plan to form an anti-defamation coalition composed of NaFFAA and other associations involving Filipino and Filipino American physicians, lawyers, nurses and other practitioners of other professions.
Note: The writer is based in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, with e-mail rgeronaadkins@yahoo.com.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Boycott ABC, Disney, Fil-Am groups urge
By Nimfa U. Rueda (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
October 6, 2007
LOS ANGELES--Filipino-American groups in the United States have called for a boycott of the ABC television network and its parent company, Walt Disney, after a top network executive said a broadcast apology for the perceived racial slur on the "Desperate Housewives" show was unlikely.
"I don't think they [ABC] are taking us seriously," Rico Foz, spokesperson for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon), has said following a meeting that he and several other Filipino-American community leaders had in New York City with Robert Mendez, the network's senior vice president for diversity and talent development.
Foz said they had asked ABC to broadcast a public apology during the show's next episode, and "Mendez told us, 'It's going to be tough.'"
A broadcast apology was one of the demands presented to Mendez at the hour-long meeting that was followed by a protest rally in front of the ABC studios in New York City. More than a hundred protesters denounced the remark made in a recent episode by the character played by Teri Hatcher maligning Filipino health professionals.
Foz said they also demanded a cultural sensitivity training for network staff, more shows depicting Filipinos and other minority groups as "prominent, positive role models," and support for Filipino-American projects that will strengthen diversity awareness.
Mendez said he will discuss these demands with the network management, he said.
One of the speakers at the protest rally was New York City council member John Liu, the first Asian-American to be elected to citywide office in New York. Liu called on other minority groups to support the groups' demands.
In California, a Fil-Am council member of Walnut, a Los Angeles county suburb, also threw his support behind the Fil-Am groups and said all minority groups should come together to combat racism. "We don't want this to happen to any community," said Tony Cartagena, who has served as city mayor for two terms.
October 6, 2007
LOS ANGELES--Filipino-American groups in the United States have called for a boycott of the ABC television network and its parent company, Walt Disney, after a top network executive said a broadcast apology for the perceived racial slur on the "Desperate Housewives" show was unlikely.
"I don't think they [ABC] are taking us seriously," Rico Foz, spokesperson for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon), has said following a meeting that he and several other Filipino-American community leaders had in New York City with Robert Mendez, the network's senior vice president for diversity and talent development.
Foz said they had asked ABC to broadcast a public apology during the show's next episode, and "Mendez told us, 'It's going to be tough.'"
A broadcast apology was one of the demands presented to Mendez at the hour-long meeting that was followed by a protest rally in front of the ABC studios in New York City. More than a hundred protesters denounced the remark made in a recent episode by the character played by Teri Hatcher maligning Filipino health professionals.
Foz said they also demanded a cultural sensitivity training for network staff, more shows depicting Filipinos and other minority groups as "prominent, positive role models," and support for Filipino-American projects that will strengthen diversity awareness.
Mendez said he will discuss these demands with the network management, he said.
One of the speakers at the protest rally was New York City council member John Liu, the first Asian-American to be elected to citywide office in New York. Liu called on other minority groups to support the groups' demands.
In California, a Fil-Am council member of Walnut, a Los Angeles county suburb, also threw his support behind the Fil-Am groups and said all minority groups should come together to combat racism. "We don't want this to happen to any community," said Tony Cartagena, who has served as city mayor for two terms.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Our First Statement
During the September 30, 2007 episode of ABC's show, "Desperate Housewives," there was a scene where the character played by Teri Hatcher was talking to her doctor who told her that she might be hitting menopause. Skeptical of the diagnosis, she replied: “OK, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”
Many viewers probably did not think too much about it. Some probably just laughed. But some probably found the remark confirmatory of their own stereotypical view of the "typical doctor from the Philippines."
For us, that segment of the show was insulting. In fact, it was more than insulting -- it was scary.
Scary because of the bigotry hidden between those lines -- bigotry which feeds more distrust, condescension towards our people, and possibly even hate.
Scary because of the sinister, subliminal message to millions of viewers who were watching the show then, and who will watch the show in the future, about the qualifications of our most esteemed, most educated countrymen. If they can easily propagate that stereotype about our doctors, how much more easily can they do it with the rest of us?
Scary because that statement chips into our kids' sense of self-worth and self-respect.
Scary because our professional reputations and livelihoods are at stake.
Our community leaders asked for an apology from the producers of the show, and a couple of days later, we got it. But it was a meaningless gesture: the damage has been done to our people at no discernible cost to the issuers of the apology.
We demand more than that meaningless apology because we deserve more!
Are we over-reacting? Are we being overly sensitive? Are we blowing this thing out of proportion?
We don't think so! In fact, we believe this happened because we've been too passive for far too long!
We believe it's now high time to start asserting our rights politically, economically and, yes, even legally!
Why? Because that segment of the show is defamatory in the legal sense of the word.
It is violative of our rights to be protected from discrimination.
It is unjust!
Let this be known: our coalition is determined to explore all avenues, legal or otherwise, to stop this type of bigotry against our people. And if ABC & Disney will not make true amends, we are determined to make them pay.
Many viewers probably did not think too much about it. Some probably just laughed. But some probably found the remark confirmatory of their own stereotypical view of the "typical doctor from the Philippines."
For us, that segment of the show was insulting. In fact, it was more than insulting -- it was scary.
Scary because of the bigotry hidden between those lines -- bigotry which feeds more distrust, condescension towards our people, and possibly even hate.
Scary because of the sinister, subliminal message to millions of viewers who were watching the show then, and who will watch the show in the future, about the qualifications of our most esteemed, most educated countrymen. If they can easily propagate that stereotype about our doctors, how much more easily can they do it with the rest of us?
Scary because that statement chips into our kids' sense of self-worth and self-respect.
Scary because our professional reputations and livelihoods are at stake.
Our community leaders asked for an apology from the producers of the show, and a couple of days later, we got it. But it was a meaningless gesture: the damage has been done to our people at no discernible cost to the issuers of the apology.
We demand more than that meaningless apology because we deserve more!
Are we over-reacting? Are we being overly sensitive? Are we blowing this thing out of proportion?
We don't think so! In fact, we believe this happened because we've been too passive for far too long!
We believe it's now high time to start asserting our rights politically, economically and, yes, even legally!
Why? Because that segment of the show is defamatory in the legal sense of the word.
It is violative of our rights to be protected from discrimination.
It is unjust!
Let this be known: our coalition is determined to explore all avenues, legal or otherwise, to stop this type of bigotry against our people. And if ABC & Disney will not make true amends, we are determined to make them pay.
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