EDITORIAL
Not just ignorance, disrespect
In the Sunday, September 30 episode of the ABC television series, “Desperate Housewives,” a character, played by actress Teri Hatcher, told her gynecologist: “Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas ‘coz I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.”
This denigration of Filipino doctors and, by implication, any Filipino professional in America who studied in the Philippines, is as hurtful as it is unfair and untrue.
Doctors from the Philippines undergo extensive internship and residency training in this country and, compared to U.S. medical graduates, they have to take more examinations for their areas of specialization. Their expertise is, therefore, beyond question. There are more than 2,000 Filipino physicians supporting the American health care system in America. The system would collapse without them. Most of them are graduates of Philippine medical schools.
The slur could, therefore, be dismissed as the result of the abysmal ignorance of Hatcher, the script writer, the director and the producer of the show.
But the issue goes deeper than that. One cannot imagine a similar statement being made against African-Americans or against gays. The backlash would be overwhelming and the source of the insult would be sorry for it.
So why do ignoramuses and racists feel free to insult Filipinos in America? Because they don’t regard us with respect. Because they think we can’t do much about it, much less fight back. There are, after all, no bullies where there are no cowards.
Coast to coast, and even overseas, Filipinos are in an uproar over this incident. Outraged letters, including one from Ambassador Willie Gaa, have been dispatched to Disney and ABC TV.
But we should do more than protest this particular insult. We must now face the fact that solidarity and empowerment are the only way we can gain respect in this country. Otherwise, we can expect to hear more racial slurs in the days ahead. (Pooled editorial)
In the Sunday, September 30 episode of the ABC television series, “Desperate Housewives,” a character, played by actress Teri Hatcher, told her gynecologist: “Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas ‘coz I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.”
This denigration of Filipino doctors and, by implication, any Filipino professional in America who studied in the Philippines, is as hurtful as it is unfair and untrue.
Doctors from the Philippines undergo extensive internship and residency training in this country and, compared to U.S. medical graduates, they have to take more examinations for their areas of specialization. Their expertise is, therefore, beyond question. There are more than 2,000 Filipino physicians supporting the American health care system in America. The system would collapse without them. Most of them are graduates of Philippine medical schools.
The slur could, therefore, be dismissed as the result of the abysmal ignorance of Hatcher, the script writer, the director and the producer of the show.
But the issue goes deeper than that. One cannot imagine a similar statement being made against African-Americans or against gays. The backlash would be overwhelming and the source of the insult would be sorry for it.
So why do ignoramuses and racists feel free to insult Filipinos in America? Because they don’t regard us with respect. Because they think we can’t do much about it, much less fight back. There are, after all, no bullies where there are no cowards.
Coast to coast, and even overseas, Filipinos are in an uproar over this incident. Outraged letters, including one from Ambassador Willie Gaa, have been dispatched to Disney and ABC TV.
But we should do more than protest this particular insult. We must now face the fact that solidarity and empowerment are the only way we can gain respect in this country. Otherwise, we can expect to hear more racial slurs in the days ahead. (Pooled editorial)
12:10 PM
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