My Two Cents' Worth On That Infamous Desperate Housewives Episode

I don't watch Desperate Housewives. Well, first of all, we don't have cable TV. I don't have the patience to download videos off the Internet, except for Grey's Anatomy videos. I don't really know what the show is all about. However, the controversy over the infamous line uttered by Teri Hatcher's character, Susan Myers, on Desperate Housewives has reached the boiling point and this piqued my curiosity. My half brother, Sylvester, and a blog writer named EJ Padero have been severely criticized, to say the least, for posting videos of themselves at YouTube, telling the public that we should not make such a big fuss out of the issue. My brother was compelled to delete his YouTube account due to the insulting comments he got from the viewers of his video.

Below are the comments I posted in Padero's blog:

1. Diane Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
   October 7th, 2007 at 3:25 am

   I was incensed and indignant when I first watched the DH video clip. However, when I sobered down, I began to think. While I found Susan Myers’ (Teri Hatcher’s character)statement downright offensive, I began to wonder why the scriptwriters would write something like that.

   Let’s face it, we’re still recovering from the scandal over the 2006 Board Exams for Nurses. Some years back, there was that controversy regarding the Fatima Med school grads who got near-perfect scores in the medical board exams. Now, I’m sure that some Americans are aware of the issues I have just mentioned. Plus, we have diploma mills in our country. We cannot deny this fact. I’m certain that Americans are also aware of this. And then there’s the Recto Ave. diploma factory …

   I used to work in a call center. Our American Culture trainer, an American himself, once told us that Americans tend to generalize. It’s one of their quirks as a people. Remember the Little League scandal over a decade ago? We were called a nation of cheaters by an American reporter whose name now escapes my memory. I was one of those who were foaming at the mouth because of that remark. I, for one, am not a cheater. It’s just sad that the misdeeds of a few can define us as a nation.

   We should protest and express our indignation, but we should not stop there. I think the best thing that we can do about this is prove to Americans and the rest of the world that we are more than what they think we could ever be. I believe that what we need to do is to build a culture of excellence and honesty; this is far more important than ranting and raving.

   I still think ABC and the producers of DH owe us an apology. What Susan Myers said was unethical because it was disparaging to medical practitioners who graduated from Philippine med schools. We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and say, “It’s just a show. We poke fun at Americans anyway.” Sure we do, but our shows do not enjoy the same level of popularity all over the world compared to American shows like DH. I mean, ask a Japanese, an Englishman or a Norwegian if he watches “Wowowee.” Chances are you’ll get a blank stare. But ask the same man if he knows about DH and he will be more likely to say yes. Furthermore, that infamous line from an immensely popular show is a virtual advertisement. It can set the climate for Filipino medical practitioners who work abroad.

   Well, EJ, I respect your opinion, and I don’t hate you for it. I hope that we, Filipinos and Americans alike, learn to respect one another.

1. Diane Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
   October 7th, 2007 at 3:47 am

   By the way, I don’t think Americans should insult or poke fun at us. I don’t think we, Filipinos, should insult or poke fun at Americans either. There, I think I’ve said too much. I just hope this issue will be put to rest.

Yes, the issue should be put to rest because there are a lot of more important issues that merit our attention.

For those who have not seen the video, you may watch the clip below.