here's the email content:


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: kln2005@columbia.edu <kln2005@columbia.edu >
Date: Oct 1, 2007 4:50 PM
Subject: Filipinos Denigrated on ABC's Desperate Housewives
To: undisclosed-recipients

Thought you all might be interested in the newest racial remark on
mainstream television. Please forward to any interested parties.

-KN

----- Forwarded message from Kevin Nadal <knadal@gmail.com> -----
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 16:46:25 -0400
From: Kevin Nadal < knadal@gmail.com>

Dear Kababayan and Allies:

I heard through the grapevine about a remark made on an episode of
"Desperate Housewives" last night. The scene entailed Teri Hatcher's
character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist
that she might be hitting menopause. Susan replied, "Can I just
check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are
not from some med school in the Philippines." If you go to abc.com,
you watch the full episode and witness the scene at about 18:50
minutes into the
episode.

This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful,
but is also unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and
Filipino Americans in the health care industry. Filipinos are the
second largest immigrant population in the United States, with many
entering the U.S. and passing their U.S. licensing boards as
doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. In fact, the Philippines
produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world. So,
to belittle the education, experience, or value of Filipino
Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply
ignorant.

As Filipino Americans, we need to band together to ensure that this
type of hateful message is not allowed to continue on our television
and radio airwaves. Given the recent amounts of media attention that
has been given to Michael Richards (against African Americans),
Isaiah Washington (against gays), and Rosie O'Donnell (against
Asian/ Chinese Americans), it is ridiculous that this type of
hateful speech made it through various screenwriters, the show's
producers, the show's actors, and ABC itself. Yet, this isn't the
first time that negative remarks have been made about the
Philippines or Filipinos in the past. In recent years, we've heard
one too many "dogeater" comments by "comedian" Joan Rivers on the
red carpet or in her standup act, and I believe that it is about
time that we stand up for ourselves, so that this type of hateful
speech never happens again.

Please join me in expressing your concern, disappointment, and/or
disgust to the producers of ABC.com. You can sign the petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/ or you can reach them directly
at abc7@abc.com.

And please feel free to forward this widely to other Filipinos/
Filipino Americans/ Asian Americans/ and other allies.


Sincerely,


Kevin Nadal,
Filipino Performance Artist/ Activist
knadal@gmail.com

----- End forwarded message -----

LOL Please dont take any offense to this but theres much serious things going on in the world than focus on what was said in desperate housewives...

One word: Overreaction. God it's probably some joke.

although might IT be over reacting! this just shows you how much Filipinos value themselves in the eyes of others!


THIS IS NOT PHILIPPINES DO NOT TOLERATE RACISM AGAINST YOUR PEOPLE.

so now they think we should be the next the lime light of racism?

it's gotta be a joke... it's desperate housewives for crying out loud!
but underneath it... lies a different thing...and the joke is on the pinoys!

frankly, i don't take it personally, but somehow, it's a slap in the face for the filipino people... always the butt of joke!

Please send a message to ABC

http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html?lid=...mp;lpos=CONTACT

Here is mine:

[q]This message is in regards to the 'joke' that Teri Hatcher's character said about Filipino nurses. I thought it was unnecessary and in poor taste. [/q]

no offense to anyone here, but we had two doctors from the phillipines working here, and either they were fake or the satndards of doctors in the phillipines is extremely low. again no offense.

this is about nurses.

Over reaction or not, it's not racism.

Elitism, maybe, but it's not racism. They're not making fun of us being Filipino, they're making fun of the state of our country as a developing country. Unless you agree that our country is poor because we're Filipinos, that is.

Crying wolf about everything and calling racism for every single thing diminish the realities of true, actual racism.

I see it more as disrespect and ignorance. The quality of nursing schools in the Philippines ranks quite high, which makes the 'joke' very ignorant.

There aren't that much transexuals in the Philippines for them to train on.
No offense.

Maybe they were fake or maybe the standards of the hospital that you were from were very low.

Diploma mills also happened in other parts of the world! Do not single out the Philippines

its racism! it not like FAMILY GUY when that cartoon show insults/exploits all races draw back. they targeted Filipinos but then again i don't know who is more insulted Filipinos or Harvard med school for being compared to RP's med school.


WOW when i signed this it was only 385 and now 4359 Total Signatures!!! I"M WAS PROUD OF MY FIL-AMS BROTHERS AND SISTERS! THEY KNOW HOW STICK TOGETHER!





yeah you got remember that RP is a 3rd world country and they won't have all resource at their tip of their fingers to use or learn from. but for Filipinos doctors to get a job in USA they need to take the same test as USA educated doctor too and this goes for nurses too.

Seriously, even if it wasn't a joke, its not really unwarranted. The U.S. don't except credentials from alot of countries. I don't know about the philippines, but the U.S. doesn't recognize medical licenses from some places.

double post

no, its about the phillipines being insulted by a reference that underlies the education system there. hence everyone up in arms.

i am not offended why would i be? i am not a transexual......


i dont work in a hospital i work in a school which means it was all the more weird....one was a doctor of mediciene that wanted to teach physcology....

i am not saying that i think the standard in generla is lower int he phillipines, i am saying that some philiipinos have faked degrees and are giving a bad name to the standard of education in the phillipines. i have ultimate respect for any real doctors out there....

yes, i have a lot of friends who are nurses. they passed the board in the phils. to get a license and in order to go and work in US, they have to take lots of trainings, exams and credentials...they even go abroad like hongkong for exams and whatnots...

it's not nice to say those things when in fact, nurses in UK are commended for their hardwork and the care they give their patients... im sure nurses in the states are no different especially when they work so damn hard to get there... it's not easy to enter US...

That is messed up.

I think UP, UST, UERM, etc... are the only recognized Medical Institutions in the world in the Philippines so if you didn't graduate in one of those schools, they will give you more training or you will end up in a pathetic hospital job.

wErd! my dad had A LOT of nurses. By far the worst was the filipino one. she had no regard to her patient, it just seemed like it was just another job to her and it didnt matter if she was bad at it.

.

i feel sorry for your dad...
if he has a lot and that one pinoy is the lousiest, then, why does he keep her?
maybe you just caught her at her worst day? do you work with your dad to see her like that everytime? i doubt it...

So you're saying that it was her race that made her perform badly? Are you mindful of what you say before you post or are you just plain ignorant?

Just curious....
How were the two doctors from the Philippines not up to standards with what you saw? Since you didn't mention that you weren't a doctor nor a patient, how are you able to judge how poorly they were?
What are your credentials to judge how someone of a profession as highly educated as a doctor be assessed by someone who himself is not a doctor?

Teaching medicine and psychology are worlds apart.
Let's assume that the doctor that wanted to teach psychology wanted to enter that field because he wasn't sure of the standards that doctors outside of Philippines actually follow; therefore he wanted to be careful before prescribing medicine which made him choose psychology instead. Wouldn't you want to go into a field of choice where you are more comfortable before venturing into another field where critical life making decisions happen?

The medical profession in the Philippines exposes the medical professionals to alot of third world diseases that most developed countries rarely if ever encounter. Alot of these medical technicians are more amazed at how much access there is that the developed nations have to technologies but at the same time witness the strict codes of new medicine approvals that are either waived or have passed the drug approval agencies of the Philippines because of the frequency and different types of infectious diseases with more virulent strains that are prevalent in the Philippines.

Not race, nationality; and if the schools there put emphesis on "get your job done so you can get your paycheck" rather than patient care rather, then yeah, it might make a difference.

Besides, VNlilMAN was just making a connection. If the filipino nurse had been the best one there, he would have said "No, I don't agree, with all my dad's nurses, the filipino one was the best." You can't blame a person for sharing their experience.

Who cares?

SO one filipna nurse did a poor job, suddenly all filipina nurses are the worst? Theres no place for ignorants here in AF.

Are you kidding? AF is a breeding ground for ignorance.

Filipinos CANNOT take a joke especially when it's against their lifestyle, religion and/or culture

Look what happened to the Beatles when they said they were "more popular than Jesus"
Look what happened to Claire Danes when she said there was so much poverty and cockroaches in Manila

God, Filipinos need to shut the fu-k up and calm down; it's not like they're changing the world

75% of the American population still probably can't tell the difference between a Filipino, a Hawaiian and a Mexican

The problem with jokes is that you need to get your facts accurate. If nursing school was mentioned instead of med school, I think I would not be making any comment because it is indeed true that we had such an embarassing scenario last year and I believe Filipinos must face the reality of cheating in order to learn not to cheat, even though it is the actions by a few in our country. However, if their intention was to make a vague remark while using the nursing test scandal last June by replacing nursing school with med school to make an indirect but stinging remark, now that is somewhat clever but quite foolish of them to do.

Need I remind those who do not understand that what you think as mere humor may not be humorous to others? If it was indeed humor, perhaps it would be better to let professional comedians do the act. After all, the show is not a comedy show, however late the show is. In any case, I suppose staying on air will require comments that is out of place to make shows more appealing.

we maybe overreacting BUT you don't want be the new one to be BUTT OF ALL RACIST JOKES! like the Chinese! at least now they are standing up.





from 4359 to 28066 Total Signatures!!!! sticking together and taking care of our own ppl! hehe

Leme rephrase that, there is no place for ignorants in AF. Asians are known for having high intellect, if you wana be ignorant go to ratehispanic.com/forum, they're all dumbasses.

actually i agree with her this place is stock full of them!

Hi Kevin, lets organize and call on our fellow Filipinos in the medical field (doctors, nurses, pt, assistants etc.) to stage a one day strike of protest all over the USA over this despicable line in prime time tv to let them know just how vital our compatriots are to the USA and that we should never be slurred like that ever again. Its about time we show the world what Filipinos are really made of! Will help in any way I can. Tignan natin if after this strike they will still take this thing lightly. Thanks!

MagkaisaTayo
Manila

PS: pls post this wherever you can, thanks

People got so butt hurt over one comment.

A comment that may affect the livelihood of hard-working Filipino medical professionals and their families by a TV show in the US describing the "desperate" condition of non-working stay home "housewives" can be interpeted negatively by the mass of less informed and non-discerning audience that relies on TV to tell what is accurate and not accurate and that can fall prey to its prejudicial messages, yes, sbeechan.

I heard the Beatles got spat on and one of the members retaliated by calling Filipinos "Monkeys"

It's no longer a joke. This is a serious insult when you have Filipino doctors standing up against this $hit.

FilAm doctors fuming at American TV series slur
KATA ROJAS, CRISTINA DC PASTOR, Philippine News

NEW YORK — “Can I check those diplomas again? Because I would just like to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines."

That was a throwaway line from Teri Hatcher’s character from the season premiere of the ABC hit show “Desperate Housewives" Sunday night. Hatcher’s ditzy Susan Mayer was questioning her gynecologist’s suggestion that she may be going through menopause.

If the lines were meant to be funny, Filipinos are not laughing, especially the doctors within the FilAm community.

“So upsetting," said Kariktan Cruz M.D. of the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences. “It is a big insult implying we are quack doctors."

Cruz, a graduate of the University of the Philippines Class of 2001, said that from her class alone more than 80 are successfully working in the United States in the medical profession.

“Some of the university’s finest have come to publish articles in several prestigious journals and have become chief residents or department chairmen in hospitals," she said in a statement made available to PN.

“ ‘Desperate Housewives’ is a very popular show and the damaging effects of such comments should not be underestimated. I practice in Los Angeles and would be happy to help find out where to send a letter at the ABC network," said Rick Tan, M.D., a member of UP College of Medicine Class 86.

“I was dumbstruck. As the child of a Filipino doctor who continues to serve the most needy and sick, I was really offended by the implication that Filipino doctors are inferior. Also, I couldn’t believe that in this day and age, ABC and the producers, writers and actors who work for the network, found nothing wrong with such a hurtful joke," says one comment emailed to Philippine News.

The writer urged Filipinos to send a letter of protest to ABC with these words: “I was very disappointed that Teri Hatcher’s character had to denigrate the community of Filipino physicians in tonight’s premiere. The implication that Filipino doctors are not qualified is insensitive and completely disrespectful to the thousands of Filipinos who have served all over the U.S., many of them working for underserved populations. I trust ABC will issue an apology for its poor use of creative license which only managed to offend a group of hard-working professionals."

The topic is being debated on the message boards on the ABC Web site. While some posters insist there’s no need to feel slighted over the comment, others have expressed disappointment.

A poster with the username “cafemelrose" has this to say: “If you were from the Philippines or are of Filipino descent, you would know full well that the Filipinos are very proud of their people and their country. To have a TV show that blasts Filipinos in the medical fields (the field in which Filipinos are usually known to be in), most especially doctors, is degrading. There are many Filipino nurses and doctors who are brought from the Philippines by the U.S. to ensure that there’s a sufficient number of medical staff in American hospitals. And to have an American TV show that is shown worldwide degrade this connection by putting down the medical excellence of Filipino doctors, well, doesn’t it kind of seem that Filipinos are getting the short end of the stick — like Filipino doctors and other medical professionals are not being respected?"

Other comments fault Teri Hatcher for mouthing the line, instead of making the distinction that it was a line from a script she was made to read.

“I usually like you in the show specially watching you in superman before...Now forget it....that’s why you never win an Emmy!" says a comment made to the ABC message board by the name “berikyut."

A boycott of the highly popular show about the lives of suburban housewives was suggested by “Vmyron" on the ABC message board. Another blogger suggested a $100 million-class action suit against the network.

ABC’s publicists did not return Philippine News’ calls. – Kata Rojas, Cristina DC Pastor, Philippine News

Even nurses are fuming over the comment:
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/62982/RPs-best...-should-explain

I have a feeling Desperate Housewives is going to be banned in the Philippines.

i don't know about a class action suit against the network. that would just take it too far! an "i'm sorry for the comment," and firing of the staff writer would be good but class action suit is bit too far.

some networks and or ppl never learn from experience of others! shame!

i don't think so...

firts of all not all doctors are medical doctors. these two were teachers, as far as not being up to standards they happened to be completely inadequate. kids hated them they sucked at teaching they missed every meeting and were generally a disgrace to teaching. on the other hanbd we have 3 other philipino teachers that kick @$$. i am not saying the standard of the hpillipines in general is lower its juts that many of these idiots seems to get through the system....that gives the real ones a bad naame, similar to why irish buuilders have a bad name, most are good but in ireland its easy tp get a lisence so idiots get through and ultimately you are known by your failures.

you are so wrong... the phils is a third world country...and if you live in poverty, you just gotta take life as a joke and not seriously to survive... you have not known poverty i bet...

filipinos joke about a lot of things - politics, religion, everything... but this is different.

and now, this is a national issue...

oh please ... cry me a fcukin river.

yah, JT you do that!

Yeah. Surpringly Eva Longoria is well known over there.

actually, teri hatcher is more pop because of lois and clark...

Ah yes they joke a lot but when they're being made fun of they suddenly "band together" to take down the foreign opposition; like that is the worst of their issues

If Filipinos want to stop being made fun of they need to change from within

Will probably never happen because of how $hitty it is back there

Those who have power want to hold on to it so they just fu-k everyone else over so they can continue being in power because they don't want to lie a $hitty life

I love Filipinos but fu-k, too much bad attitudes I cannot stand. Oh yeah I also hate their politics, their entertainment is very annoying and repetitious and their fashion sense is... just not my type.

But I still love them.