this past week, news of how filipinos around the world were insulted and degraded by two US TV shows were the talk of the town.  from desperate housewives' comment on the quality of the country's medical education, to the daily show with jon stewart's take on past women leaders–the philippines included, of course–filipinos around the world reacted to it.  and while almost the entire nation cries foul over these two events ahead of another filipino stepping to world prominence in the sport of boxing, i for one do not totally agree with the majority's sentiments over what transpired.  i may be late in my reactions through this entry, but i did what most did not take time to do:  analyze.  but before any of you brand me a traitor or unpatriotic, let me explain my side.

on the desperate housewives' scene where teri hatcher's character asked to check first on the doctor's medical records to see that the diplomas didn't come from a medical school in the philippines, i didn't find any insult to any specific filipino medical professional in the US.  one, her character didn't specifically mention filipino doctors or nurses on the particular scene.  and two, the doctor character himself is a full-blooded american, most likely coming from a US med school.  now, the assumption of miss hatcher's character of the doctor character that he came from a med school in the philippines, now that was an insult to the medical institutions in the country.  but again, not to any specific medical professional making a living in the US.  that i took offense to.  our med schools produce one of the finest medical professionals in the world today and are honored in respected in their chosen fields.  so to say that filipinos were insulted was, well ok, there was a little validity in it, but the bulk of the degrading remark was aimed at our medical institutions.  the reason most probably, is the not too recent nursing exam scandal that sent shockwaves throughout the world.  i mean, we should admit even to ourselves that that particular fiasco was enough for hospitals everywhere to second guess how med schools are being run here.  and while we filipinos have already gotten past that issue and be our usual selves and just put a smile on our faces because that is over and done with, mind you, the rest of the world does not behave the way we do.  while the sad truth is that some people in the US still think that our med schools produce cheaters, what we should've done in addition to the negative reaction to that particular scene was to inform them that the scandal has been taken cared of.  now, the TV network that produces the show already issued an apology over the scene.  then why is there still clamor for the show to be banned?  the series is one of the critically-acclaimed shows in the US, and this little incident won't be enough to phase it out, believe me.  and there's also a clamor for miss hatcher herself to issue the apology?  how could she have a hand in this?  she was just following a script, for god's sakes!  so now every TV or movie star should be conscious of what the script says for fear of stepping on someone else's toes?  we're in the real world.  let's face it, not everyone knows what's going around other countries.  so for me, the apology issued by the network is enough.  we shouldn't issue any more diplomatic prostests concerning that mistake.  this is one clear cut case of over-reacting.

on the case of the daily show with jon stewart's labeling of slut to former president cory aquino, now that isn't even an issue.  one, the show itself is a political satire/comedy aimed at political events.  naturally, it will take potshots at politics and politicians.  that's the nature of the show.  two, did you even hear the same reactions from the other women leaders' countrymen who were in that scene?  they weren't specifically labeled as sluts, but just the same, it was a shot at them, with former prime minister margaret thatcher having a compromising photograph.  so, what's the fuss all about here?  the entire scene was meant to be a joke about how the US may or may not be ready for a woman president with the candidacy of hillary clinton, that's it.  there is no serious remark or insult whatsoever to any of those personalities.  what surprised me was kris aquino's (daughter of cory aquino) reaction to it, saying that what if we label former US presidents as "callboys" or male prostitutes.  now here's someone who i thought is up to date with what's going on in the US more than what's going on here, and someone who had brains.  really.  doesn't she watch david letterman or jay leno take shots at president george w. bush on a nightly basis on their shows?  they make jokes about him being a dumb president, the crowd laughs and the leader of the free world doesn't lift a finger about it.  why?  because it's a joke.  J-O-K-E.  plain and simple.  yes, kris is just coming to the defense of her mother.  but again, it's a non-issue.  it doesn't hurt to laugh at ourselves sometimes, you know.  heck, we even made tons and tons of jokes about former president joseph estrada, right?  and what did he do?  nothing!!  the whole world knows cory aquino's real reputation and what she has done.  this segment wouldn't change that one bit.  when i saw how the report was made about it in our local news programs, i just shook my head in disbelief.  at least willie nepumoceno did the same thing i did:  watch the entire segment and saw that it wasn't an insult to anyone.  no apology is necessary from comedy central.  i wouldn't demand for it in any way.  because this, meanwhile, is a clear cut case of mis-reacting.

now don't get me wrong, i'm proud to be filipino.  i really am.  but the problem with most of us is that we don't see the bigger picture.  we rely or see and hear solely on what is put in front of us.  we don't find out or even think why things are going the way they are.  and these two are very good examples of such.  we can't just go ballistic when someone plays a joke on a former politician or a network television program airs a scene based on true negative events.  yet i'm also not saying that we just bow our heads all the time.  we must learn how to analyze things that are being said or potrayed before making a fuss.  though not everything that can be displayed is pleasing to the eyes or ears, but we must know how to distinguish true fact from plain fiction.

as i have mentioned earlier, another filipino is taking the world stage today.  although i do not like what manny pacquiao is doing outside the boxing ring, i respect and i'm proud of what he does inside it.  yup, he's an odds-on favorite to win the fight.  but i'm betting on barrera to score an upset…