Spring Break
Primetime TV show resorts to racist jokes
Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Opinions
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Sadly, to the television networks that generate revenue, it apparently is. "Desperate Housewives" admittedly used to be one of my guilty pleasures, but after a derogatory comment I found to be offensive was made on a recent episode, I am not so inclined to make an effort to watch the show in the future.
During the Sept. 30 season premiere, Teri Hatcher's character Susan was being told by her gynecologist she may be going through menopause. Susan replies, "OK, before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to make sure they aren't, like, from some med school in the Philippines?"
Though the remark probably was created for a quick laugh, it is still one laced with insult and ignorance.
Clearly there is an implication of a lack of value, the belittling of a group that is known to be prevalent in the health care industry - a much-needed field in our society. To a person of a Filipino background like myself, who has family members in the medical field, it is completely insulting.
Some people may think that I am overreacting. Many other TV shows poke fun at other groups. So what if this comment insulted Filipinos? It was supposed to be funny, so I should just accept it and move on, right?
Wrong.
By choosing to accept the idea that the statement was simply out of jest, it would be the same as supporting the idea of perpetuating negative stereotypes in the media. It may be considered OK because, in the end, there was no harm meant by such comments, but we should not be so accepting of denigrating comments that are sustained by negative stereotypes.
Though we may not be actively conscious of it, what we see and hear influences us.
The media has a major effect on the way we perceive other individuals whether we accept it or not, and with the negative stereotypes our society is bombarded with, it is no wonder many people have the "wrong idea" about others.
Like the childhood saying goes, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That is easier said than is done. What you say, even if it is in jest, still is going to generate some type of reaction.
In many cases, even if it not explicitly stated, you are going to end up offending someone if you choose to make an ignorant comment such as the one on "Desperate Housewives."
It would be highly ambitious of me to even consider the idea of completely abolishing demeaning portrayals of groups in an effort to stop the pervasion of negative stereotypes.
So instead, it is my hope that individuals would refrain from accepting negative generalizations and assumptions of other groups of people and instead make a conscious effort to educate their ignorance.
- May Advincula is a senior from Riverdale majoring in publication management.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 20
Tim
posted 10/09/07 @ 10:13 AM EST
We live in a society with freedom of speech. If a patient feels that she prefers to be treated by a certain group of Doctors and not others, it is their free right to say so without being attacked. (Continued…)
Clay Kimbro
posted 10/09/07 @ 1:32 PM EST
Well I did not see the show, so I, admittedly, could be missing some of the context of what was said. However, one thing I feel is being missed the comment as you quoted it does not seem to be directed at Filipino people, but more questioning the quality of a medical degree from a third world country. (Continued…)
Blaise Parker
posted 10/09/07 @ 1:49 PM EST
That's just the point, Clay. It isn't necessarily warranted to question a Philippines medical degree, and to do so is to perpetuate racist stereotypes. (Continued…)
Clay Kimbro
posted 10/09/07 @ 2:52 PM EST
but that still does not mean the remark was directed at Filipino people as the author is trying to make it seem. If medical schools and the medical academic community in the Philippines is not as strong as those found in the U. (Continued…)
Chris
posted 10/09/07 @ 4:08 PM EST
I've never heard of a stereotype against medical services in the Phillipines, but if you're really that "damaged" by something you heard on a second-rate network television drama, maybe it isn't society that needs to change around you, but your self-image that needs to thicken up a bit. (Continued…)
Blaise Parker
posted 10/09/07 @ 7:30 PM EST
Clay, I see where you're coming from, I just respectfully disagree. I don't think the author was trying to imply that the slight was against all Filipinos. (Continued…)
Clay Kimbro
posted 10/09/07 @ 10:09 PM EST
Blaise, See here lies the problem "She specifically referenced Filipino health care workers." The author of the article did; the -show- did not! The show referenced where someone got their degree, but not the ethnic or racial background of a doctor. (Continued…)
Tim
posted 10/10/07 @ 8:33 AM EST
...just to answer your question above. I am a South American (Non White), married to a white American. I know what discrimination means and can recognize racial stuff. (Continued…)
Blaise Parker
posted 10/10/07 @ 1:00 PM EST
I think that you've both shown (Tim and Clay) that there will always be differences in opinion regarding what kinds of comments are perceived as racist, both by white people and by people of other ethnicities. (Continued…)
Clay Kimbro
posted 10/10/07 @ 2:17 PM EST
but you are also creating a logical disconnect in your opinion... if someone does not step up to explain the intent of a comment (white or not), then the incorrect perception continues. (Continued…)
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