Malu Fernandez exercised poor judgment, bad choice of words and horrible taste in choosing to poke fun and insult people who are taken in high regard in this country. Though it’s not exactly a no-no, if one is to criticize anything, the grounds have to be logical and rational. That is why discrimination on the basis of factors that are affected by socio-economic and genetic variables are rarely seen as valid arguments.
The writer messed up and despite her delusional stance on how funny the article was, the damage she was dealt a punishment of unprecedented proportions for someone who writes in the Lifestyle Section - a part of the newspaper that is traditionally an escape from the rigors of the real world to retreat to the lighter side of life. But then again, who has forgotten about the Claire Danes fiasco back in the 90s when she cited Manila as a ghastly place during one of her interviews? The actress did stay in a run-down building to shoot some scenes for a Hollywood movie and Manila really is a huge departure from the streets of Los Angeles, so every greasy beggar that came to her car’s window would’ve shocked her far more than it “shocks” (if still at all) us now.
Some Filipinos also reacted violently when a dog-eater joke was used in a major awards program. Not so long ago, a Jay Leno joke that made fun of the Philippine pull-out in Iraq also caught the ire of a few who didn’t exactly find the gag that funny. Clearly, Filipinos are not the biggest fans of humor and comedy especially when they’re the topic of tongue-in-cheek wit. Pinoys are sensitive, and they will react in a way comparable to how people from Muslim countries reacted when the Muhammad cartoon strips controversy erupted a while back. We are a zealous people - an overeager race who would defend the motherland and our people - at least with scathing words — when the call of duty is made.
With the Malu Fernandez issue, the Philippine Blogging Community has gained some semblance of clout and influence as far as the whole milieu of the media is concerned. We’re not becoming a relevant flank in this side of journalism, and we have to make sure that we take good care of this
But when I read comments like these in blogs, I can’t help but scratch my head and feel really perplexed:
You have said in your “apology†to leave your family and friends out of this fiasco.On the contrary Ms Fernandes,your actions reflects those who are close to you,ever heard of the sayingâ€BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHERS….†or our own native saying “KUNG ANO ANG PUNO SIYA ANG BUNGAâ€.
pasalamat ka Emirates Airline nasakyan mo, kc sa Dudai nag land at hindi nag-emergency landing sa Sharjah, kun Air Arabia di kakpapayagan kc BAWAL BABOY SA MGA MUSLIM COUNTRIES
Comments taken from Selvo’s blog.
If you go to that blog, there are plenty of colorful comments that make fun of Malu Fernandez’s hefty frame. Actually, it has spilled over to a genuine brand of hatred. You can actually see a horde of village people trying to lynch someone with a bunch of pitchforks, hoes and axes. The comments are mostly irrational and as laughable as the actual article by Fernandez. Instead of posting pieces that would reflect an intellectual slant (as Tess Termulo would want it), people got carried away. While I agree that people should be given the leeway to react explosively - and we’re all guilty of this — after such a boisterous effort to discriminate, cooler heads and level-headedness still has to prevail eventually.
What has her weight have to do with the fact that she is an irritating elitist who writes not-so-funny articles? What’s the point of calling her ugly? True or not, it has nothing to do with the way she discriminated against the Filipinos she shared that flight with!
As one commenter in Tess Termulo’s blog said (verbatim):
Not all is born intellect… [sic]
As grammatically-deficient as the comment was, it does reflect a lot of things regarding this medium. Not all people will be able to verbalize his or her concerns regarding the article in a manner that would discuss the major points. It’s more likely that those who will be unable to dissect the article will be tempted to engage in gratuitous name-calling and emotional rhetoric that would amount to nothing in the end.
I think it’s about time that we call for some sanity. Yes, Malu Fernandez is one nasty writer who chose to discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic factors. I don’t even care who she discriminated against - an Overseas Filipino Worker is as much a hero as a diligent Filipino employee here in the Filipinos who is working for his family’s future. They are equals - both are making sacrifices for their families and both are inspiring and commendable citizens of our country. She should be held accountable for the things she done - but not for her weight (trust me, diabetes and heart disease will see her shortly), her looks and certainly not her family.
This sort of comment gives me hope though:
i am not saying that we as ofw’s can not act on our own. what i am trying to point out is we need to explore other avenues, other schools of thought on how to get the proper audience to listen to us. we obviously need help in accomplishing that task as we do not have the right machinery. for me, if we could show our disgust for what malu did to us in some other ways other than publishing a collective condemnation, why not, di ba? anyway, we only have one goal: to make sure that this kind of bigotry does not happen again.
I’ll be on Media In Focus (ABS CBN NEWS CHANNEL) this Thursday to tape an episode regarding the Malu Fernandez issue and this article will more or less be the focus of my comments.
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The call for sanity needs to be in place. I am trying to understand why some comments are about her appearance. I believe some just couldn’t express themselves other than rant or curse. What should have been done? moderate the comments? edit the name-calling words? it’s a dilemma that I face as a blogger sometime. Where do I draw the line of freedom of expression and libelous comments?
I ditto the need for more responsible and well thought-out commenting. But I think we need to cut these people some slack. I believe the first impulse that worked was raging emotion, hence the blasted comments. Probably what went into these people’s minds were, “Aba, anong karapatan nitong mag-comment ng ganun eh sya nga ganto ganyan.” Diba? They’re all so mad they all want to get even right away. But, just like in my experience, it was all brought about by uncontrolled emotion which eventually simmered down a few days after.
Just my two cents.
My personal worry about this is will this incident be a pre-cursor of political correctness in our Blogoslovakia? Personal attacks whether done by a person or a group is devoid of merit and adds nothing to the discourse. Colourful and perhaps thrilling but its efficacy is often over-rated. I think.
I think one thing is clear. Words can and do hurt. Words do damage of the worst kind. But I think it is elitist to praise so-called intellectual reactions and scratch your head over others.
I say, whoever you are, wherever you are whatever your linguistic capabilities might be, you should be able to say your piece.
Kuya Benj, for some reason my comment isn’t appearing on your site. Hmmm… wonder why?
Thanks for posting this, Benj. I’m getting quite disappointed with how some of the bloggers are reacting to the issue. Maybe I’ll write another post about my comments on this. A lot of people have this misconception that what the head says is different from what the “heart” says. Our emotions all originate from a certain part of the brain. And it is the person’s CHOICE if he’s going to let his judgment be muddled by his emotion or if he’s going to acknowledge the presence of such emotions and use it to make REASONABLE DECISIONS.
The way I see it, most people take it that to be emotional is a license to make hurtful statements.
As for you, Sparks, I’d say that there’s nothing wrong to be called elitist. In my humble and honest opinion, most of us do have elitist tendencies. And what is wrong with praising intellectual discourse and “scratching head over others”? Everyday of our lives we make judgments based on the facts we hold and from our preferences. For example, it is my preference to listen to the more sensible and rational things more levelheaded people are saying about this issue because I CHOOSE TO USE MY INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY TO JUDGE THINGS BECAUSE I’M A HUMAN BEING. Why shouldn’t we use it when it is the very reason why we, human beings, proliferate and survive? Why choose to spew curses when you can make your counter-arguments make sense? Is it because of a silent admission that the person cannot make sensible arguments? Is it the product of the choice not to use one’s reasoning?
And about what you said, “I say, whoever you are, wherever you are whatever your linguistic capabilities might be, you should be able to say your piece,” isn’t this also the same right that covers Malu Fernandez’ right to say what she thinks? In her case, she certainly crossed the dangerous borders. Well, some bloggers definitely also crossed the same dangerous borders.
Before everyone run out of stones to throw at miss fernandez which at the moment is still coming, I have one personal experience which I want to relate.
Back in early 70s when discrimination was still rampant here in Canada and before the Charter of Rights and Freedoms comes into existence our manager where I first work refused to hire someone of East Asian ancestry, but due to affirmative action by our Government the company had to and when we had our first East Indian (actually he was from the Caribbean and smarter than the rest of the caucasian) our manager without his presence made a “racist†joke about the fellow and everyone had a good laugh and I waited until they all had their laughs and with the Loudest Voice I could muster, I asked the Joke teller if He had some funny Joke to tell about us Filipinos and I will gladly leave the room.
That was the last Racist Joke told publicly or in groups other than them bigots for the next 13 years I had been in the company…Now it is not only a violation of the Charter as Discrimination, but could fall under the new criminal act, the
Anti-Hate Law…
I still believe that even during that time when one sincere outburst could help a company to re-examine its policy; yes that matter reached the higher management and racist jokes and discrimination was totally eliminated within the company, but what is needed in ms fernandez case is the re-examination of the guidelines and policies of the publication and journalistic ethics with regards to discrimination and hate and where to draw the lines, because once said and published the pain and divisiveness it will cause is immeasurable.
before this malu fernandez issue erupted in blogosphere, i was planning to write an article about being an OFW. hehe
was i offended/hurt by her article? a bit. but i didnt call her names. maybe she should have delivered it in a more responsible manner.
and with regards to some blogger comments, some are quite surprising. and not in a positive way.
uhmm ang harsh nung mga comments sa kanya.. i can’t really comment on this for I haven’t read the whole thing yet.
Btw, I just finished the post that I told you about.
Benj, kindly ask from the staff of Media In Focus what time (either on Saturday and Sunday) the replay of the show will be aired, so I can have it uploaded on youtube (well, hopefully I won’t forget). I might not be able to catch you on Thursday.
writing a column or writing comments— it just shows how immature and not ready we are granted the democracy. we do not know how to exercise “freedom”. most of the time, we tend to abuse it and forget that with freedom also comes the responsibility.
who’s to blame? i can not pinpoint. *shrug*
I am reprinting a similar post I initially made as a response to a post in MLQ3’s blog.
There seems to be a subtle message that Malu Fernandez conveys outside the smell, behaviour, or whatever of Filipino migrant workers.
Malu Fernandez stated that:
Quote:
“Just recently, I wrote a funny article in my magazine column and my friends thought it was hilarious. It was humorous and quite tongue-in-cheek, or at least I thought so, until the magazine got a few e-mails from people who didn’t get the meaning of my acerbic wit.”-from MST
Quote:
“Although it may sound elitist to you the fact is this country is built on the foundation of haves, have-nots and wannabes.”- from MST
Quote:
“Now I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense?”- from MST
In her initial article she stated:
Quote:
“I guess God was watching out for us because the ferry we were supposed to take sank in the middle of the Aegean sea. I could already see myself screaming “SAVE MY ACCESSORIES!!!!” And swimming with my head above water so I don’t mess up my makeup…”-from People Asia Magazine
She already intimated that this along with her make-up weighed about 17 kg. That is about the weight of a “have-not” child. (Or whatever kind of child for that matter)
On August 1991, the Oceanos which was a Greek (probably a coincidence) cruise vessel sank of the South African east coast .
In one account by Rose-Marie Rowe (one of the survivors), she intimated in the Oceanos blog that a lot of the crew left with their valuables (likely the crews’ belongings); leaving many of the passengers (including children) to what can be called an uncertain fate in the hands of entertainers Moss and Tracey Hill. Fortunately, the Hills proved able even without the training (And remarkably; all personnel and passengers survived the ordeal).
Going back to Fernandez, her hefty kit won’t be able to float let alone swim on its own. It’s either going to take up precious space in a life boat or a life vest if its to join Fernandez in the water.
Haves, have-nots and wannabes are not confined to this country so that Greek ferry Fernandez planned to board would have had its share.
One of the “Haves” needs her accessories saved.
Most of the crew of the “Oceanos” did practically the same so shouldn’t a “have” be able to demand the same even at the expense of a “have-not”?
A crew who are trained and responsible for the safety of their passengers; leaving the passengers to save themselves was bad enough but to bring along their things in lieu of everyone else?
It happened.
Given Fernandez’s issue of the “haves”, “have-nots” etc…; what can be expected of her?
Malu’s elitist snobbery is common in the Philippines. Tagalogs are making of fun of Bisaya. Manilenyos are making fun of Kapampangans. Bisayans are making fun of Boholanos. Nobody cried for bigotry.
After all the uproars, it has achieve nothing other than resignation of Malu. Cruel jokes will still go on and so does snobbery. It is a fact that people should face.
The mob mentality reaction to Malu’s offensive writing is no different to mob mentality of Muslim’s call for jihad on Salman Rushdie.
It just show how most Filipinos embraced democracy without understanding its ideals of a free society.
If I were indeed a domestic helper in Dubai, and this rich woman wrote for all and sundry that she would rather slash her wrists rather than share a plane ride with me, then what else is there for me to do to regain my dignity? Can I argue with MF on the better points of journalism? Can I attack her with my superbly written diatribe in English? Or even Filipino?
Do I perceive Ms Fernandez and I to be equals? Immediately I am working from a disadvantaged position. In the society I come from she is untouchable. I only have words in my arsenal. Childish they may be, but they are all I have.
If Ms. Fernandez weren’t obese, she would’ve been called something just as hurtful. It reflects our culture why so many have called her a pig. In our culture, it not only means “dirty,” it also means “gluttony” and “excess.” In MF’s case, its clearly not over food.
This topic reminded me of my Philosophy with Logic class; fallacies.
Those name-calling and harsh attacks are illogical. So what if she’s fat, ugly or whatever these people can call her, it doesn’t change everything, they just branded her. They should have pointed on the issue. They just pulled off another ‘Malu Fernandez’ and that didn’t make them different from her anymore.
Lesson in this issue: DON’T BE A MALU FERNANDEZ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAFaqDRcB8M
http://profiles.friendster.com/48933279
too bad.
Guys,
Are you not exhausted talking about her?
All is well said and done.
Let us leave her alone for now…
[[[Not all is born intellect… "As grammatically-deficient as the comment was"]]]
Here i am speaking before all of you.
English language is not our mother-tongue. Blessed and fortunate are you who can speak well using this kind of language maybe because of what you have accomplished or earned (a Degree perhaps). FYI, I am only a High School graduate in a remote town, 200 km. from the city, province of Bohol but i am proud of what i have accomplished.
You see what happen to Malu. She has everything already, yet she is careless. Remember Melani Marquez who won in 1979 Ms. International pageant despite of her broken English(correct the date if i’m wrong) .
Yes, it’s been tiring trying to read through all the hate comments. Obviously, some people have a hard time letting go of the issue, and would rather make it grow into bigger proportions. However, I just let them rant, since it’s all that they want to do. It’s beginning to be a waste of time already.
if there’s one thing i learned from this malu fernandez brouhaha, it’s that an awful lot of bloggers are OA sometimes.
for me, it was a sorry attempt at humor. it was published in the wrong place. it was ill-written and ignorant. i doubt she was serious with what she was saying anyway—she admitted it was tongue-in-cheek. intelligent people should have left it at that. apparently, some bloggers are not-so-intelligent, what with all those hate comments and the name-calling worthy only of the crass and uneducated.
why focus on malu fernandez and her unfunny, harmless attacks against OFW’s? does anyone know about the Pinay OFW who went to San Francisco and was forced into servitude against her will in New Jersey for two years? did you know that a vice consul for the Philippines was accesory to this crime? if you’re so concerned about the welfare of OFW’s, stop focusing on the trivialities and react on the real issues plaguing real suffering people. bloggers have the power to make that vice consul resign in disgrace. instead, they focus on malu fernandez.
what embarrassing irony.
other than the normal burst of emotions that is always the initial response to controversial issues, it is very healthy to keep discussing such issue until the debate comes to a “resolution” acceptable to all parties of interest. Otherwise, left alone to fade away without addressing the grievances, sooner the same will bear its ugly tail and it could be another brouhaha and nothing will come out of this controversy and insults thrown at all directions and next time it coould be just bigger and more uglier. My comment was from own observation on how we threshed out our issues, we don’t back out, we face them and deal with them, somebody and sometimes a lot of people will get hurt, but in the long run, it will bear fruition and all will be benefited..
apparently, the burst of emotions which you speak of isn’t just an initial, but a prolonged, reaction to the issue.
—
discussion is healthy, but if it is marred by an awful lot of name-calling and petty insults, the aim at an ‘acceptable resolution’ is compromised. in this case, i believe that this issue is better left ignored because i believe that her ill-humor is harmless. one scathing reaction from a blogger set up a whole chain of unnecessary hate reactions from other bloggers. where is the discussion that aims for a resolution? confusion and the revelation of the darker side of philippine blogging is the result.
confusion and the revelation of the darker side of philippine blogging is the result.
—–
then that is one more issue that may neccessitates discussions and resolutions, the culture of making a mountain of a molehill and don’t know what to do with the monster that was created. not only in this particular case but in quite few others. but believe me, discrimination in any guise in not a petty issue and ignored hoping that it will just disappear in its own, we just approached the “problem” maybe not the proper way? there is always a way to rectify in some other way…
[...] Keeping It Real On The Malu Fernandez Issue by Benj [...]
Dodong,
Cruel jokes may go on. But at least it won’t be coming from Malu Fernandez in the medium she used and she won’t be getting paid for it.
Liz,
You yourself indicated that the New Jersey issue is a crime.
THe Philippine government can and should act in a manner in the New Jersey case that it cannot do in the case of Malu Fernandez.
There was recently the case of an OFW in the middle east that was being videotaped while getting raped by her boss or boss’ friends. The government was at least up to now able to locate her and bring her home.
Since you know so much of the case in New Jersey (which I don’t know of); then play it up.
Your interested in having the vice consul resign in disgrace. Most would rather that the vice consul be brought to court and justice be done to all concerned.
Wanna-be, haves and have-nots!
A REAL PERSON doesn’t need to act like one, doesn’t need to be like one and always keep himself or herself in low profile.
Obviously, from the tone of her writing, it seems that she is deprived of it.
There’s nothing to be proud of!
There really isn’t any need to insult Ms. Fernandez further; I think she’s quite miserable on her own. I’ve encountered her enough to know that she’s pretentious and obnoxious. I also know that although her family may have some affluence, I certainly would never include her among the truly high-end of Philippine society she aspires to associate herself with. Sure she may orbit the circle, but she lacks the financial gravitas to truly live the lifestyle at that level. But even that aside, her complete lack of finer sensibilities or circumspect in her utterances indicate a mistaken concept of how the higher strata generally operate. The upper-crust manner, in my humble opinion, is one where there is the absence of a need to prove it to anyone. The traditionally rich guard the private details of their lives, perhaps just sharing it with a few intimates. Bragging about the inconsequential accoutrements of “the fabulous life†as Ms. Fernandez does in article after article, smacks more of an arriviste rather than a person already “to the manor born.†The classic signs are all there - name-dropping, an obsession with expensive accessories (and the need to highlight the brand), the feeling of entitlement, the clear disdain and lack of empathy for those she feels are not of her strata. It must be very difficult for her to constantly try to keep up with a crowd she just can’t keep up with financially. If she could she would have easily bought a first-class ticket and we would have all been spared of her tirade.
Feeling alienated from a crowd she so desperately wants to be a part of must make her very frustrated. Many bloggers also made fun of her portliness. I would imagine that the insults concerning her weight we’re not the first time she had heard such comments. She was physically large when I met her, and she still is to this day. There must also be a great deal of frustration in not being able to lose the weight. Part of being “Fierce and Fabulous†is the glam-factor. Obesity isn’t generally considered glamorous. There is so much out of her control that I can only imagine her seething anger as she sat in economy with her fellow Filipinos from Dubai. Powerless to do anything to extricate her from that circumstance, she lashed out by berating them, by trying to convince people that although she sat in economy with them, she is not one of them. She is high class and they are not. That kind of venom, that kind of irrational anger is so deep-seated that it can only come from a life she felt she had no control of – much like her weight and her social status.
All our actions have been futile!! Malu Fernandez is back in Manila Standard, to continue mocking us OFWs.
She is a waste of time. What we’ll gonna do best is to prove to her that she’s definitely wrong and when that time comes, it’d be a BIG SLAP on her face.
As Christian brother i give you this advise, “leave it all to HIM…”
We owe it to all the OFWS all over the world to continue this fight. We were not the one who started it. Boycott Manila Standard and all of their advertisers. It is only then that they will know that OFWS must be not be ignored and insulted without provocation.
Sa sobrang hirap na dinaranas ng mga kawawa nating OFWs, ang konting paggalang sa kanila ay mahirap bang gawin para sa mga katulad ni Malu Fernandez at ng Manila Standard. Una sa lahat, sino ba ang nagsimula mang insulto? Matapos na tumanggap sila ng batikos ay saka sila mambibintang na wala sa lugar ang libu libong ofw na nagbigay ng kanilang pananaw sa isyu? ano ba talaga ang isyu?
i feel pity for her sick sister, Vicky Fernandez Zubiri. Vicky is so up above the level of her sister Malu Fernandez. This means that even if they have the same set of parents, they are not the same in their attitude. What a shameful thing Malu has brought to her family. If i were her, i will just disappear , but somehow, she must really be that thick faced to come back as if nothing happened. You have not seen the worse Malu.
What Malu’s mob failed to realize is that she is just a product of our culture. It’s karma, kumbaga. One of the comments is right… Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga. Malu is the bunga..the puno? Filipino culture (regardless of social class)
Aren’t these familar?
fix six bumbay(which reminds me of a Michael V and Roy George atrocious music)
Arabo-mabaho
instik beho, tulo laway
kuripot ang mga ilocano
negro! ita!
igorot ka, yak, umalis ka dito
ay bisaya, mai..yak
promdi, jologs
kakatkot, muslim, terorista
tisoy! multo
and probably something similar to Malu’s ‘defaming of ofws’
“ako lang ang magpapadugo sa ilong ni manny pacquiao - English”
Despite Manny bringing some glory and positive exposure to our country, we have the guts to make fun of his English…the same crime that Malu did.
To put it simply, we are just eating our own dust.
We’re not less innocent and guilty than Malu. She is just our own dose of medicine
Ang sakit aminin noh?(especially to the mobs)
To : Janet,
You maybe right with your observation but this is only applicable to ordinary people. As a columnist, Malu should have exercised restraints in her writing. Her column is categorized as travelogue, under lifestyle section. Does what she has written contributed something positive or was it even necessary to her article?
Janet,
There are also Visayan folks who can speak English more fluently and more eloquently than you ever think of. They should not be discriminated because of the way they talk or utter English accents’ like what Manny did. They may have problem with English grammar or they might be ‘grammatically-deficient’ but these people are humble, intelligent, hospitable, God-fearing and hardworking. For once let us remember the song of the 80’s “Ebony and Ivory” and the lyric goes like this “We all know that people are the same whereever we go. There’s a good and bad in everyone and learn to live, when we learn to love each other what we need to survive, together alive. Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony, side by side on my piano, keyboard Oh Lord why don’t we.” LET US RESPECT EACH OTHER!!!
Oh i forgot Janet, they are also very talented, more talented individuals compare to other regions—-opppppsss… no offense please but this is the mere fact.