1. Regarding pride, focus on developing your economy so that fewer people will find the need to find work abroad. Take note of various Asian countries whose people and even products were maligned and yet have reversed the situation through high social trust and appropriate economic policies.

2. Where is this outrage everytime an OFW or even Filipino traveler is insulted abroad, physically abused, imprisoned, or even executed? And why do several comment and web log writers refer to death threats and name-calling?

3. Following No. 2, it together with many other things are issues everyday, and yet you do not see a lot of writers talk about them everyday, do you?

4. Are you implying that just as long as the U.S. maintains its standards, then Filipinos will do fine? The point is that citizens talk about pride and yet still have difficulties dealing with their country’s major problems.

Think about other aspects of this issue. You are referring to Filipino health professionals in the U.S., and they come from a country where there are now major shortages in doctors and nurses. This issue concerning a television show will be very minor compared to the possibility of a major health crisis in the Philippines in the next few years.

Here, we’re not out to get ALL Americans. We’re up in arms because of what one American did and that’s the person we want to be tried in court - along with the hierarchy of ABC and the show.

I don’t let that idiot Michael V speak for me. Why don’t you start the petition, I’m sure it will be easy once you get the ball rolling.

If your logic were true, Filipinos will have no ascendancy in any issue. We will no longer have the right to contest and help our OFWs who could be jailed and put in death row abroad in the future because our judicial system sucks and we’ll have no right to question theirs.

It’s bad logic and it doesn’t hold water.

Take Michael V’s “5-6″ music video that parodied Indians engaged in money-lending for example. That particular offensive piece was broadcasted by GMA-7 last year. The mistake was even repeated when GMA-7 released a compilation of Michael V’s music video parodies including that particular music video. Where was the outrage then? If Filipinos are indeed not racist, why didn’t anyone raise a peep when that came out? Oh wait, I am generalizing already. Let me correct that. Where were the valiant Filipino bloggers who are against racism?

It may be hard to admit but Filipinos too are guilty of this crime and before we cast an accusing finger at anyone, maybe we should check if we’re not tainted too. Before we try launching any crusade against anything, why don’t we try fixing our own problems. Yes, people have the right to be offended when they are at the cross hairs of unsupported assertions against their race. But don’t they also have the responsibility to defend others who are also subject to the same attacks? Yes, that American network should apologize to those who were offended by what Teri Hatcher said in that particular episode. But isn’t it about time that somebody also start a petition against what GMA-7 did?

Racism is racism is racism. And if we really believe that, we should start telling off our kababayans when they laugh at the denigrating portrayals of Chinese, Indians, and whatever nationality own media see fit to ridicule. That much at least I get.

Anyway, what complicates the protests over the bigoted joke in Desperate Housewives is the colonial mentality that afflicts many or most Pinoys. We have been taught to regard ourselves to be so pathetic compared with other races, especially Americans. It is sad that some Filipinos do not feel for fellow Filipinos and not cast a stone on racism because it involves their long time idols.

And I didn’t sign any petition. I’m just supporting the class action suit.

I understand that you’re a medical student, and you probably got pissed off. You have that right, I’m not taking it away from you. If you signed some petition, that’s your thing. And maybe I should say “Good for you. I’m sure the time in between the time you split between your studies, your band and your blogging should be used for such grand purposes.”

But yeah, we make racist comments, too. And I find it funny. Sort of. I think doctors here are good enough. That’s why a lot of them are turning into nurses in the US. And that show might have stabbed their chances at being a credible medical professional, because god knows a quarter of a million people are very susceptible to suggestion. Everyone knows one should believe everything one sees on a whorish TV show like Desperate Housewives.

But, heh, it doesn’t bother me and I think I’d laugh at that clip again when I see it again. I’m no doctor, so yeah, it doesn’t bother me. Family Guy and/or MadTV or 30 Rock insults to Filipinos don’t bother me either.

Just my 2 cents. Maybe I’m a genius or a non-thinking money, but then again, who are you to say otherwise? You understand everything.

But in the end, everyone is entitled with their own opinion.

Plus, we all know that one exam (or a set of exams as in the USMLE) cannot ever completely summarize the competence of a certain MD, especially when compared to the effect that the education (or the diploma) of the doctor has on his capacity. I can say that UP/PGH grads (like you and me, haha) in general are better than grads from other med schools even if we all passed the same Board Exams (and this analogy works even for the more rigorous USMLEs).

I’m Blogger paragraph #2 of your post. I just feel if I post about issues it won’t do me any good, unless it really affects me in some sort of way.