Appologize for What?

“Okay before we go any further, can I check those diplomas because I want to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines”? These are the words Susan Mayer, Teri Hatcher’s character, said on Desperate Housewives. These words caused a controversy amongst many Filipino’s, especially the ones that work in the medical field. After the airing of the episode where Teri Hatcher’s character said the so-called racial slur, the Philippine Government issued a statement demanding ABC to apologize for airing the Desperate Housewives episode.

Speaking as a Filipino-American, I believe what the Philippine Government and other individual Filipinos are doing about the situation as Bull Shit. My family and my Filipino friends keep on lecturing to me on how it was wrong for her to say that. I agree with them to an extent.

One thing that I do not agree on, is how many Filipino’s called what Teri Hatcher’s character said, a racial slur. What she said is not a racial slur. If people would listen to what Teri Hatcher’s character said, people would find out that she was identifying medical schools in a country not talking about the people of the country. Teri Hatcher’s character never said Filipino; she just had an elitist view on how medical schools in the United States are better than ones form a third world country. It was wrong for Teri Hatcher’s character to say what she said, but it is not a racial slur.

Another thing I do not agree on with how the Filipino people and Filipino Government are doing about this situation is demanding an apology from ABC. People cannot demand an apology since that contradicts the point of an apology. An apology should be what the offender gives to the one he or she offends out of guilt not force; demanding one is meaningless.

Hopefully this situation will blow over, but until then, I hope I will not be bothered with another petition ordering Teri Hatcher and ABC to apologize.