At least am not a skin head. My niece just experienced how it feels to be discriminated. I’ve been discriminated many times. Some of these Pinoy bloggers may not even have set foot in the United States!. Some of these bloggers calls themselves professionals – lawyers, columnists and doctors. Some are blatantly self-righteous! Moses like!
Have they ever experienced working in a multi-cultural working environment in the United States? Have they ever experienced working with every race in the United States? How long have they stayed here? A day in Disneyland? Or they must have experienced it within the confines of the Glorietta Theatre watching a racist movie? Disclaimers like “I have not even seen the show!” Well, have you been to America long enough to understand what it is in here?
I’m an overseas worker but lucky enough to have entered George Washington University and Temple University and worked for all kinds of benetton here and I am honestly annoyed at some of the comments made that we have gone way overboard in reacting on this one. Yes, Matilda, I have the experience of being discriminated here and was burned actually!
TELL ME – DO YOU HONESTLY FEEL WHAT FILIPINO-AMERICANS FEEL when these insulting words blares out in the tube, in the radio or smack right in your face and how some Americans look at us and then treat us?! Over-sensitivity? Onion-skinned? Maybe as a Filipino blogger or columnist - should’nt you start asking why are you acting so damn self-righteous?
So, along the lines of what bluepanjeet said in his Desperately Petty:
“CAN I CHECK YOUR RESUME AND PASSPORT, PLEASE? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ACTUALLY STAYED IN AMERICA LONG ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE WHAT WE FILIPINO-AMERICANS HAVE EXPERIENCED.”
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Hahaha burn Matilda burn hahaha. Right on track, You are so true. I never knew you also had this post. Benj actually has one and it is really intellectually enlightening.
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Let me check Benj’s blog after this, because some of these pinoy bloggers and columnists and professionals have probably just stumbled sa pader nang american embassy at biglang naging American Experienced ang dating!
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hi reyna,
onion-skinned or not, you have a right to feel what you feel especially that you have experienced discrimination already. my heart goes out to you (and to others that have experienced discrimination everywhere).
on the note that some people haven’t even experienced working/living/surviving in the US (or in a multicultural country), i agree with you. they really wouldn’t know what they’re writing about not unless they have experienced it. IBA ANG MUNDONG GINAGALAWAN NATIN kaya wala silang karapatan na sabihing onion-skinned ang mga nag-protesta sa DH issue na yan.
best regards,
ibyang
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hi reyna,
onion-skinned or not, you have a right to feel what you feel because you have experience being discriminated already. my heart goes out to you (and to others who have experienced being discriminated as well).
on the note that most bloggers don’t know know how it is to really live/survive in the US (or in a multicultural country for that matter), i agree with you. IBA ANG MUNDONG GINAGALAWAN NATIN and before they pass any judgement on the ones who protested over the DH issue, they should try living/surviving outside the Phils and experience what it’s REALLY like.
best regards,
ibyang
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here’s what i read at CNN’s entertainment section http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/04/tv.desperatehousewives.ap/index.html
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I sympathize with those who were offended, but to be honest I’m not disturbed about the issue enough to actually care. It’s not that I’m shrugging it off… I just have bigger problems in my life right now. Yes, it was very insensitive of the show to let that remark slide.
On a personal note, yes I know what it’s like to be judged in North America because of my ethnicity. I live in Canada which is, in my opinion far more tolerant and promotes multiculturalism. But yeah, there’s racism here, too… maybe not so overt as in America (frequent hate crimes). Strangely, the MOST RACIST PERSON I’ve ever met in my entire life… is my Filipino-American aunt from the U.S. who has the harshest views against black people. Racist people come in all colours.
As an 8-year old child, I was physically assaulted by 3 racist boys who yelled, “Go home back to China where you came from!” (Assholes, I’m Canadian, too… and I’m not Chinese, I’m Filipino!”) That experience should have made me bitter, but it didn’t. I celebrate multicultural diversity… and I don’t play the race card and cry foul every time something bad happens to me.
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bluep, yeap went there and I thought I’d share what I wrote:
Given the fact that we have diploma mills at Recto, cheaters on the Nursing board, racist pinoys to another pinoy is not a justification for the screenwriter of Desperate Housewives to put that moronic lines in there.
But what pissed the hell out of me is the fact that there are a good number of pinoy bloggers, columnists and well, people calling themselves professionals claiming that we’re nothing but a bunch of onion-skinned nuts for going over far and beyond.
I was lucky enough to have gone to GWU in DC and Temple in Philadelphia. I’ve been stereotyped many times but the worst discrimination I encountered was at work when I was let go in favor of another color simply because I didn’t looked like them. I swallowed it and looked for another job.
Interestingly, before this whole Desperate story blew up, my niece alone was angry at her classmates comments that Filipinos in Manila live in boxes and cartoons because this is what they see on TV. Here’s what I wrote even before this story broke out: http://reynaelena.com/2007/09/29/at-12-years-old-shes-already-experiencing-the-tough-side-of-being-in-the-usa/
What pinoy bloggers, columnists and these so called professionals in the Philippines do not understand is the typical American mentality and although this is not a generalization of Americans – some of them actually believes what they see on TV! Besides, Desperate Housewives is like a religion here. It’s a party on Sundays and a water cooler conversation on Mondays. That’s how popular the show is.
Now, to some bloggers who assumes the Moses role, this is my question to them – have they been to the United States? Worked here? Studied here? And experienced what some of us have experienced and long enough to understand the mentality of some of these people here? Will their harsh comments change?
I’ve said this in some of the blogs. One’s opinion would certainly be different if you’re from the outside looking in – than from where you’re straight smack in the center of it. More juicy different if you’re a part of it.
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@fruity-oaty,
that was my first taste of discrimation. I was working right aroung the Univ of Pennsylvania at a Property Management Firm on 40th and Chestnut. I was an accountant then and there was another girl (wont tell her color) who for some reason just dislike me. One time, I made a boo-boo. It was a simple mistake. Boy, did she lambasted and yelled at me “Why don’t you go back to China?!” I lost my anger and I cracked up! It pissed her off like crazy, the manager thought that I attacked her. A month later, I left.
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pusa,
thank you for the update, we would have not seen that! (i lost my original comment since my server crashed again!!!). am really glad they apologized but i prefer what Senator Revilla said, that they should air their apology on their next episode!
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“That experience should have made me bitter, but it didn’t. I celebrate multicultural diversity… and I don’t play the race card and cry foul every time something bad happens to me.”
Fruityoaty-
Well said. *clap*
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Kutz and Fruity,
I have a good number of lurkers and readers from Australia and I know that my relatives who lives in Sydney complains about the fact that racism is far worst in Australia. I hope somebody from Australia would share that experience.
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Gaknowwnnnn???? Naku ang naririnig ko naman eh France daw ang malakas mag discriminate… Kahit saan naman pala meron eh.
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Yeap Kutz, mga nurses din sila and type nilang pumunta dito nang Jan or Feb right in the middle of winter dahil summer sa kanila.
when they were here napagusapan namin ang workplace environment and they told us stories and stories about discrimination there.
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@ibyang,
(your comments were eaten by akismet for some reason)
anyway: thanks for seeing my point of where i’m coming from
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Qualified na ba yung 1 month 1 week? Hehehehe.
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Ako manhid na. Filipinos are descriminted even in our own country eh di mas lalo na sa ibang bansa. Mabuti nga sa america free country eh dito wala kang choice, nakatali ka sa employer hindi ka makalipat so tiis na lang. Ako maswerte kasi ang visa ko sponsored ng husband ko so I can move from one work to another.
Ang pinakagrabe dito yong sweldo at kung minalas-malas ka at minority ang pinoy sa workplace pagtutulong-tulungan ka. Dito iba ang sweldo pag puti, european, indian o pinoy. Kung tutuusin medyo swerte pa nga pinoy kasi mas mataas rate nila kesa sa ibang asians. Tapos minsan pinagtutulungan ka na abusado pa yong amo. Hay, ang buhay OFW!!!!
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@Jon,
Hindi qualified yun. OK, lang meron namang exception to the rule. HAHAHA
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nina,
Ganun kahirap maging OFW! Ilang beses ko nang gustong sungalngalin mga officemates ko sa taliwas na thinking brougth by the media!
Pero feel you together ever! Buksan lang nila sa Pinas ang Classified Ads on Sundays. Dyan tayo magsimula sa discrimination. Alam nyu sinasabi ko?
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“she lambasted and yelled at me “Why don’t you go back to China?!” I lost my anger and I cracked up! It pissed her off like crazy,”
hahaha. dapat sinagot mo: “I cant, I have no Kiamoy!” LOL
e di nagsampalan kayo inang? hahaha anong kulay nya? blue ba o violet hahaha
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BTW my cousin who saw the NLE results here in your blog just asked me this morning on the phone kung madalas daw ba ako magbasa dito sa blog mo, sabi ko:
HINDI BLOG YUN, CHAT ROOM YUN!!! hahahaha. gandang gabi! bak to books…
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hahaha! medyo madilim ang kula nya! hahaha! i work with a lot of them now, i now talk ebonics and act like one kung minsan kaya pag nakikipag-away ako sa kanila, naloloka sila dahil asyanong ebonics kung umasta ako!
hahaha! you know it really works! natatakot sila!
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(Ooops! Disclaimer dun sa above! Doesn’t mean na bwisit ako sa kanila lahat!)
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para bang you will snap your fingers and wiggle your head and say: you go girl! tipong miss cleo hahaha
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HAHAHA That’s exactly what I mean! Thanks to Empress Maruja kung saan ko nakita yon! GANYAN SI REYNA CLEO ELENA! HAHAHA
Nakakatuwa naman yong sinabi mo sa pangkin mo! Hindi na nga blog to! CHAT ROOM! Dun nga sa kabila si Cat, Melai at Kutz akala ko nasa Mendiola na ako!!!
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Mahal na Reyna dahan dahan at baka ang puso mong mala mamon eh biglang bumigay… Kasi naman si Pidro ni hindi man lang alam kantahin ang ating salriling pambansang awit o tumayo man lang sa upuan pag kinakanta ang “Lupang Hinirang” pag last full show sa sinehan. At kinukwento pa sa mga banyaga (puting ungoy) kung gaano kasarap kainin ang balut at asosena… Hay buhay ang sarap…
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Hi Reynz,
My only participation in this desperate issue is signing the petition. I did not write anything about it in my blog, not only because this issue has nothing to do with biking.
But your post here made me remember something that I haven’t thought about for a long time. Not even bluepanjeet would know this, coz I haven’t told him yet. I stayed in Oregon for almost 2 years, working at a foster home. I helped take care of their elderly people. I did not really experience any discrimination, the sort of what you had. In fact the family of all our wards seemed to like us a lot and they would always express their appreciation of what we have been doing for their loved ones. Perhaps it was because they were staying at our house and there were more personal interactions.
What I want to say is that I am deeply hurt by what DH has done to the reputation of Filipino medical workers, and by extension to all Filipinos there. Perhaps if I were still there and blogging, I would have displayed a full page protest banner. Yet, now I am restraining myself and trying to understand why they would put such a denigrating (even this word reeks of discrimination) script in their tv show against us. I know it is not out of ignorance of the fact that many Filipinos work there as doctors and nurses with unsullied reputation. Or perhaps they are indeed ignorant or perhaps they chose to ignore this reality. We would never know.
Please don’t take me wrong. I am with you in expressing outrage. And I’m glad the producers apologized later. We have accomplished something with that. They took notice when some thought that crying foul will not produce any results at all. One of them even created a counter petition and who ever did that could be turning and tossing right now for he was proven wrong in his assumption.
Marami na yata akong nasabi. Mabuhay and Reyna!
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alam mo relate ako dito sa sinabi mo…kayang kaya nilang maging cool about it kasi nga di pa sila nasasabihan sa harapan nila. at may iba dyan na nakikigulo para lang magkaron ng hit ang blogs nila. ay sorry, nag-rant si kengkay, ehehe…
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aray – kengkay!!! ang sakit mo namang magsalita!
he-he! hello at maayung hapon sa imong tanan reyna!! nakikigulo lang.. ala akong magawa eh. hihi!!
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Please do not get mad at me but I do not agree with you. Yes, I may not be an overseas worker, yes I have not set foot in U.S. but that doesn’t mean I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE OFFENSE AGAINST DH. I take pride in Filipinos. I take pride in our talents, in what we can do. And to hear other race saying an insult (which by the way appears to be petty for you) to us, is not acceptable for me. By this, I do not imply I am righteous. Nobody is perfect. Each of us have our own share of flaw. So that should make all of us equal. And to look at other race as someone inferior especially on a worldwide television show, I think, is something unethical.
Kapag ang best friend mo ay inaway ng ibang tao ng wala namang dahilan, at pinagsabihan ng masasamang salita (say minura), at dahil hindi naman ikaw ang inaway, minura, ay sapat na dahilan para sabihin na wala kang karapatan magalit sa umaway sa best friend mo? This to say you don’t have any right to harbor grudges or bad feelings about that person?
I’ve read about your comment on Legarda’s request to close down boybastos, and just as you had the right to react/comment on what Legarda did to boybastos (not your site), we, on the other hand, have all the right also to comment/react negatively on this whole DH-fiasco.
As what I’ve posted @ other blogs, for the life of me, can someone please explain why DH had to single out the Philippines in that line? Can’t they just comment on their own products?
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Hi Ateng Chuva, musta na ang regla mong mint green? Ala ka na bang dysmennorhea????
Tapos na akong mang okray sa kabilang kwarto, hehehehe, binanlawan ko na mga labada ng Melai… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!
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hi chuva, sakit ba? ehehen, sorry ha kasi nag rant nga ako, nadulas yung keyboard, hmmp
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*(napadaan)
aray ako din tinamaan ate kengkay hahaha
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bluePJ: ayan, kung saan saan ka kasi dumadaan.. heheh nope, hindi sa inyong mga onion skinned ito, ahaha, eto ay para sa mga aswang na kahit na amoy ng garlic e di katakutan, nyahah!
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hahaha thumbs up! sarap nga mang-asar.
nagpost din ako ate kengkan ng ganito sa blog ko, yung mga quinote ko di nagreact eh…
siguro tingin nila sa akin naglilink bait ako o wala akong kwentang blogger at di dapat pagtuunan ng pansin hahaha.
Mas naappreciate ko yung iba na nagreact kahit taliwas sa opinion ko kasi they have the balls to stand up for what they believe in. unlike dun sa mga directly na quinote ko until now la pa reaction from them.
Mukha ba akong walang kwenta hahaha?
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$ kutaaaaaaaaaaa!! naku, heto at kailangan ko na rin yatang mag pa-OB-GYN tulad ni Susan Mayer. Pero gusto ko Puting doktor, para makalampuchingan ko.. he-he! musta ka na gurrrrrrrrrrrrll? miss na kita.. shet, walang bakla dito eh kaya na-miss kita. puro mga asul na dugo ang nandito, tulad nila chuvaness, nila kengkay (hihi!) yan..
anong drama ateng? tapos na bang odette khan?
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$ kengkay – ikaw ba bagong bespren ko? sarap mong kausap, parang gusto kitang katuwang mang-asar ng ibang tao? anong say mo??
he-he!
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$ bluep – hindi naman sa wala kang kuwenta kaya ayaw ka nilang awayin gurl. eh, ipaskil mo naman kasi ang mukha ni santa teresa at santo sino nga bayon sa welcome page mo, kahit ako, hindi kita sasaluwatin. eh mukhang may direk dayal ka ke lord no?
tapos yung picture mo pa me pakpak.. eh kung liparin mo ko?! shet.
pero ako, lagi akong parang multo sa blog mo.. nagmamasid, patingin tingin.. kasi ang sarap magbasa ng libro eh. he-he! kapag hindi ako inaantok, nadalaw ako sa blog mo.. pampatulog baga.. biro lang hoy!!
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hi chuva, correction di asul dugo ko, rainbow, hehehe! kasi dipindi sa tama ko
heniway, di ako marunong mang-asar ng utaw, yung keyboard ko ang makulit talaga. minsan na-po-possess sya, dumudulas at nagiging halimaw sa banga, ehehe!
bluePJ, nag comment na ko sa blog mo. na nosebleed ako sa haba ng inglis mo, hmmp
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gurl? hehehe (*kamot ulo)
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@kengkay – si chuvaness ang grammarian ko, si ambo naman ang editor ko. Ada + Ambo = Guy and Pip hahahah
@Chuva – “bluep – hindi naman sa wala kang kuwenta kaya ayaw ka nilang awayin gurl.”
Gurl? *(kamot ulo)
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bluePJ — ahahaha, gurl na gurl ka sa laki ng mata mo… compliment yan na tawagin kang gurl ano, iba yata ang mga gurl kesa sa mga bwoyssss.. yun lang.
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hahaha mukhang napapadalas na ata dalaw ko dito ahh hahah at pati ako napapagkamalan na rin hahaha…
mabawas-bawasan pala pagbisita dito hahaha
lalo akong di mag-kaka-asawa nito pag ganyan ang tawag sa akin hahaha
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hindi ako lalo sasagutin ni janet nyan hahah sabihin di kami talo hahaha
hi nga pala janet.. asan ka na? andito pa rin ako… marry me!
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Chuva: “anong drama ateng? tapos na bang odette khan?”
Chuva- alang drama ateng, naghahanap pa rin aketch ng mapag eenrolan ng netetiquette ba yun?
Oist Mamang, paalala lang, masama yang sinabi mong ” Puting doktor, para makalampuchingan ko.. ” hehehehe, baka mabasa yan nung mutya ng petsmart sa kabilang kwarto at magsulat ng state ob da petshop address abawt sa diskrimineyshun mo sa mga Puting doktor! Lam mo naman yun ayaw napapasaringan kasi di nya gawain yan, ahihihijokjokbolanti!!!
O sha, dito muna me sa batis maglalaba pa ‘ko eh….mamya rarampa ulit aketch! Vavush!
*hinanap si Melai*
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BLUEP…mas pinasasabi pala yang si MAMI KENGKAY nun minsan nag ka chat kami sa confe…wahahahha
i-pi-printscreen ko ba mami keng??
nyeheheh…hot na hot kayo d2! Gud mownin!
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Sharmaine:
You can put your on your ID Sharmaine. We won’t attack you. I don’t like people leaving comments without ID’s but I’ll respond to you anyway.:
Let me be bluntly honest with you: I admire you for your comments because there’s not a lot of people like you. Some of those who disagree with me takes swipe and insults me on other blogs or behind my back and so I am not able to defend myself. Having said that, you should be commended, really. That was nice.
First: Me getting mad at people who disagree with me? You see these people na ginawa nang chat room ang blog ko? Puro ko kaaway yan dati. Here’s my record. Bluepanjeet disagreed with me. Chuva blasted me several times if he disagrees with my twisted opinions. Jon Limjap disagreed with me several times. There was a Senatoriable who was here who blasted the heck out of me. Kutz disagreed with me. Cat at some point disagreed with me and a number more who, interestingly, tingnan mo naman at naging regulars here and actually became my blogfriends. So, forget about that. Just don’t hit from the behind or hitting me for some ulterior motives. The fact that you were straight-faced about it and not a coward is commendable and there’s no reason in the world why I should be mad at you. I get pissed at self-righteous people who link-baits me for some traffic or readership or who maligns me behind my back and calling their minions to attack me. That’s cowardice. That’s backstabbing. Those tactics are not fair because I am not able to defend myself.
Second: The issue is not about me disliking bloggers/people to comment and/or react negatively. Can you imagine if all Pinoy blogs have just one opinion? We’d all be blogging live from Pyongyang!
The issue I raised here is completely different. Pinoy bloggers and “professionals” charged and called us (Filipinos who reside in the US) as onion-skinned people and other demeaning words because of our reaction to the DH issue. That’s a lot of insensitivity!
My point is – have they had the chance to live in the US, work in a multi-cultural environment, feel how it is to be discriminated here, get to know and understand the mentality of the people here, I believe the harshness and tone will change. It’s different if you’re from the outside looking in than if you’re smack in the middle of it, and worst if you’re a part of the experience, you know what I mean? Put in a different sentence, I’m sure if you were discriminated against, your perspective will be more sensitive to your fellow Filipinos who are on the frontline. I hope I was clear.
Third: “but I do not agree with you.” Having clarified my position – You actually agree with me. Agree?
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Basilio,
Sori po sa mga utot nang utak ko!
I know, I should not be complaining anymore dahil wish granted na kami! hahaha!
Honestly and I repeat – type ko yung sinabi ni Senator Revilla na mag-apologize sila sa next episode and delete that Philippine reference dun sa Sunday episode dahil once these DVDs gets out of the market, ganun din ang dating at di pa tapos ang labanan.
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Rino,
Like what you’ve NOT experienced and the nice things YOU’VE experience – we are all the same – by that I mean, me mga sirang mansanas din ang mga Pinoy ah. Same is true with Americans. Not all of them are racist nor have some twisted mentality. My two ex bosses alone are super uber nice to me. One is black or african american and one is italian american. We’re here. We’re on the frontline. Tinira pa nga yung kotse ko nung pumutok ang galit nang mga kano sa hapon when Toyota surpassed those 3 Detroit car manufacturers taz nag lay off here. You have no idea kung anong takot namen nun. Basag basag yong headlights ko dahil napagkamalan kaming Japanese. And I hope Pinoy bloggers realize this – not unless you have experienced it here – then you’ll change your perspective about us, the filipino americans who takes the hit.
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MAY TUMAWAG SA AKING DEWENDE KANINA AT SINABING NAGKAKAGULO RAW ANG MGA ENGKATOT DEWENDE DITO NAGAAWAYAWAY DAW KAYO? EH KUNG HINAHAGISAN KO KAYA KAYONG LAHAT NG GRANADA? TAMA NA AWAYAN – MAKE LOVE NOT WAR-GIVE PIS A CHANS!
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